LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE, ENTERTAINMENT FILM-CONNECTION, ANNOUNCES NEW ACTING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Los Angeles, California, October 21, 2008–The Entertainment Career Connection, Inc., offering certificate programs in all aspects of filmmaking, radio broadcasting and film engineering, today announced its new Film-Connection film acting mentorship program, offering the most comprehensive private acting training on the market. No other program combines both the truly rigorous craft of an acting program and one-on-one training with an industry professional. Available only in Los Angeles and New York, the company has partnered with the Joe Anthony studios to teach its new film acting course. In addition, the company announced a complete re-design of its Film-Connection film school alternative website.

In a competitive industry that is notoriously unforgiving to the unprepared, how actors train is critical to their success, and often makes the difference between those who find work and those who don’t. The Entertainment Film-Connection’s film acting program combines both a rigorous acting craft program with one-on-one, results-oriented career-coaching sessions and an intense curriculum. Through individualized private guidance on both creative and business fronts, students develop skills that can lead them to generating opportunities rather than waiting for the phone to ring.

“Making it as a working actor isn’t just about being at the right place at the right time. When opportunity knocks you are either prepared to seize it or not, and if you are not ready you will blow it,” said Entertainment Career Connection’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer James (Jimi) Petula. “During tough economic times, students in any entertainment field need value for their money. No other program combines both the truly rigorous craft of an acting program with one-on-one result oriented career coaching sessions, so students will have a better chance of working upon graduation.”

At the Entertainment Film-Connection’s film acting course, Anthony’s Los Angeles acting program students learn to imaginatively create the world of the story in a way that truly resonates for them as an individual, allowing them to go into any professional situation such as a casting office, on the set or in a rehearsal to do their job with a sense of wonder instead of dread or fear. It is in this state of mind that they are free and able to live authentically and express truthfully – from “action to cut” while doing their job.

Anthony’s practical approach to acting involves strengthening the three specific muscles an actor needs to be truthful and authentic: imagination, or the ability to make fictional circumstances real; empathy, which is the essential ability to be sensitive and vulnerable to circumstances, and; concentration, or the ability to focus on the circumstances of a script as opposed to the circumstances of the set or casting office.

Students engage in six-month $8,450 program series with written lesson and in-person coaching concepts focusing on a curriculum of both career coaching and the craft of acting with classes including: Getting Started Business Basics, Cold Reading, Monologue, Taking Action, Scene Study, and finally Launching Your Career.

The Entertainment Career Connection is well known for its success qualifying graduates for positions in the film, television and video production fields. Industry experts pass their knowledge and experience on to the Film Connection program providing an interactive and exciting atmosphere where the mentor teachers work openly between soundstages, movie sets, and the classroom. The Film Connection provides training the practical way, on real sets, under real life working conditions, being trained, one-on-one by a working professional. No experience is required and students can take classes part time during night or weekend sessions, training around a current job.

“I started getting my first breaks within six months of starting the Entertainment Career Connection Film program n the year 2000. It is much more practical and real world than traditional film schools. I did my first two shorts the first year, and then got a great job as a production coordinator,” said Derek Cohen of New York City. “Today, I have directed my first full length feature film which is in Target, WalMart, and Hollywood Video and is being distributed by York Entertainment. I am now a mentor in New York City for Entertainment Connection and have my own production company.”

Over the last 25 years more than 6,000 students have graduated from Entertainment Career Connection programs, creating a vast alumni network worldwide. The company provides mentor extern programs for the entertainment arts including the film, radio, television and film recording industries.

About Entertainment Career Connection, Inc. 
Founded in 1984, the Entertainment Career Connection, Inc. has provided mentor extern programs for the film, radio, television and the film recording industries in more than 100 U.S. cities in all 50 states. The programs, where graduates find their dream careers, provide the entertainment industry with apprentices and entry level employees.

At this time The Entertainment Career Connection does not offer a complete financial aid package from Sallie Mae the nation’s leading provider of student loans, and other financial aid programs. More than 6,000 students have graduated from Entertainment Career Connection programs, creating a vast alumni network worldwide.

Entertainment Career Connection has a reputation for having the finest radio, recording, film production and acting programs in the entertainment media industry. Unlike any other schools, students learn from successful mentors in real world situations including active recording studio sessions, on real film sets and at actual on air radio stations as opposed to simulated classrooms where the pressures of client interaction and real deadlines do not exist.

The company is headquartered at Hollywood and Vine, by the historic Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California. Visit www.film-connection.com, www.radioconnection.com or www.recordingconnection.com.