The Existential Crisis of the American Developmental Actor.

What you need to know and what you can do to move through this transition.

The headlines this past week have been relentless. Productions overall are down by 22% in Los Angeles for Q1. The WGA announced that writing jobs fell 42% post strike. Everything seems pretty freaking bleak.

On April 3, I posted a graphic on IG about how the LA Film industry is mirroring the collapse of the Detroit automobile industry. Last week, I posted a reel to clarify what I meant after some folks pushed back in the comments. A few days later, the Hollywood Reporter made it their headline.

Today, this is the headline on The New York Times as it too compares LA to Detroit.

The financial impact of this decline is severely affecting industry professionals, like writers, crew members, caterers, makeup artists, and costume designers, and more.

Some haven't found employment in over two years. Many have had to move, pivot careers, and/or drive Uber to make ends meet. Even showrunners aren't safe. I was listening to The Town podcast's interview with David Stassen (co-creator of the Kate Hudson comedy "Running Point" on Netflix) talking about how in between seasons of the show he is still trying to hustle up writing jobs.

But for many of us actors, it's a different story.

Unlike most industry folks who used to have steady work year-round, most of us developmental actors were never really out here making our living from acting full-time anyway.

If we were SUPER lucky, we might land 2-3 TV bookings a year - which barely covered rent for a couple months and often wasn't even enough to qualify us for union health insurance for that year.

What most of us actors are currently experiencing is an existential crisis. A deep loss of hope and possibility.

The story that used to keep us hanging on year after year—getting new headshots, hitting those casting director workshops, showing up for scene study classes, branding workshops, audition classes, series regular bootcamps, you name it!—was that we were just ONE booking away from making our dreams come true. From being rescued from our current lives into a life of financial stability and red carpets.

That story hasn’t felt true for a while—but now it feels nearly impossible.

With less shows being produced, we are getting less opportunities to audition and juicier roles that would often help an actor break out are going to celebrities and A-listers who already have established careers.

Hell, even A-listers, who you would think are pretty financially set, are diversifying their portfolios away from TV/Film. Launching skincare products, liquors, perfumes, home goods, and more.

Actors aren’t “just actors” anymore.
They are out here hustling up their own work.

Just look at Glenn Powell.

He started his acting career in 2003. He went largely unnoticed until 2022 with his breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick. In the 90s, success like that would mean an actor could finally kick back and let those offers roll in, but Glen Powell did the opposite.

He jumped into producing and writing. He used that Top Gun momentum to co-write and produce Hit Man with Richard Linklater. He also co-wrote and produced a new Hulu series called Chad Powers—which is set to release this Fall. And it was just announced that he’s joining Judd Apatow to co-write and probably star in comedy about a fallen country music star.

I mean—talk about not throwing away his shot!

Here’s what you need to know right now…

The industry is undergoing seismic changes and we have to change with it.

It took Detroit nearly 30 years to recover from the US auto industry collapsing. And even after the government bailout, Detroit never fully returned to it’s hey day.

Due to globalization, emerging markets, and cost-cutting measures—I don't believe that we will ever return to the "Golden Age of Hollywood" or "Peak TV" number of productions a year.

Continuing to compare the current decline of productions to 2022 numbers—the height of PeakTV—isn’t doing us any favors. The industry is course correcting. In 2023, there were 481 shows produced—very close to the 487 show that were produced in 2017—the year before streaming really started to push for the market share. The fact is, a profitable TV landscape can’t handle all of those shows being produced in one year, especially when it relies on advertising dollars.

Consolidation will be necessary to make the business profitable again

For the first time since Netflix entered the streaming space, they did not report subscriber growth in their quarterly earnings calls. They are shifting their focus to revenue and income coming from advertising, gaming, and live events.

Netflix no longer wants their company’s stock valuation to be tied to subscriber growth. The last time they reported subscriber number in 2024, they had 302 million subscribers. To put that in perspective, Hulu ended Q4 with 52 million subscribers in 2024. Basically, there is no competition—except YouTube (but we will get to that later).

So Netflix is changing the game back. After they disrupted and dethroned the traditional broadcast legacy companies, Netflix is returning to an advertising model. Except this time, they are on top.

That will mean other streamers are going to have to come together to compete with Netflix for those advertising dollars because what advertisers want are eyeballs. And according to a Deloitte report published in March 2025, social media platforms are overtaking studios in entertainment and advertising.

So the future is uncertain for EVERYONE.

Once streamers consolidate, it will mean less places for writers to sell their shows. It will mean less shows being produced overall. It will mean less jobs for actors to audition for. It will mean a VERY competitive landscape ahead.

So what do YOU do as an actor?

If all of this is depressing to you, I totally get it and it’s ok.

I think we should all be mourning the collapse of a studio system as we have known it and the dreams that were attached to that system. Gone are the days of studio-minted Hollywood stars! The veil has been lifted and ultimately that is a good thing for us artists—though it doesn't feel like that right now.

This is very much Pluto in Aquarius energy which began its transit in November 2024 and will stay there until 2043. And if you don’t fuck with astrology, that’s ok.

But here’s the cliff notes on that transit means for the collective energy:

Aquarius reminds us that accessing the “collective good” isn’t just aspirational — it’s attainable, should we choose to center this type of progress-driven, egalitarian mind-set.

The Aquarian way values innovation over tradition and insists on building communities that work for everyone, not just the one percent…the focus shifts toward dismantling outdated hierarchies, making way for a society that thrives on inclusivity, collaboration, and forward-thinking solutions.

How do YOU want to experience this transition?

