Tom Mills

L.a. from a to Z: the Actor's Guide to Surviving and Succeeding in Los Angeles Tom Mills

"Actors need the acceptance of unknowing. That's a legitimate job tool." So says Thomas Mills whose twenty years in the profession-eight of them in LA-have made him something of a philosopher, but even better an insider. Author of the "Tombudsman" and "Working Actor" columns for BackstageWest, Mills knows acting. He knows Los Angeles. And he knows what it takes to survive there-and even thrive. He now shares his knowledge in LA from A to Z.

From A (acting classes, auditions, and agents) to Z (getting enough of them), Mills offers actors a realistic, helpful, and at times bemused guide to life in the big city. Along the way he looks at:

• attitude-a bad one will earn you the ultimate scarlet letter
• boredom-how to deal with that long time between acting jobs
• film set etiquette-don't park in Mr. Katzenberg's space, for starters
• demo reels-be honest, ask yourself, "Based on this, would I hire me?"

Find work. Avoid scams. Cope with your first earthquake. Read Mills and make the most of your LA experience.