9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the Lucille Ballroom
Rep This!
Actors can't get far in this town without representation. The business of agents and managers has changed in recent years—but have the rules changed, too? Do actors need both an agent and a manager, and which should they land first? How do agents and managers work together—and not work together? Find out from working agents and managers in this seminar hosted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Moderator: Robert J. Dowling
Editor/Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter
Panelists:
Senior VP, David Shapira & Associates, Inc.
Originally from New York, Binder has worked as a talent agent in Los Angeles for 13 years, representing such actors as Brooke Shields, Lorenzo Lamas, Sharon Gless, Steve Guttenberg, and Eileen Brennan, and such soap stars as Genie Francis, Linda Dano, Marcy Walker, and Deidre Hall.
Tory Christopher
Tory Christopher Group
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Tory Christopher began acting as a teen and studied at the University of Texas at Austin's Theatre Arts Department. At 19, he toured the world as a professional skater with the Los Angeles Thunderbirds Roller Derby team. He then worked as a deejay, news reporter, and program director at KTSA, Q-102, and Hot 97, producing more than 500 local and regional commercial radio spots. All the while, Christopher pursued acting, from standup comedy to event hosting; TV credits include Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, and theatre credits include Bent and California Suite. He segued into agenting in 1997 by founding the Tory Christopher Group, an on-camera full service talent agency, established in 1997, specializing in "young, hip, cool, and quirky talent," including Todd Duffey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Office Space), Scot Renfro (The Practice, General Hospital), Tom Paliferro (Judging Amy, The Young and The Restless), Kevin Salter (Family Law, Action), Blake Leslie (MTV's Undressed), and Michael Antonacci (Seventh Heaven).
Bonnie Howard
Howard Talent
Howard started in the talent business in 1986 as the owner of Extra Connection, the first extra "calling service." Two years later, she became a franchised agent and opened Howard Talent West, which specializes, she said, in character actors, which she defined as "very interesting, one-of-a-kind, not cookie-cutter" performers. "They're not going to find 12 other people looking like them when they go to audition." Her clients include Yanic Truesdale (The Gilmore Girls), Frank Ashmore (Dune TV series), Matthew James (Angel), Roger Yuan (Shanghai Noon, Lethal Weapon 4), Barbara Luna (Sunset Beach), Karl T. Wright (recurring on Judging Amy).
Steven Nash
Arts & Letters Management
Nash, a longtime student of the late acting teacher Stella Adler, came to talent management after years as an acting coach and as a producer/director in theatre and film. His clients regularly appear in film, television, and commercials. Known for running a high-service management company, he represents such actors as Dublin James, starring in the new features Going Greek and Dog Catcher of Touchstone; Suzanne Westenhoefer, a leading comic who stars in the upcoming feature A Family Affair, and Matthew Brown, star of the films God's Army and the new release Brigham City. Nash is on board of directors of the Talent Managers Association.
Cindy Osbrink
Osbrink Talent Agency
Osbrink established her agency in 1993, and has become known for developing and nurturing talent, especially young performers. Clients include Jack Lloyd (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Unhook the Stars), Raven-Symone (Dr. Doolittle II, The Cosby Show), Thomas Ian Nichols (American Pie, American Pie II), Anton Yelchin (Hearts in Atlantis, 15 Minutes), Lindsay Felton (Nickelodeon's Caitlin's Way), Amiee Roldan (the new Welch's campaign), and the trio of sisters Kaitlyn, Lauren, and Alyssa Gainer (Shipping News).
Alex Pearl
Shapiro/Murray Management
Trained at NYU's Tisch School of the Performing Arts, Pearl has an understanding of the creative life and has worked in management, first on the East Coast and now in L.A. for five years. After working for Seven Summits Pictures and Management, he joined Larry Shapiro and Alex Murray in their management company, which handles such actors as Mädchen Amick, Molly Hagan (Election), Vanessa Bell Calloway (Boston Public), Louie Anderson (Family Feud), and John Pinette (Seinfeld, Duets). Pearl was also the producer of the low-budget film Do It for Manny, with Kari Wuhrer and Colin Mochrie.
