Crains New York - January 14, 2013 - (Page 42)

Actors’ stairway to stardom Continued from Page 41 a day to experience TV or film production firsthand and—who knows?—follow the likes of Brad Pitt, Kelly Clarkson and Ronald Reagan in rising from “extra”to star. Central Casting, the Los Angeles company that gave those celebrities their start, has amassed a database of about 15,000 potential New York-area background actors since opening an office here in 2006. Other companies that list background actors include Grant Wilfley Casting, Casting Networks Inc., Breakdown Services Ltd., Backstage magazine and Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates. SERVICES NEW YORKERS WHO WANT TO BE IN PICTURES can promote themselves through the following companies, which provide services to link production companies with background actors, or extras. These companies typically require a photo, bio and details on measurements or clothing size, in case a shoot requires costumes. Some assess registration fees, while others charge for additional services, such as posting more photos. Once signed up, would-be actors can peruse lists of casting calls or receive e-mails about the shoots for which they qualify. CASTING Backstage www.backstage.com 770 Broadway New York, NY 10003 (212) 493-4420 No visits, mailings or drop-offs. Contact Backstageby visiting www.backstage.com/contact-us/ Casting Networks Inc. www.castingnetworks.com 307 Seventh Ave. New York, NY 10001 (323) 462-8200 Central Casting www.centralcasting.com 875 Sixth Ave., Suite 2411 New York, NY 10001 (646) 205-8244 Grant Wilfley Casting Inc. www.gwcnyc.com 123 W. 18th St. New York, NY 10011 (212) 685-3537 NYCastings www.nycastings.com 243 W. 30th St. New York, NY 10001 (212) 219-3339 Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting www.sylviafaycasting.com 420 West End Ave. New York, NY 10024 (212) 889-2626 42 | The boom in background work is part of a broader revival of the local film and entertainment industry,spurred by a 30% refundable tax credit from New York state and the city’s Made in NY program, which offers production companies discounts on everything from scriptcopying services to lumber and hardware. The number of primetime TV shows shot in the city has more than tripled since 2002,to 25 this season, not counting Orange Is the New Black, a show being produced for Netflix Inc. Film industry spending surged 70%, to $7.1 billion,in 2011,when a total of 188 features were shot in the city. The production industry, not including background actors, employed 130,000 people in 94,000 full-time-equivalent jobs in 2011, up from 78,000 full-timeequivalent jobs in 2002, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group. Despite a nationwide industry decline, 30,000 industry jobs have been created in New York City since 2004, the study found. After the first blush of excitement wears off, some background actors focus on qualifying for membership in SAG-AFTRA, which was formed by the 2012 merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.Union members can earn about $300 a day for extra work, making it a useful bridge for professional actors between featured parts. “It’s an easy way to pay the bills,” —STEPHEN KLEEGE said Seregon O’Dassey, who is best known as a “scream queen” for roles in such films as GhostWatcher II and Teeth of Beasts.“The increase in production here has definitely helped.” One of the attractions, she said, is the long periods of inactivity on the set, which allow actors to get paid while learning lines for other projects, writing screenplays and even working on novels. On one extra job,she spent 12 hours on the set and was never called to perform. Background work helped Ms. O’Dassey make the transition in the early 2000s from local theater to film and TV,including a featured role on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Not in it for the money Now the 31-year-old actress is hoping Knuckleheads, a “dramedy” starring Steven Bauer that she shot in 2011, will help demonstrate her range as an actress and lift her closer to stardom. Meanwhile, when she isn’t filming, auditioning for parts, rehearsing for plays or demonstrating products at conventions, she signs up for extra work. For many extras, union or oth- erwise, money isn’t the main motivation. “The biggest thing that hooked me is,when I saw the movie,they did a close-up of me in the crowd,” said Jeannette Gould, recalling the first of many experiences in The World According to Garp, a 1982 film with Robin Williams,John Lithgow and Swoosie Kurtz. Ms. Gould, who Crain’s New York Business | January 14, 2013 had set aside her aspirations to be an actress in order to raise a family, has been at it ever since. Now 86 years old and in the union, Ms. Gould works once or twice a month and enjoys renewing acquaintances with people she’s met on other shoots. There’s also the hope of being “bumped up”to a speaking role, as happened in the Martin Scorsese-directed pilot for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, which films its Atlantic City scenes on a set in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. In a funeral parlor scene, Ms. Gould was called on to lean over the casket and say, “Look, he’s here.” That earned her an onscreen credit—and residuals. “Every once in a while,” she said,“I get a check for a couple of dollars.” A second career Francis Brooke, a 24-year law- enforcement officer who lives in Pearl River,N.Y., is “doing it for the experience,” while studying acting at the New Jersey School for Dramatic Arts with an eye toward a possible second career after he retires. He said he is already a performer, as a trainer of police and SWAT teams and teacher for drugrelated programs in high schools. His acting résumé includes background roles in television and film, appearances in training videos and a job modeling for a print ad for Mercedes-Benz that paid $600. While New York’s tax and discount incentives have led to bigbudget shoots by networks and major