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Martin Bentsen has been featured in:
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"A yes or no can take just 7 seconds."According to many industry experts, casting directors take less than seven seconds to determine if an actor should be invited to audition (or submit a self-tape).
If your headshot, resume, and reel haven't convinced them within that time frame, most will simply move onto the next actor. In fact, 99% of all actors never get callbacks – only 30 are typically chosen out of 3,000. And the most unfortunate part? Most of those actors never find out why they weren't selected, leaving them wondering things like:
And then those same actors spend months (and sometimes even YEARS) fixing things that were never broken. But there is one thing that casting directors DO care about. And they care about it above all else: Your acting ability. That's why, if you're submitting yourself consistently but not getting invited to auditions – or you're auditioning frequently but not getting callbacks, chances are you can change it easily simply by focusing on your technique.
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Hi, I'm Martin Bentsen and I believe EVERY actor deserves a shot.
You might have seen me speak at NYU, Actor's Connection, or The Actor's Green Room. Or you might have taken headshots at my 5-star rated photography studio called City Headshots.
As someone who has coached thousands of actors via Zoom, in-person classes, and live on set since 2011, I've gained a deep understanding of how to help actors quickly understand what's working and what's not in a scene, and how to fix problems fast. Even though I teach a lot about marketing for actors, my specialty is directing & coaching actors, having majored in film directing at NYU Tisch (and having directed two feature-length films). I love to simplify complex subjects into easy-to-understand, actionable tasks. This allows my clients to quickly wrap their heads around a concept and get the result they want. |
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My intent is to help you master all three areas... in just four weeks:
Uplevel Your Acting is a carefully crafted, 4-week live masterclass series, where we'll work together in a group setting via Zoom to analyze, break down, and refine your acting technique. This is a screen-acting focused program. The goal of Uplevel Your Acting is to take your acting up to consistent Level 3 & Level 4 performances, where everything is extremely easy to follow, engaging, and keeps the viewer hooked. Level 3 and 4 performances are what casting directors look for in the actors they hire (especially when it comes to larger roles). Here's just some of what we cover in the four 2-hour sessions:
This 4-week masterclass is kept VERY small. In order to give everyone the attention they deserve, I limit this to just 4-8 people per cohort, and spots fill up fast. |
A Layout of the Program:Uplevel Your Acting is broken into four live Zoom masterclasses.
Each class includes specific lessons, plus monologue analysis and critique. Take a look at the breakdown below to learn what the program includes: Masterclass #1: From Level 1 to Level 2
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"I have gained SO much confidence."
"From my first session working with Martin, I have gained SO much confidence in my acting.
Not only is he a great acting coach (he gave me the most helpful insights that INSTANTLY improved my performance, significantly), but he gave me so many resources that I now feel confident analyzing my own self-tapes to keep improving by myself. If you want to improve your performance FAST, even if you're starting from zero, then working with Martin is a no brainer. Honestly, run and grab your spot before they're gone, you don't want to miss out on these workshops! – Marie-Pier Portier, professional actress |
"The improvements I've seen in my acting have been big..."
"Before I started these classes, my goal was to learn how to perform in film and TV since I've only done theater so far. This class was even better than I thought it would be and taught me a lot about how to act for camera.
Getting feedback every week on the scenes I did was super helpful. It showed me what I needed to work on to improve. Additionally, I didn't expect to get so much help from Martin, but he was always there to answer my emails if I got stuck on something between our classes. And at the end, he gave us all the notes from the class in PDFs, which was very helpful. I'd tell anyone who's thinking about doing this class to just go for it. The classes are really fun and interesting, and the improvements I've seen in my acting have been big (especially considering the time frame of just 4 classes)." – Charlie Julian Stull, professional actor |
"It showed me how to bring my characters to life..."
"Uplevel Your Acting was a big step for me. The part that really changed how I see acting was learning to really feel what my character was feeling. It made my acting more real and less about performing.
Before I started, I wanted to work on getting into films or TV shows and finding an agent. I realized I was rushing things and this workshop helped me see where I was skipping important steps.
The workshop was way better than I expected. It showed me how to bring my characters to life and not just do the same old thing. Thanks to Martin, I'm not scared to bring more life to my roles now.
If a friend was thinking about joining, I'd say go for it! It's a great starting point for anyone's acting career. You learn how to move from being a beginner to acting like a real pro, around level 3 or 4. It's a game-changer."
Before I started, I wanted to work on getting into films or TV shows and finding an agent. I realized I was rushing things and this workshop helped me see where I was skipping important steps.
The workshop was way better than I expected. It showed me how to bring my characters to life and not just do the same old thing. Thanks to Martin, I'm not scared to bring more life to my roles now.
If a friend was thinking about joining, I'd say go for it! It's a great starting point for anyone's acting career. You learn how to move from being a beginner to acting like a real pro, around level 3 or 4. It's a game-changer."
– Preferred to remain anonymous
"I'm a lot more confident..."
"Uplevel Your Acting was a game-changer. The most eye-opening part was in week three, when I realized my acting was coming off a bit too forced and not real enough. Now, I'm using the tips to tweak my auditions and I'm a lot more confident.
I didn't really have any big expectations when I signed up, but the workshop was so much more than I thought it would be. I learned a ton and really enjoyed working with the group. The focus on making our acting more natural, getting monologues right, and improving our self-tape auditions was spot on.
If you're trying to level up your acting or just want to get better at auditioning, this workshop is a solid choice. I'd tell any friend of mine to go for it if they're serious about their career.
I didn't really have any big expectations when I signed up, but the workshop was so much more than I thought it would be. I learned a ton and really enjoyed working with the group. The focus on making our acting more natural, getting monologues right, and improving our self-tape auditions was spot on.
If you're trying to level up your acting or just want to get better at auditioning, this workshop is a solid choice. I'd tell any friend of mine to go for it if they're serious about their career.
– Preferred to remain anonymous
More Kind Words "I just booked my first speaking role in Law & Order: SVU and my manager is FINALLY listening to me. Thank you!!" - Mya Carter "Since working with Martin, I've performed at the Apollo theatre with rapper Drake, I've become eligible and joined SAG-AFTRA (a long-term goal of mine), and I've even worked as a CORE background actor in numerous TV shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Law & Order SVU." - Ronald Barshop "Because of you I have landed my two FIRST EVER roles in the last week. Both are leading roles in two short films." - Richard P. "I booked a supporting role in a Lifetime movie 12 Days of Christmas Eve starring Kelsey Grammer. Being on Lifetime was a life-long goal of mine." - Lucinda C. "Yesterday a casting director reached out to me with an invite to audition for the lead in a commercial. Absolutely thrilling, this is my first paid, professional speaking role!" - Dennis M. "I am getting more requests than ever for auditions and self tapes. Before I worked with you, I got none. Just this morning, I got another request for an audition." - Andrew Ogelsby "In less than a month of working with Martin, I was offered the role of King Agnarr in Disney's 'Frozen' on Broadway. And two weeks later I got signed by a highly regarded film & television agency in New York!" - Tyrone L. Robinson "After just a few weeks of working with Martin, an agent offered to represent me. A week after that I received a direct invitation for a casting call of a Netflix series!" - Aser Garcia Rada
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