The Making of an Actress: A New Crop of Hollywood Stars

Victoria Justice (left) and myself (right).

Here is the second post in collaboration with my agency, Exxcel Model & Talent, Inc., about my previous trip to LA and the progression of my career. You can find it here on over on Exxcel's blog, Exxcel EDGE. 

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​https://exxcelblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/551/

There’s nothing more fascinating than meeting someone you’ve seen on television, online or in the movies. Seeing a person go from screen to reality right in front of your eyes is just plain old cool to me. Working with Dennis LaValle has allowed me to experience this all in one week! Since Dennis is one of the most successful acting coaches in the business, he has a boatload of stars under his belt, and they are like a second family to him. He has coached celebrities who we all know and love like Vanessa Hudgens, Victoria Justice, Chris Evans, Kellan Lutz, and so many more. The list goes on for miles!

During Dennis’ week-long acting camp, which he seasonally puts on for selected Exxcel talent, we trained our voices, practiced scene study, learned improvisation, and fine-tuned our performance skills. But the most exciting part of each class was when Dennis brought in one of his current or graduated students. Through Dennis, I’ve met stars whom I’ve followed for years and years, and always admired. He introduced our class to two cast members of one of my current favorite shows, Aquarius (starring David Duchovny) — Grey Damon and Michael Galante. Michael had a reoccurring role in season one of the show, and Grey is Duchovny’s co-star.

Dennis also introduced us to Max Ehrich, who is known for his roles in High School Musical and Days of Our Lives. In addition, I also met Thomas and Brielle Barbusca (American Horror Story and Modern Family), as well as the notorious Victoria Justice, who is known for her various Nickelodeon roles in Victorious, Zoey 101, iCarly, and many more. I’ll never forget the day when Dennis announced that our guest speaker had arrived, and Victoria was the one who walked through the door. The reaction from the class when she entered the room was certainly unforgettable.

Fortunately for me, I flew into LA a few days before our camp had begun. This gave me the opportunity to sit in on one of Dennis’ adult classes which he holds weekly for his students. Here, I had the opportunity of meeting Zach Callison, star of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe and LJ Benet, who is recognized for his roles in Disney’s Dog with a Blog and Dark Skies. LJ had invited me to one his concerts at one of the local restaurants, and I can honestly say that it may have been one of the coolest experiences that I’ve ever had.
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Working with Dennis has allowed me to not only meet people I have looked up to from afar, but to make friends within the industry — which is often a difficult task for many. Without Dennis and Exxcel Model & Talent, I wouldn’t have been able to make the valuable connections that I have and, for that, I will be forever grateful.


Be sure to stay tuned for more posts from The Making of an Actress. x
-Samantha Baldwin 

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Myself (left) with Dennis (right).

Myself (right) with LJ Benet (left).