Scott Sedita's Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood: And New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Chicago, and Any Other Industry City!

By Scott Sedita

Scott Sedita's Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood lays out everything an actor needs to know to launch and maintain an Acting career in any "Industry City."

Tapping into his forty years of experience in the business, renowned Acting Coach, Author, and Motivational Speaker Scott Sedita breaks down the Three Steps to Success: Talent, Confidence and Perseverance, and shows how these elements work together to build and sustain a successful acting career.

Further, Scott takes a unique approach in highlighting the many challenges actors face when pursuing their dream in show business. Scott explains how actors must identity and avoid the Three Ways to Sabotage Your Career: Distractions, Addictions and Wrong Actions.

With his humorous, no-holds-barred, tough love approach, Scott guides the reader with practical, easily accessible advice, tools and tasks as well as numerous Success Stories of famous actors he’s worked with and how they made it to the top!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atides Publishing
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780977064151

Scott Sedita

Scott Sedita is an award-winning, highly in-demand Acting Coach and Motivational Speaker. He is the owner of Scott Sedita Acting Studios in Los Angeles where he works with actors from all over the world. Scott is the author of the internationally bestselling book, The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting & Writing, which has been translated into many different languages. Scott has travelled the world teaching his comedic technique "The Sedita Method." Scott is also the first acting coach to develop an acting-based app, called "Actor Audition App."

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PRAISE FOR

Scott Sedita’s Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood

…and New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Chicago, and Any Other Industry City!

In an industry that is notoriously overwhelming and in-consistent, Scott Sedita’s greatest talent is his ability to remind you that you still have some control. He inspires confidence, hard work, and dedication by providing a formulaic, yet organic, approach to acting.

-HOLLY TAYLOR, Actor

I believe the main reason I continue to work is because I strive to be confident and real. I would have had no chance of achieving either of those if it wasn’t for Scott Sedita. His ability to prepare the actor for both the craft of acting and the accompanying business is unparalleled in my experience.

-GEOFF STULTS, Actor

Scott Sedita is an inspiration in person and on the page. His new book is a recipe for success for anyone who really wants it!

-MARY LOU BELLI, Emmy Award-Winning Director

Scott’s acting classes were life changing for me. He gave me invaluable tools to navigating not only the audition process but the business as a whole. I am forever grateful for his guidance.

-MARISA RAMIREZ, Actor

Scott Sedita has a fresh, unique approach to ‘making it’ as an actor. This is a book for actors that want to be in it for the long haul and are focused on achieving success.

-MARK TESCHNER, Emmy Award-Winning Casting Director

Not only is Scott Sedita incredibly skilled at coaching, but his advice and words of wisdom have been indispensable to me. And now he shares it with all of you.

-JENNIFER FINNIGAN, Actor

Scott writes in a very specific and detailed format, providing a fantastic roadmap for any person wanting to become an actor. Everything you need to be successful…it’s in there.

-STEW STRUNK AND TRACY STEINSAPIR, Talent Managers

I always recommend Scott’s books and classes to actors who have talent but need no-nonsense, practicable direction to make the most of it. No guru, no flatterer, no flim-flam name-dropper, Scott combines a shrewd business sense with absolute truth-telling.

-DAVID RAMBO, Writer/Producer

Scott helped transform the way I audition, which undoubtedly led to much more success than I would’ve had without his insight. He has such a unique approach to the process, and he knows what works! His knowledge of the craft and the business is invaluable.

-JT NEAL, Actor

Scott Sedita’s simple and practical concepts will assist the actor to have both the confidence and the tools to start on that very difficult path to becoming a working actor.

-VICTORIA MORRIS, Talent Agent

There are very few teachers who are not only able to educate their students but impact them so profoundly that it changes their very lives. For me, Scott Sedita was one of those teachers. I can honestly say that Scott has been one of the biggest influences on my life and there’s no way I would be where I am today without him!

-JOSEPH DAVID-JONES, Actor

This book is like having a personal life coach guiding you through your acting career. A MUST READ!

-TERRY BERLAND, Casting Director

Scott’s classes and books are so informative and have given me the acting chops that I confidently use today on projects. I’m thankful for what he has added to my Hollywood journey.