production companies, one of the fastest-growing categories of work for extras is in independent films, according to Aaron Seals, a former talent agent who started NYCastings about 12 years ago. That growth is being driven by technology, as falling prices put digital cameras and editing equipment in the reach of more film students and do-it-yourselfers. The resulting influx of amateurs has increased frustration for actors like Damon Fields,who says he’s worked for some would-be impresarios who paid in pizza, and then failed to deliver the video clips he’d hoped to add to his promotional reel. “The market is oversaturated with wannabes,”Mr.Fields said. “I don’t mind doing a few student films—it’s the best acting class you can have—but don’t be deceptive about it.” Mr. Borzotta, who says he was lucky to get the amount of screen time he did in his first two shoots, now does background work infrequently, limiting himself to parts where he has a chance of being seen. One of his latest roles is in Price Check,a movie starring Parker Posey. You can catch a glimpse of him in a corporate boardroom scene, sitting next to actor Edward Herrmann. But some of the stardust has worn off. “The pay is terrible, and they’re tediously long days,” he said, adding that he might work more often if he can qualify for membership in the union.  SOURCE BREAKFAST: DAVID KIRCHHOFF by Emily Laermer Weight Watchers Int’l gains pounds, dollars BY EMILY LAERMER Weight Watchers International is one of the companies that benefit most from holiday gluttony. In December,the midtown-based W firm launched Weight Watchers 360, a curriculum with new tools to help members manage their food choices. The company, which started in the kitchen of a Queens woman’s apartment, had $1.82 billion in revenue in 2011,up 25.5% from the year before. It expects big gains for 2013 as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, said President and Chief Executive David Kirchhoff,whose own weightwatching helped him shed more than 40 pounds. He is also the author of Weight Loss Boss. ith every new year comes a wave of people resolving to drop a few pounds. eating good food and you are managing your portion sizes.Losing weight ends up being a nice side effect.Our new program is geared around that. What do you think about the ban on big sodas, set to take effect in March? I’m going to make the same point Mayor Michael Bloomberg made: There’s no soda ban. You cannot go into a movie theater in New York and get a 16-ounce Coke.They don’t come that small. And that’s a problem. There’s been this arms race between consumers and dining establishments, with consumers demanding more value.Somebody had to step in. Are people who sign up for Weight Watchers in January committed to the program? I’m a sucker for January. From the period from Thanksgiving to the holidays, everything is challenging. It’s nonstop festivities. Everyone gets to the end of December feeling a little gross and bloated. When January starts, it is a new year. What’s wrong with wanting to use that as a kick-start? They stick around as long as somebody who signs up in October. We tend to see a lot more people coming in January because everyone has to get in gear. It’s less about the resolution and more about a need to get it together. The wrong mindset on a New Year’s resolution is that you’re going to diet hard-core for a certain period of time, and then magical things will happen and you can go back to your old life and just be thinner. TAB: WHERE THEY DINED Are there any areas that Mr. Bloomberg still needs to tackle in his last year? Focusing on creating environments surrounded by healthy choices. You can be more dictatorial in a workplace environment. Look at New York City government buildings and LEXINGTON BRASS 517 Lexington Ave. (212) 392-5976 www.emmgroup inc.com/ restaurants/ lexington-brass AMBIENCE: Big, spacious, light WHAT THEY ATE:  Steel-cut  Greek yogurt parfait with berries (two points)  Coffee (no points) $39.35, plus tip pregnant? What makes joining Weight Watchers more than a fad? The hard-fought lesson is that when you are making a lifestyle change, that means you have to live a different way now. It’s the opposite of the dieting mindset. [Participating in Weight Watchers] means you are Complete and total support.She had lost 50 pounds and started her pregnancy at a healthy weight, which is a huge health benefit to her and the unborn child. She can go into her second pregnancy with better health than she would have. Will you be replacing her? No. She’s still our partner. Just like Jessica didn’t replace Jennifer Hudson. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of new people, but that would be in addition.  INSIDE TIP: Sit near a window to watch svelte New Yorkers dashing to Grand Central. oatmeal, bananas and a side of fruit (three points) offices— they are being strict about what’s allowed to be in vending machines and cafeterias. It’s a place where as an employer, the city has the right to dictate the healthy environment. It’s the same with schools. Which mayoral candidate best lines up with your mission? I haven’t given it much thought. My default is a belief that whoever gets elected has to be someone we can have a great partnership with. We have to have a mindset that we will have a positive relationship with whoever is mayor. What were your thoughts when Jessica Simpson, your spokeswoman, said she was http://www.emmgroup http://www.inc.com/ http://www.backstage.com http://www.backstage.com/contact-us/ http://www.castingnetworks.com http://www.centralcasting.com http://www.gwcnyc.com http://www.nycastings.com http://www.sylviafaycasting.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - January 14, 2013

Crains New York - January 14, 2013
In the Boroughs
In the Markets
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Greg David
Small Business
Report: Real Estate
The List
Classifieds
New York, New York
Source Breakfast
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - January 14, 2013