WebForActors and Other Companies
This was our second year at the Actor's Expo in LA and we loved it! We met a lot of new faces, and we've seen a lot of familiar faces as well. Turn out was amazing, and we got to take some cool pictures of our Premium members who either stopped by or the new members who joined on the spot. All in all, this couldn't have gone better, well, maybe with an exception of people using emergency exit (yet again) and activating the door alarm, can we put more warnings on these doors next time, Lianne? :)
Who was there?
Well, obviously we were, and we educated everyone we could about the ease of getting an actor website with us and how it benefits everyone MORE than any other website hosting companies on the market. "We make websites for actors, while [insert any other hosting company here] makes websites that might be used by actors... or bakers, or bankers, or chefs. So yes, you COULD list yourself on Yelp because bakers and chefs do, BUT most likely you will list yourself on IMDb instead, because it is for actors."
The whole event was sponsored by Actor's Fast Track, as you may see that from the logo on the goodie bags. I have not ran into Valorie Hubbard though, but I saw her in New York and I bought her book, "Rule Breakers, Changing the way ACTORS do business", which in fact I'm actually in the middle of reading. If you don't know AFT is or what they do, well the best way to find out is to reach out to them directly. With Actor's Fast Track, actors learn a clear set of rules to follow and strategies for clearing the obstacles. Their slogan states "IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE GAME. It's time to change YOUR game."
About The Work was there too and they were offering a free working audit. I believe offer is still valid, so if you're an LA actor, check them out on their website <- this link will take you directly to the form to sign up. I filled it out myself. Everybody loves "free", am I right? They help you nail your auditions and fully embody your character. As a member you get to work on a professional set with a coach and peers who want to see you progress, so, again... it's free, just fill in the form, nothing to lose.
Gwyn Gillis was there... again... I see her at every single one of these, but it totally makes sense. Since she helps actors market themselves in the TV/film industry, she needs to market herself accordingly. If you've been reading this blog, you might remember me talking about LA Actor Marathons - yup, the next one will take place in June of 2019 and there are a lot of details on the website I can't sum up in a sentence. I will say it's rather pricey, but it is a 3 full days event. So if you're looking to make an investment, this may be something you ought to consider. Oh, and apparently Gwyn Gillis is my next-door neighbor, haha. I'll be on the lookout for her bicycle now.
Moodcaster was there and boy, do they know how to grab a spotlight. They had these cool phone stands to showcase their app and the lit up branding was breathtaking in my humble opinion. Those guys rock, and it's the same company that brought you Reelarc and Actors Launchpad - I'm so excited for the latter to open doors in LA soon, you'll definitely see me there. And now Moodcaster, which is a free app which offers you everything you need to self tape, audition and submit with confidence. So frigging cool. The gears in my head are totally spinning right now. I've been talking about the need for this industry to join the rest of us in the XXI century and we're doing the best we can to help drag everyone there, but it's so great to know we're not the only ones who do it. Moodcaster is a definite step towards the future.
There were a bunch more companies there, but one new company that stood out a lot (despite not even being listed in the booklet) was UP(st)ART. At a first glance I saw the words "CREATE", "COLLABORATE", "EXPLORE" and as a founder of a (st)ART(up) company I thought, oh, so it's an event space company, right? Wrong! In smaller caption you have "Co-living company for the creative type". Ohhh, okay, why not name it "BunksForActors"? Oh because it's not classy, well I'm a simple guy. :) In any case, these guys are awesome, they have 6 locations that offer affordable monthly living space with utilities, laundry, etc, AND on site classes, industry guest speakers and events. So cool, and I assure you, the bunk beds are bigger than the one I slept on for 4 years while I was in the Navy. Looks like I must readjust the Resources for Moving to L.A. blog post. This should be #1 resource.
