About Giovannie

giovannie-espiritu sfactorsworkshop

"Because you are forced to see things from someone else's shoes, I believe that acting has the capacity to change the world one person at a time. Empathy for one another increase as we are allowed to love ourselves from our deepest flaws to our brightest gifts. it is a study of humanity itself and this crazy lovely world we live in." - Giovannie

Giovannie Espiritu, Founder of Hollywood Actors Workshop

Her first short film, “Ultra-Feminist,” got an Honorable Mention at Outfest:Fusion, and her second film, “ALLY 3000,” won over 12 awards at film festivals mainly in scriptwriting and social justice. Her third short film, "Legacy," won a 2023 Silver Telly, the Hyundai Evolve Innovation Award and was shown in several exhibits including the New Americans Museum and the OutMuseum. Most of her work has taken aim at dismantling the patriarchy, healing generational trauma, and exposing systems of bias with humor.

She just finished writing and directing the feature film, "Love & Karma," with Oscar nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train), Golden Globe nominee Joanna Pacula (Tombstone), Golden Horse nominee Bai Ling (Anna & the King), starring Filipino talent Belinda Panelo and Jojo Riguerra.

An actor herself, she was once nominated alongside Academy Award nominees Alfre Woodard and Amy Irving for Best Supporting Actress, but she didn’t know what to do with that information other than put it on her business card.

She coaches kids/teens/adults online nationwide through HollywoodActorsWorkshop.com and was just named as one of the top 40 Audition Coaches in Los Angeles by the Hollywood Winners Circle. Her students are represented by the top agencies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles and notable student alumni include William Lipton (Daytime Emmy Nominee, Cameron on General Hospital) and the Espina Sisters (Hosts of Dreamworks’ “Life Hacks for Kids on the Road”).

In her spare time, she rock climbs and advocates for Domestic Violence Awareness/Prevention and LGBTQ equality. She has served on the Board of Directors for C.O.R.A. (a Bay Area domestic violence hotline and agency) and been awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Senate for her community service. She is also a member of the Alliance of Women Directors and the Producers Guild of America.

An interview from ShowBiz Tonight.

Her students are represented by the top agencies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles including JE Talent, Stars, Look, MDT, Clear Talent Group, CESD, William Morris Endeavor and many others.

As a believer in Gandhi's maxim, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," Giovannie began writing as a way to create more diversity in the film industry. Soon, it became another outlet for catharsis and healing as she relived deeply personal stories and wove them into her work, along with the lessons learned. Her ultimate goal and "nefarious plan" is to break hearts wide open to create more empathy and compassion by forcing audiences to walk in someone else's shoes.

The Hollywood Actors Workshop Philosophy

While the rest of the actors out there sit around and wait for the phone to ring, we proactive alchemists are quietly re-engineering our strategies, and honing our artistic skills, both commercially and theatrically. We're booking work because we are focusing on our core essentials - being really "Amazing Auditioners" (acting your BEST when it counts the most) and constantly improving our personal "show-business marketing.

Even top performers work with an acting coach. A supportive outside perspective can only help an actor improve as well as save years of trial and error.

Gio's Teaching Street Cred

Giovannie is one of the few acting coaches in the industry with a permit to teach. As this industry grows, it's important to keep our kid actors safe and protected. You can find our article about kid actor safety and Giovannie's acting permit by clicking here.

*For reference, there are only 292 valid permit holders (including managers, photographers, publisicts and acting coaches) who are legally allowed to work with kid actors. This is according to the Department of Industrial Relations.)

Come Join the Fun!

If you're just dipping your toes into acting, don't worry, you're not alone and you're not too late. Acting is a super fun experience and I hope you explore our resources, blog posts, and videos available so that you can get a sense of what the inside of the world of acting is really like. If you've decided or already know you want to do acting, then the best way to get started is to sign up for our newsletter down below and/or also listen to our podcasts. We're all about taking baby steps in life and making gradual but fun progress. Once you've gotten to know us better then we would love to help you get started in the acting world.