For two years, Julius worked in a tailor shop, attended evening school, and privately took Yiddish lessons.
[1][3] In 1907, Nathanson began working in Jewish theaters: as a wardrobe attendant, a ticket seller, a role transcriber and poster paster.
[1][3] Nathanson's career then took him to different cities, including St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, where he worked in various capacities, such as a singer in a Jewish cinema and a prompter in theater troupes.
Nathanson continued his pursuits in the entertainment industry, managing a cinema in Denver for two years and returning to cabarets as a singer.
[1][3] Over the following seasons, Nathanson played at the National Theater and spent a year in Boston, serving as both an actor and manager.