The Business Actor

You are now an adult. You can't live without money. My parents are going to glow with pride when I say this. You were right for making me pick a minor. I'm even more thankful that it was a minor in business. If you're an actor starting out you cannot for a moment think that you are exempt from financial stress. No one is. So why are actors older than me unaware of basic financial principals? If you got them you can save yourself time and not read this and pat yourself on the back for being a well informed human being. Having four years of classes does not make me an expert in any way but I definitely found these tips have helped me in entering adulthood as an actor. 1. Understand taxes. This is a long one. They aren't as scary as you think. As an actor you can deduct SO MUCH of your expenses that are a pain to buy initially if you use them in a show. This includes those fancy Leducas, headshot sessions, driving to the theatre, leotards, AEA and SAG fees, and mo...

"Does this mean you're giving up acting?" Odds are if you are an actor just graduated out of school and did not choose to stay in the two main acting cities in the United States, you were probably asked this question not once, not twice, but so many times that you want to curl up into a ball and say "Yes! I didn't go! I'm a failure!" Well that was before I graduated college. There was never the need for that much drama. You see, I had just lived in New York City the spring semester of my senior year of college. Luckily my theatre program at Abilene Christian University provided an opportunity to study in NYC with Syracuse University's Tepper Program alongside students from SU, James Madison, Boston Conservatory and more fantastic theatre programs. It was by far the best choice I could have possibly made for myself as a student to live in such a wonderful, open and artistic place. The professors were true professionals in the industry th...