Kym here. I moved from Australia to Los Angeles in 2004, and I have watched a lot of actors make the same move since, some brilliantly and some badly.
The difference is almost never talent. It is whether they moved with a plan. Here is the one I teach in the Journey masterclass on relocating.
Only three things are worth waiting for.
Strong craft. The ability and maturity to move safely. And a couple of acting roles booked from auditions, rather than from work you created yourself.
That third one is a diagnostic. If you have read for 30 unpaid short films and nobody hired you, your craft or your preparation is not there yet. Dry patches happen to working actors, but never having booked anything is different.
Now the things not to wait for. A degree from an institution. Local representation in a small market. Success at home beyond one or two bookings. Anyone’s approval. And it feeling less terrifying.
If you wait till you feel ready every time you go to do something in life, you will never do anything in life.
Wherever you are, the work is the same. Establish a network, meet local industry people, get decent representation, collaborate or create content, and build long term relationships.
Do all that in a small market and then move, and you start from scratch. Do it in the big market first and those foundations sit in a place with more depth and a higher ceiling.
Careers also rise in groups. Industry people move up with the crowd they hung out with in their 20s and 30s, so arriving earlier puts you in that crowd.
You can self tape from anywhere. You cannot network in person from anywhere. Trust over time comes from familiarity, proof and proximity.
A major production hub has three markers: studio space for rent, enough experienced local crew to staff network or studio level productions, and multiple network, streamer and studio projects shooting there each year.
Industry people describe this as how many crews deep a city is. Atlanta at around 14 projects deep, Los Angeles at maybe 80.
The class’s ordered list of major English speaking hubs runs: Los Angeles, London, New York and New Jersey together, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Atlanta, Dublin, Glasgow, Melbourne, Albuquerque, Auckland, Chicago, Austin and Las Vegas.
On casting depth, the class counted roughly 20 casting directors in Atlanta, 15 in Sydney, 50 in New York, and maybe 200 union offices in Los Angeles.
Episodic work is where the volume is. Each episode casts between five and 20 guest cast, and a new episode shoots every eight to 10 days.
Then pressure test it as a place to live. Work papers first: can you legally work there? Do you love this city? Where do you recharge? Can you handle the weather? And if it does not pan out in three or four years, would you still be glad you went?
Free masterclass: “it doesn’t feel less terrifying yet” is the block, not the reason. Clear Your Subconscious Blocks and Thrive is our Journey 3 masterclass, free, permanently.
Join networking groups, especially virtual ones, so you land with a circle. Join location specific acting Facebook groups so you have somewhere to ask questions.
Sign up for a virtual class in your target market. Beyond craft, that gives you three or four local phone numbers, which is both a network and a safety net.
Work out your visa parameters and start preparing. Look at union entry at the same time: with SAG-AFTRA you can email the union with your professional credits, especially from a sister union such as MEAA or Equity, and request eligibility.
Start saving. Build a target rep list from union franchised agent lists and IMDbPro. Create free casting site profiles now, because most let you build before you pay.
And work out where to live. Aim to be within about a 45 minute drive of the industry centre, where casting offices, classes and agencies cluster. Beyond 45 minutes you start skipping events, and lose the easy screenings, dinners and nearby actors to read your self tapes.
Everything in one shared Google Drive or Dropbox folder, so you and your new team reach it from one link.
Photos: no more than 10 current headshots, each a different look and character, with the rest archived.
Footage: a demo reel under two and a half minutes, everything in 1080p. Produced footage is not important early. A great 30 or 40 second self tape beats a produced scene with poor production value or a weak scene partner, because reps and casting only want to see the work you will do.
Documents: a resume, a pitch blurb and a bio. Plus a press spreadsheet and contact lists of casting directors and filmmakers who know your work.
Finish your footage. Get simple professional headshots taken locally and cheaply; you will likely replace them within a year of arriving.
Book your flights. It is cheaper, and it gives you a hard date to work back from. Start looking for accommodation and get travel and health insurance quotes.
Step up virtual casting workshops with casting directors in that market, and start submitting for roles shooting there. Pulling your flights forward because you booked something is a good problem.
Begin drafting personalised emails to representation. Every one needs something specific to that office: their client list, whether they represent people in your lane, what their clients are booking. People can tell spam, and they want to feel chosen.
Send your representation emails now, aiming meetings at week two after you land.
Hey, I’m moving in four weeks time. I’d love to get something on the calendar so we can have a chat about working together when I get there.
Follow up one to two weeks later. Most reps in big markets are more likely to answer the second email, so do not read silence as a no.
Book your classes for two weeks after arrival. Buy festival tickets in advance. Start applying for day jobs you can begin on arrival.
The class’s floor is not moving with less than about 10 grand in the bank, because savings are not for living off. It does not name a currency, and that was its figure as at 2025.
Plan long. Expect four or five years of smaller supporting roles and network building before you are close to living off it. Twelve months to a series happens, but it is a hope, not a plan. It is often the fifth audition for the same casting office before they start fighting for you.
Nothing. Unpack, decorate, explore, find your local cafes, walk barefoot on the grass. That is strategy, not indulgence.
From week two or three, take your meetings, start your classes and go to events with calm energy. Your first impression is your most important one, and it should not be of a frantic, jet lagged person mid house move.
Members get the full relocation masterclass, the O-1B visa class, and a community that includes actors who have already made the move. All 18 Journey masterclasses are in every plan. Start your 7-day free trial.
The class’s floor is about 10 grand in the bank, and it is clear that savings are not for living off. Apply for day jobs you can start on arrival, and plan on four or five years of smaller roles and network building before acting income is anything like enough.
When three things are true: your craft is strong, you can move safely and handle yourself, and you have booked a couple of roles from auditions rather than only from your own projects. Do not wait for a degree, local rep in a small market, anyone’s approval, or for it to feel less scary.
Within about a 45 minute drive of the industry centre, where the casting offices, agencies and classes cluster. Further out and you start skipping events, screenings and dinners, and you lose the nearby actors who can read for your self tapes. The same rule applies in any major market.
No. Send personalised emails to your target reps about a month before you move, aiming for meetings in week two after you land, and follow up one to two weeks later. Local rep in a small market is not worth waiting for, and a small market rep rarely knows the big market’s casting directors.
By volume, yes: the class puts Los Angeles at maybe 80 projects deep and around 200 union casting offices, against roughly 50 casting directors in New York, 20 in Atlanta and 15 in Sydney. But Atlanta has far fewer actors competing, so choose by work papers, production numbers, cost and whether you can live there happily.
Kym has been in LA since 2004. Every SAS plan includes all 18 Journey masterclasses, over 26 hours, plus 3,000+ videos and the community. Gold and Platinum add a live casting director every month and small group career strategy sessions twice a month. 7-day free trial on Silver and Gold, 60-day refund.