Home » Visual & Performing Arts » Acting Advice » Non-Union Actor Taft-Hartleyed by "The District"

Non-Union Actor Taft-Hartleyed by "The District"

© Julian Franco

This week another guest columnist shares a recent story about how a casting director workshop was instrumental in changing his career. I've seen Julian perform numerous times, and was hoping he'd get called in despite his union status. I know a lot of non-union actors feel discouraged and don't work very hard to get noticed, but here's a guy who goes to every workshop he can, does great work, and look how it's paid off!

(Eric Prescott, Editor "Acting in the Real World")

I am pretty new to LA and figured I would share a story with anyone willing to hear it.

Last Friday I got called by Brett Greenstein, an associate at Zane/Pillsbury Casting whom I met in an ActorSite workshop about a month ago, to come in on Monday morning for a taped producer's session for a co-star role on "The District."

I was excited just to get called in. So, I go in on Monday and do my thing. I get there super early because I had never been to the office before and I figured better to be there early and twiddle my thumbs for a while than be late! Brett recognized me right away and was super cool. I then met Gayle Pillsbury, who is a super cool person(!), and after I do my thing she says, "I love your pace, let's do one more to show them something different." We do, she says "great job", I say "thanks for the opportunity" and leave, thinking, "Hey, at least I am on their map, so to speak."

Tuesday comes and goes with no call, and I figured, "Hey I must not have gotten it, no worries. They'll bring me in for something better."

Wednesday, I wake up, hang out for a bit, protect my desk chair from unpredictable light pockets of gravity, surf the internet, talk to some of my friends in Miami and, while I am on my land line, my cell phone rings. I look at the caller ID, I see it is a 323 number and I think it's a friend, whom I was supposed to call before noon to go to lunch and the gym, I hear "Julian?" and, thinking it's him, I say, "Hey, what's up dude?"

The voice on the other line says, "This is Brett and I just wanted to call you and let you know you did a great job on Monday..." (at this point I'm thinking "Cool, at least he called me to tell me I didn't get it") "...and you're gonna be our guy. I see you are non-union so I need you to bring another headshot by so that i can start the paperwork with SAG."

The copyright of the article Non-Union Actor Taft-Hartleyed by "The District" in Acting Advice is owned by Julian Franco. Permission to republish Non-Union Actor Taft-Hartleyed by "The District" in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.