Brit Pack Interviews
ANDY NEWTON-LEE
Name: Andy Newton-Lee
Profession: Actor/CEO of NextStopLAX
Current Residence: Hollywood, Los Angeles
UK Residence: Islington, North London
Came to US in: 2005
If Andy Newton-Lee doesn’t accomplish anything else in his life, he can rest easy knowing he’s already fulfilled two childhood dreams. The first was to star in the British soap Hollyoaks. I’m not kidding.
In 2003 he played cheeky student Robbie Flynn in the show and went on to secure a variety of other popular roles.
“I’ve been on Coronation Street, I’ve been on Casualty - I’ve done every mediocre show there was to do,” he tells me from his second home in Hull. He’s back in the UK for a family wedding. “I was working with the same directors and I started to find it a bit like Groundhog day. I was very grateful for the opportunities but it was time for a change.”
That’s when he decided to make dream number two a reality - live in America.
“I just packed my bags and told everyone I’m going to LA. I put myself under pressure and said I can’t fail at this,” he recalls. “I had like six hundred quid and a credit card. I’d met this manager off the internet, who turned out to be a bit of a fruitcake, but he said I could stay with him for a couple of days. I’d also met a girl on Virgin Atlantic who recognized me off Hollyoaks. We got chatting and she gave me her friends’ numbers, they were Irish and had been in LA for about a year.”
It wasn’t the most organized transition but for a young actor seeking stardom the spontaneity is almost part of the fun.
“I was finding it really, really tough at first,” he admitted. “When I got to LA it was the wettest season on record, so it literally pissed down for six solid weeks. Then my manager started pressuring me to leave so I called those Irish guys and three days later I was living on their sofa. There were six of us living in a two-bedroom apartment with one bathroom. I had no personal space but looking back it was one of the best times of my life.”
Some might wonder why a sane person would give up recognition in the UK to become one of the many unknown actors in Los Angeles. And at first Andy was under the illusion he’d get work based on his past experience. But once he realized his British resume meant nothing, his LA hustle officially began.
Profession: Actor/CEO of NextStopLAX
Current Residence: Hollywood, Los Angeles
UK Residence: Islington, North London
Came to US in: 2005
If Andy Newton-Lee doesn’t accomplish anything else in his life, he can rest easy knowing he’s already fulfilled two childhood dreams. The first was to star in the British soap Hollyoaks. I’m not kidding.
In 2003 he played cheeky student Robbie Flynn in the show and went on to secure a variety of other popular roles.
“I’ve been on Coronation Street, I’ve been on Casualty - I’ve done every mediocre show there was to do,” he tells me from his second home in Hull. He’s back in the UK for a family wedding. “I was working with the same directors and I started to find it a bit like Groundhog day. I was very grateful for the opportunities but it was time for a change.”
That’s when he decided to make dream number two a reality - live in America.
“I just packed my bags and told everyone I’m going to LA. I put myself under pressure and said I can’t fail at this,” he recalls. “I had like six hundred quid and a credit card. I’d met this manager off the internet, who turned out to be a bit of a fruitcake, but he said I could stay with him for a couple of days. I’d also met a girl on Virgin Atlantic who recognized me off Hollyoaks. We got chatting and she gave me her friends’ numbers, they were Irish and had been in LA for about a year.”
It wasn’t the most organized transition but for a young actor seeking stardom the spontaneity is almost part of the fun.
“I was finding it really, really tough at first,” he admitted. “When I got to LA it was the wettest season on record, so it literally pissed down for six solid weeks. Then my manager started pressuring me to leave so I called those Irish guys and three days later I was living on their sofa. There were six of us living in a two-bedroom apartment with one bathroom. I had no personal space but looking back it was one of the best times of my life.”
Some might wonder why a sane person would give up recognition in the UK to become one of the many unknown actors in Los Angeles. And at first Andy was under the illusion he’d get work based on his past experience. But once he realized his British resume meant nothing, his LA hustle officially began.
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The next few years were a period of re-invention and some serious growth. He managed to get signed to a big agency and worked at E Networks for a year voicing their countdown shows and then secured a gig at MTV doing the voice of Orlando Bloom on Celebrity Deathmatch. But the momentum he’d built would soon begin to fade when he started to slip into toxic social circles.
“I started going out a lot, partying every night, being late for auditions and just getting caught up in the whole LA scene. I was living the dream; I was 23 and hanging out with all these famous people I’d seen on TV. It was weird, having a dinner with Audrina from the Hills and Paris Hilton. And then you realize it’s just all bollocks.” He’s refreshingly honest. Maybe it’s because he’s chatting with another Brit or simply because at his core, he’s a working-class lad from Hull. A lad who trusted everyone he met during those first couple of years. |
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“I was naïve,” he remembers “When people smiled I was like, ‘Oh everyone’s so friendly.’ Everyone says, ‘Call me, we gotta do lunch.’ So I’d call them and be like ‘It’s Andy here’ and they’d be like ‘Who is this?...I’ll call you back’ and obviously you never hear from them again!”
