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31 Activities for Actors to Kick Off the New Year


January 2, 2024

Happy New Year, actor friends!

Welcome to your first actor activities roundup of 2024, where we recommend everything from enriching exercises to top-notch events for each day of the month. Kick things off with our daily dose of inspiration, designed to bring you joy and get you one step closer to achieving your goals.

A new year means new opportunities to make your dreams come true. Let the journey begin!

Advice & Inspiration:

1. First things first, do you have an actor kit? In addition to updating your casting profiles, one way to get ready for the year ahead is to create a shareable folder with all your acting materials organized. This way when you have interest from casting or a new agent – you have everything in one place.

2. Variety’s latest crop of Actors on Actors includes a Devil Wears Prada reunion with Anne Hathway and Emily Blunt, plus more dazzling duos to get you inspired.

3. With the SAG-AFTRA strike’s end and a new year beginning, get inspired by these 10 updated “game plans” for pursuing an acting career in an updated industry.

4. New year, new reel: check out Actor Footage, a demo reel editing service that tailors clips to an artist’s strengths. The best part? The service is run by an actor who understands the hustle.

5. We also advise freshening up your photos. Do you have these 7 headshot looks ready to go?

6. Tony-winning Aladdin star James Monroe Iglehart (Hamilton, Spamalot) shares insights about taking care of yourself as a performer and more inspiring nuggets on The Art of Kindness podcast.

7. Arm yourself with knowledge of SAG-AFTRA’s A.I. protections in the TV/Theatrical Contracts as we enter unprecedented times for the landscape.

8. Query of the month: What makes you uniquely you? Ponder all the unique things you bring to the table and how you can weave that into your pitch as an actor.

9. Our first social media spotlight of the month goes to the extraordinary Erica S Bream, CSA: OK, so we may have highlighted her in years past, but she’s just that good. Start the year by diving into the Casting Director’s treasure trove of a feed, featuring tangible advice for actors.

New Content:

10. Butter some popcorn and work your way through Variety’s list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.

11. Did you get a chance to see the top holiday releases? From Bradley Cooper’s Maestro to The Color Purple, immerse yourself in the performances that bowed out in 2023.

12. The Brothers Sun (action series) – Netflix, January 4: Creator Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story) delivers an action-packed series with a comedic punch. Emphasis on the punch. Follows Charles Sun (Justin Chien), a Taipei gangster who’s settled into ruthless killer mode, but must go to L.A. to protect his mother (Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh) and younger brother after his father was shot by a mysterious assassin.

13. Good Grief (dramedy) – Netflix, January 5: No this isn’t a Charlie Brown spin-off. Start the new year with a therapeutic cry session as Schitt’s Creek maven Dan Levy makes his feature writer-director debut with a story centered on growth, as the title suggests, grief.

14. Night Swim (horror film) – Backstrokes into theaters on January 5: Start the year on a scary note – if you’re into that sort of thing. Based on a short film of the same name, a family is terrorized at night by an evil spirit that dwells in their pool.

15. Mean Girls (movie musical) – hits theaters January 12: Get in, actor friends – we’re going to the movies! As you’ve probably heard, the musical version of Tina Fey’s cult classic film Mean Girls is strutting onto the big screen. Watch for laughs, toe-tappin’ tunes and lots of pink-glazed nostalgia.

16. True Detective: Night Country (series) – Max, January 14: Jodie Foster headlines the fourth installment of the acclaimed detective anthology series, which follows the disappearance of eight men from a research facility in Alaska.

17. Griselda (limited crime series) – Netflix, January 25: Sofia Vergara returns to television with a darker flare. The Modern Family staple channels Griselda Blanco, the real-life woman responsible for one of the most profitable cartels in history.

18. Time recommends two new January books for readers: Poet Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel Martyr! and Come and Get It by Kiley Reid.

Wellness Activities:

19. Monthly wellness tip: the start of a new year is refreshing and at the same time can be filled with pressure. Release the pressure of nailing a resolution and instead set a really specific and actionable career goal for the year that you can work toward. Do you want to book your first costar TV role? Do you want to work at a certain regional theater? Make it really specific!

20. January affirmation: “In the year ahead, I release the things I cannot control and focus on what I can: myself and my growth”.

21. We don’t want to be like every other New Year’s guide out there, but the start of the year is always a good time to check in on your physical health. Do you have a fitness plan that works for you? Try some and commit to the one you like best.

22. Artsy classes that enhance your career are wonderful, but how about the ones that feed your soul? We challenge you to pick up a hobby outside the industry. Set a curious tone for 2024 by learning something new this month.

23. Winter can be isolating – so do your best to take part in winter fun with friends. When the weather outside gets frightful, an indoor skating rink is delightful. Round up your squad and go sledding, skating, snowshoeing – whatever you’d like as long as it’s an activity that allows you to connect with other humans!

Live/Virtual Events:

24. Ever wanted to attend a live TV taping? Check out which live shows film in your area and get tickets for one!

25. Awards show Barbie is strutting on through! Kick off awards season with the 81st annual Golden Globes hosted by first-timer Jo Koy on CBS Sunday, January 7.

26. Broadway titans Tony-winner Kelli O’Hara and Bran D’Arcy James play opposite each other once again as a married couple navigating substance abuse in the Broadway premiere of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ new musical Days of Wine and Roses, starting previews on January 6, 2024.

27. Speaking of the world’s biggest stage, did you know that lauded performers Sarah Paulson and Elle Fanning are currently clearing all sinuses on Broadway with intense performances? Get inspired by the duo in Appropriate at Second Stage Theater.

28. Let’s get critical! Chelsea Handler hosts the Critics Choice Awards ceremony on the CW on January 14.

29. Awards season heats up with the Television Academy’s 75th Emmy Awards hosted by Anthony Anderson on FOX on January 15.

30. Along the way, keep an eye out for major nomination announcements from the Oscars, SAG-Aftra, BAFTA and more.

31. Happy New Year! Don’t forget to take a moment to reflect on your accomplishments from 2023. Here’s to more making dreams come true in 2024!

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Robert Peterpaul is a writer, podcaster and performer, who can be seen in films like IFC's “King Cobra,” T-Mobile ad campaigns, and TV shows like CBS' “BULL.” He currently hosts the hit podcast The Art of Kindness with the Broadway Podcast Network. Other writing and hosting highlights include: NBC’s “Access Hollywood” and “America’s Got Talent,” “BUILD Series,” the Huffington Post and serving as the Weekend Editor for HOLA!/ HELLO! USA for six years. He also co-founded his family’s nonprofit the Thomas Peterpaul Foundation, which aims to end pediatric cancer. Robert has studied at the Barrow Group, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, UCB and earned a B.A. from Marist College. Thank you for reading and keep following your bliss! www.robertpeterpaul.com

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