Acting for Film Staff

Cathryn Sullivan, Director of Film Acting School

Cathryn "Cathy" Sullivan started as a teenager doing speech tournaments and lead stage roles in high school, college, and county theater. "I took professional classes for years from many teachers. I finally found one who really knew how to teach actors how to improve their craft. After taking from him for three years and working in the film industry for a while, I became his partner and taught film and TV to adults. We taught seminars in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for several years. My passion for being an actress grew into a deep love for directing and teaching. It is this technique that I teach (mostly) in my classes, focusing on the positives of the student's performance and gently pointing out the problem areas and explaining how to make those moments better. I use the camera in almost every class so that the student may see the progress for himself/herself. For the last 14 years, I've preferred to teach the teen and child actors. These actors have great imaginations (a must for an actor), can adapt well (they have to in school), and have a strong support system in place (their parents!)."

Cathy coached many students on and off the set and has taught in a variety of studios (professional studios, dance studios, etc). She's coached many successful actors and actresses who have had principle, lead, co-starring, and starring roles in feature films, TV movies, TV shows, commercials, stage, voice-overs, and industrials. She coaches child actors who are auditioning for parts in the industry so that they have a better chance of booking (and they do). Cathy also coaches and tapes auditions for various LA casting directors when they are casting for upcoming projects.

Cody Linley, Instructor

Codly Linley has worked as Cathryn Sullivan's assistant for more than four years. He is an actor who currently works in all forms in the industry. Cody's work includes playing one of the three main leads in the movie Hoot, "Jake Ryan" on Disney's Hannah Montana, and a Beverly Hills bully in Cheaper by the Dozen. He had a lead in My Dog Skip, a principal part in Rebound, and a principal part in the opening scene in Miss Congeniality. In addition he's booked a couple of roles in Walker, Texas Ranger, That's So Raven, two "Movie of the Weeks" for CBS, many commercials and voiceovers, and industrials. He's quite the veteran in the business, but most importantly, he enjoys sharing his knowledge with other actors so he can help them succeed.