After Your Photoshoot: What to Do Next as an LA Actor
New headshots are a tool, not a finish line. This guide covers the practical next steps in Los Angeles: where to submit, how to research representation, where to train, and how to protect yourself from scams. It is written for every actor, wherever your photos came from.
Every listing below was checked on its official website on October 19, 2026. Prices change often, so confirm on the provider’s own site before you pay. No class, platform, or service on this page can guarantee auditions, representation, or work.
Your first two weeks with new headshots
A simple order of operations. You do not need to pay for anything on day one.
- Choose your lead photos. Pick the image that looks most like you on a good day for each type of role you are realistically right for. Casting compares your photo to the person who walks in.
- Update a one-page resume. Name, union status, contact (never your home address), credits by medium, training, and only the special skills you can perform today.
- Build free profiles first. Actors Access and Casting Networks both have free tiers. Add photos, resume, and any footage. Upgrade later if you are actively submitting.
- Decide on background work. If you want set experience or union eligibility through background, register with Central Casting. Note its photo rules below: it wants unedited photos, not retouched headshots.
- Research representation before submitting. Use the license and member lists in section 2, then follow each agency’s published process exactly.
- Pick one skill to build this month. A class, a combat or dance drop-in, an improv intro, or a self-tape setup at home. Consistency matters more than spending.
Where to submit your headshots
These are different kinds of services. Know which is which before you pay for anything.
| Type | What it is | Who submits |
|---|---|---|
| Casting platforms | Sites where casting posts roles (breakdowns) and actors or reps submit | You, your agent, or both |
| Background casting | Non-speaking extra work on sets, with its own registration | You, through the casting company |
| Representation | Licensed agents and managers who submit you for roles they can access | Your agent or manager |
| Training | Classes that build skill. Useful, but never a path that guarantees work | Not a submission |
Principal casting platforms
Actors Access
The actor side of Breakdown Services, the main breakdown system in LA. The free tier lets you submit on breakdowns released to Actors Access. Recommended photo size: 500 x 700 pixels.
Casting Networks
Widely used for commercials, with TV, film, and theatre roles too. Agents submit clients here, so your profile matters even if you have representation. Accepts JPG or PNG up to 30 MB.
Casting Frontier
Casting call listings and a talent database, with an LA office on Wilshire Blvd. Its own pages showed conflicting prices on the day we checked, so we are not quoting one.
Backstage
Casting listings plus a large library of career advice. Heavier on independent, student, and non-union projects than Actors Access.
IMDbPro
Useful for researching casting directors, agencies, and companies, and for managing photos on your IMDb page once you have credits. You do not submit for roles here.
Background (extras) casting
Central Casting
The largest background casting company. Sign-up is now fully online, and you must be legally authorized to work in the US. Important: its photo guide says altered photos, including professional headshots, cannot be used for background. Submit simple, unedited photos there and save your headshots for principal roles.
Alessi Hartigan Casting
Background casting since 1996 with an online talent pool sign-up. Read the registration terms on its site before paying anything.
alessihartigancasting.comJeff Olan Casting
Specializes in background casting. Follow the submission instructions posted with each casting notice on its site.
jeffolancasting.comTheatre
- Actors Access and Backstage both carry LA theatre breakdowns.
- Equity members use Actors’ Equity’s Casting Call board. Required Equity auditions have been in person since January 2, 2023.
- Many LA theatres post auditions on their own sites, for example The Road Theatre in North Hollywood. Bookmark the companies whose work you like.
Agents and managers: research first, then submit
In California, talent agents must hold a talent agency license from the Labor Commissioner. Managers advise and guide careers; the Talent Managers Association’s code of ethics limits its members to commission only, no more than 15%, with no upfront fees.
Free tools to check who you are dealing with
CA Labor Commissioner license search
Check whether an agency holds a current California talent agency license, including revocations and suspensions.
Search licensesSAG-AFTRA franchised agents
The union’s list of agencies franchised to represent members, searchable by local. SAG-AFTRA franchises agents, not managers.
sagaftra.org agents listAssociation of Talent Agents
Trade association with a public member list. It does not give referrals to actors.
agentassociation.comTalent Managers Association
Nonprofit for managers, with a member list and a published code of ethics (commission only, 15% cap, no fees for classes, photos, or listings).
talentmanagers.orgHow to submit professionally
- Read each agency’s own submission page and follow it exactly. Some boutique agencies publish an open, department-by-department process. For example, Avalon Artists Group lists what to send and how to label it, and DDO Artists Agency gives separate instructions per department (its LA TV and film department is referral only).
- Large agencies usually do not take unsolicited submissions. Gersh, Innovative Artists, and Buchwald all say so in writing. For a newer actor, the realistic routes are referrals, credits, showcases you did not have to pay to be seen at, and boutique agencies or managers.
