humble beginnings
Atlanta's highest quality self-taping studio and premiere coaching
Hollywood South Self Tapes was founded with a simple mission: to build the highest-quality audition taping studio in Atlanta. Today, that vision has grown into a trusted service for more than 500 actors across the Southeast and beyond.
In 2022, founders Eric Whitten and Josh Hooks recognized a gap in the Atlanta market for professional, cinematic-quality audition tapes paired with thoughtful actor support. Their goal was to offer cinema-grade self tapes at an accessible price, while also providing actors with the
coaching and collaboration needed to deliver their strongest auditions.
When Josh later returned to Los Angeles to open his own studio, A Place to Tape, Hollywood South Self Tapes transitioned fully under Eric’s leadership. Since then, Eric has continued to expand the studio’s reputation, working with actors from Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and international markets across Europe.
Studio space before remodel
While many taping studios charge additional fees for coaching, Eric believes that coaching is an essential part of the taping process. His approach ensures that every actor receives guidance, feedback, and support without added costs.
Clients consistently rely on Eric’s expertise in script analysis, emotional connection, character relationships, and audition technique, helping them deliver confident, authentic performances on tape.
Studio space original build
ERIC'S JOURNEY
I was standing on stage reading a suicide note when I began to cry. I wasn’t expecting it. It hadn’t happened in rehearsal, but it was happening in front of an entire auditorium of fellow students, parents, and my own family. I was in high school, performing A Girl in the Mirror by Bruce Jacoby, and as I lowered the paper and looked out into the audience, I saw people crying. At the time, I did not yet understand the significance of that moment. I only knew that something I had done on stage had reached people in a way I could feel. That night was my first real encounter with the power of acting.
That experience stayed with me, but it was not isolated. I was raised in a household where education was deeply valued, even when access to it was limited. My mother worked for many years as an assistant kindergarten teacher. She always wanted to become a full-time educator but never had the opportunity to pursue a degree. Raising three children alongside my father, who worked in a tire factory, left little room for career exploration. Still, they impressed upon us the importance of learning, curiosity, and discipline. That belief shaped me as much as any performance did.
Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman
I didn’t know what an acting career looked like coming out of high school. My North Carolina hometown was tiny, and moving across the country to Los Angeles seemed daunting and scary. So I chose a safer path. I chose to go to college and study business.
Fast forward a few years later, and I’m sitting in my office at my marketing job, having just come off doing a little student film over a weekend, which was the first acting I had done since high school, and I felt empty. I knew something had to change. That change led me to move to New York and enroll at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. I spent 15 years in the Big Apple doing theatre,
True Love by Charles L. Mee
film, and television, living my dream as an actor. I choose not to use the word “chasing” my dream, because I have been living it since 2007.
Nearly twenty years later, my work in the arts has expanded naturally into teaching. Over the past five years since moving to Atlanta, I have mentored hundreds of actors through private studio coaching and institutional instruction, including developing and teaching a collegiate-level course on the Business of Acting. Teaching has become central to my artistic practice. Working with artists at different stages of experience has clarified my belief that strong training must balance rigorous technique with a clear understanding of the profession. I aim to help students develop both artistic depth and practical independent agency so they can sustain and manage meaningful careers.
Alongside teaching, I work within professional production environments that require leadership, organization, and collaboration. Managing creative teams, budgets, and workflows has strengthened my ability to communicate clearly and mentor effectively. These experiences inform how I teach, allowing me to translate complex professional realities into accessible learning frameworks that serve students both in the classroom and beyond.
I’m excited for this new chapter in my life, and I can’t wait to share my knowledge and experience with you.