I joined this class with absolutely zero stand-up experience, and it exceeded all my expectations…read more Gerry and Heather are phenomenal instructors, and their system truly works. They create a fun, encouraging, and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable taking risks and finding their voice. By the end of the class, I had a set I was proud of and the confidence to get on stage and perform it. The group itself was incredibly supportive, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

I signed up for this class having years of stand up sketch and improv experience, but never taken a…read moreclass for stand up comedy. I spent a long time skeptical about taking a course and worrying it would lead to generic comedy or hack style. But I've known countless alumni of the class over the years and always wondered what was so special about it because they'd given me glowing reviews. This year I found myself wanting to sharpen tools in joke writing and re-invigorate my perspective on stand up altogether. The class achieved exactly that - plus introduced me to a really great community of people who are funny, smart, and kind. Gerry cultivates an environment that is rare in stand up comedy culture in that it goes against the negative cliches of being brash, cutting, competitive and toxic. The instructors are very generous with giving guidance in and outside of class. Besides feeling inspired personally, I saw classmates flourish and felt a tidal wave of love and appreciation coming out of class. Not to mention a brand new tight 5+ minutes to take around. I think it's a very smart move to start your stand up journey here, and if you're already involved but looking for a huge breathe of fresh air, it's here too.

Amazing. Very comfortable and casual setting. The instructor knows what she's talking about and is…read morevery inspiring. I've never had more fun in an acting class. I highly recommend it.

this class is so much fun! i learned so much new stuff that i thought i knew but it was really…read moreclarified for me even more. the instructor is so open to any questions and is so willing to help with anything. she is so sweet, both of them are. the environment is very unique and makes it easy to feel comfortable. Being in this class has not only helped me grow as an actor and be able to use my mind better as an actor, but it helped me grow as a quick thinker and a person. i have also watched other people in the class break out of their shells and be more confident and give them self a bigger voice. thanks kid factor.

I'm an east coast voice actor, and was tipped off about the Kalmenson method by my old online…read moreimprov coach. When I contacted K&K about remote class offerings, I found the Working Pros class was upcoming, and space was available. The class is taught in weekly sessions over Zoom, with some homework assignments and class recordings shared after each session for review. This class helped me restructure my auditioning approach, embrace The Method, and, has helped me improve my audition quality, with renewed confidence tackling new challenges as they arise. I feel refreshed and focused heading into this last chunk of 2023. My recommendation is an enthusiastic "Yes" - if you're a voice talent, look over their offerings & select a class to help your career improve. If you put the work in, I'm sure you'll see the results come out!

I was so disappointed by how remedial this class was. Like most working actors in LA, because I'm…read morenot in the top 1% of the industry I have to work long, hard hours at my day job to make ends meet. As such, I want a class that has good bang for my buck, wows me and frankly blows me away. For example, the first time I went to Lesly Kahn & Co or The Groundlings, I had that exact experience...It took me all of 5 minutes to realize how much more I had to learn and where I needed to get to in order to be competitive in my industry. I've worked HARD on my craft and I book several prime time TV shows per year. Co-star, guest star, recurring... I'm always in class, hungry, humble and honing my craft or looking to challenge myself. That being said, I felt like this school is a complete waste of time for anyone who's ever taken a basic acting 101 class. Keep in mind, I attended the class for "working actors"....I can't even begin to imagine how remedial the beginners class for "non-working actors" is. I knew this was a bad and costly decision as soon as I saw the very outdated class materials and older copy. I was appalled to see a page of "feelings faces" with faces describing attitudes from A-Z like: Angry, Arrogant, Happy, Lovestruck, Sad etc (basically, the kind of chart non-verbal children use to express themselves). I digress, our class started with a cheesy, pre-taped video intro that made me feel like I was doing an online orientation for jury duty. The first 2 classes were like pulling teeth...we had to take turns reading instructions/rules, also a very bad sign (basically killing time to prolong and stretch out the material so that you take the NEXT level). In addition to being snail-paced the actual MEAT of the acting instruction was ridiculously basic in terms of applicable knowledge. Something incoherent to the effect of truth = attitude...attitude = truth blah blah. Huh? How is that applicable to text analysis?? what about operative words? antitheticals? builds? It didn't resonate with me at all and I really kept trying to keep an open mind and just go with the flow. We had NO time to practice our copy week to week. Our class met once a week, so one would think...ok, we'll get our homework copy in advance so that we can practice all week in prep for the next class and try to apply some of the famous Kalmenson method we were learning. NOPE. We got our copy 5 minutes before we had to perform it for our classmates. So we had NO TIME to sit with the copy, think about it, or try to re-read instructions from our Ebinder and apply it to the copy so that there was some kind of eureka moment where we could say...oh gee, I guess that technique can help after all. It took soooo long (I think it was 5 classes in) before we started getting re-direction on copy. My feeling is that a good acting class you start doing re-direction on Day 1. Instead of waiting till the next to the last class and promise: "more to come in the NEXT LEVEL!!" Yeah, I did not buy into that "join our next round of classes!" spiel. K&K wants you to really INVEST and take all their classes, which honestly I would have NO problem doing if I felt like I actually learned something or had measurable results. More than anything, I wanted to take a good Animation Class, an area where I have booked acting jobs on studio sets before....but instead I had to start with the Level 1 class where I felt unchallenged and uninspired, then take Level 2 and THEN I could take the animation class. Level 1 was abysmal, so there was no point in continuing with level 2. Oh and our last class we were told we would get a "special guest speaker"...which made me think we were getting a VO Casting Director or VO Agent or somebody.. but NOPE...Our guest speaker was just another K&K teacher. Huge letdown, but at this point I couldn't help but laugh given how bad the class was. I reamed my manager out for suggesting this class. I was literally going to fire my rep, but we talked it out and he was very apologetic. He made some phone calls, confirmed everything I reported with others in the VO industry and took K&K off their recommended class list. What we were told by another CD was that while K&K may have been good at one time, they really have not kept up with the times and they also cast very infrequently. Before my class ended, I called their office to express my concerns... so this review should not be a surprise and is not coming out of left field. In short, this was just a big waste of time and nowhere near worth $700.

