Sometimes a loved one will ask him or herself, "What should I get my Struggling Actress friend/family member?" Here are some very useful tips, ranging in the super cheap to the pricey. Happy Gift Giving!
A Gas gift card.
We drive all around the city to get to our auditions and callbacks and gas is not cheap. Some companies will even let you reload it. If you'd like, you can do what my dad did as a graduation gift: he gave me a Chevron credit card so that gas was on him for my first year in LA. It was way better than a watch.
Visa/Mastercard gift cards.
We also take cash!
A Smart Phone.
Hopefully in this day and age, every actor has one, but man, what a difference it has made in my life as an actress. If I'm waiting my turn at an audition, I can go online and submit myself for other projects! Great for researching too. Maybe the actor in your life needs an upgrade?
A black and white laser printer.
We go through pages of sides for auditions, for classes, we print call sheets and maps. I have a very nice color ink jet printer, but buying ink over and over again was hurting my pocketbook. It felt like every two weeks I needed more ink, and I was practically searching under couch cushions to find enough money to keep purchasing them. I bought a laser printer (it was cheaper than buying the ink jet ink I needed!) and freaking LOVE it. I used to go to copy centers to print my resumes, but so few casting people are taking resumes anymore (commercials pretty much don't) so if I need to print my resume, I can do it at home, saving me a trip and money.
You can also buy them replacement ink too.
Printer paper.
See above.
Highlighters and pens.
We go through them. It'd be nice to get a bulk pack. It's a thoughtful cheap gift.
Offer to pay for a month of acting classes.
I recommend going to this guy.
A subscription to Entertainment Weekly.
It's research!
And my dear readers, please help with other gift suggestions too!
