Acting As a Business, Third Edition: Strategies for Success

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 144 pages
• Published by: Heinemann Drama; 3 Rev Upd edition August 30, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0325008078
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0325008073
• Book Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Weighs: 3.2 ounces

Product Description

Brian's wonderful book not only helps to demystify much of what is scary to the novice, it is also a wonderful refresher for veterans. It's both calming and wise, much like the author himself!
----Josh Radnor, star of CBS-TV's
How I Met Your Mother

With Acting as a Business, Brian O'Neil changed the way actors viewed their field and their careers by providing them with clear-cut guidelines on how to approach acting as a business. Any number of books preached persistence, but O'Neil was the first writer who actually told actors how to be persistent. The book is such a vital resource that it won a spot on Entertainment Weekly's exclusive list of Industry Bibles.

Now in this third edition, O'Neil updates his indispensable resource to keep up with the latest show-business trends and help you put control of your acting career where it belongs: in your own hands.You will not just read Acting As a Business, Third Edition, youll dog ear, underline, and bookmark it as you discover:

• a how-to guide to writing your theatrical resume - for both the East-Coast and the West-Coast actor
• specific examples of cover letters and other important correspondence
• practical ways to join the performer's unions
• tactics for getting an agent and finding out casting information well in advance
• tips on preparing for and answering the questions most often asked by agents in an interview - and what you should ask them
• techniques for auditioning in an agent's office
• the dos and don'ts of effective interview follow-up
• strategies for finding work in the theater, on soap operas, and in independent films
• a chart for recording which casting directors know your work
• an effective approach to interviewing a prospective personal manager
• a discussion of the "League" schools
• the best ways to make use of the internet.

About The Author
Brian O'Neil is a former talent agent and personal manager who has represented actors for theatre, film, television, commercials, and radio. As a talent representative he was responsible for the career guidance and professional placement of hundreds of actors including some of todays biggest stars. Brian is the founder of Acting As a Business, a one-on-one career-consultation and career-coaching service for actors. He lives in New York City and is a frequent guest lecturer at some of the nations finest acting-training programs including The Yale School of Drama and The Juilliard School.

Reader Reviews
Mr. O'Neil's last edition of Acting As A Business was the first book that I read when I got out of college, and it proved invaluable in helping me break into the New York acting scene. This latest edition provides even more strategies of how to be a competitive player in the market. What Mr. O'Neil illustrates in this edition is so direct and clear, yet so many of my peers remain in the dark, because they never read his book. They are continuing to waste their time and money, rather than do what needs to be done, which is outlined in even greater detail in this latest edition. After reading this book, I landed an agent, had a recurring role as a college student on All My Children, became eligible to join SAG, worked at some top NYC theatres, booked several national commercials, and secured meetings with not only top managers, but with Warner Bros. Televison (twice)- all because I did what Mr. O'Neil said to do!! Mr. O'Neil's book should be required reading for any aspiring actor, and, moreover, should be part of the cirriculum at any university drama department or acting school.