We were lucky to catch up with Amy Lyndon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
After training with all the top teachers in the world; Stella Adler, Harry Mastrogeorge, Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC, Classical Shakespeare in London, BFA from Syracuse University – I still didn’t know how to book an acting job on television. I knew how to be a great actor, I was booking feature films, but apparently there was a secret piece to the TV booking puzzle that I was missing. Through trial and error and sweat and tears, I created a map to booking. It was working for me. I began to book television. So, when my friend asked me to coach her kid for a major studio movie, I tried it on for size and BAM! She booked it! So in 1993, “The Lyndon Technique: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking” was born.
Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am so proud to be a Master Acting Coach and Teacher! It gives me great pleasure to help my students succeed in making their dreams come true. “The Lyndon Technique: A 15 Guideline Map To Booking” has proven to be an Actor’s secret weapon. It dispels the myths of the audition process and provides the Actor with an effective, straightforward approach to nailing their auditions and booking the job. It helps them study smarter, feel empowered in their auditions and always know what they are doing.
“The Lyndon Technique” has turned out 55+ students as Network Series Regulars, an Emmy Award Winner and an Imagen Award Winner. I was voted one of the “Top Audition Technique Teachers” by Backstage.com for 4 years, my book was nominated by the Reader’s Choice at Backstage.com as a top acting book proudly sitting alongside Stella Adler, Sandford Meisner and Michael Shurtleff’s books. I also ran the column “Ask Amy” for Castittalent.com and was an Expert Writer for Backstage.com.
“The Lyndon Technique” is part of the curriculum at the University of Kansas and was part of “Aaron Sorkin Week” through Syracuse University. I have had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and parts of Canada conducting intensives and lecturing about how to make it in the acting world teaching my Technique, helping Actors understand the philosophical principals of booking and teaching the importance and application of marketing and business strategies.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
In order to become successful at anything in life, it is of utmost importance to work with a team of supportive people to help guide you to your goals. It takes a village. Spend time building you. People want to work with people who exude power in knowing what they’re doing. Be patient. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Believe in yourself. You are the gift. There’s only one you.
