How to Be a Working Actor
This blog has been a long time coming, and I am so excited it is finally here! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Sophie Blackburn and I am an actor & model here in the San Francisco/Bay Area. I have been an actor since 2008 where I started working in community theatre. I signed with my agency 3.5 years ago and have been a full-time working actor for the last 2.5 years. I am also a nursing student working toward my BSN (graduate in December 2017 woot!) and am hoping to work in emergency medicine.
Even though I’m insanely busy, I felt compelled to start this YouTube channel & blog, and there are several reasons for that. I receive calls, texts, and emails on a daily basis with questions from other actors or from individuals who are interested in acting/modeling. These questions range from, “How do I get into acting?” to, “Is this cheap microphone okay for VO auditions?” to, “My agent doesn’t ever email me back. Should I find a new agency?” One day while replying to one of these messages a lightbulb went off: why don’t I start a YouTube channel where I can address all of these questions/issues and give you all the facts based on real experiences from an actual working actor/model.
Secondly, there are so many scams and a plethora of false information out there. I want this blog and my YouTube channel to be a place where actors & models can get the real answers.
And lastly, I’m hoping that this YouTube channel can become a strong platform for a community. The entertainment industry is insanely tough, competitive, and dog-eat-dog. I want this to be a platform where we can all come together, celebrate our victories, learn from one another, and pick each other up after a failure. Just because we are competing against one another for jobs does not mean that we can’t be excited for one another or supportive of one another. I truly believe the more we root for one another the more successful we become collectively and the more humble we become as artists.
On top of informational videos, Q&As, and Day in the Life videos, I will also be interviewing professionals (i.e. headshot photographers, costumer designers, directors, producers) so that you guys can get a sense of what happens behind the camera while you’re in front of it. I will be uploading a new video and blog every Monday and I would love to hear your feedback! I have a ton of exciting videos and articles ready to roll out packed with great information and I can’t wait for you to check them out. If there are any questions you’ve been asking yourself that you can’t find a good answer to or if there’s anything you would like me to cover, let me know by tweeting @ActSophie. I can’t wait to grow this community! Until next time 🙂