What can I say about Nicole Criona that hasn't already been said by her many clients? She's a gem…read more She's super knowledgeable, motivating, detailed in her suggestions (and broader too when you need that)... and best of all, a deeply compassionate human being. Whatever parts of your story you think are not working, she helps you sort out and get to the bottom of. She's helped me to develop my main character's voice, pretty tricky to do given that it's a white older male (very different from me), and shepherded me from writing my first five chapters over and over again to my latest chapter, thirty-four. I'm almost done with my first draft, and I'm looking forward to my second. I've told her many times: I couldn't have made it so far without her. She gets it. All of it. The prose, the mental trap doors, how to build suspense and empathy within the readers, the whole process, from the first word on the page to getting it out there. If you're thinking about writing a book, by all means, enlist her help from the get-go. My only regret in working with Nicole is that I didn't find her SOONER. It would've cut months out of my process! I've only done private sessions with her, no classes, so I can't speak about those, but holy-moly, is she an expert as a one-on-one coach. She's my creative fairy godmother!!! Thank you, Nicole!

SHORT VERSION: Reach out to Nicole if you're ready to finally write that novel you've always…read moredreamed of. You will have your life changed for the better by the kindest, most passionate and genuine person you'll ever meet. LONG VERSION: I have been working with Nicole for a few years now and I can say with 10000% confidence that I would not have been able to write my novel without her. I initially signed up for her one-on-one coaching because I needed accountability to actually get writing done, but through our work together I've gained SO much more. Her feedback is invaluable. Not only have I learned so much about the craft of writing from her (the quality of my writing has improved tenfold, no lie), but she has this amazing gift of tapping into my brain and helping me realize that I already know all the answers to the questions I have about my novel. She's given me a confidence in my writing that I never knew I could have. My favorite thing about Nicole, though, is her ability to encourage me. She knows when I need a gentle push, and when I need a bit of fire lit under my ass. But even when she lights a fire, she manages to do it in such a loving way! I know that she genuinely cares about me and my novel, and I never doubt that she's rooting for me. I'm also a member of the First Draft Incubator workshop which is just as wonderful as private coaching. Each meeting leaves me in such a great mood. Whether we go over craft topics or just spend the meeting with everyone updating each other on our progress and discussing writing, I get so much from each session. Writing is such a solitary act and it's so nice to feel connected to other writers. I wouldn't be the writer I am today if it wasn't for Nicole, and I am forever grateful to her. I look forward to working with her on my second (and third, and fourth, and fifth) novel!

I attended the Plein Air Workshop at Kline Academy, excited to improve my painting skills and…read morereceive guidance from the instructor. Unfortunately, my experience was disappointing. Despite the class being very small (only five students), the instructor completely ignored me the entire session, while giving multiple rounds of feedback to other students--including one sitting directly in front of me. I even walked to the location with the instructor, so there's no way this was just an oversight. I paid for this class expecting at least some level of instruction, but I left feeling like my presence didn't matter. If I wanted to paint outside alone with zero feedback, I could have done so for free.

