Helping Kiwis find big breaks in Hollywood
Former agent and casting director Lilly Dawson is in the business of helping people break into the American entertainment industry, and she wants more Kiwi performers to give it a go.
Dawson founded Los Angelesbased Hollywood Immersive, a company that helps actors, musicians and most recently, dancers make a mark in the tough United States entertainment scene.
Hopefuls audition for a spot in one of the company’s acting, music or dancing programmes and if chosen, spend a week learning from top industry professionals.
At the end of the programme, participants perform for industry guests.
Mentors on the programme include American actress Eva Mendes, eight-time Grammy winner Rob Chiarelli, Piers Morgan’s manager John Ferriter, acting school the Beverly Hills Playhouse and visa specialists D’Alessio Law.
Some of the programme’s success stories include Australian actor Matt Testro, who stars in award-winning Australian drama series Nowhere Boys, and fellow Australian actor Rahart Adams, who starred in Nickelodeon series Every Witch Way.
With an extensive career as a casting director, including a stint as Mendes’ personal assistant, Dawson said her motivation was to help undiscovered talent get noticed.
She said it was also about providing a safe environment for newcomers to Los Angeles.
‘‘You need to be in a safe environment and you need to be with good people. You can easily not be because it’s a big city and it’s full of sharks.’’
Dawson said it was no harder for Kiwis than it was for anyone else in the world to break into the industry, and New Zealanders were among some of the most driven and tenacious.
It was Dawson’s tenacity that helped her through the challenging times starting up a business in Los Angeles.
Originally from a small town in the Bay of Islands called Pakaraka, Dawson won a Green Card lottery to become a permanent resident of the United States after some time working in Australia.
Starting out was a challenge, making sure everything ran to schedule.
But she said people in the industry were generous.
Now, Dawson employed five staff and has helped mentor people from more than 20 countries.