Testimonials from former students

“Seriously, I just have to say it, I’m so inspired… I’m never like this in any other class. Thank you. Every class is amazing.”

“Oh my goodness what a great class today! Such an eye opener for me and I learned so much about auditioning from Tom in this class. He is such an informative acting teacher and he is so knowledgeable. This was so enlightening.” 

“The tech info you provided has really helped… All that stuff is very valuable. Your class provided some of the most valuable information in order to actually get work…without a doubt. Thank you!”

“Concerning your class… it gave me another perspective on the business and  it helped me realize that we are all human beings trying to do our best here. I also liked that you gave us honest feedback… and I’m using what I learned with you. Very helpful.”

“It was a very valuable class to me… it will benefit every student who takes your class, tremendously. “

“We would like to thank you for making the trip up to Santa Barbara to talk about your industry experiences as part of our working actors panel. The class enjoyed and appreciated what you had to share, as did we.”

“Let me be clear: your class is one of the few I took that it really stuck with me and I can actively use!!!!”

“Your teaching style is unique… (and) your approach is so straight forward no BS. (the) different situations you put us through, in classes, opened us.”

“One of the best electives I had. I learned what auditions are from all sides.”

“Making us familiar with the facts and dynamics… definitely helped change my perspective that will definitely help me in any future job audition I go out for.”

“Most dynamic dedicated and good teacher.”

“Thank you so much for making us become our own biggest critic… You are such a great instructor.”

“a great journey from which we all learned so much.”

“I really appreciate your honestly and your efforts. Your lessons will always be on my mind.”

“given me a real perspective on the life of a working actor, “stay professional, be humble and be ready to grind because that is the life.” Thank you for being a good role model.”

“…thank you for being one of the best teachers I have ever had. I have my set of blue days but the only thing that gets me through is everything I have learned so far to keep moving forward and keep trying… I have learned to believe in myself and my craft… It has made me more aware of my capabilities and given me a confidence that no matter what happens I’m a good actor who has come this far not only to come this far but to keep striving and moving forward and nothing else matters.”

“Thank you so very much for being such a wonderful addition… we are grateful and appreciative of your time, energy, and professionalism; and, as you could tell – the audience loved you as much as we did!”

“It was cool to see how different people could play the same role and how many people had more talent than they assumed; it made auditioning fun which I’ve hung onto since then. Thinking about it now, the main thing I learned is that parts of the industry are fun and that makes it so worthwhile to continue pursuing.”

“I want to thank you so much for being such a great teacher to us and dedicating so much… so inspiring and informational!”

“I’ve always been terrified of auditioning and the business side of acting. This fear has really hindered my career because every time I have to audition in front of people or feel in the spotlight I get overwhelmed so I just don’t do it at all.  …this class has helped me a lot to understand that everyone in that room is only trying to solve a problem, and they are actually hoping that you will be the solution… we don’t have many business classes in this school and this is by far the most helpful one. I feel more confident about it every time we go up and get to relax more and more… having a teacher that’s guiding you throughout the way is really helpful and inspiring. I’ve started to apply in all my other classes how I want to present myself or what product I want to sell, and to not take it personal…. I’ve learned the most by just trial and error and practice and practice going up every class. The more we do it the better I feel.”

“Thank you for being an inspiring and caring teacher. I don’t usually leave classes feeling particularly good and I truly wanted you to know you’ve made such a change in my whole way of viewing and approaching acting. I came to realize that in acting it can get rocky every now and then in our feelings and self-confidence, no matter how old we are or where we stand in the industry, so it’s comforting to know it’s not just me, even if that seems obvious.”

“…it’s still really important for me to tell you that my work, preparation process and approach toward this business has changed tremendously since our classes together. It’s only because of how good of a teacher and mentor you’ve been that I felt and still feel the need to tell you that. I feel very lucky to have taken this class!”

“Just wanted to take a minute to thank you for all the effort you are putting in for this class and for us. I already feel it has helped me so much and I’m really excited for this class every week. It’s an amazingly fun experience along with a lot of learning and we can all see how much you are invested in it.”

“What I’ve really enjoyed… has been the unpredictable nature of this class for which all the credit goes to you. You have kept us on our feet and kept us guessing which is exciting and does not let us get complacent or take things for granted.”

“(Your) book (Weakday Drifter & Other Writings) has really inspired me and I realized on more time that everything in life is possible.”

“I use all your advice on auditions and it really works! Thank you!”

“I REALLY love this class so much and today I was on audition and realized how much I’ve already learned. I really didn’t want our class to end…”

“What I specifically appreciate and want more of are the “curve balls” you throw. With them, I’m able to stay sharp and handle the unexpected in auditions.”

“I think simply put, the big aha moment this semester was to be unapologetically myself. It’s a shame to encase yourself like a perfect little package, and tape up the extra frills that would be so exciting for a director to see. To appear as humanly responsive as possible. I’ve learned it is okay to show you’re breathing, let out a laugh, and literally take up SPACE. Fill up your entire being. To not feel like I have to rush through an audition because I’m so conscious feeling like I’m taking up their time… The beauty of that is remarkable. It seems incredibly small, but it’s taken me this long to start practicing being okay with just that… Love your class.”

“You kept us on our feet and it has got me more in the habit of being more mentally prepared for anything to happen. Being more open to whatever may come and all.”

“Your class was one of my favorites! It helped me so much in my acting and confidence, especially for auditions! I have to say I still use all the questions you gave us to break down audition scenes… you constantly kept us on our toes and we never knew what to expect…”

“I learned so much… I now feel more comfortable walking inside auditions with this kind of knowledge… (I now) understand how much my attitude and my body language can affect my work and how people perceive it. I loved the different audition exercises!” ­

“Surprising, very dynamic, challenging…”