-MEAGAN TANDY, Actor

As an actor, it’s crucial to have the right coach as a part of your team. I love connecting the right clients to Scott. He’s direct and fiercely passionate about actors being their best, as artists and professionals.

-KANICA SUY, Talent Manager

I owe the invaluable lessons I learned from Scott Sedita to every job I’ve booked since working at the studio. Studying with Scott gave me expansive industry knowledge, earned audition confidence, and proper guidance to pursue Hollywood in the capacity I’ve desired. Working with him is a great honor.

-NICO GREETHAM, Actor

Scott knows the business from many angles––as an agent, casting director, and acting coach. This book is full of invaluable advice and insight into the world of acting.

-SUSAN VASH, Casting Director

An insightful and inspirational blueprint for achieving success in the world of Hollywood. It will unlock treasures that an actor needs to attain and sustain a thriving career in the entertainment industry.

-MARA SANTINO, Talent Manager

Scott Sedita gave me the guidance I needed to not only sharpen my craft but actually launch my career. It’s pretty simple: listen to Scott to become a better actor and book better jobs.

-CHRIS COY, Actor

Scott Sedita’s new book offers a step-by-step approach to becoming a successful working actor. He is an actor’s coach.

-TJ STEIN, Talent Manager

Scott’s book is so smart, so complete, so full of real, practical advice that I’m actually tempted to step from behind the camera to in front of the camera!

-ROB LOTTERSTEIN, Writer/Producer

Scott highlights the real obstacles that face the professional actor, and gives the advice and counsel so desperately needed. He demystifies and debunks years of silly thinking that has plagued millions of actors as they embark on a career in acting.

-PETER KLUGE, Talent Manager

Finally, a great self-help book for actors! Thank you, Scott!

-CONCHATA FERRELL, Emmy Award-Winning Actor

Sedita helped me evolve from a retired NFL football player to a skilled and fearless actor. His insight on being specific in every aspect of auditioning was a game changer for me. Honored to be an alum!

-THOMAS Q. JONES, Actor

Imagine you have a really good friend who knows EVERYTHING about the acting game and you’ll have some idea what it’s like to read this engaging and informative book.

-JED SEIDEL, Writer/Producer

Scott Sedita’s Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood will inspire and empower you to become a successful actor. Get ready for some changes with this book!

-JAY KENNETH JOHNSON, Actor

Scott has always had a great grasp on this industry. Talent, Confidence, and Perseverance is what he preaches, and truer words have never been spoken. Thanks Scott!

-ERIC LADIN, Actor

I had a great time working with Scott Sedita. He challenges you to always do your very best. His classes are set in a fun and supportive atmosphere, where the actor feels safe to make mistakes. Scott’s class is where it’s at!

-KEVIN ALEJANDRO, Actor

Scott Sedita’s Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood

…and New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Chicago, and Any Other Industry City!

Scott Sedita

Atides Publishing, Los Angeles, California

Scott Sedita’s Ultimate Guide To Making It In Hollywood

…and New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Chicago, and Any Other Industry City!

Published by:

Atides Publishing

526 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90004, USA

Copyright 2008, 2022 by Scott Sedita

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.

2nd Edition completely revised

ISBN: 978-0-9770641-6-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008923937

Cover photo: satoriportrait.com

Cover and interior design: zenrage

Editor: Jim Martyka

First printing: 2008

Second printing: 2022

Printed in the United States of America

To all my students who inspire me and challenge me to become a better teacher and a more creative human being.

You all make me proud and help me remember why I’m doing this in the first place.

CONTENTS

MY STORY

A CAUTIONARY TALE

AN ACTOR’S GIFT

THE JOURNEY OF LOOKING INWARD

SECTION ONE

THE WANT

The Want: Workbook Section

YOUR ACTOR CONTRACT

THE THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS

TALENT

The Acting Gene

Self-Evaluation Scale: Talent

Welcome to Acting Class

Talent: Workbook Section

Bonus Track: WOFRAIM

CONFIDENCE

Self-Evaluation Scale: Confidence

Finding Your Comfort Zone

Observe Confidence in Others

The Power of Affirmations

Confidence: Workbook Section

Bonus Track: Knowing Your Type

PERSEVERANCE

Self-Evaluation Scale: Perseverance

Perseverance Also Comes From…

The Four P’s of Perseverance

Mission #1: Get Representation

Mission #2: Get Acting Work

Help Your Reps Help You

Perseverance: Workbook Section

Bonus Track: The Luck Factor

ACTING CAREER DIET

SECTION TWO

CAREER CHALLENGES

FEAR

The Two Types of Fear

The Fear of Failure

The Fear of Success

Fear: Workbook Section

THE THREE WAYS TO SABOTAGE YOUR CAREER

DISTRACTIONS

Money Distractions

Family Distractions

Romantic Relationship Distractions

ADDICTIONS

Where Do Your Addictions Come From?