- Send a clean package: one strong headshot, a one-page resume, a short note naming the department, and a link to footage if you have it. No follow-up calls unless the agency invites them.
Acting schools and coaches
LA has hundreds of options. Below is a cross-section of distinct approaches and budgets. For a fuller, searchable directory, see LAActingSchools.com, which shares an owner with Headshots LA (see Disclosures). Most studios let you audit a class first; ask.
Art Cohan
Private coaching and an ongoing Thursday workshop on audition and self-tape technique. Art is also Dean and a teacher at Beverly Hills Playhouse. Disclosure: Joshua (Headshots LA) studied with Art Cohan and built his website.
Beverly Hills Playhouse
Long-running scene study studio in the Milton Katselas tradition, twice weekly, with an orientation program for new adults and a youth and teen class.
Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute
Method training from 2-week intensives up to 1- and 2-year conservatory programs and an associate degree.
Lesly Kahn & Company
Practical audition and comedy technique for film and TV, in person and on Zoom, including teen classes.
Playhouse West
Meisner technique in twice-weekly 3-hour classes, 18 and over, with a repertory theater. Free audit available.
Sanford Meisner Center
Traditional twice-weekly first-year Meisner program, with a 5-week intro course. Entry by interview.
Howard Fine Acting Studio
Technique, scene study, voice, Alexander, and on-camera classes in studio, plus a large online menu and kids classes.
Stella Adler Academy LA
Part-time courses and a two-year program in the Stella Adler technique.
Michelle Danner Acting Studio
Beginner through advanced, on-camera, online, improv, and youth programs. Free admissions consultation.
R.A.W. (Richie’s Actors Workshop)
Ongoing scene study with custom-written scenes and cold reads, plus private audition prep. Locations vary; check the site.
Kimberly Jentzen
Live Zoom advanced course, private coaching, and weekend intensives. Admission by interview.
Young Actors Space and The Playground
Two long-running youth programs: Young Actors Space (North Hollywood, ages 5 to adult) and The Playground (ages 7 and up, TV and film).
Lower-cost: LA community colleges
California residents pay $46 per unit (a 3-unit acting class is about $138 plus small campus fees). Real stage training with productions:
LACC Theatre Academy
Conservatory training since 1929 with a full production season; admission by application, plus general theatre classes.
lacc.eduSanta Monica College Theatre Arts
Acting, voice, movement, and styles, with auditions for college productions.
smc.eduLA Valley College Theatre & Dance
Theatre Arts degree with an acting option, plus dance classes.
lavc.eduPasadena City College Theater Arts
Pre-professional theater training with student-cast productions.
pasadena.eduMartial arts and stage combat
Three different skills that often get lumped together. Knowing the difference saves money and keeps you safe.
| Skill | What it is | What it shows casting or a coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Martial arts | Real technique trained against resisting partners | Body control, fitness, authentic form. Real-contact habits are not the same as safe screen fighting. |
| Screen fighting | Selling hits, angles that hide misses, hitting marks, repeatable choreography | That you can perform action safely for a camera, take after take |
| Stage combat (SAFD) | Safe theatrical violence, tested in specific weapon disciplines | A standardized skills test, valued in theatre and classical work. Not a film stunt credential. |
The Society of American Fight Directors sets stage combat standards: a Skills Proficiency Test follows at least 30 hours of training with an SAFD Certified Teacher. Use its member directory to find certified teachers near you.
Academy of Theatrical Combat
Weekly fight class for adults 18+, no experience needed. New students start at the first Tuesday class of the month.
Swordplay LA
A combat academy with a Stunt Fighting Program for action actors: film fighting weapons, hand-to-hand, set safety and etiquette.
Antaeus Academy: Stage Combat
A short intro course for stage actors on hand-to-hand, falls, and swordplay basics. The 2026 session just ended; watch for the next one.
Theatricum Botanicum
Its spring Shakespeare intensive includes stage combat and Suzuki training. A strong fit for classical actors.
theatricum.comInosanto Academy
Over 30 weekly classes including Jeet Kune Do and Filipino martial arts, whose stick and knife work shows up often in screen fight design.
inosanto.comGracie University
Beginner-friendly jiu-jitsu. Grappling skill helps with ground fights and restraint scenes.
Wild Card Boxing Club
Freddie Roach’s gym. Useful if you are preparing to play a boxer. Independent trainers set their own rates. No filming in the gym.
Stunt training: realistic pathways
Read this first
- Classes build skills. They do not lead directly to stunt work, and no certificate or reel guarantees it.
- Stunt hiring runs through stunt coordinators. Performers usually build a short stunt reel and an honest skills resume listing only what they can do safely on a set.
