Name change
Hello
I know this is probably a little odd but I'm so excited as I've finally made it onto spotlight! I feel that is a huge step in the right direction
Although I have had to change my name :( how many of you have had/chosen to change your stage name and does it get awkward when it comes to payment or showing ID?
Hey! I was in Spotlight with my old name for years before an established actress came back and wanted to re-register, so I accepted to change mine. I still keep everything in my 'real world' name and weirdly I found it quite empowering to have a new name, just a surname. It took sometime before I felt like 'kate Stirling' was me but now I do I love it. The hardest thing was choosing a name that meant something for me - at the time I had kept a variation of my old name for presenting but realised having 3 variations was just mind boggling! I quite like having two identities now
oh and congrats on joining Spotlight :-)
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Firstly congratulations on getting in!
The only difficulty I have with my name change is when employers pay by cheque. You will either have to stipulate your real name (which I assume is what you use on your bank account)when you invoice them or set up a business account in your spotlight / Equity name.
Cheers,
Phillip
I have enough trouble trying to convince people that I'm Nigel Peever and not Timothy Peever because I don't use my first name and never have. So I feel for ya!
Fortunately with a weird name like Peever I was never likely to have much competition.
However I do get Nigel Peevers a lot and the first time I was on the end credits of a TV programme that was what was shown. No doubt a Mix up from Nigel Havers
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I opened a business account with LLOYDS TSB Amanda Arterton T/A Amanda Fullerton which means I can pay in cheques for either name- hope this helps. The charges are around £5 per month!
Had I known Gemma Arterton would come along and be a star I would have left well alone - I could have pretended to be her mother!!
I am in a slightly different situation I registered with Spotlight last October with my real name Peter Walsh but didn't approach equity at the same time then when I attempted to register with Equity earlier this year they said I could not use Peter Walsh as someone already had it. Not sure what I should do now ? whether to change my name for Equity but then what about Spotlight which has just been published?
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I have two names and only one bank account. Equity wrote a letter for me to give to my bank explaining that any cheques made payable to my professional name should go into my personal (non-professional name) account, and it works fine.
I changed my name from Emma Szczygielski to Emma White and it has definitely been the best decision I ever made for my career, I have had more auditions and there is no more awkwardness or confusion from the casting directors end when they call my name out. And when it comes to payment i just alert them to my real name and it's never an issue. i like having a different identity that keeps my heritage personal to me and a working name that just makes me sound like a more typical "english" person to the industry as its made me more castable.
I changed my name from Emma Szczygielski to Emma White and it has definitely been the best decision I ever made for my career, I have had more auditions and there is no more awkwardness or confusion from the casting directors end when they call my name out. And when it comes to payment i just alert them to my real name and it's never an issue. i like having a different identity that keeps my heritage personal to me and a working name that just makes me sound like a more typical "english" person to the industry as its made me more castable.
Hey Peter, that's a tough one but it looks like Equity trumps Spotlight even though you might have the better career than your namesake!
Sounds like you need to create an Equity name as similar to your real name/Spotlight name as possible to avoid confusion.
Do you have a middle initial you could
use or perhaps make it double barelled by using your mother's maiden name? That way Peter Walsh would still probably come up in a search...
It is either that or wait until the next Spotlight renewal to join Equity and start afresh with a new name on both.
In my own situation I am actually a Jennifer Ann Sharpe but have never had any problems paying in cheques with Jenna Sharpe on! Mind you cheques are being used less and less now anyway.
Thanks everyone for the advice and experiences
Hope to see you all on set one day :)
Because of my Equity-enforced name change, if someone phones up and asks for David France, I know straightaway it's about acting. Kind of helps!
I was concerned when I first changed my name too, but I'm now completely used to it and find that it's much easier. As David France says, you always know when it's about acting work. And I've never had any trouble getting paid. (Most companies realise that you may have changed your name)
I just bit the bullet and am registered with Equity as Peter Revel-Walsh and Spotlight are going to change my online profile name.
Now comes the task of changing my website, business cards etc
cheers Peter
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