Author: Jen Levin

I’m a huge fan of podcasts. I’ve never really been a music person (I’m partially tone deaf and it affects how I hear music) so since I spend a ton of time in my car driving to auditions, various day jobs, and just living life; I make sure that I always have some great podcasts to listen to on the road. While there are some fun podcasts that I listen to that are just silly, a majority of what I listen to are entertainment industry related podcasts. I’m always learning new things and I’ve gotten to hear some interviews from…

Being an audition fairy is something that I love to do and try to do at every opportunity I have. What’s an audition fairy you might wonder? It’s being someone who is willing to help out your fellow auditioners. Technically, you are helping your competition, but I’ve never seen it that way. If casting and the producers want you, they will want you whether or not your competition is there. And maybe I feel a bit more strongly about this because I am a very specific type and I usually see the same 10 or so women at my auditions.…

I’ve felt a little stuck with my acting career lately. I feel like I’m doing everything right by having current headshots, updating my reel when necessary, networking (both in person and through social media), and being the most prepared person I can when I go into the audition room. But lately things just aren’t happening for me. I’ve had 3 auditions in the last 6 months. That’s not bad, but I know that it should be better. And I know that everyone is self-producing work, but as much as I try to be a writer, it just doesn’t work for…

I’ve written previously about how I prep for the fall tv season (and my potential tv auditions) by watching everything that’s on tv. This is really an important step for all actors pursuing tv work. Preparation really is a huge part of making yourself feel at ease at auditions. When I watch everything on tv, I write my notes in a notebook (I’m still working on transitioning to using Evernote for this). I keep my old notebooks because sometimes I audition for a show that’s been on the air for years, but I don’t watch it regularly. So I pull…

*Originally published at findingmyinnerbombshell.com, April 14th, 2014 I’m continuing to try to find new ways to push my acting career to the next step. Auditions have been slow for me (and the other girls in my type) lately. My agent recently checked in with me and she said that there just isn’t much out there for me. I trust what she’s saying, and it’s a bit frustrating. I know that if I lost all the weight, I would be in more categories (but I’d also be going up against more people). I am still working on the weight loss, but…

Most of us creative types have to hold down a day job (or two) to support ourselves while we wait for our careers to be able to support us. It’s nothing to be ashamed about, everyone pretty much has to do it. But even though it’s something that most people do, finding a day job can seem like an impossible task. I’ve held dozens of day jobs over the years. Some have worked out and some I’ve left almost right after I started. So I thought I’d share with you some of my ideas for day jobs in case any…

I recently reshot my headshots in an effort to get more auditions in 2014 (my auditions have significantly slowed down recently and I figure new pictures can’t hurt). I’ve shot headshots plenty of times with several photographers and over the years I’ve learned a few things that can help you make the most of your time with your photographer. First of all, if you’ve never shot with this particular photographer before, get to meet them. I personally shot again with Joanna DeGeneres who I love and worked with last time, but if you are working with a new photographer make…

Lately, I’ve had a couple of setbacks in both my personal and professional life. In my personal life, I recently lost 2 dogs (one which we had for 13 years and a young puppy that we had just gotten who died after 3 days). I’ve been trying to stay upbeat and not let my personal life affect my professional one, but then my professional life took a hit too. Before I complain, I will say that I’m extremely grateful that I still have my agents and they still believe in me. But besides that one positive, I haven’t had an…

Pilot season is pretty much here already! While there are more and more pilots being produced outside of pilot season (and shows premiering at times other than the typical fall or winter starts), many new shows still do their casting in the late winter/early spring to be ready for the upfronts in May. And while you can’t control how many auditions you might get, you can control how well you are prepared for anything that comes you way. First of all, get your materials in order. Do you need new headshots? Do them now! Do you have paper headshots? If…

As an actor, making sure you have an agent and that agent is happy with you seems like a huge priority. I’m not going to go into details with this post about how much work you can do without an agent (check out the DIY posts here for some inspiration). But when you do have an agent, you make to make sure that you are an ideal client. And there are a few things that you can do that will make your agent love you no matter what. The first thing you can do is be available when you say…

I’m seriously addicted to my iPhone. It’s basically my baby. It’s never more than a few feet away from me (even while I sleep but that’s because my phone is one of my alarm clocks). But while I love playing Candy Crush and Words with Friends (I’m thejenlevin on WWF if you want to challenge me), I try to make sure that my phone isn’t just a toy but a productive addition to my life. I’ve already shared how to maximize using the calendar and contacts apps. Now I want to share with you three of my favorite acting related…

I previously wrote about how to prevent burnout as an actor. This is so important to do especially as a creative person. I’m so jealous of my friends who leave their jobs at work at the end of the day. Not me. I’m working 24/7. My phone is always on me (I even sleep with it next to me). You never know when you will get a text at 12:44am from your agent saying you have an audition (true story that happened to me last month). Besides getting out of town and going on adventures outside of the entertainment industry,…

In an ideal world all actors would be given notice of auditions days ahead of time. We could memorize the lines, pick out the perfect outfit, figure out how to get there, and be completely prepared before ever walking in the door. Sadly, this doesn’t happen a lot. I’m extremely grateful when I have a 1 day notice of an audition (this week I was lucky and found out at 12:44 Sunday morning about a Monday evening audition and felt like I had a ton of time). But even when you find out the night before, you usually can get…

Being an actor can get pretty exhausting, even if you aren’t booking work. There are submissions to do, auditions to prepare for, classes to take, and special skills to add to your resume (I’m thinking of taking a class in precision driving so I can add that one to my resume). I sometimes feel like I’m a hamster on a wheel spinning super fast, but getting nowhere. I’ve been in LA for 12 years now (my LA anniversary was this past week) and have been seriously pursing acting since 2007. I’m not where I thought I would be in my…