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HAVING A SECRET CLEARANCE CAN GET YOU ACTING WORK

July 31, 2013 2 Comments

Normally people don’t think of acting and secret clearances. Actually, there are a lot of jobs, especially industrial/educational/corporate films that require actors to have some level of a clearance. Especially, if you are living on the East Coast, there are many actors who are hired to work for government agencies. It is not easy to get a clearance.

An actor can only receive a security clearance if he or she needs to have access to classified materials. Or, if they need to work on the property of buildings that requires people to have a clearance.

The agency will really want to hire that talent because it costs thousands of dollars to get the clearance. It takes quite a bit of time and there is an extensive background check. The agency will want to check your:

1. Financial situation (this is to make sure you are not in debt – which could give you more
reason to sell important information

2. Make sure your job and education history are as accurate as you say

3. Neighbors and friends might be contacted to make sure you are an honest and trustworthy
person

4. Legal history will be carefully checked to see if you have been arrested

5. Military, tax records and travel history will be carefully viewed. If you have traveled to certain
countries, you will be required to explain why you took those trips.

6. Relatives will also be checked out

This process can take up to a minimum of 6 months.

There are three levels for clearances

A. Top Secret
B. Secret
C. Confidential

Once one has been granted a clearance, it is updated regularly, and a full investigation will take place every seven years.

If you are ever asked to have some type of clearance for a job, jump at this great opportunity. I needed to get a Confidential Clearance for a project. Let me just say, it was really incredible, and it felt great to be doing something that I knew was really helping my country.

About the Author:

Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor and commercial model for over 33 years. His new book, How to Become a Successful Actor and Model is an Amazon Best Seller. Aaron has given his seminar: "Book the Job" over 700 times spanning 3 continents. He also offers online workshops. Aaron saves 5 days each month to give private on-line coaching sessions.

Comments (2)

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  1. Hi Aaron:

    I saw a breakdown recently that said you needed security clearance for this one job. Can you apply to the Government yourself or can the casting agency help you with that?

    Sincerely,
    Kenneth Ritter

    • aaron84 says:

      Hi Kenneth,

      It is very expensive to get a clearance. Typically, a company or government agency will get you a clearance if needed.
      If the project is stating that the talent needs a clearance, they probably want you to already have one.

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