MISSION

Welcome! This organization was created to benefit actors in the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas and actors who go between SF and LA; those who plan to move to LA as well as those who don’t plan to move; and those who won’t move to LA unless their career demands it!

To achieve this broad vision I am connecting Bay Area actors with working casting directors. Actors must begin networking and building those relationships in LA if they intend to have careers there. This is a networking business! Building relationships with casting directors is a critical step in the longevity of one’s career – and an acting career is a marathon, not a sprint! It is imperative actors have their finger on the pulse of what is required by the industry - and who better to inform them of trends in casting (and in the business) than those on the front lines? I am also connecting actors with high quality LA acting teachers as well as agents and managers. Why not start your career, even if you’re not in LA? I hope you will consider joining this amazing community of actors!

And to the many, many clients who have transitioned to LA since I started this company in 2016, thank you for sharing your successes with us and keep on living the dream!

VISION: From 2015 to Today

NOTE: I wrote the vision statement below in December 2015. . . and it is amazing how the world changes, isn’t it? One global pandemic later and we are all embracing this new, smaller, more connected world - and this vision is now a reality! I am so excited to be part of this brave new landscape!

I envision a world where an actor can live anywhere they want and be able to work in any market they choose. I don’t think that because one lives outside of Hollywood they should be excluded from working in that market. Perhaps that's naive. But with the advent of self-taped auditions and electronic self-submissions, there isn't any reason to be excluding talent that is located geographically in a different area. Of course this means ANY market – the San Francisco Bay Area, Atlanta, Chicago, Texas, Vancouver, London – if an actor is a good fit, they should be given a shot. If they have excellent training, with top-rated teachers, and they just happen to be somewhere else and can get themselves to LA for the callback... why not?

 Many actors that live outside of LA feel that they have no shot at working in that market – but with The Bay to LA Actors Network we want to break down the walls of that belief! 

 What I hope to ultimately achieve as a result of this network is to grow the reputation of Bay Area actors as highly trained, competent, creative professionals who are excellent resources. Just as the industry looks at Australian and British actors as hot commodities, I would love for the industry to look at actors from the Bay Area with the same sort of esteem. Knowing we have the finest quality training and that we train seriously and consistently; that we work as hard or harder because we are grateful for the opportunities; that we are creative and make exciting choices and that we are ready and willing to work.  I also want to instill HOPE in anyone who feels a million miles away from what they dream about. Just because you aren’t where you want to be RIGHT NOW doesn’t mean you can’t get exactly where you want to go. You truly can BE, DO and HAVE anything you want in this life, so go get it!!             

          -Kristi Swensson Burdsall, SAG Actress, Coach and Founder of The Bay to LA Actors Network