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Thanks G-d that's not my headshot! It's a fair likeness, mind you. Not the best. Not the worst. Actually, it looks like me on a good day.
I started in professional theater in 1959 in a production of "On Borrowed Time." For years afterward I was that kid in town who was "in plays." I was in one or two major productions a year in Civic Theater and did six years of College Repertory (six plays in rotation, eight shows a week).
"Oh, that's Joey Coburn, he's in plays." the villagers would whisper.
Well, that's how it had been for generations in my family. Great-Great-Grandfather was a singer and dancer in Ireland. His son, Joe Boss Emmett was a headliner in Chicago playing 50 weeks a year. His eldest, my Grandfather, was a wage-earning 'hoofer' by 4 years of age and Mom first heard two hands come together at age two. She worked for 70 years.
Mom was trying to get work as a singer on Broadway when I was born. I was named after the musical, "Pal Joey." She must have auditioned for and seen the production 50 times while I gestated.
Growing up in our house meant you had to be able to do a dance or sing a song, and do it well, or no supper! Grampa taught me the "one-legged tap dance" by the time I was two and I couldn't have been more than four when he had taught me to whistle. I remember standing in front of company with a big red bow tie and whistleing "Around The World in 80 Days" while Grampa tittered. He was so pleased.
You're not reading this to hear the ramblings of my life, though. You want some personal history that gives creedence to my proposition that I can teach you to act better than you ever thought possible. So, what from my humble background will enable what you want.
It is said that, for the teacher, credibility comes from what his students accomplish. To my students credit, serious study was only part of the route to their success. The truth is this, for the teacher, credibility comes from what their teachers accomplished.
I did not study with Sanford Meisner. I barely knew the man. I'd sneak into his classes to watch him teach. Sometimes I'd get caught and would be shown the door. My teacher was Sandy's protege', a fellow named Robert Carnegie. Bob was seated at Sandy's side in the classes I "audited."
Bob sat at Sandy's side, in every class, for the last 8 and 1/2 years that Mr. Meisner taught. He wrote down every word Sandy said and on weekends they would get together to go over Bob's notes for clarification.
Sandy said no other teacher with whom he worked ever approached teaching that seriously.
For my part, I spent nine years doing the exact same thing with Mr. Carnegie. After four years of study I began teaching at Bob's school where I worked with hundreds of actors for the next five years. I am grateful that Mr. Carnegie permitted me to make all of my mistakes at his expense.
I opened Seattle Acting School - SEACTTM in 2000 and returned to Los Angeles to found LAACTTM in 2009. I have 20 years experience bringing actors to the point where they can compete and win in one of the most competitive industries imaginable.
From the time I was 18 until I was 39 I was in commercial broadcasting, advertising, and concert promotion and production. I also worked as a producer in the recording business.
So, I was a Rock n Roll disk jockey, a News Anchor/Writer, Signature Voice for Television imaging, Voice-Over artist for commercials (around 90,000 spots), Production Director and Program Director.
In the concert business I was the guy with all the tickets and all the money; placed all the media buys and supervised event operations.
I was the Creative Director for a major advertising agency and had my own agency in the 80's serving the high-tech industries; computer manufacturers, etc.
In the recording studio my job was to get a commercial sound out of a band. I had to show the musicians where a tempo change added depth; added the strings, more kick, more bass, did the mix and mastered the sessions.
The benefit to my students from this diverse background is this, I know exactly what it takes to compete professionally and how to bring oneself to a state of readiness, to a commercial state. The term, "commercial" doesn't have to do with advertising; it's an industry term that means, "meets the technical and artistic expectations of a professional."
So, that's what I offer; a theatrical legacy with a habit of excellence, a broad spectrum of professional level work in the performance industries, a thorough understanding of modern marketing techniques, and the soul of an artist.
Take a week of free classes, see if the approach is right for you, see if the other students are the kind of people with whom you would like to work, see if the teacher really knows how to teach (and not just drop names and talk about themselves). You either want to work your ass off or you don't; it's up to you.
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