My first year of acting, I pretty much did whatever projects came my way. The whole point was to build my resume and reel. I did free work, student films, traveled to other states, all to get a decent portfolio of work. Now my resume has 19 credits, classes and skills. It looks pretty decent.
This second year of acting will consist of more mainstream work. Anything that doesn’t advance my career or pocketbook will not be considered. Even with 19 credits, most of my work is amateur and unknown work. No one will ever see it or will have heard of it. When I was interviewing for my St Louis agency, they mentioned that they had not heard of anything that I have done, which I confirmed. So at this time in my career, it would be pointless to do more unknown, amateur or unpaid work. Another 10 credits would be meaningless unless it’s SAG or mainstream projects.
Being deliberate in my choices for my career has advanced it at a rapid rate, I hope that this decision will do the same.
Simon Shih 