Thanks,

Brittany

Cliff Notes
- Audition for a musical tomorrow..very excited about this!
- Ordering business cards
- Mailings, Mailings, and more Mailings!!
- In the beginning stages of starting a production company with a close friend…brainstorming and coming up with ideas for self-produced work!!

In her own words… I’m Yolanda Allen originally from Georgia. I have been in New York for a few years. I did not go to school for acting however I have taken some classes here in New York with plans to take many more…there’s always something to learn. I also plan to get training in Video Editing. When I’m not acting I enjoy writing poetry, reading and having fun!

How did you get started?

I have wanted to be an actress but like most people I had to work full-time so I was not able to really focus on it like I wanted to. I got really great headshots in 2008 & focused on Commercial Print Agencies. I met with Print Agents but nothing came of it. January of this year, I was laid off from my job so I started to focus on acting full-time. So I’ve only being doing it for about 7 months. So I’m still getting started lol

What’s been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced as an actress?

Having the finances to pursue this career. It’s not cheap to get started in this industry and if you want to do it full-time you need to have the finances to back you up. Unlike most of my acting friends, I live on my own (which I wouldn’t change for the world) so my personal expenses are very high but I don’t let that stop me from learning my craft. If I can’t afford to take a class, I read a book, or go to a free workshop, or go to a free sample class. I feel a little information is better than no information. I do what I can til I can do better. So don’t let not having money for classes stop you from learning!

How do you maintain your sanity in this crazy, unpredictable business?

I do not hold onto the outcome of any audition/casting/or meeting with Casting Directors/Agents..I go in, do what I can and when it’s over I say…..NEXT! I share information with others in the industry on a regular basis that I feel is helpful and/or inspirational through my blog or social networking sites I use. I don’t have this dog eat dog mentality, I feel that no one can take what is already yours. I give props when they are due…trying not to have that thought…why her and not me? It pops up every now and then but you have to block that out your mind because their path is not your path. REMEMBER THAT!! I am my own cheerleader, giving myself those much needed pep talks to get out there and keep pressing on no matter how many NOs I may receive. I also have a great support system (a lot of people believe in me). And most importantly I know that the best is yet to come!

What’s your dream role? What role were you born to play?

I’m just a baby in the game so I really don’t have a dream role but I can tell you that a role in a film playing alongside Morgan Freeman would be a dream come true!! I love him!! I could definitely see myself being on a hit Prime time TV show.

What/Who inspires you?

God, My Mom, My brother, myself, and Tyler Perry.

What do you do to prepare for an audition/casting?

Well I do what every other actor does I guess. When I get the sides I just ask myself who is my character, who am I talking to, how do I feel about this person, where am I, what do I want, how do I plan to get it…etc. I leave all nerves at home. I look at every audition like it’s a job interview…and lord knows I’ve been on tons of those…so I don’t get nervous. Well I was nervous when I went out for my very first audition & that was because I didn’t know what to expect.

Any tips for other aspiring actors?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, there are no dumb questions. Make smart moves & the necessary sacrifices. Don’t tell yourself NO before they do….believe in yourself no matter what. Learn as much as you can about the craft & business side of acting. There is no guaranteed way to make it in this business people can tell you what they did that worked for them, you take the information you learn and apply whatever you feel will work for you and discard the rest. Their path is not your path but learning from their experiences can keep you from making some of the same mistakes. There is no such thing as an overnight success only an overnight discovery. It’s up to that person to be prepared to be successful once they have been discovered.

What’s in your actors tool box?

Headshots, postcards, business cards, Actors Access, Nycastings, Casting Networks, Faith, Acting Books, positive attitude and a beautiful smile!

My goal is to….serve a purpose greater than myself through my acting and charity work!

Keep up with Yolanda on her sites: www.yolanda-allen.com www.yolandaallen.blogspot.com

I decided to put these two together because…well, you can’t have one without the other.

Don’t call yourself an actor if you’re not on actorsaccess and if you’re new to acting click the logo. actorsaccess is the mecca of online casting sites…they post breakdowns for short films, feature films, commercials, print, etc and allow you to self submit to these projects!! It’s a great resource for aspiring actors without agents.

I first joined actorsaccess back in 2005..I put up my headshots/resume and started to look at the breakdowns. I have to admit that I didn’t really start taking advantage of this site until early this year and that was mostly because of the $2 per submission price tag (doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re submitting to 5 projects a day/5 days a week it adds up!). What changed you ask….

I got hip to Showfax baby! This site is kinda an extension of actorsaccess. With a subscription to Showfax ($68 annually) you can submit as much as you want to the breakdowns on actoraccess. It also has an amazing message board and columns by working casting directors Mark Sikes and Bonnie Gillespie (which will be an upcoming Actors Toolbox).

I heart Showfax! If you guys are on the messageboard I’m MsBrit.

