By Secret Agent Man | Posted Dec. 10, 2012, 2:01 p.m

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know it’s a little early, but that’s just the way I roll. Secret Agent Man loves the holiday season. It’s my favorite time of year.

December is the month when all the pressure fades away as the entertainment industry crawls to a stop. In just a few weeks, I’ll be able to leave my cares behind in an empty office. The days will be mine, and I won’t have to worry about clients. Oh, what a glorious time!

But first, I get to sit back and watch a stream of grateful actors and models pour into my office, their arms loaded with holiday gifts. Watching them come and go makes me feel like the baby Jesus.

Holiday shopping for your agents is an opportunity to make an impression, but you have to be wise. The wrong gift (or no gift) can leave a bad taste in their mouth. So to help you navigate the season with a cup of show biz savvy, I’ve created a three-step plan guaranteed to make you stand out:

First, stop whining about spending money on your agents. This is not the time to embrace your inner Scrooge. Buying a little something for the people on your team is a good move, and you’d be a fool not to do it. Understand?

Good. Now that you’ve accepted your role as Santa, go make a list and check it twice. Include all your agents and their assistants. Don’t forget anyone.

(This is the easy part.)

Second, you have to come up with the right present for everyone on that list. (This is the hard part.) The trick is to avoid generic, impersonal items like those gigantic gift baskets that are made of sugar and fat. They tend to pile up, and most of the contents are usually thrown out.

A better choice would be a gift card. I know that sounds generic, but there are gift cards for everything—restaurants, spa services, movie theaters—the list is endless. So be creative. The best one I ever got was for a night at the L.A. Derby Dolls roller derby.

Hands down, the best choice would be something really personal, a gift that shows you made an effort.

Years ago, I signed a redhead from Chicago named Jennifer. During the initial meeting, we talked about our favorite childhood TV shows, and I happened to mention “Happy Days.” When Christmas rolled around, Jennifer surprised me with an original Fonzie doll she found on eBay. That was the perfect present and it’s still sitting on my desk.

By the way, there’s no need to spend a fortune, especially when you’re dealing with a large office. This is the one time of year when agents aren’t thinking about money. It’s all about the gesture. (Stop laughing. I’m serious.)

Oh, there’s one more thing. Please don’t make a charitable contribution in my name. I hate when actors do that. It’s not that I have anything against cancer research or the Human Fund, but I prefer to make my own decisions when it comes to charity.

Finally, when you’re done shopping, make sure you drop off the gifts in person. It doesn’t make sense to have them shipped. You need to make eye contact when you hand someone a present. Doing this also allows you some quality face time with your reps. And who knows? You might actually connect with a real conversation that has nothing to do with acting.

Now go out and shop, ye merry actors and models, and come forth with your gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I’ll be waiting with open arms. And if you even try to reach me after I leave for the holidays, I will hunt you for sport when I’m back.

Happy holidays!

RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!!  LIMITED SEATING – ROSTERED WILHELMINA TALENT ONLY

Time: 7:00 to 8:30pm

Where: Wilhelmina Rochester

When: Thursday, November 29th

What: Meet and Greet with Jon Cring and get a chance to be seen by this inspirational and forward thinking director

How to Reserve: Contact Melissa at the office to get your name on the list. Since this is  FREE EVENT with LIMITED seating and sponsored by Wilhelmina, you MUST arrive to Wilhelmina’s Studio by 6:30pm to claim your seat. Those who are late, will be subject to the events availability.

About Jon Russell Cring…he was born in Columbus, Ohio and traveled as a young man playing Bass Guitar and Acting for stage and television in California and Louisiana, following in the footsteps of his Grand Old Opry performer Father. He landed a role in a modest budget film in Nashville and on set witnessed what he would later pursue to become. Three years ago, with his wife, he moved to Albany and set out to cultivate the film scene in Upstate New York.  Now, Independent film director, Jon Russell Cring will be speaking  and sharing some highlights from his Acting for the camera class, LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTING on November 29^th.

Having completed six feature films in six months, another six in fourteen months, and three more in two years, it’s safe to assume this veteran Director of fifteen movies learned what not to do. Those features have competed all over the country in festivals and have won distribution offers not because they cost millions and featured the latest CGI, but because of the attention given to his actor’s abilities and characterization. Having worked with professionals over every level, from Golden Globe winners to recent high school drama class graduates, Jon Russell understands how to inspire great performances. Often seen whispering in his Actor’s ears “Trust me, I want this to be the best thing you’ve ever done.” Through hard fought experience and practical on set applications this Director has a wealth of secret information he is willing to share, from the dreaded process called auditioning all the way through creating a character, to four words that will take your talent to the next level. Don’t miss this event! Meeting Directors, Casting pros and networking in the business are important factors in getting noticed. Be there!