Gina Rugolo-Judd
Rigberg-Roberts-Rugolo
Last year Rugolo joined Glenn Rigberg, a former agent at William Morris, and J.B. Roberts, experienced as a producer at Paramount and in L.A. theatre, in their personal management company, which handles such actors as Lou Diamond Phillips, Laura San Giacomo, Julian Sands, Joan Chen, Fairuza Balk, Leon, Fisher Stevens, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Amy Irving, and Ron Livingston, among others. Before joining Rigberg-Roberts-Rugolo, Rugolo worked at More/Medavoy Management. Before that, she was an entertainment publicist, handling such clients as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Madeleine Stowe, and Marisa Tomei, for whom she managed her successful Academy Award campaign for My Cousin Vinny. Rugolo is currently Co-Executive Producer on Just Shoot Me, and has produced several other features and TV projects, including Artisan Pictures' Ringmaster.
CANCELLED
State of the Union
With the Writers Guild of America resuming negotiations with Hollywood producers just two weeks before their contract expires, and with the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA gearing up to negotiate with the same producers before their contract expires June 30, union issues are hot—so hot that none of the major players could commit to participating in this planned seminar. (Indeed, SAG and AFTRA is holding a Wages & Working Conditions Plenary at the adjacent Universal Sheraton the same day as ActorFest.) For the most current updates on union issues, stop by the exhibit booths of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists—and, of course, keep reading Back Stage West.
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. in the Lucille Ballroom
Actor Goes to Market
Let's assume you're trained and talented—a big assumption, admittedly, but one we must make for the purpose of this seminar. Now you want to make a living as an actor. Where do you start, and where do you go from there? This seminar, led by working actors Susan Cash (veteran of umpteen commercial campaigns) and Michael Horton (busy TV guest star and film actor), will attempt to answer all your questions about the steps you need to take—and the ones you should avoid like the plague—along your career path.
Susan Cash
Cash's unbelievably extensive work in commercials actually led to an invitation to be a guest on The Tonight Show, where Jay Leno introduced her as "one of television's most successful commercial actresses." He was on the money: Cash has appeared in more than 100 television commercials and four long-running campaigns for Hughes Family Markets, Sunsweet Prune Juice, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and Carpet Fresh. In addition, she has won numerous guest star roles on primetime television, as well as a recurring role as Debbie on Step by Step. Trained in drama at Carnegie-Mellon, Cash is familiar to Southland theatergoers from her work at South Coast Rep (Lips Together Teeth Apart) and Santa Monica Playhouse (Almost Perfect, A Love Affair).
Michael Horton
Michael Horton has performed everywhere from the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Seattle Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Roundabout Theatre in New York City, to dinner theatre in Colo-rado. In Los Angeles, he has been seen onstage at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Back Alley Theatre, the old LA Stage CO., the Theatre Exchange, and most recently at Santa Monica Playhouse. His film credits include The Lords of Discipline, Like Father Like Son, Star Trek IX and X, and Dances With Wolves. His appearances in more than 150 TV shows include several Movies of the Week and miniseries, including A Place for Annie, The Blue and the Grey, and Kent State. He has guest starred on countless TV shows, his favorites being Taxi, M*A*S*H*, L.A. Law, Columbo, Hill St. Blues, and ER. He is probably best known to TV viewers as Jessica Fletcher's nephew, Grady, on Murder, She Wrote, a role he played for seven seasons on CBS. He has appeared in more than 400 national television commercials, and voiced hundreds of radio and TV spots. In addition, he has voiced countless characters in dozens of cartoon shows.
3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in the Lucille Ballroom
Actor's Actor
Dylan McDermott has emerged as one of the most intriguing leading men working today, largely on the strength of one role: defense attorney Bobby Donnell on ABC's hit series The Practice, for which he's won a Golden Globe and been nominated twice for an Emmy. His extensive film work includes Three To Tango, Home for the Holidays, Miracle on 34th Street, In the Line of Fire, and, upcoming, the long-awaited Western Texas Rangers. Born in Connecticut and raised in New York City, McDermott first developed an interest in acting in high school, due partly to the encouragement of playwright Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues), who also happens to be his stepmom. Earning his drama degree at Fordham University, McDermott graduated from the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse and went on to Broadway in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, and at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Joanne Woodward's production of Golden Boy. For this in-depth one-on-one discussion with his former Neighborhood Playhouse colleague, John Ruskin, McDermott will illuminate the struggles and rewards, the ins and outs, of making art in a difficult business.