MEET THE PROFESSOR  -  BRAD HELLER

Brad started out at the very well respected Boston University School of Theatre Arts where he received his theatre degree. Hollywood was his calling, so he moved to Los Angeles and studied with the famed Don Richardson. When Don Richardson passed away, Brad felt compelled to carry out Don’s legacy. He began teaching as well as producing films while continuing to have a successful acting career. Brad enjoys teaching the lessons that he uses in his own professional acting career and has a strong passion to pass these tools on to help actors perfect their craft.

Today, Brad has students who have been studying with him for nearly 15 years. From Judge Reinhold to Mary Gilbert, Brad’s students have successfully created acting careers, and constantly keep their acting tools sharp at The Academy.
 
 

His students have booked series regular, recurring roles, guest starring roles, and co-staring roles on hit shows like CRIMINAL MINDS, THE UNIT, CSI, LAS VEGAS, MALCOM IN THE MIDDLE, MONK, KING OF QUEENS, JOEY, etc..., starring roles in major Studio Films and Broadway theatre productions, and hundreds of commercials. He has also taught many professional comedians how to take their comedy and put it into a believable character which helps them book sit-com work.

Brad Heller on "Criminal Minds" on CBS

"Brad, I saw the show and you did a wonderful job. It was a very good role and you made the most of it.  Thanks for being part of our show.  Our casting people have been very good at providing us with top talent and you are now part of that."

All the best,
Joe Mantegna

Brad always encourages his students to bring in their audition material, and he works with them to make sure they are always prepared - making sure their reading is both believable and entertaining. He works with all levels - from the beginner to the master, and every student works on cold reads or rehearsed material on stage in every class.

A MESSAGE FROM BRAD

I find it very important to keep these tools alive and pass them on to others who may be going through what I did as an actor. If you are an actor, or are beginning to study acting, just know that there is a technique out there that will keep acting enjoyable and help you perfect this beautiful craft. You can learn to hone your talent as an actor and create believable characters while making them entertaining ... and KEEP ACTING FUN!

- Brad Heller

QUOTE:

“Acting is like a marathon,  you train, train & train, Then you win!!!”

Training at The Academy refers to always keeping your acting tools fresh. The term “you win” refers to conquering any fear, making it through the audition process and getting the role!

Check out this recent review of Brad Heller's acting work.

Arizona International Film Festival

Monday, April 14, 2008

Wednesday Again

When struggling Hollywood tabloid journalist Edward “Wag” Tamic (Richmond Arquette) gets a once-in-a-lifetime lead about an A-list actor’s sordid personal life, he thinks he’s found the story that will turn his career around. But in a city this corrupt, and when even the newspapers are on the movie studios’ payroll, will Wag’s scoop ever see the light of day?

Wag works for Privy, a Variety-esque tabloid staffed by not-so-honorable journalists who make a living writing about even less honorable Hollywood stars. Privy is slashing the budget, and Wag quickly goes from full-time staff writer to freeloading freelancer almost overnight. Unemployed, he spends most of his time with his friends, who are always trying to justify their chosen careers to themselves and each other. They’re paparazzi, gossip writers, and celebrity locators. Their relationships are all somewhat incestuous, as they buy and sell information from each other in order to keep their tenuous careers afloat.

One such piece of information comes to Wag from a longtime tipster, but it won’t be cheap. The asking price for this tidbit is $5000, but this is a story that definitely will be worth it. A reliable source has it that A-List Hollywood actor Dan Marr makes frequent trips to Venezuela in order to enjoy the company of the underage local girls. Wag doesn’t believe it at first, but his mind is quickly changed when he hears an audio recording of Marr’s arrest and interrogation in a Venezuelan police station. Yes, Marr has been arrested for this before, but his agent and the movie studio paid off the police and buried the story. But now Wag has a tape – irrefutable proof that he should be able to sell to the highest bidder in the States. Unfortunately, Wag finds that L.A. is a changing town where anyone, provided they have a good enough agent, can roam the streets.

While Wednesday Again primarily focuses on Wag’s attempt to break this story, you’ll want to pay special attention to the unfolding subplot involving his friend, a young paparazzi named Todd who spends his days digging up the dirt on celebrities, though he may have more skeletons in his closet than they do. Todd’s story may seem out of place at first – his budding romance with a young actress doesn’t seem to make sense when punctuating the larger plot’s narrative. But as the story progresses, we realize that Wednesday Again is every bit as much Todd’s story as it is Wag’s. Todd and Wag have to make some serious changes in their lives. But when they find a new direction, are they moving on, or just running from their problems?

Director John Lavachielli is an actor and writer (you may have seen him on The Practice or watched an episode he wrote of Beverly Hills, 90210), but this is first time directing a feature film. His direction is confident and assured, and he works well with a young cast of talented actors. Richmond Arquette is every bit as talented as his Arquette family name implies, and Brad Heller, who plays Todd, does a fine job of stealing scenes without even letting you know he’s stolen them. He silently helps the movie flow, masquerading as mere comic relief until his character becomes a major player in the story… Arquette, Lavachielli, and Heller are all very talented artists with bright futures on the horizon…

This is an engaging story that unfolds into something quite unexpected. Wednesday Again is a nice companion piece to Chinatown (playing April 24th at the Fox Theatre), as they’re both nostalgic for the old Hollywood. A city, as Roger Ebert writes in his review of Chinatown, that “you can glimpse in the backgrounds of old movies, where the sun beats down on streets that are too wide, and buildings seem more defiant than proud.” And this nostalgia for the dying Hollywood (or maybe the lost Hollywood) works so well in Wednesday because, while Hollywood is essentially the main character, it’s never shown in any real way. There are no glamorized shots of Rodeo Drive, or cheery shots of the “Hollywood” sign. It’s always mentioned but never visualized. It’s a noticeable absence from the film, and in the minds of these characters, the city itself, the real city, is just as absent.

Wednesday Again offers a smart script, solid acting, and a wonderful soundtrack. This is a great little film that is a welcome addition to the lineup of solid features at this year’s festival.

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