- Ask any stunt or wire class who does the rigging, what padding or airbags they use, and what the instructor’s credits are.
- Safety questions on a union set: SAG-AFTRA’s after-hours safety hotline is (844) 723-3773. See its Stunt & Safety page.
Action Planet LA (at Dragonfly Studios)
Weekly fight choreography and wirework classes taught by working performers. It recommends fight choreography before wires.
Tempest Freerunning Academy
Falls, vaults, flips, and body control. Foundation work for action performers, not a stunt school. Call ahead to reserve.
Swordplay LA and Academy of Theatrical Combat
Both teach screen-style fighting, rolls, and falls. Details in the combat section above.
See combat sectionInternational Stunt School
A 3-week, 150-hour stunt performer course run by the United Stuntmen’s Association. Next course listed: July 12 to 31, 2027. Requires travel.
stuntschool.comProfessional associations (not schools): Stunts Unlimited, Stuntwomen’s Association of Motion Pictures, and Stuntmen’s Association. Studying their members’ reels is a good way to see what working performers show.
Back to topDance and movement
Movement training shows up everywhere: commercials, music videos, period pieces, physical comedy, and simply walking into a room with ease.
Millennium Dance Complex
Drop-in classes, walk-ins welcome. Most are intermediate or advanced unless labeled beginning. Now on Ventura Blvd in Studio City.
Playground LA
Drop-in commercial dance classes including beginner options, plus online tutorials.
Lula Washington Dance Theatre
A community dance school for aspiring professionals and anyone who dances for joy and fitness, with guest master classes.
lulawashington.orgWestside School of Ballet (adults)
Ongoing adult classes you can join any time. Ballet builds posture and carriage that read well in period roles.
westsideballet.comDragonfly Studios
Acro dance, hand balancing, tricking, and aerial for body control in physical and action roles.
Stella Adler Academy LA: Movement
A two-week movement-for-actors workshop built on Lucid Body work. Admission by email application.
Voice, dialect, singing, and voiceover
Dialect and accent coaching
Strommen Inc.
Dialect, accent, and foreign-language dialogue coaching for film and TV, in studio, on set, or by video.
strommeninc.comJoel Goldes, The Dialect Coach
Dialect coaching for auditions and productions, on set and for ADR, with long theatre and TV experience.
thedialectcoach.comVoice and speech for actors
Saul Kotzubei
Ongoing voice classes, intro workshops, and private lessons. Listed as a Master teacher by the Fitzmaurice Institute.
voicecoachla.comAdele Cabot
Designated Linklater teacher offering classes, intensives, private lessons, and pre-audition work.
adelecabot.comFind a certified teacher
The Fitzmaurice Institute offers free matching with certified teachers. VASTA’s Find a Voice Pro searches voice and dialect professionals by ZIP code; a listing there is not an endorsement.
Singing
Tacey Adams
Voice lessons for beginning to advanced singers, with a large musical theatre library.
The Singers Workshop (Lis Lewis)
A voice teacher for pop and recording artists for over 30 years. Better for contemporary styles than musical theatre.
thesingersworkshop.comVoiceover
Kalmenson & Kalmenson
A voice casting company with a step-by-step curriculum. Demo prep is only open after prerequisite classes, which is a good sign.
The Voicecaster
Voice casting since 1975, with workshops including animation and marketing seminars.
voicecaster.comReal Voice LA
Intro classes, video game audition classes, and weekly workouts. Publishes its demo prices openly.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation Voiceover Lab
Free booth time and VO classes for SAG-AFTRA members, in person and virtual.
About VO demos
Make a demo when you are ready, not before. Be cautious of packages that promise a demo after a set number of lessons, or a weekend that guarantees an agent-ready reel. Ask any coach whether they will tell you if you are not ready yet, and ask to hear recent students’ demos before you pay.
Improv and comedy
Improv sharpens listening and makes commercial auditions far less scary. Each LA school has a distinct style.
The Groundlings School
Character-based improv with open classes and an audition-based core track.
UCB Training Center
Improv, sketch, writing, and stand-up, plus a free student jam.
Pack Theater
Independent comedy school since 2016, in person and online.
Impro Theatre School
A nonprofit known for full-length improvised plays in literary styles. Great for theatre actors.
ComedySportz LA
Short-form and narrative improv for adults 17+, with kids and teen programs.
Westside Comedy Theater
Every session ends with a student show. Saturday drop-ins are an easy way to try it.
Self-tape and on-camera
Most first auditions in LA are now self-tapes. A clean, simple tape lets casting focus on your work.
Home setup basics (from Actors Access guidance)
- Shoot landscape. Frame from mid-chest to just above your head.
- Solid background: a plain wall or curtain.
- Face the light. Window daylight is best; avoid overhead light and bright light behind you.
