Specialties
The Studio C Artists Acting & Filmmaking Institute is an all-encompassing studio for the professional actor and filmmaker, based in Los Angeles, CA. Co-founders John Coppola and Michael Sonntag have used their combined years of experience directing, producing, casting, and performing, to build a curriculum of acting classes, private coaching, career-related seminars, and filmmaking workshops, geared for students of all ages and levels of experience, including A-list Hollywood clients.
The acting coursework emphasizes The New Approach, a unique formula taught only at Studio C, which has been cultivated and perfected over the last 10 years. The proof is in the track record: 2 out of 3 auditioning clients booked roles in the last several pilot seasons. The filmmaking training is designed to offer the entrepreneurial artist (actors and other industry "hyphenates") an opportunity to delve into various aspects of the creative process of producing a moving image.
History
Established in 1995.
The idea for Studio C began in 1995, in the dining room of John Coppola. By 2000, John partnered with Michael Sonntag, and together, they started to turn a weekly class into a school with multiple classes, guest teachers, various workshops, and filmmaking seminars. In 2006, John and Michael decided it was time to pull the seemingly disparate components of their outside careers in teaching, production, and casting together under the banner of Studio C Artists. By combining forces, each of the three divisions compliment one another well: the production company has access to talent and a creative source to pull from thanks to the casting and institute divisions; the casting office has a pool of talent and agent/manager relationships to draw upon; and the institute benefits in two ways - its teachers are active in the industry, and the students have the opportunity to learn how the business works, often in real world settings via the production and casting units.
Meet the Business Owner: John C. and Michael S.
John Coppola and Michael Sonntag have 35 years of combined experience in the entertainment industry. Together, they founded Studio C Artists, where they currently teach acting classes to both kids and adults, and offer private coaching. John and Michael began their careers in acting, and it is from this start that they found their love of working with actors and bring with them a passion for the craft, an intense intuition, experience in the industry, and knowledge of the inner-workings of the casting process. Besides teaching, they have both worked in front of and behind the camera - most recently casting the feature film "Nephilim" and the TV pilot "Bourbon Street", as well as commercials for clients such as Walt Disney Studios, TV Land, and the U.S. Army. In addition to casting, John also works primarily as a director, and Michael has been credited as a producer on a number of projects. Their next film together, the romantic comedy "Detour", is slated for production in late 2009.
