In 2001, Kathi Carey and I decided it would be a good idea to have a dissemination piece for the repertory company--the New Hollywood Studio System--that would get actors who did not already live in Los Angeles to start thinking about their brand as an actor and begin the development and marketing process that goes into starting an acting career before actually arriving in Hollywood.
Most actors, I had realized, came from other parts of the country (or from other countries) and it was a significant disruption of their lives and livelihoods to make the trip to fight the already long odds against succeeding in the glamor career that is Hollywood acting. I saw no reason that they couldn't get started whilst still in the comfort of their home environment where they were surrounded by family, friends and a supportive infrastructure before making the journey to Hollywood where support could be scarce.
As I am currently writing a book on the Action/ReAction technique I developed for actors, a conversation with a colleague reminded me of the earlier How to Start a Hollywood Career Without Having to Go There: An Instruction Manual For Actors which presented basic elements of the technique and some preliminary marketing strategies for actors. I went to Amazon to see if it was still listed. We had long-since gone through two printings; the first being a spiral bound edition and the second a traditional paperback. We didn't entertain the idea of further printings because the rep company was winding down and we saw no purpose in having the book on the market. I was surprised to find that the listing was still there. A bigger surprise came from seeing that one used paperback copy is currently available from Grandma's Goodies for the modest sum of $357.98!
I had forgotten that reviews had been posted and was heartened by reading them again and to see how well the book was received. I can only hope that the new book will have a similar impact.
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