Figuring out how to cut through all the crap took a while, but pretty soon Andy found himself a source of information for other Brits making the move to LA.
“People who I didn’t really like but knew from parties in London would come over and say ‘Hey Andy, let’s meet for coffee, let me pick your brains.’ I found myself making referrals for people and helping them out and I was just getting used. So the turning point came when I told one girl I charged $100. After we spoke I emailed her all the contacts we’d talked about, made some introductions for her and that’s how the business started.”
At 25 he began his relocation company NextStopLAX and some of his first clients included actress Michelle Collins and Nadine Coyle from British girl band Girls Aloud. The business helps international talent and entertainment professionals settle in LA, handling work visas, accommodation, transport and finding agents and managers.
Since he started six years ago the relocation service has grown into a respected and popular resource and Andy frequently conducts seminars and networking events, prepping people for the transition. The company also sponsors the Brits in LA 'Brits Breakfast club'.
He may be responsible for saving a few souls too since he’s been there - dishing out practical and realistic tips about surviving in LA's cutthroat environment.
“I always advise people to have a sanctuary, a place where they can go back to and call home that will give them an identity. I think for a young person who’s still learning about themselves, it’s not a good place to grow and evolve, unless you’ve got a very good head on your shoulders. I was ok, but I’ve seen some train crashes."
Figuring out how to cut through all the crap took a while, but pretty soon Andy found himself a source of information for other Brits making the move to LA.
“People who I didn’t really like but knew from parties in London would come over and say ‘Hey Andy, let’s meet for coffee, let me pick your brains.’ I found myself making referrals for people and helping them out and I was just getting used. So the turning point came when I told one girl I charged $100. After we spoke I emailed her all the contacts we’d talked about, made some introductions for her and that’s how the business started.”
At 25 he began his relocation company NextStopLAX and some of his first clients included actress Michelle Collins and Nadine Coyle from British girl band Girls Aloud. The business helps international talent and entertainment professionals settle in LA, handling work visas, accommodation, transport and finding agents and managers.
Since he started six years ago the relocation service has grown into a respected and popular resource and Andy frequently conducts seminars and networking events, prepping people for the transition. The company also sponsors the Brits in LA 'Brits Breakfast club'.
He may be responsible for saving a few souls too since he’s been there - dishing out practical and realistic tips about surviving in LA's cutthroat environment.
“I always advise people to have a sanctuary, a place where they can go back to and call home that will give them an identity. I think for a young person who’s still learning about themselves, it’s not a good place to grow and evolve, unless you’ve got a very good head on your shoulders. I was ok, but I’ve seen some train crashes."
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He’s finally started to take some of his own advice. After five years of working from his loft, he’s decided, for the sake of his sanity, to separate the two and will be moving his company into a spanking new office building on the corner of Hollywood and La Brea next month.
But the main way he stays grounded is by taking regular trips back to the UK. He’ll admit he didn’t go back much during his first couple of years in the US but a shocking cancer scare forced him to return for treatment. Overcoming skin cancer initiated his involvement with Cancer Research and Marie Curie cancer care and he’s since run nine marathons for charity and is hoping to run his tenth in New Zealand in October. His British friends and family see him as often as once a month these days and he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of working over there again either. For Andy, England will always be home and sometimes a welcome escape from the madness of LA. |
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“Coming to California has given me the opportunity to grow and develop a concept that wouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful in England, that’s something I’ll always be thankful for,” he acknowledges about his LA experience. "It’s the kind of place where I’ve met the most inspiring people in the world but I’ve also met the most vile, disgusting people in the world. It’s like a bi-polar city. One minute you’ve got an audition for an amazing show, you’ve had dinner the night before with some famous person you’ve idolized for the last 20 years and the next day you’re told they hated you at the audition, your accent is crap, people aren’t returning your calls and someone crashes into your car.”
NextStopLAX's next seminar will be held in London on Saturday, September 22nd. The workshop with leading Casting Director, Dan Hubbard is based on understanding the challenges faced by actors seeking a global career. For details and to book a place please email: [email protected] or call 07540 524248.
For US relocation and visa advice check out NextStopLAX: http://www.nextstoplax.com/
Or email them at: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NextStopLax
Twitter: @nextstoplax
NextStopLAX's next seminar will be held in London on Saturday, September 22nd. The workshop with leading Casting Director, Dan Hubbard is based on understanding the challenges faced by actors seeking a global career. For details and to book a place please email: [email protected] or call 07540 524248.
For US relocation and visa advice check out NextStopLAX: http://www.nextstoplax.com/
Or email them at: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NextStopLax
Twitter: @nextstoplax
