About TAC

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The Actor's Compass LLC, London

Paulina Lis is the founder of The Actor's Compass. She's spent the better part of her time here in London working with actors and learning about the acting trade, in her work on the production side of the camera. Working on short films assisting on camera, make-up and wardrobe, she's learned how tough it is trying to get your acting career into gear.

And while people kept telling her that she should take her exceptional camera skills over to headshot photography, she resisted because there always seemed to be plenty of those around London.

And then someone suggested that perhaps her experience was different - because she had also worked as a casting assistant for two years, and seen literally thousands of headshots and knew from experience what works and what does not.

Paulina's husband, Jesse Thompson, has worked with her on most of her projects as a director and casting director - he's also worked with James Cameron and Roger Corman and many in between. As a former actor in Hollywood, Jesse knew how hard it was to succeed with all the sharks swimming around the actors. He suggested that perhaps together they could help fill a hole in the market - by building a compass for actors.

Jesse still works with Hollywood almost every day, and has seen more headshots than you can imagine. He witnesses regularly the difference between the industry here and the industry there, and thinks that the bridge can be strengthened by all of us.

As a pair, they work with a large team of actors to shape TAC into what it will be in a few years' time: the best tool ever built for London actors, bar none.