A warm welcome to my Acting Questions blog.

I'm a working actor, writer, and director living in Los Angeles, and I'm starting this blog because I get asked a lot questions about acting and other show business stuff. It's easy to give someone advice, but if it's not accurate and up-to-date, it's not going to be helpful. When it comes to acting advice, there's a lot of misinformation out there. This blog is where you'll get the straight dope without the BS - from an actor who's out there doing it. And if I don't know the answer to something, I'll do some research and find the right answer.

I consider myself very fortunate that I'm able to make my living by acting, but I've also spent plenty of time working behind the camera – as a writer, director, producer and acting coach. This gives me experience in what goes on behind the camera as well, especially when it comes to casting.

Coaching actors for a scene

Each week I'll post a question with an answer I wish I had known when I was starting out. Questions like how to get started, how to get an agent, how to get more work if you're already doing some acting, and all the other things that can affect your career. I'll also throw in some stuff about what's going on in my career - both the ups and downs.

And along with questions and answers about the business, I hope we'll build a great community here that offers support and encouragement, because sometimes it's easy to feel a bit lost. I know I did when I was starting out – before I found a home at a theatre company. As exciting as an acting career can be, it can sometimes be kind of lonely – especially if you feel like your friends or parents are not always behind your decision. So, even if you don't have a question, and just feel like discussing something, feel free to write a comment.

But this isn't just a “How to become an actor” blog. It's also about becoming a better actor if you're already performing. Also, I hope we have a lot of discussions about how to take care of the “business” side of show business. As much as most of us (myself included) would like to just do the acting part – the "show" part - the business side is also very important for building a career. That's why I'm creating links to good information and acting-related news.

So, take a moment and send in your questions and your thoughts about acting, or anything else acting-related. You can put them in the comment section and if there's a quick answer, I'll answer it there, or if it requires a longer answer, I'll devote a future blog to answering your question.

If you want to send a longer question, or a more private question or comment, then drop me an email. I'll ask permission, or change your name, if I post the question or comment and you want to remain anonymous.

Finally, this blog is about support, as well as information. You can disagree with what somebody says in the comments, just be respectful of everyone's dreams – and remember, you may end up working with, or auditioning for, someone on this blog!

In the next post we'll jump right in and begin to discuss what it takes to build an acting career. Every week (probably Friday) there'll be a new blog, and sometimes an extra bit about what's going on with me – my auditions, what I'm working on – that kind of stuff.

Cheers,

Michael