“Ready? Set? Act!” is for the working actor who desires to move to the next level in film, TV and theater and who wants to set reachable goals that will sustain his or her career for many years to come. It is for the actor who has been discouraged by his progress so far and wants to know what to do to get ahead! It is for every actor who needs to combine the business aspects of having a career with the creative drive that made him choose to be an actor, in the first place.
Joan Sittenfield is a talent manager, producer, and writer who heads her own management company, Joan Sittenfield Management.
She began her career in the entertainment industry as an actress and dancer. Upon receiving her master’s degree in theatre from USC, she spent six years as a guest artist in residence, teaching acting and movement at such universities as Michigan State, California State University at Sacramento, USC, Cornell, and Arizona State. She also worked as a highly sought after private acting coach as well as a theatre director and choreographer.
When she decided to make her home in the Los Angeles area permanently, she became a successful independent casting director. In that capacity she worked on such feature films as ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, OH GOD II, BAD MEDICINE, AND PRIVATE BENJAMIN. She also cast the award winning television program TAXI as well as THE JEFFERSONS, GLITTER, and numerous pilots and TV movies. In 1985 she went to Universal Television where, as Senior Vice President of Talent and Casting for the next nine years, she was responsible for the talent packaging and casting of such successful programs as LAW AND ORDER, NORTHERN EXPOSURE, A YEAR IN THE LIFE, QUANTUM LEAP, MAJOR DAD, and COACH, to name but a few of the over 20 series and 100 pilots with which she was involved. While at Universal, she was also responsible for giving many of today’s biggest stars their first breaks, among them Sandra Bullock, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Noth, Ving Rhames, Julianna Marguiles, and Eriq La Salle.<
