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An Actor Website…should you have one or does it really matter? Many actors do, some don’t. There are however, some undeniable facts about having your own website. Your actor website can be an important and useful marketing tool for your career. It showcases who you are as an artist and as a unique individual to casting directors, agents, and industry professionals. It’s an opportunity to connect and network with people who…

So you’ve decided that you want to make the leap. You’re going to give up your 9-5 day job and pursue your acting career full time so that you can focus on doing what you love and what you were born to do. Before you make the crucial step of leaving your full-time employment, we at ASC want to make sure you’ve considered all the necessary steps to becoming a…

by Jill Monaco   My friend Chris Agos wrote a great piece about using the EAR Prompter, also know as the EAR,  a few weeks back. It was taken from his book Acting in Chicago, which helps people understand the industry more than any other book I’ve read.   Chris and I have worked together many times. When I knew I was going to be booked with him I was thrilled. Why? Because if…

At Acting Studio Chicago we are extremely proud of our faculty…..and their books! Jeff Lupetin, Voice Actor Extraordinaire, teaches several VO classes and is the author of ULTIMATE VOICEOVER.  Check out these great tips from Jeff ‘s  book. Below are some extremely practical pacing tips that you can use at your very next Voiceover audition! ULTIMATE VOICEOVER TIP! Always read the first line of your copy more slowly than the…

A good voice-over demo costs a lot of money. A good demo producer will produce a demo that sounds fantastic. Once that’s done, at some point you’re going to have to audition, and if you’re not ready, all that money and time you spent on your demo is worth nothing. Have you ever seen a glamorous headshot, and then seen that the actor looks nothing like their photo? That’s what…

The following is an excerpt from Acting In Chicago: Making A Living Doing Commercials, Voice Overs, TV and Film And More by Chris Agos, and has been reprinted by permission.   If you don’t know what an ear prompter is, you’re going to thank me for introducing it to you. Ear prompters let you deliver your lines word for word, without memorizing them or holding a script in your hand. It’s sometimes…

Grind and hustle….  Hustle and grind. Those are the classic actions of the Chicago actor, are they not? Bouncing from one audition, show, set to the next. All the while, trying to maintain a sense of control over the uncontrollable fluster of your creative life. Have you ever thought about creating your own work? At the end of the day, we are each in control of our preparation, choices, and…

by Gail Rastorfer of Artistic Strategies 1. Have a War Chest Just like any move, make sure you have the money in hand to get out to L.A., to put a deposit down for a place to stay and to have AT LEAST two months worth of living expenses in hand. You will also want money for classes/headshots/etc. If you decide becoming an L.A. Actor is your goal in ‘x’…

Chris Agos is an actor who books work in all aspects of the business and who has worked in both the Chicago and the L.A. markets. Chris taught On Camera and VO classes at A.S.C. for over five years. As someone who now travels between markets, we are lucky to have him back teaching a workshop on transitioning from Chicago to L.A.  Chris is also the author of the popular and…

by Brian Plocharczyk   The last few years I have been approached by a large number of my fellow actors, and voice-over students about whether or not they really need to set up a home voice-over studio and how to do it. The quick answer is yes you need one, but what exactly that means can vary greatly.  It drives me insane when I see fellow professionals running off to a…