Alcohol

Drugs

Eating Disorders

Resources

WRONG ACTIONS

Consciously Choosing Fear

Staying Uninformed

Being Unprepared

Procrastinating

Showing Up Late

Making Excuses

Getting Stuck in Negativity

Not Being a Team Player

Acting Unprofessionally

Doing Nothing

SECTION THREE

BELIEVE

HOLLYWOOD SUCCESS STORIES

That’s What It Takes to Be an Actor

You Really Don’t Want to See Me Dance

Now They’re Gonna Pull My Ski Mask Off

For the First Time, I Feel Like an Actor

One Day, I’m Going to Be the Next Meryl Streep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MY STORY

The choices you make

On your journey as an artist, you will be faced with opportunities, obstacles and, most of all, choices. Who you are and who you become are dictated by the choices you make in your life and in your career. And those choices become your story.

This is my story.

I grew up in Glen Cove, New York, a suburb of New York City. My parents were divorced, so I was raised by a single mom who worked twelve hours a day to support her family. Five days a week my mom boarded the train to Manhattan where she worked as a legal secretary at a prominent law firm. My mother was a working woman at a time when most of her peers were homemakers.

I was what was called a latchkey kid, meaning I was a child who returned home from school to an empty house. Except my house wasn’t empty; it had a brand-new RCA color television (my mom got it in the divorce settlement), and it was filled with great comedy, drama, variety, talk, and game shows that kept me engaged, enlightened, and entertained. And it kept me company. Television was my babysitter.

I was born with the innate ability to act, write, and direct, so if I wasn’t watching TV (or the boobtube, as my mom called it), I was usually putting on mini extravaganzas with the neighborhood kids in my rickety garage. Or I was acting in elementary school plays. While I considered myself a leading man, I was always placed in the chorus. I guess it wasn’t likely that a fat, funny, four-eyed kid would play Tom Sawyer or Prince Charming. But I made the most of it, much to the chagrin of my school director who would shout out to me, "You’re just a member of the chorus, Scott! Not the chorus!"

By high school, that fat, funny, four-eyed kid grew into a fit, funny, contact lens-wearing teen who was now getting lead roles in high school plays and community theatre shows. I also started making comedic short films using a Super 8mm camera and my friends as the actors. I loved being behind the camera and had a knack for working with those in front of the camera. I also liked playing with different camera tricks. I became the prince of stop motion technology––I could make anyone, or anything (including my dog) disappear and then reappear. It was my homage to my favorite show, Bewitched.

My last two years of high school were busy with writing and directing short films as well as producing and acting in big elaborate stage productions in the high school auditorium and community centers. When it was time for college, I had a choice to make: should I study filmmaking or acting? I chose acting.

I was accepted into the acting program at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts (SFA). Once there, I started taking notice of my fellow actors; some were brimming with talent while others had a harder time accessing it. I noticed the different degrees of confidence each actor possessed; some entered the program with a strong sense of self-worth already instilled in them, while others seemed uncertain, hesitant, and self-conscious. There was also a clear distinction between the actors who had more drive, passion, and perseverance about the prospects of an acting career than those who didn’t.

By the end of my first year of acting school, I’d been cast in a few plays, and I had written and directed my own shows. I had made a name for myself and was invited back for a second year.

But my sophomore year proved more challenging. My acting classes were more difficult and the criticism from my teachers became harsher. My confidence started to wane. I’d leave my acting classes feeling deflated, disheartened, and like a failure. This opened the door for fear to set in. Fear of not being good enough, fear of humiliation, fear of being a disappointment to my family and to myself. I knew I had to face my fear, but I had no psychological tools to combat it. I developed a fear of acting.