Cliff Notes

- Audition for a Short Film tomorrow
- Coming up Monday Diary’s first interview with an aspiring actor!

- interviews with some of my favorite acting bloggers and fellow aspiring actors.

- new features “Actors Toolbox” and “Acting vs.”

- updates on my career and much much more so stay tuned!

-I’m proud to say that I have officially launched my website! You can check it out here . It’s still a work in progress, but I like it.

-I finally joined Showfax!! Best $68 bucks I’ve ever spent!

-Celebrated a huge birthday.

-Spent a week in LA on a last minute business trip, but I actually used this time to scope out LA and talk to lots of other actors.

-Audition for a PSA..got a callback that I was unable to attend because I was in LA .

-Audition for a short film that I really wanted, but couldn’t make it due to my trip to LA.

-Print casting for Nokia

-Voice-over audition for a radio soap opera( I really want to book this!)

Hmmm…I’m sure that there’s more, but I think that’s enough for now. As you can see my trip to LA was a gift and a curse, but I had an amazing time and made lots of money…so that helps!

I will definitely be updating my blog on a regular basis from here on out…it’s time to make acting my number one priority and I’m glad you guys are along for the ride!

- Finally had my promo photo shoot

- almost finished with my website!!

_ sending out mailings/submissions like crazy

I’m also making inspiration books! I had a ton of old magazines and papers…I’m going through each one and cutting out important articles and separating them into: fashion inspiration, design inspiration, recipes, nutrition and exercise.

I’m making my own acting “book” with articles that I cut out of old Backstage, Showbiz Weekly, and other trades. I’ll post a pic when I complete it.

1 Start with a thought
What do you want? For instance, you may set an objective that you want to be slimmer, or have more energy or a radiant complexion.

Example:
I want to be slimmer

Acting Example: I want to  book a commercial

2 Write down your thought
Once you commit your thought to paper with pen, you elevate the thought to a new level of energy.

Example:
I am slim

Acting Example: I  booked a commercial

3 Assess the action needed to achieve your goal
Think about what it will take to become slim, healthy or energized. Break it down into steps. For example, if your goal is to be slim, then your first Action Step is to keep a diary of everything you eat and drink for a week. Your second Action Step might be to throw away all the rubbish foods that I tell you are too nasty for your body. And so on.

Example:
Step 1: Create a food diary
Step 2: Throw out all the rubbishy food
(This is only an example to illustrate the possibilities. I want you to plan this out with your individual goals and steps to match. Be creative and do anything here that meets your own aspirations.)

Acting Example: 1. Get a great Commercial Headshot

2. Send Compcard/Headshot to Commercial Print Agency

4 Draw your goal in a picture
With a black pen, I want you to draw on plain, white paper whatever it is that you want to achieve or how you want to see yourself. So using the slim example, draw a simple figure of yourself looking slim and happy. You do not need to be Rembrandt. All you need to do is draw with stick figures. Put a caption underneath your drawing.

Example:
(Your name) IS SLIM. I AM SLIM.

Acting Example: Brittany shooting a commercial

5 Draw your action steps
With a black pen on white paper, draw pictures of you actually going through your Action Steps to reach your end goal.

Example:
A picture of a Food Diary with caption, ‘(Your name) fills out Food Diary.’
Complete the pictures and flow it through until you get to your end result and you are now slim.

Acting Example: Picture of a smiling headshot with caption. Brittany gets great commercial headshot.
Our thoughts have powerful energy. When we write down these thoughts, and even transfer them into pictures, we dramatically intensify them. You are now harnessing the thought into action.
You can make anything happen. You become the creator of your own destiny.
Review your drawings every day and redraw them once a month.
You may find that, on reflection, you wish to elaborate some steps or shorten some steps. After all, you now know that you are the creator of your destiny.

(Please note that the examples above are all in the present tense, which further strengthens the energy of your thought. So instead of ‘I will be slim’, it’s ‘I am slim’. This method leaves no room for doubt. When you state ‘I am’ there is nowhere else to go but get results and achieve success.)

I flipped through it before purchasing and was immediately attracted to the clean, bright layout of the book as well the pictures. I figured I would pick up some great recipes and healthy lifestyle tips….Well, I got a lot more! Instead of just telling you eat this and do this Dr. Gillian McKeith helps you “reprogram your mind.” I sound like an infomercial…but it’s true! Through varies activities you come to realize what your eating and why your eating it..once that’s out of the way you can begin to adopt healthier habits.

Being the good little aspiring actress that I am, I used a few of the activities and applied them to acting. I especially liked her visualize your goals activity. I think I’m going to post that on the blog.

After completing her book I was so inspired…I wish that I could bottle what I felt and re-open it everytime I feel down. Unfortunately I can’t…but I have my notes and charts and I’ll look over those weekly.