Ren Hanami



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I have moved my Blog to a WordPress Site: https://renworldinc.wordpress.com
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January 8, 2009

I realize I haven't blogged in a long, long time. I got started on it awhile ago and then just dropped the ball. Well, I have two new wonderful things to blog about. I am excited about my new commercial representation in Los Angeles and San Francisco. My new LA agent is Pinnacle Commercial Talent. In San Francisco for voice over and print I am now represented by Boom! Models and Talent. Now I would love to have a Los Angeles voice over agent who believes in me. Hopefully, that will come soon. In the meantime, I would like to express  my gratitude to Joan Messenger and Kim Muir at Pinnacle and Denise at Boom! I am also very grateful for my long time fabulous theatrical agent David Moss. What an amazing team!!!


THANK YOU NOTES


Q:  I wanted to ask do you send thank you notes after you have an audition?
 Best Wishes, Tatiana


Yes, it is alway nice to send a thank you note and it is a nice way for the casting director to identify with you for a second time. Be sure to include a photo business card and some way to identify your representation.


COMMERCIALS & VOICEOVERS


Q:  Please give some advice on how to get into commercials and voice overs.
 Thanks and Best Wishes, Tatiana

Commercials and voice-overs are such a fun part of the entertainment business. Getting into on-camera commericals is more similar to any on-camera acting, but with a little different skill set than dramatic acting. Voice-overs is a whole separate path with completely different players. Michael Donovan teaches a really great commercial acting workshop. It is practical and fun. You get time on camera with great feedback from a top casting director and your classmates. Pictures for commercials are more open, friendly, smiley than theatrical pictures. Watch a lot of commercials. Find the roles you would see yourself in. Note what they are wearing. Your picture and you should exude, "Happy, Healthy, Full of Energy." That is what musical theater coach Carlos Noble use to say about every musical theater audition you walk into and I think it also applies to commercials. Most commercial casting submissions are now done online at LA Casting so you don't even have to print up many pictures anymore. Looking for an agent is the same process as looking for a theatrical agent. Sometimes AFTRA and SAG have agent workshops free to union members where you can meet commercial and/or theatrical agents and many actors get signed through those workshops. The one skill absolutely necessary for all acting, but especially commercials and voice-overs is improvisation. You have to be quick on your feet. Doing theater helps keep me sharp for voice-over, especially comedy and musical comedy. Voice-over work is much more physically demanding than people think. You physically have to create the story so it reads in your voice. Afterall no one can see you. They have to imagine you are picking up a 50 pound bowling ball or whatever.

The path to a voice-over career is lots of workshops and experience. Bob Bergen has a great animation workshop as does Sue Blue. Kalmenson and Kalmenson has a terrific commercial workshop. There are on-going workout groups. After lots and lots of hours in front of the microphone working out characters and stories. Then you have to make a GREAT demo that truly represents what you do. Most agents want to have a really specific way to pitch you. So be a specialist. Be specific versus a jack of all trades. In voice-over it is the standard to have a separate commercial demo from animation demo. They can be on the same CD, but should be clearly marked and the put into chapters with descriptions so agents, casting directors and directors can quickly go to the track that corresponds to what they are looking for. Most pros are on voicebank.net. You can listen to demos of working voice-over actors and gauge where you fit in.


Q:  Your website is amazing.  WHO put it together?  - Teresa

Thanks for the compliment. I DID! Yes, maybe that is the blessing that came out of my years away from acting and working as a Creative Designer and Graphic Designer in Marketing. I do my own design, marketing and promotions for Renworld I.N.C. We will eventually hire someone to do updates, but for now, I really enjoy personalizing my website. As another friend of mine wrote "went to your website... Looks GREAT!!  It really captures the essence of you." I think part of my "essence" is that I like personally connecting and communicating with people— like you! If you need help setting up your web site, send me an email!

Q:  I'm looking for a new theatrical agent...I'm not going out at all theatrically.  Any ideas for a new agent? —Best regards, Doris

As for theatrical agents... As with everything, I can only share what I have done and what has worked for me. My first lesson was "stick with your first love." When you find someone who believes in you, stay with them. Nurture that relationship and don't be swayed by fast talking wheeler dealers who promise you the moon. So after leaving the business for a long hiatus in marketing, I am so happy to be back with my "almost" first agent. My very first agent after I graduated from U.C.L.A. is in Heaven.

How I found my wonderful agent David was through the traditional submissions. Even though there are many more opportunites to meet agents through showcases and marketing your projects, I found the old fashioned methods still work:
1. Pick up a copy of the Agency Book at Samuel French Bookstore and do some research on the agencies. What categories are they currently seeking? What do they specialize in? What size agency are they? What is their reputation and how do they like to work with their clients?
2. Target the agency and agents. Make a list of your top 10. Then another list of 10. Then the next list of 10. I found it easier to focus on a small list each week instead of everyone at once.
3. Get personal referrals. Who do you know that is represented by the agency? Call and ask them if you can use them as a referral. Since busines is all about building relationships, personal referrals help warm up the correspondence from being a cold call.
4. Write to an individual agent. Find out which agent would handle you at the agency. Write a short cover letter about why you are interested in their representation. Mention your friend and how you are acquainted. Did you work with them in a play? Mention your marketing niche. For instance, I am an Asian Pacific cross between Annette Benning in American Dreams and Goldie Hawn in Overboard. Mention the work you are currently doing (keep it brief), and how enthusiastic you are to meet with them.
5. Send your letter, picture and resume. Don't bother with a demo unless they call and ask for one. Follow up in a week to make sure they got the submission. Feel your way to the next step. You can tell if there is interest or not.
6. Meet with those interested. Be prepared to ask questions about what is important to you and carefully observe how you feel. Do you think your styles of communication work well together? Does the agent have ideas on how he/she will pitch you? Do his/her ideas match yours?
7. If you aren't sure about anyone, move on to list 2 and give yourself time to think about everyone you have met with. When you do decide to work with someone, give the relationship time to develop and keep doing everything you can to promote yourself. This helps your agent. It's team work.

That's enough to get you started and I need a break. More later.



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