Unlike many successful actors, I never grew up dreaming about being a Hollywood star. The closest I came to seeing myself as a performer was while pausing my college education, I worked with my brother as a guitarist and singer/songwriter, touring mostly the east coast of the United States.
But like many people, the challenges of real-life began to hit me. I found myself back in college preparing to be a physical therapist. As a full-time college student, I needed an extra source of income to support myself.
After a random encounter with a TV commercial actor in Baltimore, I thought acting could be fun and a perfect side hustle job for a college student. During the two years of working part-time in the industry later, I discovered a deep passion for the craft of acting and commercial modeling.
So, with no formal training or an agent, I decided to take a leap of faith and become a full-time actor and commercial model. Now, four decades later, I've had the privilege of collaborating with three Academy Award-winning actors in feature films/TV shows, had a recurring role in one of the most successful streaming shows of all time, and have booked nearly 1,300 jobs.
Embarking on this journey was far from straightforward. I lacked guidance on the most important parts of being an actor, like crafting headshots, building a resume from scratch, vetting legitimate agents, selecting reputable acting coaches, and navigating how to get work while living in a smaller market.
Without a mentor, I relied on trial and error, often spinning my wheels and learning through costly mistakes. Sometimes I was successful. Sometimes I failed. But unfortunately, I spent a lot of money and time on things that didn’t matter, creating moments of frustration and doubt.
But, my journey ended up giving me unique insight into what works and what doesn’t. These learnings fueled me to write one of the most respected and highly-rated how-to books in the industry called How to Become a Successful Actor and Model. It’s also given me a platform at the leading acting and modeling conventions across the world, giving over 800 workshops.
Outside of my normal acting responsibilities, I get a tremendous amount of joy from helping others avoid the mistakes I made and achieve their acting and modeling dreams. Along with saving a few days each month for online mentoring, I also spend time creating and sharing free quick tip videos on my YouTube Channel. I make it a goal to cover a wide range of topics on a weekly basis, from “The 3 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Agent” to “23 Great Side Hustle Jobs For Actors”. My YouTube library has over 500 videos filled with insights drawn directly from my 40 years of experience. If you are serious about learning how to give yourself your best chance to “book the job”, I highly recommend you subscribe and click the notification bell so you always know when a new video has been uploaded. From executing stunts alongside Tom Hanks to enduring 15 auditions before landing a recurring role on Netflix’s House of Cards, each story I post carries the weight of real-world wisdom.
In an industry fueled by the power of remarkable stories, I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent four decades as a full-time actor and model. I’ve been lucky enough to forge meaningful connections with people living across the world, from very senior industry professionals to those who just took the brave step of trying to start chasing their dreams. So don’t hesitate to reach out. On this website, you can check out my different mentoring options, sign up for my free mailing list below, or just send me an email.
Watch a selection of Aaron’s acting roles. To see a longer list of Aaron’s credit, check out his IMDB page here.
Listen to a selection of Aaron’s narration and radio spot roles.
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