I'm struggling here in Florida. No, it's not really what you think.

Before I begin, please know that I understand the need to make a living when the acting gigs slow down. I temped for years with several movie studios in L.A. while working as an actor and musician. Nothing helps an actors career better than seeing how the big boys play and how ethical the business really is. Note: I said "BIG boys"...

We have a recent transplant to the region that is causing me concern. This person moved here from L.A. a couple of years back and offered a couple of workshops for the local talent before settling down. I had an opportunity to work with this person and saw what I'd seen for years in L.A.... a very insecure person who goes around talking about how great they are to anyone who'd listen.

I sit on the Advisory Board of a local talent agency, and in our recent auditions for new talent we had one actor who proudly announced the auditioning workshop she had taken (past tense: she was a graduate) from this actor. She then proceeded to do everything wrong in an audition you could possibly do. Another "F'instance": A colleague (also a member of the advisory board) took an improv workshop with this person. At the end of the session, without knowing how much work my colleague has done and is currently doing, this actor makes the statement: "You're good. You have a natural talent. If you stick with me, you could be brilliant." Most recently, word through the grapevine has it that this person is now trashing the rep of a local headshot photographer and telling every actor they come in contact with to get shots with their "L.A." photographer... who flies in once a month and charges almost $400 for "Actor Glam Shots." Everything I see and hear attached to this transplanted actor reminds me of Harold Hill in "The Music Man."

The issue as I see it is, and I know I'll probably regret putting this in writing, the talent in our area is not the most sophisticated when it comes to the business. Consequently, they're paying $300 and up per person for things like scene study, headshots, and the latest PT Barnum promotion: the custom demo. Our market doesn't do enough production to warrant the price or the services this actor offers, yet I see newbie actors flocking to her workshops. So this begged a couple of questions from me:

1) If this actor is as good as they claim, why are they plying their trade in a dead market? Why not go back to L.A. and work their magic there?

2) What producer in their right mind would take a custom made/shot on video demo over actual work footage? I'm talking about you as the actor paying $475 for someone to write a scene and shoot it on video for you. One of the many samples I've seen was so bad I wouldn't even recommend it for YouTube!

Again, I understand the need to pay a mortgage believe me. But this is becoming shameless. Early on, I learned from the industry that they need to know how an actor will react to the pressure of a multi-million dollar production when someone else's money is on the line. The problem with HD homemade demo's is that you can simply tape over what you don't like... direction, lighting, mood, script... none of these things come into play the same way they would on the set... even if it IS only an infomercial! I was recently told that I booked an industrial because I had ACTUAL FOOTAGE of work I'd done on my website... again, because I delivered when someone else's money was on the line.

So, my fellow thespians and ne'r-do-well's... what are your thoughts? Would you pay any amount of money to have a custom produced demo, or would you wait patiently to book work worthy of being on your reel?