- Quiet room with soft surfaces. Reader beside the camera; look at the reader, not the lens.
- Export as .mp4 and upload slate and takes as separate files.
Source: Actors Access self-tape tips.
Know your rights (SAG-AFTRA, TV/theatrical)
- When you are requested to self-tape, casting can send up to 8 pages for a first tape.
- You get 48 hours to turn it around (72 for minors), excluding weekends and holidays, unless the breakdown notes an exception.
- You cannot be required to memorize, or to use paid software or specific equipment.
- You must not be charged a fee to access general casting calls.
Source: SAG-AFTRA self-tape bulletin (June 2024). Commercial rules may differ.
Taping studios and on-camera classes
SAG-AFTRA Foundation On-Camera Lab
Free 30-minute taping sessions with a reader, in person or virtual.
Margie Haber Studio
Audition technique taught on camera, plus a self-tape studio open 7 days with edit and delivery.
Lesly Kahn & Co. audition taping
Taping with a reader, with coached sessions available.
Tony Barr’s Film Actors Workshop
A private Zoom cold read, then a 3-hour two-camera studio class. No long-term commitment.
The Screen Acting Studio
Screen-acting classes and masterclasses with a required orientation for new students; private coaching includes self-taping.
Career development and unions
SAG-AFTRA
What joining costs
From SAG-AFTRA’s official help center (updated April 2026):
- National initiation fee: $3,121
- Base dues: $246.14/year, billed in halves on May 1 and November 1
- Work dues: 1.575% of covered earnings, up to a cap
How eligibility works
Eligibility usually comes from a principal role on a union production, qualifying union background work, or membership in a sister union. Use the eligibility tools on the union’s own How to Join page, and never pay anyone who promises to “get you your card.”
sagaftra.org: how to joinSAG-AFTRA Foundation
Free programs for members, including about 400 Casting Access audition-prep classes a year, on-camera and voiceover labs, and emergency assistance.
sagaftra.foundationActors’ Equity (stage)
Join through an Equity contract, Open Access, or sister-union membership. Initiation $1,800; basic dues $176/year; working dues 2.5%.
actorsequity.orgResume, reel, and printing
Acting resume basics
- One page, attached to the back of a printed headshot or uploaded to each profile.
- Name at top, union status, contact (no home address).
- Credits grouped Film, Television, Theatre, with role and production.
- Training, then special skills you can perform today.
Demo reel basics
Casting director Marci Liroff’s advice: lead with your best work where you are the focus, keep any opening montage very short, use only good picture and sound, and send a link rather than a file. Short 30 to 60 second clips are common now.
marciliroff.comReel editors with published prices
Create Your Reel (Hollywood) edits existing footage from $25 per scene and also shoots scenes. Lucky Break Reels shoots and edits scenes from $675 ($375 shared). A reel is only as strong as its footage; real credits beat staged scenes when you have them.
Printing headshots
Most submissions are digital, but keep a small batch of prints for theatre and in-person auditions. Color Images (Burbank) and NoHo Print and Copy (North Hollywood, same-day) both print headshots locally.
Support and safety nets
- Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund): career counseling, financial wellness, health insurance help, and emergency assistance for entertainment workers.
- Parents of minors: California requires an Entertainment Work Permit before a minor works. Apply through the Labor Commissioner’s official page.
Red flags and your rights
Walk away if someone:
- Charges an upfront fee to represent you. California law bans advance-fee talent representation.
- Requires you to buy classes, photos, or a website from a specific vendor as a condition of representation. A legitimate agent or manager will never require you to buy headshots from a particular photographer, including us.
- Cannot show a California talent agency license (agents), or calls a paid workshop a chance to be cast.
- Promises bookings, representation, or a union card in exchange for money.
California’s Advance-Fee Talent Services law (the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act, effective 2010) requires paid talent services, including workshops and coaching, to post a $50,000 bond, use written contracts, and give you a 10-day cancellation right. The Labor Commissioner publishes bond lists on its databases page. Report problems to Talent@dir.ca.gov or (510) 285-3397.
Source: California Department of Industrial Relations. This is general information, not legal advice.
Back to topDisclosures and how this page is maintained
- Ownership: Headshots LA, LAActingSchools.com, and LAActorGuide.com share an owner, Joshua Michael Shelton.
- Art Cohan: Joshua studied with Art Cohan and built his website.
- No paid placements: No business paid to appear on this page, and there are no affiliate links. Listings are a cross-section, not a ranking.
- Verification: Every entry was checked on its official website on October 19, 2026. Prices, schedules, and policies change; always confirm with the provider.
See something out of date?
Tell us and we will re-check it. Closed businesses, changed prices, and better options all help the next actor.
Headshots LA is a Los Angeles headshot studio. If you ever need new photos for a new look, you can book a session here.