Making it in LA
Los Angeles is globally recognized as the entertainment
capital of the world. One in every six of its residents works in a
creative industry. There are over 1,000 musical, theatre, dance,
and performing groups. According to research by the University of
Southern California there are more artists, writers, filmmakers,
actors, dancers and musicians living and working in Los Angeles
than any other city at any time in the history of
civilization.
Martin Jago, RWCMD acting graduate, talks about his move
to the City of Angels.
I loved my time at RWCMD and besides superb training and
facilities, forged some lifelong friendships. After graduation I
taught acting in London for a while but didn’t feel like I was
going anywhere. I decided that moving to LA might just be the push
that I needed.
I now live, work and play in Los Angeles and love every minute
of LA life.
Hollywood is an acting mecca, there are a huge volume of
castings to keep actors busy and I have managed to work pretty much
continuously since arriving in 2007.
LA has a can-do culture and castings are
abundant
My first LA job was with award-winning commercials director,
Andrew Douglas. Two weeks later I booked a voiceover job with
another award-winning director, Nick Peterson. Several voiceover
jobs later and I was taken on by Danis, Panaro & Nist, one of
the world’s foremost voiceover agencies, representing the likes of
Samuel L Jackson, Jeff Goldblum and Sir Ben Kingsley.
I currently have a national commercial running, I’ve just
completed a voiceover on the new Ghost Recon game for XBox 360 and
my voiceover of two Shakespeare adaptations with fellow alumnus,
Alexander McConnell, recently toured the States with
interdisciplinary dance and theatre troupe, ByCoastal
Productions.
British actors are particularly welcomed and respected here. The
level of training we receive in the UK, exemplified by the
excellent training at the RWCMD, is second to none.
I continue to teach in LA, running Shakespeare classes for
actors in Santa Monica. My book, To Play or Not to Play: 40
Games for Acting Shakespeare, secured me literary
representation in New York earlier this year and – fingers crossed
- publication will follow soon!
What made you choose to study at RWCMD?
1) The faculty. Excellent teaching staff was key: Marilyn Le Conte
and Dave Bond, amongst others.
2) The facilities. The facilities at RWCMD are first rate. Many
other drama schools can't compete in terms of space alone.
3) The location. Cardiff is a great city - clean, green and easy to
get around. And the all important cost of living is far cheaper
than elsewhere.
What advice would you give current
students?
Network. Put yourself in front people as much as possible.
Know the 'business' of acting. Write strong, succinct letters
that use positive language and focus on your strengths. ALWAYS
follow up letters and emails with a phone call. Always try to make
a connection, have a hook or point of reference in your letters
i.e. a referral, a recommendation, perhaps you did a workshop with
them or saw a production they directed.
Make the most of the contacts you already have - they are the
directors, producers and other actors with whom you have already
worked.
Get the best head shots you can afford. Invest in a show reel
and a voice reel and upload them onto reputable actor websites.
Sell yourself.
Go to classes, workshops and seminars. Even though you've
trained for three years, you still need to practice. Getting rusty
erodes confidence. By going to class you keep up your skills and
take care of the business side - being out there, knowing what's
going on, picking up information on castings, call-backs, who's
who, etc.
Be proud of the range of roles you had chance to play at drama
school. It demonstrates that you have range and flexibility.