This is where we find out about you. There is another part of this site that tells about me. You have some idea what you would like to accomplish in show business but you can't afford to do it all right now. There are wardrobe considerations, acting classes, karate instruction, not to mention just eating and having a place to stay. Let's learn who you are and what you need. Do you really need to travel to Hollywood to start your show business career?

You have your 8X10 headshot and you just got off the bus. You are in Hollywood. Yes, Hollywood actually exists. It is a city within a city. It has streets with cars and sidewalks with people. Hollywood has stars on its Walk of Fame. Hollywood has theaters and restaurants and office buildings and crime and tourists. Hollywood has a rich history and a dark past. Hollywood has had numerous scandals, but so probably has your hometown.

You will get a cheap apartment until you have your first starring role. You have enough money to get by for a month if necessary. Now what? If you can afford to buiy a car where do you park it?

Los Angeles apartment rentals are costly. A room in a downtown L.A. hotel would be expensive and potentially dangerous. There would be no parking for your car at most downtown low cost hotels. An apartment would cost $900 per month for a very cheap studio in an area where you might have driveway parking. Sharing a three bedroom apartment or house with two others might cost $650 per person if you are lucky. You have to be careful when you pick roommates because if one person doesn't have his share you might be out of a home.

During my fifty plus years in the business I have known three movie extras who have lived in vans on the street. I knew one guy who lived in a park. He slept near a pay phone. Casting had his number and they occasionally called him to work as a homeless type. I am not trying to discourage you. Before you come to L.A. buy a copy of the L.A. Times Sunday edition and check apartment rental rates. You also can check online at Craigslist but be prepared.

It is possible to start your career in your hometown. You certainly can make as much playing music for the lodges in Indianapolis as you can make in Los Angeles. You can do theater in your hometown and develop your acting skills before you step onto a Hollywood sound stage. When you arrive in L.A. to begin your career at least have a full resume (even if it is mostly exaggerations). Be able to go on an audition in Hollywood and sound like you are at home on the stage. Learn about the unions. Start typing your resume.