Well—here’s the thing…

If you want to dig your heels into resisting change, hating self-tapes, wishing you were back in the room, thinking that just talent alone is going to hand you a career, and despairing when your inbox isn’t pinging with auditions—I think you are going to have a tough road ahead and you are going to wither on the vine of resentment for not getting the career you say you want.

Gone are the days of thinking that you have too many co-stars on your resume and that you are going to tell your reps to only send you guest star auditions. The question now is do you want to be on set or not?

I was watching the last episode of “Hacks” where they introduced the writer’s room in Vegas. All of those actors, who were in multiple scenes and in a different time would be seen as guest stars, were billed as co-stars in the credits. There were three guest stars in that episode: Michaela Watkins, Luenell, and Lauren Weedman—all established working actors. This is a budgeting issue and has nothing to do with talent and/or experience. It has to do with relevance and can you get eyeballs on a show.

So, you gotta get in where you fit in and take any audition you can if you are going to only stay in the studio system lane. That might mean that acting will become a hobby for you because you can’t build a life on co-star income alone.

Are there breakouts and exceptions? Yes! Of course they are.
But I think it is really unwise to plan your life thinking you are going to be the exception. Not in this economy.

Or You Can Bet On Yourself!

However, I want invite every actor to take some time—while things are slow right now— to really think about who they are as an artist, what they want to offer to the world, and how they want to do that.

Because while studios collapsing around us might be scary and depressing—there is a whole other road that is wide open - the creator economy.

According to a Goldman Sachs report, the creator economy could approach half a trillion dollars by 2027.

Never before have we artists had access to affordable tech to make our own work and distribute it ourselves. Everybody reading this can create a YouTube channel—which right now even beats Netflix in viewership.

Every successful person you see right now broke through by doing their own work. I highly suggest you listen to Quinta Brunson’s interview on the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler. She cut her teeth going viral with Buzzfeed videos and is a student of comedy. Ramy broke through with this stand-up. He shared in this podcast how frustrated he was with studios not knowing what to do with him and why he started writing for himself.

But on a smaller scale, actors who have gone viral creating funny characters on TikTok’s and IG reels are appearing on TV show and movies. Actors like Caitlin Reilly—who started doing TikToks in 2020 skewering white women only to have a very similar character show up in “Hacks” and “Loot” in 2022.

Or Vinny Thomas who went viral 2021 with his pigeon at a Pride parade video on TikTok—getting 1.1M views when he reposted on IG in 2024 showing up and stealing scenes from Reese Witherspoon in “You’re Cordially Invited” on Amazon.

Or Mackenzie Barmen—who I’m sure is going to get a deal soon based on a reel she posted about two sixty-somethings getting coffee as they prepared for their high school reunion. She’s basically producing her own vertical drama in her living room. The chemistry she has with herself is INSANE! The writing is weirdly specific and so funny—yet grounded. You can watch the whole saga in her highlights. And that’s something that she did with just some filters and her imagination. And people in the comments are going wild for it. Demanding a show get made tagging Judd Apatow in the comments.

Or Aaron Goldenberg whose Mean Gay Guys reels consistently go viral on IG . This reel getting over 6.5 MILLION views alone! Only to show up with a very similar character on Grosse Pointe Garden Society on ABC. Just to put that in perspective the aforementioned reel has more views than 5 of the top ten rated shows on television. Makes perfect sense why networks are looking to hire these actors—they bring an audience with them.

Studios are courting content creators like Ms. Rachel and Mr. Beast because of their audience. Writers might have a better chance getting their tv shows greenlit if they do a podcast first—like Dying for Sex on FX or Nobody Wants This on Netflix did. Why? Because they have a built-in audience. So if you want a seat at the table, you gotta bring an audience with you.

I do believe there will be an indie film/TV renaissance and we artists are going to level the playing field. It is just going to take some time.

Here’s the caveat…

You can’t approach creating your own your work as a means to an end.

It has to be authentic to you. Don’t put expectations on it and give yourself the time and freedom to explore and experiment so that you can find organically what resonates with you and an audience. Chances are it will suck for a while until one day something just clicks.

If you want inspiration and perspective, listen to this podcast interviewing musician Andy Grammer. He spent 4 years busking on a Santa Monica pier developing and finding his voice. You can’t judge the work. You just have to show up for it daily.

So don’t despair—lean into your artistry and creativity.

Take an inventory on what you need right now

This might mean that you need to shake up your training. Scene study and casting workshops might not be what you need right now. An expensive branding course isn’t going to help you breakthrough when actors like Meryl Streep are doing guest star work on a TV show.

Instead I suggest investing in classes that cultivate WHO you are as an artist.

Improv classes like The Groundlings—which encourages you to create characters and find your voice as a writer.

I also suggest looking into HOLISTIC training—like our Practice Track membership. We focus on helping actors find their voice and authenticity as artists so it can show up on their auditions. We have a waitlist—but if you want a sneak peek into how Alyshia and I teach, I invite you to join our annual #SelfTapeMay class. Self-taping is encoded in our theatrical union contracts. They aren’t going anywhere. And as things get more and more competitive, you need some clear guide posts on what makes an effective self-tape audition and those are the tools we cover in this class for just $88 for the month.

If all of this is feeling overwhelming….

Yes. I agree. It is feeling overwhelming for all of us. Especially with everything going on in the world. You don’t have to make any decisions right now about anything.

Again, even if you don’t believe in astrology or tarot, I found this particular podcast very healing. I encourage you to listen to it. We are in a 9 year (2+0+2+5=9) which is a year of transformation. But the clarity comes from our willingness to dive deep into ourselves. We are in a seeking stage and the only way out is by going inward first. Either way, get into a community. Be with other people. Practice your art. Find joy.

Hope to see you in May.
You got this ❤️