Hello Sofia,
Thanks for your blog, and thank you for being so
honest! That blog of yours truly is inspiring to all of us (aspiring)
actors 'en devenir'...
I'm in a very similar situation as well.
Shifting from a -very- corporate job to acting, in Canada (Vancouver)
and in my late twenties. I'm writing to you regarding stage names.
Somehow I'm under the impression that Sofia Gian is a stage name. Am I
right? Or perhaps you've explored the idea of having a stage name? In
any case, do you know what that implies in Canada to have a stage name?
Where do you have to register it? Is there any thing that needs to be
done with the government or bank institutions in order to be working
(and making money) under the stage name even though all your official
info in under your real name?
I appreciate any comment you may have on this. If you're not using a stage name, then I apologize for this inquiry.
Anyhow
keep up the good work, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from
you, either through your blog or professional credits ;-)
Cheers.
Julie
_____
Thanks Julie for writing in - here's some of my experiences:
My Name
Thanks for reading and writing in! Very much appreciated! Sofia Gian is a stage name for me - you are correct. My last name is authentically Greek and many individuals were having issues pronouncing it so I decided to shorten it which is why for acting purposes it is Gian now.(Gian is actually contained in my legal name but this way its much shorter!)
Also with having a corporate job, it's easier for me to have two
separate names - one for my artistic side and one for the professional
side. I find that this way it doesn't interfere with my "corporate"
reputation and vice versa.
To change your name or not change your name?
Many actors have stage names. Elizabeth Banks was originally Elizabeth Mitchell, but she changed it to "Banks" to avoid confusion with another Elizabeth Mitchell that was starting to land TV roles. That may be another reason you decide to explore changing your name. Imagine being "Jennifer Lopez or Brad Pitt...."ummm in these cases you may want to change it.

Banking and Tax Purposes
Now, he's where is gets tricky, if you are using a stage name and you get hired the company that hires you they can not write you a cheque in your stage name - because any bank won't cash it unless you have a business account under that name. So another option is that your agent direct the company to write you a cheque in your real name. That's what I usually do, because I'm non-union.
Now if you are a part of a union, you will provide them with your stage name and legal name - this will help them process your payments from your work. You will need to register your names with a union, many times a union will not take your name if someone else is registered
with it - which is why sometimes actors choose to add a middle initial
to their name so that they can keep it.
Now in terms of tax purposes, I have an accountant that takes care of the funds I make from my acting gigs. Check out this great article on Canadian Actor Online. http://www.canadianactor.com/actors/business/taxes.html - it talks about some key things you need to know about filing your taxes.
Again, these are just some of my experiences but if there is anyone else that would like to weigh in on this - please feel to comment below!
Thanks for Reading and Writing - Keep up the Hussle!!!!
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