So you've been bitten by the acting bug and ready to pack it up and head for Hollywood? Before you go, how's that resume look? Is it full of training, commercials, features in TV/film and theatre? Or, is your claim to fame the extra role you played in your high school musical 10 years ago? You may not realize that you can build your acting resume with substantial work right there in your small town. Here's 5 ways:

1. Audition, Audition, Audition - for everything! The more you audition the better you will become at auditioning. As many of you know, the world of acting consists of a lot of auditioning so you will have plenty of practice.

2. Invest in your craft and yourself. To break into acting you will need to have professional headshots. To hone your craft you should have training; ongoing training. You can never have too much training and you should certainly receive training from various coaches as everyone's style is different and you're sure to learn from each.

3. Just as community theatre is a good training ground, don't forget film schools. Film students are usually looking for actors for their student projects. You probably won't get paid but you can list your role on your resume.

4. You may have never thought about this one but send your headshots and resume to advertising agencies. Specifically those that develop commercials or print ads for their clients, they have to hire actors for commercials right?

5. Local video production companies can be a good source to receive on camera work. Most local companies like hospitals, insurance companies etc. hire locally when they need to shoot training videos, industrial or commercials. Once you have a few roles on your resume, send it out to local Talent Agencies to continue to build on it and before you know it, you will have a resume filled with professional work!

Jacqueline Lisenby "Independent Entertainment Coach" is the owner of Statusj, a lifestyle/entertainment marketing and media company. Statusj also serves as a resource for independent entertainment properties in the fields of music, theatre, TV and film; and businesses wishing to align with such.