It was cool.. We attended the model posing class, Everyone was warm and very polite..read more

My opinion: They Don't Stand Behind Their Product…read more I took TV 1 in January. I developed a pilot with specific direction from an instructor at Writing Pad. It was a really good experience. I took TV 2 in Feb, using the same exact draft from TV 1. In the first class of TV 2, the instructor said she didn't understand my pilot, and that I would need to change it anyway because marketing wouldn't know it sell it. I told this is how the instructor in TV 1 specifically told me to do it. I like it, so please only give me notes on how to make this story work. To the best of my recollection, the next 3 classes, the TV 2 instructor didn't to my knowledge read my outline. Each class, I wouldn't get much from her except her demand that I change my pilot for marketing reasons. I called Writing Pad to express my dissatisfaction with a marketing note in a TV Writing Class. This is the first phone call on the image below. The person there said he would look into it and call me back. Almost a week passed. Nothing. An hour before class, I called him. He said he didn't see her doing some other things, but to my knowledge made no mention of the "note issue" I referenced above. I asked him to focus on the "note issue" with the instructor. He said he would. Class started, but I didn't hear anything, so I emailed Writing Pad. They responded with the first text in green in the image attached to say they talked with teacher about the "note issue." The above interaction with Writing Pad didn't sit well with me. A student emailed me the next day, to say that she was dropping TV 2 and she wished to remain in touch. I asked her why she was dropping. Her response is the first email of 3 in the image below. I redacted this and sent it to Writing Pad that same day, Friday, since they had asked for proof regarding the issues I raised on the call. The next day, Saturday, Writing Pad responded with the second email of 3 in the image below, kicking me out of class and seemingly banning me from all of Writing Pad. I can't say why they did this in response to what I see as me simply informing them with proof that other students felt as I did. In response to their email, I told them that my opinion was they were reacting against me to reduce their liability because I had furnished proof. I pointed out the irony that they were saying no teacher at Writing Pad would understand my pilot, when I wrote it at the specific direction of another of their instructors in TV 1. This irony is what makes me feel like they don't stand behind their product. Because their reaction seemed to me unmerited, I reiterated the events through my eyes and told them I would post a review. My intention was to give them the benefit of the doubt to speak for themselves in what I saw as a major overreaction. They responded with the third email, which I see as a veiled threat. You may draw your own conclusions.

I enjoyed the classes I took here. It can be a real mixed bag. Had two instructors I loved and two…read moreI wished I hadn't taken classes from. The owners are very responsive and really care about their school. They have mixers and other events for new writers. The only problem would be that it's hard to figure out who is actually a good teacher and who isn't. There's no real way to find honest feedback about the instructors. It's quite expensive so a misstep in this direction could feel like it's career ending as the bad teachers, and screenwriters in general, can be quite nasty. That can be a problem at any school though. Overall, I recommend this place.

I love this acting studio. I was brought to Cynthia after watching Hailee Steinfeld on True Grit…read moreand seeing her Oscar nomination for the role. I needed to know this coach to send my clients to. As a talent representative, I could not be more pleased with the quality of classes and coaching offered here. I have sent many clients to these classes and have seen the results in bookings! Cynthia has always been accommodating and treats her clients well. She is respected in the industry and I would recommend her to anyone looking for an acting class ages 5-30.

I have been a student at CBYAS for 4 years and absolutely love it! Cynthia, Jillian, and all of the…read morecoaches here have molded and strengthened my acting abilities so much. They show so much care and consideration for every student and I love being a part of such a great studio!

Yikes, no way. Walked in. Staff guy was talking with a…read morechatty customer who standing around not there to do pottery. Staff did not acknowledge me walking in or continuing to stand there waiting for several minutes. He finally decided to glance my way asking if I needed help (obviously) & called over a girl to assist. When I let her know I'm looking to drop in & I have prior experience she tells me "oh we're more of a beginners class or membership kind of studio so we don't really have anything for you..." Another women mentions they have a class offering but realizes it was the wrong date. I glance around at the completely empty studio & then she says "The only other thing is I have a class I'm teaching in...7 minutes & it's completely empty so you could attend that & just do what you want..." Why would you not lead with that? She tells me it'll be $110. I pass because I'm not paying an exorbitant price if this is the service I can expect from them. "Sorry we didn't have something for you." Sounded like you had something perfect for me but didn't want me to stay, so what on Earth do you mean?

Come dressed in clothes you don't mind getting a little dirty!…read more I came with my partner and we both loved the experience. It was such a fun class, and as first-timers to pottery, we felt like it was a great introduction. The instructors were helpful, and the whole process was really enjoyable. I'd definitely come back to make something new. Once you're done, they glaze your piece for you, and you'll have to come back a few weeks later to pick up the finished product.