Dan McNamara is an actor, writer, musician and performing arts technician living and working in Los Angeles. He grew up in Boston, completed his undergraduate studies at UMass Amherst and worked around New England before moving west. In college, Dan majored in theatre & journalism, and minored in music. He studied acting, writing, singing, broadcasting and technical production. I asked Dan to share his experience as a working actor.
How did your studies prepare you to work in the industry?
By coupling classroom work with hands-on extracurricular and professional endeavors, I came out of college with the skills necessary for success. I experimented with using my teachings in a safe environment; asked as many questions as possible; and learned how to be a good collaborator, how to behave in a professional manner, and how to use my skills to their maximum potential.
What do you wish you had focused more on in college?
Business. It’s every artist’s least favorite subject, but it’s crucial to building a career. “Art” isn’t supposed to be compromised by finances or marketing, but funding and distributing your art is paramount to your continued ability to dedicate your time and energy to it.
On a more specific level, simple things like filing taxes can be difficult for an artist who works freelance, with different employers, public and private, corporate and independent; non-profit organizations; educational programs; self-employment; and all kinds of “business expenses.”
What was your first work experience in the industry?
Following my sophomore year of college, I had a professional internship at a summer-stock theatre. I worked 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week, with experienced, professional artists. I acted, sang, danced, wrote, directed, built and toured. Apart from the training, I got 3 intangible things from the experience: I learned how to behave like a professional; I learned how to efficiently push the limits of my artistic, physical, & mental capacity; and I learned that I truly did want to be an artist.
What is the best resource for learning the skills you need in your job?
College was amazing. You have time and energy to do lots of projects and work with lots of interesting and different people who will challenge you, inspire you, and teach you, and it’s a safe place to experiment, to try and fail and try again, and to ask questions.
What do you wish you knew before you got started?
There’s no right or wrong way to pursue a career in the arts. Different things work for different people. You can learn from your peers and predecessors, take their advice, and follow in their footsteps, but in the end you will need to develop your own personal blueprint to achieve success. Pursuing a career in the arts is an interesting and unpredictable path. You never stop growing and learning, you can always be surprised, and it can be difficult to quantify your achievements. That’s what’s so exciting and fun about it.
Dan’s first feature film, LIMBUS, recently premiered to a sold out showing at the United Film Festival in Los Angeles. He is currently shooting another feature in San Francisco.
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