Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Rispoli.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dave. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve actually been in the entertainment industry for 20 years now. I started acting at a very young age, attending a performing arts program in high school in Orlando, Florida, and then eventually attending DePaul University’s BFA acting program. Though my first few years in Los Angeles were a bit… rocky, I’ve been fortunate enough to make a living as an actor, writer, and host for the last four years. My longtime friend and former roommate, Ben Rovner, went on to become the CEO of the Space Station Casting Studios and having both realized there was a need for affordable, business-driven classes for actors, writers and directors, so we opened up The Artist’s Initiative. Due to the pandemic, we are strictly offering webinars via Zoom, which has actually been an amazing experience because now we can offer classes to those outside the LA area, and even outside of California. Check out www.SpaceStationArtists.com for upcoming classes.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh man, it’s been anything but smooth. I’ve booked roles that never filmed, been on shows that never aired, lost good agents, hired bad agents, had no agents, lived on couches, and eventually had to move back home to Orlando to reset. Once I moved to LA, I decided two things: I would never wait tables again and I was going to work for myself. Luckily, both are still true. The road still isn’t smooth but the bumps don’t bother me anymore, in fact, I welcome them.
We’d love to hear more about the company.
The Space Station Artist’s Initiative is a company by actors, for actors. Our mantra is to only offer classes that we’d want to take ourselves. After wasting tons of money over the years in classes that over-promise and under-deliver, we knew we wanted something where people could walk away with a ton of new tools and a wealth of knowledge. We have one main requirement for all of our teachers, they must be currently working in the field they are teachers. We have no actors turned teachers, these are working artist who practice what they preach, at a rate that any struggling artist could afford ($25 a class!)
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It’s going to look totally different! Even our company is now strictly a zoom/webinar company, which just five months ago we were holding in-person workshops. Soon, all auditions will be virtual and talent will be continuing to be found on social media platforms. It’s the wild-west right now and I love it. It’s a great time to be creating your own content, something I am a huge advocate for.
Pricing:
- Only $25 for a 2-hour Webinar. Brand new class every Saturday 12pm-2pm
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.spacestationartists.com/
- Phone: 323.325.1115
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Personal Photo – OnTay Photos (OntayPhotos.com)
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