That fear was overriding my desire to be an actor. When I returned from Christmas vacation, I sat down with the dean of SFA and told her that this upcoming semester would be my last in the acting program. I talked like a young man who knew exactly what he wanted. But in reality, it was my fear doing the talking.

I did feel a great sense of relief. And, surprisingly, in that last semester, I did my best acting work ever! Apparently, knowing that I was leaving acting took the pressure off and got me out of my head, and freed me to explore and be present without the fear. It’s deceptive how quickly fear can vanish by simply walking away from what’s causing it, even if the cause is that thing that you love. Fear can fool you like that.

I left acting school, but I didn’t go far. I went across the street to Boston University’s Film School to pursue my other passions: writing and directing for TV and film. For the next two years, I worked diligently at making as many films as possible. In film school, we were only taught about the technical aspects of filmmaking. They weren’t particular about having actors in our films; they said just to use our roommates as talent. But I only wanted to work with trained actors.

Naturally, I enlisted my theatre school friends to appear in all my student productions. And, since I knew the dean of SFA, I successfully campaigned to get theatre students school credit for acting in B.U. Film School projects, something that was previously not an option. There was one friend in particular that I put in many of my films who grew up to––wait for it––win an Academy Award for Best Actress! I guess you could say, I was her first film director (more on this famous actress later).

During the summers, I also worked hard to make industry contacts in Los Angeles. My plan was to have a job in L.A. by the time I graduated college. And I did! On graduation day, I had a job in Hollywood waiting for me as a production assistant (PA) for a TV series. But the day after graduation, I got a phone call informing me that there was a writers strike, and my PA position was gone.

With no other options, no money, and student loans looming, I moved in with my mother who now lived in New York City…in a one-bedroom apartment. I slept in the living room on an ottoman, which (amazingly) converted into a single bed. I loved my mom, but I needed my own place. I took the first job I was offered, which changed the course of my career.

I started work as an agent’s assistant for a prestigious boutique talent agency called Writers & Artists. I soon realized that I had another talent, and that was spotting talent. I quickly became very adept at my job.

I worked for Writers & Artists for less than a year when I accepted a position as a SAG-franchised agent at the Mary Ellen White Agency. I was twenty-two years old and the youngest agent in New York City. Every night, I went out to various plays and showcases to discover new actors. I signed them, nurtured them, and groomed them for success. And it worked! Or should I say, they worked.

After a two-year stint at the Mary Ellen White Agency, I moved to a new agency called Frontier Booking International (FBI). There I became a young, Armani suit-wearing, hot shot agent who seemed to have the golden touch.

During my time at FBI, I was instrumental in discovering and building the careers of several top stars, including Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Christopher Meloni, Teri Polo, Robin Givens, Jerry O’Connell, Debbie Gibson, Dylan Walsh, and Vincent D’Onofrio, to name a few. As an agent, I worked very closely with my clients, guiding them in their careers and seeing them grow as artists.

Considering my acting training, I often coached my clients before their auditions to help them with their sides. I also did it to have a clearer idea of what they were going to do in the audition room, so when I spoke to the casting director about their audition, I could buffer any negative feedback by turning it into something positive: "Totally with you, she’s gotta study, but what a great look and personality, right?!" I was always able to get my clients back into the room.

Being an agent was exciting, but there was something nagging at me. I still had the need and desire to explore my creativity. I wanted to write. I started taking screenwriting classes after work. Then, one day, I had an epiphany. I was sitting at my desk, leaned down to open a drawer, and I was suddenly hit with the thought, "Does being an agent still make me happy? The answer was No."

After eight years of representing actors, I decided to call it quits. At the top of my game and making a fantastic salary (especially for being under thirty), I made the choice to give up being a talent agent. I left my family, friends, and my Armani suits behind and drove cross country to Los Angeles (in an old ’81 Chevy) to pursue a whole new career as a TV writer.

I had a great beginning. I got a literary agent, took meetings with network execs and showrunners, and booked some TV writing gigs for Howie Mandel and Bobcat Goldthwait. As I was waiting for my big break to get a writing gig on a TV show, I found a great survival job in casting that would soon present a whole new career opportunity.

