Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

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Modeling & Acting Scam Documents

It's October! As we fight this weird weather over here on the west coast (80-90 degrees, really???) and gear up for the ghouls and goblins Halloween brings with it, I wanted to continue sharing the info from last month's post in regards to the modeling and acting scam I highlighted. Below are screenshots of the email correspondence between myself and "Larry Nelson," as well as the actual documents sent to me from the scammers. FIRST EMAIL FROM THE SCAMMERS MY RESPONSE TO THE SCAMMERS (CALLING OUT SOME INCONSISTENCES) THEIR RESPONSE (COMPLETELY IGNORING MY QUESTIONS) THE FAKE USAGE FORM THEY ATTACHED THE FAKE CONTRACT THEY ATTACHED I never responded after the email with the documents was sent to me and they never reached back out to check, either. Like I mentioned in my previous video post, scammers like this know it's a numbers game. The more people they reach out to, the better the odds that at least one person might fall for it. They're not going to spend t...

New Acting & Modeling Scam Alert (Video Post!)

We're in September! This month's post is going to be a bit different than the others so far. I recently posted a video highlighting the details of a scam that came across my radar. It's already been posted to my social accounts and when I sat down to think about what to write for this month's blog, I realized why not just post the video here for those of you who don't follow me on social media? So without further adieu, here is the video I shared that details the scam, what to look out for, and how I handled the situation when some foolish scammer thought they could trick me:

Packing Tips for Actors & Models On the Go

Not gonna lie: I was tempted to play hooky and let August's blog post slide. But as busy as I am, I just couldn't sleep at night knowing I couldn't find a few minutes to write ONE blog post a month. So I'm patting myself on the back for my progress in the accountability department. Anyway, enough about me...August is almost over and I thought I'd share some quick life hacks for you actors and models out there when it comes to staying prepared for shoots no matter the size, scope or budget. Some of this stuff might be common sense but we all know the saying so enjoy this month's post. If it helps even one of you, then mission accomplished! While we all strive for those big budget projects where everything is provided for us, the reality is that the majority of the time, that's not going to be the case. Even well budgeted gigs have instances where the talent is responsible for providing certain items. Instead of huffing and puffing about it, do yourself a fav...

Working As a "Local Hire": What Models & Actors Need to Know

I can't even comprehend that 2025 is a little more than halfway over but here we are in mid-July! This month I wanted to touch on the topic of being a "local hire" and "working as a local." Newbies are probably wondering what this concept means, while those with a bit more experience are already in the know, but might be struggling with how to tackle this when it comes to submitting to acting and modeling gigs. So let's get to it. WHAT DOES "LOCAL/LOCAL HIRE" MEAN? When you see this term/phrase in a casting breakdown, it means they're looking for talent (actors/models) who live within the city limits. There isn't necessarily a specific distance you have to live from said location where the project is taking place, but a decent rule of thumb I like to use is within 1-2 hour's drive. Honestly, 30 minutes to 1 hour is more ideal for clients. Can you be slightly outside that? Sure, BUT clients want the reliability of someone who doesn...

#Important - Why All Models & Actors Should Use Hashtags on Social Media

Full disclosure: I technically wrote this post in May but got so busy that I forgot to post it! Haha. So I'm gonna have this be for both May and June because it's my blog and I can do what I want.😁 Alrighty, on to the info! I've been seeing a number of casting sites posting away for various projects and I have a feeling with summer around the corner, the amount of gigs for actors and models is going to increase even further. For May, I'm keeping this month's blog post pretty light but still touching on topics that can help inform the moves you make with your own acting and modeling careers moving forward. Because of social media, the concept of using hashtags in captions is nothing new. However, there are still many out there who either don't use this nifty symbol or don't quite realize their importance when it comes to posting and sharing content. BENEFITS OF USING HASHTAGS Helps You Appear in Searches Did you know that a lot of people use hashtags to s...

Nothin' But Net: What "Net" Payment Terms Mean for Actor & Model Invoices

Happy April, readers! I know most of us are not thrilled that tax season is upon us once again so hopefully this month's blog post can be a bit of a distraction for you. Speaking of money, I wanted to do a bit of a shorter post that's still very much relevant to one of the big perks of pursuing acting and modeling professionally: getting paid. I wrote at length back in October's post about how actors and models get compensated for their services, but I want to focus on the importance of understanding invoicing -- specifically as it relates to common payment terms like Net-30 arrangements. This post will be mainly beneficial for freelancers without agency representation. Some castings state that payment will be made to actors/models using a Net-30 arrangement. If you've seen this term before but aren't quite sure what it means or if you've never heard of it at all, let's break it down. The main part you want to pay attention to is the number after the word ...