Tips for Breaking into Commercial Acting in Boston

This post is an excerpt from brianagosta.com

 

“Hey Brian, any advice on being a working commercial actor in Boston?”

About once a year or so, somebody asks me for advice on how they can break into commercial acting in Boston. Or they have a nephew who just graduated. Or they’ve been doing improv for years and are looking to switch it up. So what started as an email forward turned into a Google Doc, and then turned into this blog post: advice for breaking into commercial acting in Boston, 2020 style. 

It’s a side hustle

Firstly, my experience over the last seven years has been fun, but it’s definitely a side hustle. I wouldn’t consider this a career guide, more of a “have fun and make some money” guide. Hardly anyone I know works full time as an actor or model without a major supplement to their income. I myself am a web designer and videographer. Some people eventually move on to NY or LA where the bigger markets are and there’s a chance to do it full time – however slim. But if you’re here to stay (or just here for now), Boston is a great place to get your reps in and learn what it takes to be a professional actor.

It’s just a matter of having the right tools, getting seen, and staying humble. 

And in any case, this is just my approach. You’ll make plenty of friends who are in it for different reasons and have different priorities. I’m a part-time actor and model myself who’s pursuing a career in comedy. Some people are mostly models, others are mostly actors, and some are mostly stand-up comedians. The cool thing about Boston is that it’s a small town, so you’ll meet almost all the regulars pretty quickly. And they all want to talk about the business and give you advice on how you can do it your way.

Types of gigs

So just one last thing before we get into it, below is a list of the kinds of acting and modeling I’m experienced with. It doesn’t include theater or fashion modeling. My advice only applies to the following:

  1. Acting for commercial and industrial videos
  2. Modeling for commercial and industrial print, A.K.A. “Lifestyle modeling”
  3. Feature film, TV, new media work
  4. Voice-over (rare)
  5. Feature film roles (the rarest)

Let’s hit it:

Part 1: Be Prepared

Read the rest at brianagosta.com

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Brian Agosta