Today we’d like to introduce you to H.T. Altman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I probably got bit by the “acting bug” all the way back In Utero, but more specifically in the 80’s when a little known t.v. series called “Family Ties” was on air. The first actor I ever admired was Michael J. Fox, who was the star of that show and later went on to become an even bigger star on the Big Screen. I liked Fox’s voice, look and charm but most of all his comedic appeal, even though I was too young to fully “get” the jokes. Not long after my mom–undoubtedly for laughs–randomly entered me into a “cute kid” contest for the local paper and I was subsequently crowned the “Cutest boy”; which came with a free photo session from a professional photographer in the area. My pics from that session were sent to a local talent agency and before long I was getting booked for kid modeling work. I stayed with that agency for years, doing a lot of print work up until college. In college I double majored in theater and mass communications and after one play rehearsal I overheard an actress talking to the director of the show about being a featured extra in a film that had been filming in the area. Later, I asked her how she found out about the opportunity and she told me about a hotline you could call that left voice recordings for area film opportunities. After that conversation, I would become glued to the phone, calling that 800-hotline every day, pen and paper at the ready, and began submitting my head shot and resume to every opportunity that fit me. One such opportunity led me to a community college for a casting call. At that time, I had never even heard of a “student film”, but as luck would have it, I booked the leading role from that audition and went on to work with that same crew on more of their films, gradually cultivating a network of filmmaker contacts in the area that would benefit me long after. Fast forward a quarter century or so and I’ve booked numerous feature films roles, web series, commercials, and t.v. pilots, shot all over the U.S. and Europe, picking a SAG card along the way. My proudest artistic accomplishment, pertaining to cinematic storytelling, however, has been co-founding The Cinematics with my friend and filmmaker partner, Cole Douglas Meyer. Less of a talker and more of doer like me, together, we managed to pull together our first feature film on a micro-budget, ‘Chaste’; which was signed into a distribution deal this year and ‘The Ballad of Travis Hunter’; which is a country-music-musical co-starring another one of my favorite actors from my teen years, Eric Roberts. The Ballad of Travis Hunter is in its final post-production stages and we will be exploring distribution after its complete. Throughout the course of these two features, I have developed another passion for producing, which has required me to learn the ropes on the other side of the camera for a change. The experience has been eye-opening and quite sobering as well. I feel more optimism for the future now that I have experienced working on both sides of the camera now that I have both perspectives.
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?
It’s never easy to just be a working actor, especially in today’s oversaturated market where the supply vastly outweighs the demand, and especially when it comes to making a living through acting. Talk to any actor booking auditions and they will tell you that rejection is more often the norm than not. However, I feel that with anything in life, struggling gives a person the opportunity perhaps to hone their craft, learn from mistakes, and apply new, refined strategies, so I don’t see it as purely negative either. You also become numb to rejection after awhile and learn to see decisions like casting from an objective point of view; which helps redirect your focus into a positive.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My acting skills are versatile, focusing on physical and technical aspects of speech, such as oral posture, muscle control, and rhythm. I studied voice and dialect as part of my theater degree and have taken specific courses to help master certain regional accents too. I have musical specialization in classical, opera, vocal jazz, and other contemporary genres like pop, rock, and R&B too. My primary strength is being able to play the utility roles, but as usual with casting I’m generally typed within certain frames of preference. What sets me apart, I think, is my unique kinetic energy as a performer, especially when it comes to movement and voice. What I am most proud of are the two aforementioned films I produced and starred in, set to release soon. Please check them out here:
www.chastethemovie.com
www.theballadoftravishunter.com
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
This is always a difficult question, yet deserves the sobering truth. If someone were to ask me for advice on how to “break in” to show business, I would first ask them if show business is truly, no I mean, truly, what they want to do with their life. Setting aside any “feelings”, is acting truly what fulfills you, because if its not, then my advice would be to not pursue it as it is and will always be extremely difficult, if not impossible to become a “star”, no matter what your Facebook friends say. However, if your answer is “yes” and you can demonstrate the proper evidence to bolster your claim that I would encourage people to start their journey by carefully crafting an image, a brand for themselves. 80-90% of casting is going to be decided not on talent, but on how you brand your image. Get professional head shots. No, not your brother, your sister or your girlfriend’s brother’s uncle in the backyard shooting you against a tree. Professional head shots, makeup included with proper lighting by someone who specifically shoots actors/models, not weddings or senior high photos. This head shot will be your calling card as an actor and one of the most important tools in your acting toolbox. It should be–even in thumbnail size–quality enough to merit a click to enlarge it for further inspection. Second, if you have no resume, start looking for smaller projects to get your proverbial feet wet. Student films, contest-based films are always looking to hire. You probably won’t get paid, or seen by more than a handful of people, but you’re new. You’re paying your dues. You’re building a resume to accompany that professional head shot when you submit to agents. Take quality acting classes and workshops with experienced professionals who have worked in film and t.v.. This also goes on that resume. As time goes on and you begin to gather footage from your work, put a short demo reel together – 30 seconds is all you need. Start an Actors Access, a Backstage and a Casting Networks profile where all of this can be reviewed by industry professionals. Build an acting website to warehouse your materials. Keep it fresh. Updated. And keep your name in the markets. Keep submitting to agents, even when they reject you, submit again, and never, ever take anything personal. Its a business. You are a business, You are a brand. Believe in yourself. Be the only one of you there is.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.htaltman.net
- Instagram: @htaltman_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/htaltman/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ht_altman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cbale07