America’s Next Top Model Laura LaFrate in her first film role;

Cring talking about the scene they are about to film.

By Denise Simon | Posted Oct. 23, 2012, 9:37 a.m.

Your dream is to be a working actor. You’ve always been told you “have it,” but the phone doesn’t ring for callbacks.

What separates professionals from wannabe talent show prodigies isn’t inspiration. It’s preparation and execution. Take control of your audition with these ten helpful tips to improve your skills.

1. Confidence. It sounds simple but it takes practice. Walk in the door with your held head high. Be wary of shuffling feet. You don’t get sympathy points if you’re nervous, not feeling well, or having a bad day. Leave it outside the door. You are being sized up the minute you walk in, so practice good posture and body language before you arrive. And don’t forget to smile – that’s the lasting impression you want to leave.

2. Personality. Let it shine through. Don’t give one-word answers when having a conversation with the casting director. Ask questions! The industry is looking for smart, curious actors.

3. Connection. Make one with the reader. Memorize the material or be familiar enough with it to maintain eye contact. Knowing the dialogue is important, but making a connection with the reader is what will make the scene natural and believable.

4. Character. Know the character. Read the entire script beforehand to pick-up as many clues as possible. We know about a character by the following:

– What he/she says about himself/herself
– What other characters say about him/her
– What the playwright or screenwriter says about him/her

5. Objective. Go underneath the dialogue. What does he/she want from the other characters? What is the character’s purpose in the scene/story?

6. Obstacle. What’s in the way of the character getting what he/she wants? Acting is what happens to you as you TRY to get your objective met, in spite of the obstacle.

7. Opposites. Yelling isn’t the only way to show hatred or anger. Sometimes being quiet as you make your point is a powerful display of emotion. Playing opposites is a much more interesting choice than the obvious.

8. Love. Find the love in the scene. Even nasty characters should be likeable on some level. Find a moment in the scene where the love can show through.

9. Act. Acting means TO DO, not to talk. Find your actions and play them! (A wonderful resource is the book “Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus” by Marina Caldarone & Maggie Lloyd-Williams.)

10. Variety. Feel the levels and dynamic in the scene. Don’t play one emotion. If the character is angry or tough, when might he/she show some vulnerability?

Wannabe? Not you! Interesting, memorable auditions will start to happen for you when you dig into scripts with these thoughts in mind before and during your auditions.

Master your craft! Empower yourself! Enjoy the journey…

Denise Simon is an acting coach and career consultant who has been involved in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years as an actor, teacher, director, and personal talent manager. For 10 years, she was an associate with Fox Albert Management, one of the leading talent management companies in New York, where she managed such clients as Scarlett Johansson, Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino, Lacey Chabert (“Party of Five”), and Judy Reyes (NBC’s “Scrubs”). Denise has coached hundreds of children and young adults appearing regularly on Broadway and in television and film, as well as educating parents on the business of show business.

Wilhelmina Rochester has partnered with Fashion Week of Rochester providing models and runway clinics to some new faces on the fashion scene. Our own agency director Billy Powell is pictured in the Democrat and Chronicle helping to make sure this years models are primed and ready for the catwalk. Not pictured in the feature article, Melissa Herman, New Faces Director was also on hand to make sure models understood how to work the runway in both presentation and style. Check out the link for more information. See you all at fashion week!

Fashion Week of Rochester: What you’ll see, day by day | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com.

Yes it’s true…Our models do work. They work hard on auditioning skills by virtue of their training, commitment to their craft and to attending castings. The result? They book jobs! Congratulations to all of our models who have done an outstanding job of getting booked and who have been working on the current projects that our bookers have been securing! Here’s a  list  of just some of the projects that our models and talent have been doing these past two months.

Len M. & Melissa H. – Murder She Wrote 2

John B, Danielle D, and Marc G. – Immediate Care Video

Ben B., Kelly H., Bill L., Ira M. – Paychex

Swithun, Mitch W., Meghan H. Deb H., Connie N. – Elements Video

Pricilla P., Toni P., Marylou O., Mario A. Bill B. – St. Anns

Mario A., Danielle D. – Unity Health

Elena Z. – Jazz Fest print shoot

Owen C. – NIB print shoot

Camoy W., Ronnie R., Ashley N., Kayleigh F. – Nike Live

Rebecca Anderson – Regional International

David W. – CNB Bank TV commercial

Chris S. – Kinney Drug TV commercial

Lee S, Mario A., Ruthe D. – Medicare Web video

Julie G. – Wegmans TV commercial

Congratulations Models! You deserve it!

