The Little Details - Acting: The Business

Less Thinking, More Doing

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:19:00 -0500

I recently completed my studies with Stephen Book. Let me tell you five things I learned. [More]

A Moment of Doubt

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:51:00 -0500

Indulge me in a little story: It's summer 2004, I'm looking for a new job. I had launched my foray into the weird world of on-camera acting some three years before but I'd yet to book anything. I called my agent at the time and said, "We need to have a meeting." [More]

So You're Thinking Of Moving To LA...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:12:00 -0500

People back in MN occasionally ask me for advice about making the move out to L.A. Like most of my advice, I can't tell you what will work for you. I can only tell you what I've done and learned. Your mileage will vary. [More]

Reel People

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:21:00 -0500

The other day, gadget blog Gizmodo (of which I am generally a fan) got their knickers in a twist over the fact that one of the people in a recent "I'm A PC" spots from Microsoft was -- GASP! -- an actress!! I'm a little galled at the breathless way this was reported. (For a bunch of snarky tech bloggers they seem PAINFULLY naive.) I'm also a bit perturbed at the way the actress' website was flayed open for the public. [More]

Three Years And Three Weeks Later

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:33:00 -0500

This month marks my three-year anniversary in LA. Here's what I've gleaned from my journey so far -- sometimes the easy way, sometimes the hard way. If you're thinking about moving to LA, maybe it will help. If not, maybe it will give you an insight into the various strategies I've crafted during my time here. [More]

New Releases

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:23:00 -0500

If my intermittent blogging style is not enough for you, I'm happy to announce two new ways you can enjoy The Lommel. (Yes, I just referred to myself in the third person. Hollywood adores quirks and pretension.) First off, the much-anticipated Fear of Girls 3 will drop December 4th on the YouTubes. If you can't wait that long, go out and purchase yourself a copy of Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 available now for the game system of your choice. I am honored to be the voice of the referee. So, for those of you who have been fervently wondering what I would say if you whacked me in the solar plexus with a folding chair -- this one's for you. -Tom, who is pretty sure he says some variant of "Hey! Knock it off!!"

Don't Go To The Abandoned Saw Mill

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:02:00 -0500

Today I went "on avail" for a commercial. My friend Søren from Denmark asked what that meant. Well, it turns out that auditioning is a lot like being in a horror movie. You never know when you're going to get axed or why. [More]

New Theatrical Reel

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:15:00 -0500

It was time for a little remix and an update. Joe Gressis of Secret Handshake helped me edit a new version of my theatrical demo and I'm really happy with it. Check it out here: http://www.tomlommel.com/reel.cfm -Tom, professional eunuch.

I'm Ignoring You Because I Love You

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:12:00 -0500

I don't share many of the fine points about the auditions I go out on: names of the shows, products, potential cast, etc. It's not that I don't go out for interesting things. It seems like there's always something cool around the corner. But the issue is: until I get signed on to actually join that cool project, there's no use investing energy in it. Mine - or yours. [More]

When Not To Quit

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:45:00 -0500

Just to be clear: You don't quit when Monday you did your first voiceover gig for a videogame, Tuesday you shot a national SAG spot for a major investment bank, and Wednesday you auditioned for a recurring role on an established sitcom. I'm not making plans to quit, but if you are not thinking about when you should quit then you are not evaluating your own progress. There's no threshold of qualification in this business: as long as you print your name on a headshot, you can call yourself an actor. But if you are not actively exercising your craft and engaging the industry, it's more an exercise in self-delusion than self-improvement. -Tom, who has to be honest: a little self-delusion doesn't hurt.

When To Quit

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:53:00 -0500

Before I moved to LA, I talked to a lot of people back home who had been to LA or seen friends move there. I asked a lot of questions, but the one I always included in the list was "How long should I give it?" It's interesting to ask people when you think you should give up pursuing your dream career. Some people said two years. My friends in Hollywood hauled out the old saw that "it takes five years to be an overnight success." I don't think there's any way to hang a definitive number on it, but I think there are some smart guidelines you apply and review. [More]

Today I Crushed The Dreams Of Twenty-Eight Aspiring Actors

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:28:00 -0500

I spent a large portion of the day interning at a casting director's office. This particular place casts a lot of TV shows. You may think to yourself, I am unrepresented talent and yet I would like to be on a television show -- I bet Tom has some great hints on how to get my face in front of a casting director. Well, Tom does not know what works, but Tom knows what does not work. [More]

Hollywood: Who's Making The Rules

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:18:00 -0500

Acting has a ridiculous business model: you compete in an over-saturated market for infrequent employment at ridiculously low wages and -- if you're fortunate -- you have a team of 3-5 support people helping you market your business. That is, when they're not marketing the business of twenty to two hundred other people. So actors are largely left to fend for themselves. It takes a tremendous amount of coping skills to deal with the wildly arbitrary and sometimes capricious nature of the business. And that means, we make a lot of rules. [More]

Not That Guy

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:07:00 -0500

Acting primarily involves one thing: sitting around and waiting. You spend a lot of time in the cramped waiting room of some casting director's office, wedged in between fifteen other actors who all look like you, or your ideal wife, or your 1.5 ideal children. That toxic combination of boredom and performance anxiety will make you want to chatter -- actors abhor a silence. I understand the nerves, and the hyper-social behavior, and the need for attention. (Oh boy, do I understand.) But if we're going to get along in the Green Room, we need to set some ground rules. [More]

Wise Or Just Jaded?

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:01:00 -0500

There are two personal pitfalls that I run across regularly in my professional life: desperation and disappointment. I see a lot of actors who are desperate to get that next job and then disappointed when it doesn't come through. It's a vicious circle and it's fed by one thing: exaggerated expectations. I get it - I've been that guy. OH GOD HAVE I BEEN THAT GUY! The anxiety, the craving, the obsessive spinning of "What If's?" It's easy to fall into and it's not productive. But lately I've adopted a philosophy to cope with that: [More]