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Have you thought about being a Film and T.V. actor? Have you thought about coming to our studio to check it out but still haven't pulled the trigger?

Back in my 20s, I remember spending two years just THINKING about learning how to be a film and T.V. actor, but not pulling the trigger because of Fear! .....I wasted TWO YEARS just thinking about it!

I really wanted to learn how to be a film and TV actor because although I loved Stage and had done well as a stage actress having booked the lead role all 3 years in the UIL play in high school, did well in the Speech and Drama tournaments and even went on to book the starring role my freshman year in college & community plays, Stage did not pay enough for me to make a living. Even in New York, the stage actors I knew who did stage had trouble with rent and the cost of living. I really wanted to know if I could make any kind of living being an actress, however I worried because I had always done so well as a Stage actress. What if they told me I was no good?! What if I could not make the transition from Stage to T.V.
Would it hurt my ego or break my spirit?!

Finally, I had a brave moment & because of the deep yearning I had in my heart, I nervously took the first step and decided to take a class. It was not where I ended up taking the classes that changed my life, but it got me started. By taking that first class, I began to make contacts that helped me find my way.  I always say to my students- that I took many classes from like 70 teachers (an exaggeration) when I finally found the acting coach who changed my life. He literally was the best teacher I had ever had in my life up until then. I took notes every class and was even made fun of by a few girls in my class because of my devotion....but I did not care. I knew I had found my calling!

This teacher could point out exactly where & what I needed to fix to help my work as an actress, and explained to me how to fix it in a kind and gentle way. He put our work on camera every week so that I could see those specific moments that needed fixing and it made me look more like a professional...and because of that training and what I learned from watching myself, I also use the camera  at my studio today- to tape my students almost every week. It helps us see our problem areas as well as the moments we shine!

This coach also  taught me how to go deep with my characters and how being specific with every part of my character was so important.  (For example, Although I was passionate in my work as an actress, at times- I was too stagey in places and needed more depth in places so that my work was more  real, vulnerable and moving to my audience). I took 2-3 classes a week from him and loved every minute. By the time his classes had grown so much and needed an assistant, I was already working at the studio where he taught and it was an easy move. I became his assistant and then, his partner as we taught weekend seminars all over Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

While working with him, Mothers started noticed that the children & teens would come to me for guidance in class depending on that child's learning style. When my acting coach moved to Virginia, I was offered a class by one of those moms to teach a class of 8 students. It was exciting and so much fun and I had that first class in my house. I have stayed friends with a lot of the actors from that first class and keep up with their lives as those first students who took a chance on me are very special. That was over 30 years ago now.

While being an acting coach, I started taking with another acting coach.  HE helped me learn how to develop chemistry with someone I just met, relationship and movement. All of these qualities are so important to being a great actor.

I can say without any hesitation that these two teachers changed my life for the better! One had been kicked out of a studio in New York where Uta Hagen was his teacher and mentor. He was an intern at her prestigious studio in New York, but because my teacher was bi-polar and didn't take his medicine for awhile, he acted up and didn't go by the rules- so he was kicked out and had to move to Dallas.

My second teacher that I learned so much from was kicked out of L.A. He was a huge star and was the star of those motorcycle movies back in the day and he had Jack Nicholson as his side-kick...but he tried to sue a studio. The studio said they had taken out for taxes, but did not...so he sued them.  The Screen Actors Guild is a union who protects actors from things like that happening now. Actors have a lot of protection now, but they did not have protection from this kind of thing then.. He Sued and when he did, he was blackballed from all of the studios in L.A.... He also had a bad cocaine habit at the time, so he got kicked out, got sober and started teaching in Dallas.

THANK GOD THESE TWO Wonderful teachers GOT KICKED OUT OF New York AND L.A.!!  If they weren't, I would not have gotten such a wonderful foundation and knowledge of the craft of acting.

While I was teaching in Nashville and back here in Texas, I also navigated two of my sons' careers as they did the Film and TV business too.  They both worked, but One of them became wildly popular, was on many sets and became a huge teen star (Cody Linley- Hannah Montana, Hoot, Hoovey, Dancing with the Stars. He also started as a lead in MY DOG SKIP & took small important roles on feature films like the bully in the first scene of MISS CONGENIALITY).

Several of my students began working and became huge stars and we are STILL to this day launching stars every year (Selena Gomez, Gavin Casalegno, Demi Lovato, Jaren Lewison, Brec Bassinger, Hayley Orrantia, Mallory Mahoney, and many more!)

Our newest star will be Noah Cottrell, as he has been working a lot in the last year and a lot of his work will be out this year and next (He is one of the two stars of Disney + ‘s SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES and has been shooting in Vancouver for many months).

I am fortunate to have been a guest on many of these actors' sets (before Covid happened). Some of my actors end up finding a passion in the acting business other than being an actor:
I have several former master students/aides who became Talent agents, Talent managers, Publicists and  FOUR have become anchors for the news in different cities in the US. Several have become writers and producers. One of my students became a writer and has a "Story By" on BIG BANG THEORY (THAT IS HUGE!) while being the show runner's assitant as well as having written two hallmark specials!

A few weeks ago, we submitted a feature film I produced along with 2 partners using only actors from the studio and TWICE already, we have won BEST FEATURE FILM going up against hundreds of other films. We got BEST INSPIRATIONAL FILM at one of the film festivals, and we are just at the beginning of this process.  I did not plan on producing films. I decided to produce them because several of my students who were really talented were not getting work, so it just happened. I consider It as only my side gig that I do from time to time. I see myself as an acting coach first.

Our studio is a wonderful place. The energy at the studio is happy and creative. As far as my curriculum, we have found that this program works.
It is a balance of pushing my students enough to challenge them and motivate them to grow -without making them feel overwhelmed.

I use everything I learned from the two teachers as well as the things I have learned on all of the sets I have been on. I continue to check with my friends who are agents/casting directors and writers on sets in L.A. & New York to see what the latest trends are --so that we can integrate the latest trends into our program that particular session.

My staff is legendary. Many of my aides, like Jaren Lewison- go from making $10 an hour as an Aide at the studio to becoming stars of a show making big bucks. One week, Jaren was an aide and the next week, he was doing chemistry reads that landed him the part of Ben on NEVER HAVE I EVER for FOUR SEASONS.

Thomas Mann is another example of an aide who has done really well. He was the star of both PROJECT X and  ME, EARL AND THE DYING GIRL. He also has done KONG: SKULL ISLAND, LADY AND THE TRAMP  and so much more.

If you have decided to be brave and try your hand at being a professional actor, go to www.cathrynsullivan.com and hit "Learn from us: Sign up for Classes" and look for Film 1. 

Look around at CLASSES and HALL OF FAME on the website while you are there to see how our classes are structured and see why we have an order that they need to be taken. I tell the students that acting skills need to be taken in order much like how addition and subtracting must come before multiplication and division.

Film 4 (Listening, Reacting and Being Affected must be taught before a student can take film 5 (Comedy) as you need to learn those reacting skills from film 4  before a students learns how to do comedy.

Again, Acting skills need to be learned in a way that is challenging without being overwhelming. We can do that and have done it many, many times.

Passionately, 

Cathryn Sullivan

Written 2/2023