How can teens become actors in Hollywood?

Hollywood can be a great place for teens to get their acting careers started, but teens must be prepared to face fierce competition; many people flock to this city in search of acting jobs.

Get Training

Even teens with the most natural acting talents can benefit from some training, whether it is formal training in an academic setting or one of the many acting workshops available in Hollywood and the surrounding area. As a bonus, teens can network with other actors in these classes.

Be Seen

There is no shortage of unpaid opportunities for actors in the Hollywood area; even an appearance on a community theater stage in the San Fernando Valley can gain valuable exposure. Aggressively pursue all types of acting roles and attend auditions whenever possible.

Become Multi-talented

Even with acting ability, additional talents can open more doors for teens. For this reason, dance lessons, singing lessons, instrument lessons or any other talent that may set one actor apart from the others can be invaluable. This is especially true in places like Hollywood, where talented actors aren't hard to find.

Socialize With People in the Business

Teens who cannot get into the social circle of famous actors need not worry. Having friends who work within the entertainment business, even if they do jobs that are not necessarily related to acting, can help hopeful actors out quite a bit. Having friends who have access to studios, or whose parents have access, can open doors.

Find Representation

Teens should find an agent to provide representation. The agent will do the work of finding auditions in return for a portion of the teen's acting income. Teens can approach some agents directly, but other agents will only respond to an actor after having seen him or her in a production.

Keep Trying

The teens in Hollywood who become professional actors rarely do so as a result of being discovered without first putting in many hours of learning, practicing and marketing themselves to agents. Teen actors need to be tenacious and learn to not fear rejection.

Source:

Screen Actors Guild