LYNDSAY GRIFFIN

Lyndsay Griffin

Credits: Jelly, Miles From Home

Notes: Plays a wide range of characters. Has an icy dramatic presence on-camera, but could also play ‘the girl next door’. Very talented and very versatile.

PARRY SHEN

Parry Shen

Training: Groundlings

Special Skills: Improv, sketch, original characters, fluent in Chinese and some Spanish.

DEREK MORGAN

Derek Morgan

Credits: Pizza My Heart, Joan of Arcadia

Notes: Strikingly handsome and seasoned dramatic actor with a strong presence both onstage and on-camera. A poised and calculating leading man. Could play a detective, lawyer, doctor…etc with ease. Perfect for film and one-hour dramas.

NADINE RAJABI

Nadine Rajabi

Credits: Extreme Hollywood, 50 Shocking Celebrity Confessions, Co-hosts internet comedy show on NowLive.com

Special Skills: Sketch, Improv, original characters, comedian

Notes: Sweet and inviting presence on stage. Would make a great best friend on a sitcom with quick and smart punch lines (a female version of ‘Chandler’ from Friends).

GREG CARNEY

Greg Carney

Credits: Expose, Speed Demon

Notes: The handsome bad boy. Can play a ladies man or a bully with ease.

KRISTINA WONG

Kristina Wong

Credits: Urban Playground, The Matrices

Training: Groundlings

Special Skills: Sketch, improv, original characters, stand-up comedy and writer.

Notes: Smart. Funny. Over the top (in a good way) original characters.

KELLEN LOVE

Kellen Love

Credits: NOD America (Def Comedy Jam Short)

Training: New World School of the Arts, B.A. Theatre – Florida State Univ.

Special Skills: Sketch, Improv original characters and writer.

Notes: Smart but nerdy presence or class clown. Great comedic character actor.

KEEDAR WHITTLE

Keedar Whittle

Credits: Hell Date, Short Circuitz, Miracle Boys

Training: Carle in the Square (New York)

Special Skills: Sketch, Improv, original characters, stand-up comedy

Notes: Very charming, ‘non-threatening’ black male. Could play lead or the suave, ladies man to his co-star. Great for sketch, sitcoms, buddy and romantic comedies. Thick southern accent, big beautiful smile.

JULIA LEA WOLOV

Julia Lea Wolov

Credits: Girls Behaving Badly, Punk’d

Special Skills: Sketch and Improv

Notes: ‘Over the top’. Plays angry, cynical and emotionally out of control very well.

JENN WONG

Jenn Wong

Credits: Tactical Procedures, V.E.N.O.M, Who Knows What? (Host), Snapshot: Long Beach (Host)

Training: Asian American Repertory Theater, B.A. Theater UCLA, The Bare Naked Bards (Sketch Group)

Special Skills: Sketch, improv, original characters, and hosting.

Notes: In the comedy space, she’s very spunky and fun. In the drama space, Jenn plays the very ‘no nonsense’ character with ease.

HASAN MINHAJ

Hasan Minhaj

Credits: Jon Archer: Red, White and Blood

Training: Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, Improv Troupes (Gridiron Gang, SPF7)

Special Skills: Sketch, stand-up comedy, director and writer. East Indian and Middle Eastern accents.

Notes: Finalist for NBC’s stand-up for Diversity. The pieces he’s written range from smart and observant to adolescent humor. Hasan would make a great co-star or sidekick on a sitcom.

HANA MAE LEE

Hana Mae Lee

Credits: Johnny Raikou, Eli’s Liquor Store

Training: John Sarno Studio, D.W. Brown Studios

Special Skills: Improv, Dialects, Impersonations

Notes: Solid general improv ability. Also has a strong background in dramatic acting.

SUSANA LEE

Susana Lee


Training: Projekt News Speak Sketch Comedy Show

Special Skills: Improv, sketch, original characters and dialects.

Notes: Strong improv background. Could play corky, sweet and easygoing characters.

PIERRE ANTONIO

Pierre Antonio

TRAINING: The Groundlings

SPECIAL SKILLS: Sketch, improv, original characters and stand-up comedy.

NOTES: Charming, intense endearing stare. Perfect for sitcoms, sketch shows, buddy and romantic comedies.

ACTOR'S TIP

(this post has been moved to my Daily Blog)

ACTOR'S TIP #1 - Picking The Right Photographer

So you're ready to pursue an acting career...One of the first things you need to have before you can begin auditioning, is a headshot. Picking the right (and affordable) photographer is no easy task. There are literally hundreds of photographers at your disposal in every major city. But how do you find the right one?

RESEARCH - View as many photographers' portfolios as you can find, to get an idea of their level of expertise, style, use of color, lighting, etc.

BARGAIN SHOP - Photographers can range anywhere from $100 to $1000 per shoot. So shop around and find a photographer that's both affordable and has an impressive portfolio.

Personally, I highly recommend Mike Quain. He's affordable and, in my opinion, the best in the business. Here are some photos from Mike's website:

www.quainphoto.com

Just say NO to ACTOR RECYCLING!

Just say NO to ACTOR RECYCLING!

I've received tons of e-mails asking what prompted me to start my this site. I was inspired to create a website dedicated to a small group of people (high level studio & network executives, top agents, managers and even some casting directors), in an effort to dispel the notion that there's no fresh talent in Entertainment....and to create a platform for every actor out there who deserves recognition (recognize that spiel from my site?).

In a nutshell, I think that becoming a successful actor is one part talent, and 99 parts 'who you know'. It's an insider's game. The 'powers that be' and/or Casting Directors often bring in the same actors for all their projects, actors that they're already familiar with and their abilities. Which is why you see the same recycled actors over and over and over again.....some of which even play college students but are well over 30 in real life (shout out to the cast of Stomp the Yard).

So not only is it monotonous to see the same 45 actors over and over it again, it's also frustrating because most of them suck. And to make matters worse, isn't it depressing and quite scary knowing that Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Angela Bassett, Sally Field, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey and Martin Lawrence are all up there in age and there's no new generation worthy of replacing them? I mean we have rappers playing action hereos now and Flava Flav has a new sitcom. C'mon. Remember Malcolm X? Die Hard? Indiana Jones (puleese pass that franchise down to Shia Lebeouf, Mr. Lucas, please)? Shawshank Redemption? Rain Man? What's Love Got to Do With It?, Steel Magnolias? Kramer vs Kramer? Fatal Attraction? Coming to America? and Ace Ventura? ....um did Martin ever have a classic movie? ......uh, well, remember the show Martin?

So Hollywood you mean to tell me, that the only replacements we've found so far are for Julia Roberts and the Wayans Family? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than willing to swap out Julia for Rachel McAdams and Marlon and Shawn for Damon Wayans Jr. but two is NOT enough!

ACTOR RECYCLING is going to completely ruin television and film. It's frightening when I go to the movies now and watch the trailers for new movies. Remember when going to the movies was an event? Remember when there was a time you could sit through a whole movie completely entertained and never once think: "If I leave now, I might be able to get my money back"?

So I say all this to say, that I started this site because I'm tired of seeing the same recycled actors over and over again. Yes, it is an insider's game to make it in Hollywood. And yes, Casting Directors primarily do bring in actors they're used to....So I've decided to show my cards . I'm posting one new actor a day and I'm saying: "This person is good, add them to your rotation. This is what they look like, this is what they've done before, they've trained with this person or this company and these are the roles they can play". Success does take a long time, but I'm trying to speed the process up.


Wish me luck!


-Amber Bickham