“What I value most about working with Craig is that he never asks me to become someone I’m not. He helps me find myself within each character, which has brought a sense of comfort, confidence, and ease to every audition. The performances feel more truthful because they still feel like me.”
Private 1-on-1 Acting Coaching Live on Zoom
Serious about acting, but not sure where to start?
You don’t need an agent, credits or a reel to begin. You need a place to start, real work and someone you trust.
I’m Craig Olejnik. I’ve spent 30+ years working professionally, including five seasons leading The Listener.
We begin with you—where you are, what excites you and the actor you want to become. I’ll meet you where you are and help you build from there.
Already working? I also coach actors through auditions, self-tapes, rehearsals, booked roles and the work they want to keep developing between jobs.
Private Acting Coaching Built Around You
Start where you are.
Whether you’re just beginning or you’ve spent years in the work, the coaching is shaped around you and what you need now.
I want to understand what excites you, what gets in your way and where you want to go. I choose scenes, questions and challenges around the individual actor. Together, we build the craft, investigate the character and prepare deeply enough to trust your instincts, take risks and let the scene come alive.
Different actors need different doors in. We find yours. I’m not looking for one correct performance or asking you to repeat yesterday’s result.
This can be one focused session or an ongoing creative relationship that deepens over time. I’ll bring my experience, perspective and an outside eye to challenge you and help you see what you may not see yet.
For actors already working
Bring me the audition, self-tape, rehearsal or role you’ve booked. Or come in between jobs to keep investigating, taking risks and growing your craft. I bring a trusted outside eye, challenge your choices when useful and work with you to find what is alive in the material—not one prescribed performance.
60-minute private session$81 USD
Four sessions prepaid$300 USD
Before bookingFree 30-minute Zoom consult
What Actors Say
“Working with Craig feels very much like a team. He’s open to my ideas and choices, and helps me push them further toward what best suits my interpretation of the scene and character.”
Ryan Dumontel
“Craig is an absolute human—the kind of human you want by your side, whether you’re auditioning, building a character, or deciphering a script. My growth as an artist has been shaped in large part by Craig’s knowledge, passion, and guidance.”
Carol del Mar
Actor Writer Director Producer
30+ Years in the Work
I spent five seasons as the lead of The Listener, which aired in more than 180 territories worldwide. I also served as an executive producer on the series, played lead roles in several feature films, and continue to write, direct, and produce.
I’ve navigated Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, international press tours, and the realities of building and sustaining a life in this business.
My coaching comes from lived experience: the pressure of the room, the camera, the set, the waiting, the rejection, the opportunity—and the need to be ready when the work comes.
30+Years working professionally
5Seasons leading The Listener
180+Territories worldwide
Ongoing Month to Month
The Weekly Class
ScheduleMondays at 4:00 PM Pacific
SessionsFour 2.5-hour classes each month
RoomMaximum 10 actors
Open toActors 18+ All levels Worldwide
Founding rate$240 USD per monthLocked while enrollment remains continuous
No drop-ins. When I’m working on set, that week’s class may move to Sunday at 1:00 PM Pacific with advance notice.
Questions about the weekly class? Email Craig.
Deep preparation in service of freedom
A Serious Practice Room
Each month, I choose a scene and partner with you in mind. You read the complete screenplay, investigate deeply, and use Essential 45 and Technicals 101 as flexible preparation tools—not rigid rules.
You return to the material throughout the month, but you are never asked to reproduce the previous result. I watch what is actually happening and respond to what is alive in you, the character, and the scene.
The work itself guides what comes next. Over time, you build a process you can trust inside a committed company of actors.
- Purposeful scene and partner
- Complete screenplay
- Deep preparation
- Return without repeating
- Responsive coaching
- Greater freedom