I worked with the late casting director Danny Goldman, where I got a unique perspective on the casting process. Danny cast commercials, so I got to audition hundreds of actors a week. I very quickly recognized the differences between the talented versus the not-so-talented and the experienced actor versus the green actor. I saw, once again, how an actor’s confidence and belief in oneself plays a major role in auditioning as well as booking the job.

In casting sessions, I witnessed how important it was for actors to understand who they were and what types they played best. The actors who knew themselves were the ones that consistently worked. I also witnessed how actors––through various forms of fear––sabotaged themselves in an audition or worse, in the callback.

During this time, my writing career wasn’t happening quickly enough for me. I had the talent and confidence, but I lacked the perseverance (and patience) to keep doing what a TV writer must do: write as many spec scripts as possible until one gets you a steady job.

I was now in my mid-thirties and at another crossroads, and I was taking stock in what I wanted to do with my life. Then I ran into an actress I had represented at FBI.

She asked me to coach her for a sitcom audition, just like I did when I was her theatrical agent. I did, and she booked the job. This led me to start offering acting classes at Danny Goldman’s as well as private coaching sessions, which helped many actors to book jobs on films and TV shows.

I quickly discovered that I loved coaching actors. There was a thrill in watching an actor seek, find, and speak the truth. I took what I learned from acting school and applied it to my coaching. And actors responded well to my style, my techniques and my straightforward approach to giving feedback. With my experience as an agent and casting director, I also educated actors about the business of the business. I not only wanted actors to learn the craft of acting, but I also wanted them to learn what it takes to have an acting career.

I found a whole new kind of satisfaction in teaching and coaching that I had never experienced before. The choice became clear: I wanted to redirect all my creative energy into a career as an acting coach.

One evening after work, I drove to Larchmont, a quaint, hip section of Hollywood, to meet a friend for coffee. On the way, I spotted a Space for Rent sign on a building on Larchmont Boulevard. I thought, "When I open my acting studio, this will be a great location: upscale, quiet, and safe for my young actors. So, I stopped and checked out the space. It was perfect! Naively, I told the leasing agent I wanted it, but not for three months, (when I’d be ready to tackle such an undertaking). He dryly replied, It’ll be rented by then, kid. Without a beat, I said, I’ll take it!"

I invested in the one person I believed in the most… me. I opened Scott Sedita Acting Studios (SSAS) in January of 1998 with high hopes and only ten students––which didn’t even cover my rent. I worked 24/7 for the toughest boss I ever had…also me. During the day, I ran the business and coached actors. At night, I held classes for young adult and adult actors. On weekends, I taught workshops for kids and teens. I worked every day to build up my courses, my student enrollment, my studio reputation, and my presence in the industry.

Because I had worked in commercial casting, I replicated their pricey TV casting studio setup with professional lights, camera, sound, blue backdrop, and the best technology of the time, including 3/4 inch and 1/2-inch recorders. It was the single biggest investment I made. I was the first theatrical acting coach in Los Angeles to have a camera in their acting studio.

Other acting teachers at the time thought it was somehow sacrilegious to have a camera in an acting class. They called me a hack. I understood their concern of having actors watch themselves on playback while in the process of rehearsing a scene from Chekhov’s Three Sisters. But I didn’t teach scene study, and I didn’t use plays as scenes for my acting class. I taught audition technique, and I used sides from TV shows and films.

Therefore, I felt it was important to have a camera in the room. I still teach my On-Camera Audition Technique Class.

I was the teacher actors came to after they did their foundational acting and scene study classes and were ready to start booking TV and film work. Using my acclaimed WOFRAIM technique, I introduced them to more in-depth script analysis that took them to the next level. I prepared them to take adjustments in the audition and win the room.

A few years after opening my studio, other acting teachers started putting cameras in their classes. So, in order for this hack to stand out from the competition, I had to create something else, do something different. I had to pivot.

I always had a love for comedy (sitcoms, in particular), so I developed a comedy technique now known as The Sedita Method to teach actors how to work and act in half-hour comedies. I eventually wrote an internationally bestselling book based on my method called The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting & Writing, which has already seen multiple editions and printings.

Not only have I traveled the world teaching my sitcom comedy method, but the book has also been translated into multiple languages, become a textbook in more