Wilhelmina Rochester Team

August 14, 2012 marks the official opening of Wilhelmina Evolve! The official name Wilhelmina Evolve Fashion Arts Studio has the attention of  Wilhelmina International in possibly setting the standard for affiliate offices around the country. Director of Affiliates for Wilhelmina Tara Treacy indicated that Wilhelmina Evolve is not a “school” its a professional developmental studio that focuses on a set standard of talent that Wilhelmina Models has the privilege to watch develop with a strong desire to advance those candidates to the next level. Plans for the studio  include getting regular visits from the New York office so that developing talent will have the chance to be seen by some of the foremost agents in the business. Wilhelmina’s New York agents are looking for that next new face they can promote from model to supermodel to celebrity status. “Its a very exciting time for the entire organization to be able to offer a professional development program here in Upstate New York to aspiring models and actors with unprecedented access to a major agency like Wilhelmina,” said Director of New Faces, Melissa Herman.

From the design of the studio and its amenities to what it promises current and future roster of models and talent, casting professionals and clients, the space is a luxurious amenity to the highly successful Wilhelmina Rochester agency. The space is a beautiful modern studio amid the classic architecture of an 1860 built home. Michael Cavalcanti – real estate developer who was one of the attendees at the opening of the studio said “this is a first-class project that anyone associated should be proud.” Envisioned and designed by Agency Director, Billy Powell he admittedly stated ” For a first time project of this magnitude I was a little intimidated but as the project progressed, I certainly got more confident in my abilities to actually deliver the vision I had about the studio.” Powell worked tirelessly in bringing together a functional artistic space that exemplifies fashion, acting studio, photography, styling, hair and make-up artistry. Powell is a 30 year veteran in the industry who knows talent and the work that it takes for success. I asked Billy what he thought was the number one ingredient for success in this industry and he replied, “focused determination…without it, you’re talents will fail you”.

As for the launch party? A huge success! In attendance were journalists, fashion week organizers, models, actors, filmmakers, artists, fashion designers, photographers and real estate developers. Food, music and fashion adorned and from the looks of things, everyone had a great time.

For that great time, Wilhelmina Rochester would like to thank some wonderful people for all their contributions and hard work in making our event a huge success. A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to: Edsel Patterson, Melissa Herman, Anne Strauch, Jessica Peak, Kiersten Shaffer, Kathy Powell, Pete Di Martino, Ira Morris, Karen Burnett, Ronnie Raimonde, Madison Leiker, Roy Richards, Elena Zweers, Danielle Lusardi, Mercedes Brien and Carly Strang.

Although a launch party was hosted exclusively for media and some long-time clients an open house for talent, new clients, casting directors, producers will be upcoming. A formal announcement on the open house will be sometime in the fall. Stay tuned!

W!  This morning Wilhelmina’s Susan Francia secured her second gold medal finishing ahead of Canada and the Netherlands, securing USA’s 13^th gold medal of the London Olympics! 

Olympics-Women’s rowing eight final – result – chicagotribune.com.

Congratulations Anne S. for making the cover of Rochester Magazine!

We are so proud of you!

From all of the staff at Wilhelmina Rochester, we want to congratulate Mark Garcia as model of the month for August!  Mark proves his willingness time after time to go the extra mile in  his commitment to growth in his modeling career, and has achieved many accomplishments this month working for several key clients for Wilhelmina. As a top model at Wilhelmina Rochester, Mark  has performed impressively for  our professional  clients. We’re  proud of  Mark Garcia and our successful relationship that we enjoy.

This month offered an opportunity to talk to Mark and get to know a little bit more about the other personal side of  him. Besides his modeling career here at Wilhelmina, Mark also enjoys a solid professional career as a dental sales representative. His motivation is inspired by his girlfriend Heather and his fantastic daughter Alexandra.

Some of Mark’s favorite:

1. Favorite song: Anything by Jack Johnson

2. Favorite Movie:  I love so many movies but have to pick Life is Beautiful. (a rare movie that makes you laugh, cry and think)

3. Biggest turn off : Inconsiderate people

4. Signature dish that you can make: Poached eggs

5. Hidden talent: Louie Armstrong karaoke

6. Favorite Actress/Actor: Will Ferrell

Mark showed his gratitude to the agency by commenting: “You guys make things easy and fun which translates to better performance outcomes.”

Here’s to many more accomplishments Mark!!