Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Sturges.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a Los Angeles native who grew up in Ventura and began pursuing my acting career when I attended UCLA. I was lucky enough to have had a successful acting career after studying diligently with Aaron Speiser. I’ve worked in film, television and theater all over the country and internationally. Now, I’m settling back in Santa Monica after going to kindergarten there, I married my husband Michael 26 years ago and had two boys.
Aaron had often asked me to teach for him and once I began to teach I discovered that I truly had a gift for it. Quickly, my classes became the most sought after and attended at the studio. When Aaron decided that he wanted to step back and work less, he asked me if I wanted to buy the studio! The answer was –“yes, yes I do.” I bought the studio in 2015 and had doubled the business within two years.
I’ve worked as a coach on film sets, traveling to Cuba and Atlanta to work on “Fate of the Furious” and “Den of Thieves.” I’ve worked in Los Angeles on television shows such as “Ten Days in the Valley” and have worked personally with celebrity actors, athletes, singers, and dancers. I believe that everyone can benefit from studying acting, we all desire connection, and acting is storytelling and connection and a beautiful way to connect to your creative self and to connect with others. I love working with beginners of all ages, people who often say “I’ve always wanted to try but was too scared.”
I’ve been asked to open studios in other locations, as well as speak to curious students in other locations, and teach online classes. I’m looking at all options as long as I can keep the quality of our teaching.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, acting is almost never a smooth road, but teaching is less subjective and has been much smoother. Getting the best teachers — who understand what we teach and are open to a female and relatively young boss — has been a challenge. I have the best group of teachers right now, but it’s been difficult because we are not able to grow to keep up with demand.
Getting a larger space would be good, but I like our location right now. My students are often struggling financially and I believe we offer them an amazing value, so I don’t raise prices even though I’m constantly advised to.
Also, some people think they can do what I do, I had a student who took one of my 12-week courses and then stole my curriculum to start his own studio. But I know that my years of experience, my passion and my gift cannot be duplicated. There are many acting teachers but I know that I’m special, and I know that my students get the very best teachers.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Speiser/Sturges – what should we know?
We are an acting studio and we teach people the art of acting. We specialize in film and television acting, instead of theater acting.
I’m proud that our students grow so much as people when they study with us, I’m proud of their success – we have many working actors who have started at our studio and I’m proud of the diversity that you will see at our studio. We have students of every ethnic background and the LGBTQ+ community is well represented. Our slogan is “When you’re ready to do what you came here for!”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My studio builds community and is supportive and I absolutely believe that everyone can be an actor if they are brave enough to say they want to try.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1728 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
- Website: www.speisersturges.com
- Phone: (310) 399-4567
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @speisersturges
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speisersturges/
- Twitter: @speisersturges
Image Credit:
Helen Mirren, Dwayne Johnson, With Aaron Speiser
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
