Today we’d like to introduce you to Hollie Bahar from Tape House.
Hollie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Whether it was a “fashion show” for my family or acting in local theater, as far back as I can remember, I’ve loved performing. My first play was “Annie” and I was one of the youngest cast members, so they actually asked my mother to audition so I could have a guardian around. And by the way, she ended up getting a solo in a song. Go, Mom! Over time, this love of performing grew into a full-blown passion for movies, television, and filmmaking. I eventually pulled an Emma Stone by making a Power Point presentation and convincing my parents to let me pursue my dreams of being an actress. Once I graduated from Dunlap High School in Peoria, Illinois, I moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. This was where I was on my first major set, booked my first feature film ever, and learned invaluable lessons. I will always be grateful for my time in Wilmington. But ultimately, my heart was set on Los Angeles. So, after a year, I picked back up and moved to the opposite coast. Arriving in LA, felt scary, foreign, and yet somehow- it’s cheesy!- felt like coming home.
Cut to seven years later, LA still continues to feel like home. I’ve been fortunate enough to have found myself surrounded by incredible friends that I consider family, and I’ve worked on some amazing jobs. But that handful of jobs has come only after hundreds (yes, HUNDREDS) of auditions, many of them being self-tapes. Oh man. You wouldn’t believe the things us actors have rigged up to do a self-tape. Tables with stacks of books 5-feet high and a phone propped on top of that. Trying to use a friend as a reader via Skype or FaceTime when we are traveling and have no other option. Reading with a voice recording of ourselves. The list goes on and on. I’ve also gone to many professional taping services around LA. There are a lot of great ones. But my lengthy experience with acting, auditions, knowing the process, and truly just loving what I do, led me to have the inevitable “Ah-ha!’ moment. Within a week, Tape House was born.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not. My personal frustrations with the industry and with auditions, as well as hearing challenges other actors face, were the things that led me here. Don’t get me wrong, I adore acting, and just the process of filmmaking as a whole. I live and breath them. They’re my first loves. But anyone in this business knows how truly taxing it can be. To be candid, I was kind of at that point where I needed to make a serious change in my daily life, or I would burn out completely. But burning out and going home wasn’t an option. So, pulled myself up by my bootstraps (do people still say that?) and I started and finished writing a feature film that I’d been wanting to write for nearly 10 years. I enrolled in a new acting class. I took better care of myself. Leaned all the way into the things I love… and Tape House was created shortly after that. So, as cliche as it sounds, I wouldn’t take back any of the struggles because so many important, big, things were born out of it. And will continue to be.
Please tell us about Tape House.
Tape House is a full service-audition taping space for actors. We have a professional studio lighting set up, mic, backdrop, and camera. We also offer a virtual line- running. Here’s the thing, there are plenty of taping companies in Los Angeles, but I feel there are a few key aspects that set Tape House apart. The first being that I am an actress, so I understand the audition process first hand, what (usually) makes reps and casting happy, and what doesn’t. I also empathize with how uncomfortable or just plain strange tapes can be sometimes. Actors are given scenes that are set on a battlefield, in a moving car, in a restaurant, etc. and are expected to bring that energy into a room with 4 walls, 1 camera, and no-frills. At Tape House, I am confident in my ability to make it a comfortable environment to play, experiment, fail, and act. I want my clients to feel they have a safe place to come do their best work with no judgement, just support. Also, actors spend an incredible amount of time and money on what we do, which is why I don’t charge an arm and a leg. I know how much is spent on headshots, classes, casting sites, gas money to and from auditions (and so much more) and I would never take advantage of that. I genuinely love what I do. And I think when there is true heart and passion behind whatever product or service you are buying, you can sense that. So, not only do you get a stellar looking tape that doesn’t break the bank, hopefully, you’ve come in and had a relaxed, creative, and fun experience.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The only thing I would have done differently is to start this company sooner. But then again, I do believe these things come at exactly the right time in our lives. So, maybe had I done it three, four, five years ago, it wouldn’t have taken off the way it has today. So yeah, no regrets.
Pricing:
- All services are $1/min
- Editing is free
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tapehousela.com
- Phone: 818-538-6053
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @tapehousela
Example of Tape House set up featuring client Bailey Noble
Image credit:
Emily Helen Photography
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