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About the book and the author...

Do you want a career in the most fabulous business in the world? Hey, So You Want To Be In Showbusiness! is a quick and easy guide to getting started for kids, teens, and adults in the wonderful world of commercials, TV, film, and voiceovers. Author, Portia Derricks, is the wife of Tony Award-winning Broadway/TV/film actor Cleavant Derricks. This guide will hopefully help newcomers to the business avoid being scammed, and realize that hard work and determination will pay off.

Portia Renee Derricks is currently with one of the top commercial agencies in Beverly Hills. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City after studying theatre at Hampton University in Virginia. Soon after arriving in New York, she was discovered by a music manager while attending acting school. He was in search of a third member for his all female group, and within a week, she was signed to a recording contract.

The group's first single made the Billboard Charts, and within a year, the record company decided to record Portia as a solo artist. She continued to pursue her singing as well as acting. In searching for an agent, she didn't know the first step toward finding an agent, a photographer, or even how to do an actor's resume`. In trying to find these answers, she was approached by a 'so-called' film producer and asked to go to a location to audition for a role. Due to her ignorance to the business, she was placed in a situation that could have cost her her life. She was able to fight her way out, but some women aren't that lucky.

Portia soon met her husband Cleavant Derricks, who had just won a Tony Award on Broadway while starring in the hit musical Dreamgirls. Starring on many TV series, Cleavant's series on Fox, Sliders, eventually moved to the Sci-Fi Channel yet maintained a huge fan base where he continued to receive fan letters from all over the world. Disturbing letters had also been received regarding people wanting to get into the business but were taken advantage of. Portia never forgot the dangerous situation involving the audition for the "so-called producer" which could have been avoided if she had been somewhat knowledgeable about the business when starting out. She wants to prevent this from happening to others, and decided to write her book.

With family and friends ranging from actors, casting agents, producers, directors and choreographers, she has seen the ups, downs, mistakes, the negative and the positive in this business and wants to share this knowledge. Her book is designed to help those that have the dream, desire and determination to be in show business. You will fumble and make mistakes along the way. In writing her book, Portia hopes to help others avoid those mistakes and scams.



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