Photoplayer Hater

Acting may not be something you can pursue as a career where you live. At sometime in your acting journey you may have to move to Los Angeles. In fact it's hard to point to an actor that has been successful in acting without living in LA at one time or another. It is truly the epicenter of the entertainment industry and to find acting work it is the best bet, with New York coming in second. Los Angeles draws thousands each year with stars in their eyes and visions of palm trees, but before you join them by moving to LA there are some things you need to plan for. These are banal things you overlook day to day but will trip up your acting career faster than a drug habit.

You Need A Car

Los Angeles does have trains and it does have buses, mass transit will get you almost anyplace in Los Angeles. However, there are no promises about what condition you get there in or how long it takes. The freeways are often choked and it can be scorching outside, but mass transit is slower and personal air conditioning isn't always available like in automobiles. Mass transit also isn't that flexible. Casting sessions move and opportunities arise at all hours of the day, you don't want to be at the mercy of the LA Metropolitan Transit Authority for career assistance.

You will need to own a car and keep it in good condition at all times. If you don't know about owning and operating a motor vehicle, you ought learn now.

You Need A Real Job

You are not going to be discovered at the bus station or airport upon arrival. You are going to need a stable income as it will take time to get adjusted and become versed in the way of the Angeleno. You do not want to be living off your savings while doing this because it could be quite a while and money goes fast in LA. Later on you will need a flexible work schedule to accommodate auditions, but for now you just need money coming in the door to keep you afloat. Once acclimated to LA and pursuing acting work it might take months or years to get that first gig; acting work is rarely a reliable source of income and certainly not at the start of your career.

An acting career can take years to build, don't be that actor that had to run home because they ran out of money or couldn't find a job to support themselves. Those are weak excuses, find a decent job ahead of time.

It's Expensive

I remember when I went to Washington DC and saw that fast food value meals were $3.00 while $5 back in LA. Things are just more expensive in LA. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment as of this writing is at least $1000 a month and rooms rent for at least $700. High rent prices and the costs of maintaining a vehicle can be enough to put people in the poorhouse within months. You don't want something as mundane as a living space being the reason you could not become an actor. Everything else is just a little more expensive out here, too: food, gas, clothes, you name it.

Whatever you think things will costs out in LA, it will probably be double. The good part is that jobs out here pay more than most places, so once you get here it will all make a little more sense.

You Need A Social Life

Los Angeles is filled with people, but it still can be hard to find friends. There are so many people looking to take advantage of you or wary of being taken advantage of that it can be difficult to connect with anyone. Not to say you will never find friends, just to say it will be harder than you think. It can be easy to surround yourself with people but you don't just want anybody, you want friends that will be conducive to you reaching your acting goals.

Make friends in LA ahead of time via social networking sites or be prepared for a rough time finding good people and a lot of alone time. As excited as you are about acting it might be good to have some normal friends, too.

You Will Get Homesick

No matter where you are from, Los Angeles will be a culture shock. For one thing there are no discernible seasons, it is 70 degrees outside most of the time. The leaves of the trees don't much change colors. It never snows and rarely rains. You are accustomed to certain surroundings and this place where Hollywood resides will feel foreign and cold. LA doesn't have the radio stations you used to listen to, doesn't have that store where your favorite foods are sold, and a lot of stuff is in languages other than English. LA is a very diverse place and each of these cultures have a different sense of personal space, to name one thing that might freak you out.

LA is nothing like where you're from and if you need a piece of home to stay sane you better bring it with you or make a system for importing it on a frequent basis.

Nothing I could say would deter you from coming to LA to give acting a go if you are so inclined. I do not mean to discourage, I mean to educate. If you are the type that is eager and determined to make it happen I just want to help you along. Of course I would hope you would not rely only on auditions but also work on creating projects of your own while in LA, but each person has their own road... I just want to make that trip a little smoother for you.

Have you or a friend moved to LA to pursue acting and come across any other unforeseen problems?