Actors Expo

theory is, I am tottering along.

• 15 years ago
• 21

If you are going to Actors Expo please do visit the Equity stand (stand number B42).

As well as having a stand, Equity will be holding a seminar starting at 5.00pm about their work and things to think about when starting a professional career in this industry.

• 15 years ago
• 22

Yup - I'll give it a whirl!

• 15 years ago
• 23

Hey guys, I'm defiantly going....say hi if you see me x

• 15 years ago
• 24

I will be there, getting a lift. wont be there until 3ish though.

• 15 years ago
• 25

I hope we get name badges or something!

• 15 years ago
• 26

I'm hoping to make it too.

Would be good to meet a few people from here!

• 15 years ago
• 27

???

• 15 years ago
• 28

Yep

• 15 years ago
• 29

was it well done? couldn't get there?

• 15 years ago
• 30

Whilst I appreciate that it was the 1st expo and these events take a lot of time and effort to organize, I personally didn't get anything out of it. The Madonna impersonator was probably the best part of the event!

I can't speak for any of the seminars as I didn't attend those but I found there were hardly any exhibitors there. Most were not relevant to me as I am already a member of Spotlight, know about Equity, already have headshots and can't currently afford to attend expensive training courses in London.

It was billed as a great place to network but there were not many people to network WITH other than fellow actors.

I would have expected more agencies, casting directors, film makers, writers, ad/modelling agencies, show reel companies etc. to have gone as there is a huge pool of talented people just wandering around! Even casting call pro could have made an appearance as they were supposed to be sponsoring the event.

• 15 years ago
• 31

CCP were there. I agree though. Hardly any exhibitors and the ones that were there weren't of much use to me personally (headshots, drama schools, PCR, Spotlight) as I'm already a member. There was one agency (Smile) who had a queue of people waiting to talk to them.

Didn't see any of the seminars or get the bargain headshots done, how did people find those?

At least it was free! x

• 15 years ago
• 32

i guess its just one of those things, as you said- it is the first. so hopefully over the years, they will gain a lot of interest from casting agents and allsorts of interesting parties.

its like any trade fair, sometimes you really enjoy the day and get lots of advice and beneficial ideas, some times you just wander about and wonder why you went. give it time!

i for one would have loved to have gone.

• 15 years ago
• 33

I think it might have been more interesting if I had done one of the workshops, because there really was not much else worth seeing.
Although saying that I did see lots of friends, so that was great!
Maybe in 4 - 5 years it will be worth going to... but really, come on where were all the exhibitors.
It was good to have the chance to have a moan at CCP about the new age thing etc.
Oh and I was interested in the boxing training!
But I just can't believe they didn't manage to get more people on board before going ahead with it!

• 15 years ago
• 34

I got something out of going, mainly talking to other actors and someone pointing me in a great direction for an intensive screen course.
I did the screen test as it was billed to be usually over £400 for a tenner! Well, I got a tenners worth I think. I was the in the first group at 10am, but since they didn't let us in until 10.30 I missed a chunk (even though the organizers were reassuring no seminar would start until everyone was in the building). It was a good thing to go to but I wish I had the whole hour as billed.
Also had the make-up for auditions and photo tutorial. This was informative but really rushed too.
This being said I still would have gone, but it was more of a networking event to meet other actors. It would have benefited a performer just starting out more, but as I'm a member of everything that was being promoted I didn't really have many questions.
... Oh! I did get a headshot sesion for £20 though! Not bad seeing as it's in a studio in a couple of weeks, probably better than getting the £20 shots done at the show itself.

Next year I hope it's more organised, and perhaps open the doors at 9.30 if seminars and classes start at 10. Good for a freebie though, and nice to talk to the actors I met and spoke to!

Liz x

• 15 years ago
• 35

Hi Folks,

Great to see so many people there and put faces to names - I think we spoke to a few hundred CCPers over the course of the day.

And thank you to the anonymous lady who handed me a bottle of water at 4 p.m. then dissolved into the crowd before I could thank her!

• 15 years ago
• 36

it was really good in parts and not in others . would help organise and do something for next one , as was good place to teach people some of the right things to do to get on in the business.

forbes , myself, chris fosh , tony and danny all turned up in suits so do we win a special award ?

• 15 years ago
• 37

Am commenting in the dark here, as I wasn't able to attend, but - while I think the idea was and is a great one (and hats off to the organisers) - do you all think that Saturday is not the best day on which to hold an event of this kind? After all, holding it on a Saturday means that there are an awful lot of actors who are actually in work who are exluded from attending (two shows and all that), plus I wonder how many casting directors etc might look at a Saturday date and regard it as eating into their weekend. A weekday might be a better bet, because then industry professionals might look more favourably on factoring it into their work schedule, and not regard it as eating into their free time. Just a thought...
Hxx

• 15 years ago
• 38

Just adding my 2 pence worth, good or bad, you be the judge.
Firstly, I was excited that Actors Expo was organised, it was about time! I have been to similar seminars both in New York and Los Angeles, organised by Backstage.com called ActorFest and these have been going on for years, and were a treasure trove of information! So when I heard of Actors Expo, I thought finally the UK is catching up.
Yes, this is a UK first and I was expecting teething problems - the severe lateness of workshops, the lack of exhibitors which I must say was quite shocking, although not surprising. Hopefully, lessons have been learned (to open the doors early enough to let all the people through in time for the workshop, not actually AT THE START TIME of the workshop!) and next year's exhibition will be bigger and better.
Like other actors, didn't take anything away from this as I am already a Spotlight and Equity member, didn't need new pictures, didn't need to go back to drama school.
What was lacking was probably resources for existing actors to continue on with their craft but also to survive outside of it. Just naming a few examples of what might have been useful (taking from what I've seen in the US): employment agencies for temp work for actors to earn a living in between acting work (Turns is an employment agency for actors), acting coaches to keep up with acting skills (Actors Temple, Method Centre, etc), books (Samuel French), voice/accent coaching, headshots (there should have been a stand for every existing photographer in the UK!), fitness (Virgin, Fitness First, etc), personal training, beauty (Equity have deals with beauty salons, some of them could have had a stand), dental (many actors have or would like their teeth whitened, so stands from Smile would have been useful), marketing material (business cards, postcards are tools actors use, so a stand from a company offering these would have been useful), singing and dancing lessons (Danceworks would have loved a stand), showreels. Possibly a specific casting session (there are new tv series starting soon, surely the casting director would have been interested in meeting people. If this was organised well, CVs can be vetoed early and time slots given for the day of the expo).
I could go on. The key is to think outside the box. Acting isn't only just about the headshot and the training, it's everything around it that also allows actors to survive within and outside the industry.
For examples just go to backstage.com where they are currently registering for the New York Actorfest.
Hope this helps. I still say well done for starting down this road, it's not easy and someone had to be the first. Am looking forward to next year's Expo!

• 15 years ago
• 39

I nominate Fenix to organize next years lol! They all sound like great ideas to me.

• 15 years ago
• 40