Risa’s Recommendations

Industry News & Articles

Deadline Hollywood Daily

The Hollywood Interview

No Film School

The Wrap

Ain’t It Cool News

We Are Movie Geeks

Daily Actor

Box Office Guru

Box Office Mojo

I Watch Stuff

Indie Wire

Below the Line News – voice of the crew

We Make Movies

Insights, Articles, Tips & Clips

Your Industry Insider – interviews of successful pros, advice on breaking into the Industry

Playbills vs. Paying Bills – excellent resource for actors in all arenas

Actor Genie – great actor resource of what’s going on in town

Working With Actors – Blog

Brains of Minerva – archives of fantastic articles, interviews, info

Acting Classes and Coaches

Los Angeles

The BGB Studio – Bramon Garcia Braun Studio – LA (with Master Classes in NY, Toronto and other cities)

New York (Classes & Coaches)

Joan Rosenfels

Mimi Lieber – via email directly – mimilieber1@gmail.com

Deborah Hedwall 

Robin Morse

Sheila Gray

Melodie Somers

Memphis

Corey Parker – Memphis based coach, teacher, and Skype coach extraordinaire

Voice/Dialect Coaches New York 

Kohli Calhoun

Page Clements

Amy Stoller

Nancy Mayans

Mike Ruckles

Susan Eichhorn Young

Justin Stoney

Books

Risa’s Bookshop (via Amazon) BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ

Risa’s Bookshop List – download as word docx

Technology Support & Resources

Casting Workbookonline casting/actor resource – create, organize and distribute valuable information

ActivePitch – *formerly Active Submission – online casting/actor resource

Actors Access – online casting/actor resource – part of Breakdown Services

Now Casting – online casting/actor resource

Speedreels – Tape auditions/scenes as well as reels

Website and Reel Designers

Real Edits by Sam – w/Sam Littlefield – Reels – cool reel editing

Speedreels – Reels – known for doing it professionally and well – see menu of services

Paul’s Video – Reels – top editor with good prices

Quick Nickel – Reels –concise, clear work, good prices

Kyle Art Web Design – Websites – simple, smart and affordable

Gedaly Guberek / Professional Distraction – Websites/Blogs (like Making Your Website “Grandma Proof”)

Edit Plus –  Reels/Editing/Taping/Transfers – Dave Manship  – crafts your reel, re-edits scenes as needed

Photographers and Headshots

Los Angeles

David Zaugh – real, authentic, natural

Luke Fontana (also NY) – dramatic, alive, strong, also celebrity photographer

Peter Konerko – intense, character driven, can be wonderfully edgy

Bader Hower Photography  – actors love Bader

Braden Moran Photography – real, natural, reasonable pricing

Visi Cano – character photos, from Spain 

Shelli Wright  – natural, captures you wonderfully, fantastic with kids, reasonable pricing

Steph Girard Headshots – attractive, great eyes

Dennys Ilic Photography – high end celebrity photography, very cool portraits

Kenneth Dolin Photography – good looking, intense, good with kids, mid-range pricing

Paul Gregory Photography  – pricier but very high end, NY and LA

Innis Casey Photography – honest, simple, real

David Muller Photography – strong, natural, amazing eyes, mid-range pricing

Michael Sanville Photography – strong, real, striking

Dana Patrick Photography – natural, strong, great eyes, a little pricier

Theo and Juliet  -also more expensive but do excellent work

Paul Smith – strong, sexy, intense, loves mouths, pricier

Starla Fortunato Photography – high end celebrity photographer

Greg James  – attractive, appealing shots, good with kids, reasonable pricing

Buckman Headshots – great angles/contrast, fully captures the individual, mid-range pricing

Vanie Poyey Photography  -fun, real, natural, mid-range pricing

Caroline White  -lovely pix and feel, good prices and energy

Shawn Smith – strong contrast, attractive, mid level pricing

Cathryn Farnsworth Photography –  fun, alive, good with kids, good pricing

Coconut Photography

Laura Burke Photography

Bradford Rogne

Mark Hussman

New York

Luke Fontana (also LA) – dramatic, alive, strong, also celebrity photographer

David Rodgers Photography – been shooting actors, writers, musicians… a long time

Susan Shacter Photography –  edgy, dramatic, poetic

David Noles – personal, intimate, dramatic, environmental

Nadia Quinn – aka Nadia Wahhab – natural light, in and around NYC, intimate, real

Sam Khan, Image Works – strong, clean, real, mid-range pricing

Rod Goodman Photography

Litho/Reproduction House

Argentum Photo Lab – this is the place I use

Isgo Photo Lab – also really good for price and quality

Prints Charm’n – inexpensive and good

Reproductions – great deal for prints

New York

Reproductions

Precision Photos

Colorworks

Modernage

Favorite Artist Sites/Blogs

Jeff Bridges – you know the Dude

Casting By – the movie – on Facebook – an inspiration

Showing Up the movie – A Conversation about the Audition

Gladwell.com – Malcolm Gladwell’s site

Theatre Companies

Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST in NY)

Ensemble Studio Theatre LA (EST – LA)

Echo Theatre Company (Los Angeles)

Manhattan Class Company (MCC in NY)

Rogue Machine Theatre (Los Angeles)

LA Stage Times – What’s going on in LA Theatre

Scripts and Scenes

Daily Script

Simply Scripts

IMSDB

Why Insanity – movie monologues

Actors Pages – audition sides

Awesome Film

Script-o-Rama

Screenplays Online 

Beauty and Body in LA

Back to Wellness – acupuncture, pilates, chiropractic, massage (Valley Village)

Arcona Studio – the only facial and facial products you’ll ever want (Santa Monica)

 

Mindfulness and Zen-like things

For your Head and Heart in LA

Black Dog Yoga – especially Melissa Morgan’s Restorative Class (Sherman Oaks)

Rising Lotus Yoga – small place, really good classes (Sherman Oaks)