Bypass New York and L.A. and Start Your Career in the Sunshine State
By Wyatt Elling
The acting and modeling market in Florida has been heating up ever since the state became the retirement hotspot of choice for older New Yorkers. New Yorkers' demand for live theater didn't leave when they headed South, and many actors began making seasonal tours to the Sunshine State during New York's frigid winter months. These actors began performing mainly in dinner theater, but as Southern Florida's population surged the desire for live entertainment spread throughout the population. Local actors got in the game, and New York actors began starting permanent theaters.
It wasn't long before New York production companies saw the benefit of moving many commercial operations to Florida during the winter. The weather is tropical year-round, and it allowed them to film any kind of commercial while New York was covered in snow. Production facilities were built and a market for commercial actors grew quickly. With the facilities already in place for filmed productions, movies and television shows started moving South as well.
Today Miami is Florida's hotspot for modeling and acting. The city is famous for its many beach-worthy models, both male and female, and the beautiful climate is hard to resist for an increasing amount of shows and movies. Overall Miami is one of the top five film production markets in the country, though it still has a way to go before it can be considered Hollywood. Movies like Miami Vice have been filmed in Miami, along with shows like Cane, Dexter, CSI: Miami, and Burn Notice. The idyllic setting and high density of photogenic citizens has also made Miami a perennial hotspot for reality television, started by MTV's annual spring break coverage. Right now shows like Miami Ink and Pros vs. Joes film there year-round.
Miami is home to the South region offices of SAG and AFTRA, representing Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and the Carolinas. Miami's SAG offices boast the biggest membership of any city outside of New York and L.A. There are many professional actors living in Miami as a result, and the size of the union offices ensures that there are many resources available. Florida is also a right-to-work state, which allows producers to hire non-union actors if they can make a professional case. Once a non-union actor is hired to a union production, that actor automatically qualifies for union membership. This makes Florida a great place to get your SAG or AFTRA card.
The most common acting jobs in Miami are for television commercials, voice-overs, radio commercials, and training films. These roles cast year-round, and can provide a constant stream of income. There are also various television shows, both scripted and unscripted filming seasonally, and usually several feature films as well, both independent and studio. And if you speak Spanish without a heavy regional accent, you can easily find work in one of the globally syndicated Spanish-language soap operas filmed year-round in Miami. If you're persistent and talented, there is no shortage of screen acting opportunity.
The other major acting market in Florida besides Miami is Central Florida. For the purposes of acting or modeling this area consists of the urban centers of Orlando, Tampa, and Sarasota, with most work coming from Orlando. Most of the work there used to be primarily commercial or industrial in nature. Disney and Universal Studios have opened up soundstages as tourist attractions. Independent and low-budget television and movie productions have started moving there. Tourists can pay to take a "studio tour" where they can watch actual movies and TV shows being filmed. Disney and Universal rent out the soundstages for a low cost to encourage a constant stream of productions, and more acting jobs are popping up every day.
Stage acting, the original source of the Florida acting rush, is still very healthy. There are numerous nationally renowned Equity theater companies, such as the Coconut Grove in Miami and the Alosa in Orlando. The official theater alliance of Miami boasts over 60 theaters, ranging from professional Equity productions to community college theater. There are many stage acting opportunities for all levels of experience in both Orlando and Miami, and the Universal Studios/Disney World amusement parks are always hiring talented live performers.
If you've got a taste for tropical weather, a healthy tan, and dreams of making it big in the entertainment world, Florida just might be the state for you!
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