Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Feinberg.
Hi Ken, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Atlanta, and my dream is to be an actor in Hollywood. After getting a film degree from University of Georgia, I was acting in local theater here in Atlanta with a real job and a video production company on the side. after a few years, I decided to really pursue my dream. The journey took me to Orlando, New York City and then to Los Angeles. There are so many wonderful stories about this adventure that I don’t have space to write any here, however, after many years of training and participating in three different repertory theater companies, I became a working actor in Hollywood acting on such shows as Star Trek Enterprise, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed etc. I was typed as the biker, demon, convict, prison guard, bouncer etc. because of my size being 6 foot four with a shaved head. Even though I was classically trained, was in three different theater repertory companies as an actor and a director and had performed Shakespeare, after so many years I decided to return to Georgia. When I told my Acting Coach that I was moving back to Atlanta, he was like “Why? You’re booking. You’re making money as an actor. You’re ahead of the curve.” But I found being the big, mean killer – all the time – to be unsatisfying and my dream had not realized in the way I imagined it.
So, I returned home to Atlanta and opened an acting studio where I trained actors, cast projects for film/commercials and produced original content. In 2009, a casting colleague of mine asked me if I ever thought about training young people, and I said “no”. She said that she thought I’d be really good working with kids and teens. And I remember saying something like if I work with kids and teens number one it cannot be playtime and number two I don’t wanna be a babysitter. The kids have to want to learn how to become an actor and make it their career. They have to be serious about acting as a business and they have to have parents who support them. They will have to audition to get in the class, and each actor had to commit for a minimum of one year to be part of the class. Plus, we had produce original film projects to give these actors a true experience of being on a film set because it’s one thing to tell you how and show you how to be an actor, and it’s another thing to actually do the job.
The program concluded with a red carpet premiere screening including the young actors arriving in a limo (with sparkling apple cider). This exercise became a corner stone of the CSA Film Academy program on graduation day. we have had many of our graduates walk red carpets at premieres such as Erika Bierman for the Hunger Games movies, Kya Haywood at the Will Ferrell premiere of the movie he acted in called The Campaign and many others too numerous to name.
Out biggest original class film project from the class is a feature film called Santa’s Boot Camp, a family, Christmas comedy that teaches kids to be nicer to each other. The film featured Academy Award nominated actor Eric Roberts as the Mall Santa, and the film won many awards on the film festival circuit including: the Directors Gold Award at the International Family Film Festival, the best family feature film at the San Diego Kids International Film Festival and even a prestigious Dove Award. Santa’s Boot Camp was picked up by Sony and can be seen on many streaming platforms today. It was even named one of the top 10 Christmas films for teens in the United Kingdom.
Another unique aspect of the CSA Film Academy was that we took groups of young trained actors to Los Angeles for continuing education a even performed showcases with invited guests that included agents, managers, casting directors, producers directors, etc. In fact, the last showcase we did in LA, not only did Nickelodeon Studios attend, they invited our actors and their families over for a private tour. The showcase is grew in popularity every year and our most recent showcase had so many industry guests in attendance that the parents could not even fit in the room to watch.
Many of the actors have gone on to create careers for themselves such as Storm Reid, Kyla Drew, Madison Thompson and many others. We’ve had two graduates win SAG Awards and a third nominated for one. I was even asked to be a contributing writer to backstage.com one of the most popular actor publications.
Today, I’m teaching classes at the Atlanta Hollywood Studios in Woodstock Georgia, the Brittany Leazer productions in East Cobb and on zoom classes online. I’m also producing a few film projects in family friendly genres.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My dad used to say, “The road to success is always under construction”, and he was right. There have been some wonderful and amazing moments along the way. But there have been and continues to be many struggles, I have learned a lot from the struggles.
Some of the struggles for the CSA Film Academy are finding enough actors who genuinely want to learn acting and the business. I see advertisements on the web that promise actors work or “make you a star” or be seen by an agent. . It’s not that easy and even if it was, you’d need to have the skills and technique to sustain it. I always tell my students you need two things to work as an actor: one is you have to have the opportunities to work and two, you have to know what to do when you get the opportunity . If I gave you a job as an architect that would be really cool, but could you do it and if so how well could you do it without training and experience?
As an actor and a producer,, I’ve had many struggles. when I was acting, it was about finding opportunities so I could show people my skills and talents and there are many stories. As a producer, I’m still trying to convince people that my creative projects are inspirational, and financially viable at the same time, which is definitely a struggle.
I will say that the struggles of seeing a project through to completion are always met with creative satisfaction at the end.. For example, when we make our films in the CSA Film Academy, and those actors walk the red carpet and they see the films on the big screen, those are celebration moments of accomplishment,
I am looking forward to a smooth road on my next creative project when we have the time and the resources to really craft it. creatively..
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known for teaching people how to access their emotions and express them. Sometimes that’s called acting. and sometimes that’s called life. One of my former students said I was teaching “emotional technology”.
I have had a unique experience of being an actor, casting director, producer and director. So, I’ve had the experience of being on all sides of the casting process, and I feel I provide others with some insight and perspective. My students tell me that my class should be called “the secrets to book in the job”.
I keep saying I’m going to write a book about what I teach people because I bring acting concepts forward and put it in a way that young people can understand it and utilize it at the same time. Adult actors tell me how easy it is to utilize it as well. because my acting terms are simplified yet easy to utilize, They say it makes their work better and more exciting, and I have seen many actors book jobs when they leave my class. I think that’s what sets me apart from others.
I am proud to say that I’ve trained many actors who are working like Madison Thompson, Storm Reid, Kyla Drew, Jason Jabbar, Aubriana Davis, Matthew Atkinson, Sarah Cooper, Noah Lomax, Diva Tyler, Randall Taylor, Jenna Kanell and others.
Sometimes, I am known as the guy who acted on Star Trek or the guy that acted on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have had many mentors and cheerleaders along the way My parents have been my biggest rock, especially when my dreams were my struggles. some of my other mentors along the way include: film producer Suzanne Lyons, Brady Bunch writer/producer Lloyd Schwartz, the late, great Dr. Barry Sherman from UGA, actor Frank Crim and many others too numerous to name. Editor Craig Tollis has been a fantastic teammate. We’ve done 39 projects together and we joke about which project will be number 40. Producer and sound mixer Aron Siegel has been a great teammate as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: creativestudiosofatlanta@gmail.com
- Instagram: creative studios of atlanta
- Facebook: creative studios of atlanta
- Other: AtlantaHollywood.com
