TheAct.tv Students Tackle Hollywood’s Pilot Season 2009

Henderson, NV, January 10, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Seasoned and trained students of the ACT -- TheAct.tv -- are ready for the 2009 Pilot Season. (Most are aware of the pending Screen Actors Guild, usually referred to as SAG, strike and know that SAG members have been working under the conditions of its previous TV/theatrical contract since June 30 of 2008, when it expired.)

Many of the ACT students are not eligible to join SAG yet and some parents of ACT students view the pending SAG strike as a possible opportunity for their youngsters.

Pilot season is that time of year when the networks commission a sample, a pilot, of a proposed television show that will give the networks a better idea if they should order up a full season of them - a series. Most mainstream pilots are usually cast during the conventional "pilot season" - which is January - April.

New scripts have already started to show up and the studios are starting to make decisions on what they will shoot for pilots. The first four months of the year is a frantic, competitive time in Hollywood; prominent producers, reputable writers, and experienced directors design and showcase their wares for network executives. Everyone is hoping they have the right formula for the next hit series in the new Fall lineup.

Since the new season is planned using pilots, and the entire offering of a network is usually in place by mid-May, the careful selection of pilots is crucial for designing a competitive line-up of shows on each network.

Because pilots may take months to develop, casting is a primary concern during the actual pilot-making process. The first quarter of the year is often the busiest and most beneficial time for actors, agents, and casting directors. This time of year brings children, teens and parents from far and wide to the LA/Hollywood area for a chance to land an agent and/or role.

Some ACT students already have one Pilot Season under their belt. One set of twins from the mid-west is a typical example. Their story began when they attended an open casting call for a modeling agency and were signed to do some local print work. According to their mother, Cherilynne Pugliese, the national ACT program “was their first exposure to acting. After their first class, they fell in love with it,” said Pugliese.

Shortly after finishing classes with ACT, the Chicago agent for the twins, Isabella and Marcella Pugliese, called to let them know that they were booked as featured extras on a film project titled "The Unborn", due out in 2009. In late April of 2008, the girls spent the day on the set. They filmed four scenes, going to hair and make-up as well as wardrobe between scenes. By the end of the day mom and the girls knew what it was like to work on a real movie set.

Not too long afterwards the twins were introduced to Jamie Malone at MC Talent. “My husband and I decided to give it a shot and go out to LA for a while during the girls’ summer vacation,” said Pugliese. “We met with Jamie, and she saw potential in the twins. She sent us to ACME Talent and they quickly agreed to represent us for commercial, print, and theatrical out of LA.”

Mom’s strategy, was to get the twins set up with a manager and agent in Los Angeles so when the family returned for the 2009 Pilot Season, all the important business elements would be in place. The girls would have representation with both a top manager and a top notch talent agency.

This type of a game plan does not work for everyone. According to Pugliese, Jamie Malone at MC Talent was the only manager willing to see the girls – all others contacted declined them interviews because they did not permanently reside in the greater Los Angeles area. Malone, like Cameron, see the potential of the twins and is willing to work to get them the exposure needed to prove themselves. The girls are ready to go.

Pugliese said of the ACT program, “experience of auditioning for industry professionals during the class sessions gave them a taste of what it was like, so that when they were, andwill be, [auditioning] in LA they were even more comfortable and not nervous at all.”

This ACT story is not at all unusual. Knowing how the industry works, being placed in front of industry professionals on a regular basis and training from excellent instructors can make all the difference in the world. There is nothing easy about breaking into Hollywood, but it can be done, and the Pilot Season of 2009 will once again produce at least one or two new faces that American audiences will embrace. The ACT staff and instructors know their students will do well and be completely prepared.

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