Hey guys, we're in episode 3 of season 3 of actors. You are enough guys, if you, if you like what we're doing here, can you just follow, subscribe, share? I mean, we don't get paid for this. We're just hanging out talking, you know, and giving you great information. So that's how you pay us, by telling us that you like what we're doing. So do that. We are talking today about actors. How do you stand out? Like, how do you stand out in the sea of thousands of people?
And how do you stand out when you go to meet an agent? Cause Ophelia, I can't say your freaking last name, Havel. Did it. He did it. I did it. You stand out. You stand out amongst the people in my life that can say my name, yeah. If you could say her name, then you already say that. You win something, you get more free, spent free tips. We'll send you some, some secret tips. I've I've had my name, I've had things addressed to me. Ophelia. How about like, HOWABOUT, how about it?
I've had Bolivia, people call me Bolivia. I mean, I've had it all. So I'm kind of amazed. They think you're a drug. They think you're, you know, Bolivian. A Bolivian drug. How about it? How about a Bolivian drug? OK, How do you stand out? I mean, how do you stand out when you go to an agent meeting? Let's talk about that first, 'cause you're an agent at Johnson Talent Agency.
So when a client comes in, let's talk from your perspective and then I'll talk about when I was managing and why somebody stood out. Yeah. So how does somebody stand out when they meet you? So, you know, typically the way, you know, things have changed so much, right? We've talked about that other episodes how things have just everything's gone online. And so now when we get submissions, they're all online.
So they all start out with an e-mail and we get multiple everyday, 24/7 day in and day out. Sometimes they go to our like general submissions in box and then sometimes they go through the work of finding our individual emails or they'll, you know, be referral from someone and they'll e-mail directly. And so when I get, we get so many, you just start to kind of glaze over. Well, I'm sure you look at the referrals first one. 100 percent, 100, you guys.
Referrals first, so when I send your packages out to get an agent, that's why the success rate when I send packages out, it's crazy. Totally. I always, I, I, not only do I look at them first, but I always look at them some general submissions. You know, we have someone who is specifically in charge of our submissions inbox at the agency and so true.
But as far as if I get them directly, I don't look at them all because it's like they just all kind of a lot of times sound the same so. So how do they sound the same? So they it's like they I will, they try to, it's like if they're trying to sell themselves and probably someone recommended they do that. But if I feel like someone's trying to convince me, I'm like, what are they? What are they trying? Trying. Like trying. To pay.
It's like, I mean, that's why I don't buy anything from Timo, you know? We could do a whole podcast on Timo. Yeah, seriously. Like it's always like, it's always like something comes up and then there's a wheel and then you could you get a discount on this and it's like. Yeah, it's too much. It's like too much. So it's like if they and and then like so you know, in the heading, it'll say like with something that catches my attention.
If is if you're SAG, you put that in the head heading like you put sag actress and then you put like you're something that might make you one thing that might make you stand out. Let's say you are a different ethnicity, you know like African American or I'm or Hispanic bilingual. Yeah, I write. I. Figure out what what a pitch is, you know, like what would you you guys stop thinking like actors think like think like business people. OK.
And so I think that's probably why people sign my people so much because I think I was you. So I know what I would open, you know, so it is subject. It's exactly what Ophelia's saying, that, you know, write, write something that like, I am a union African American, 18 to 23, five languages with the rap. That's it. That's it. That's that that would catch my attention.
You know, if you're not sag, then you you just you can say you don't have to say you're sad, but you can say like start off with like the skill or like the age range like so I don't because I don't want to have to search through. The other thing is if the e-mail is long, I just I'm I'm like it does something to my nervous. If I just see that it's long, my like nervous system starts. Like, OK, now let me address that from the other side. You know why her nervous system
is doing that? Because it all of a sudden sends a signal that you're needy. It's it's they're gonna immediately look like you're high maintenance. They're gonna get a ton of phone calls from you, a ton of long emails and and that's why it's shut down. I didn't even think about that's the the specific reason, but now that you're saying that, I'm like, that is it? Yeah. I don't want to be have like like multiple long texts coming through and. Yeah. Like, is this what our
relationship's gonna look like? Are you gonna always be sending me these long emails and I don't have time? And it also tells me that, well, that's what it is 'cause it also tells me they don't understand what an agent does. Because. Adhesion does not cannot be reading paragraphs and paragraphs of information. It it, you know, you want to say like here's one paragraph,
here's my actors access link. Always have that in there that kind of expand a little bit on what's in this subject line and make sure your, your headshots in there. So I can just see it off the bat. And, you know, really only need your actor, actors access and make sure it's updated so that your headshots are updated. Make sure your reels are updated on there before you send it out to anyone. Make sure your most recent, you know, biggest projects are on there.
And you touched on this on an earlier podcast. Don't just be throwing stuff in the drawer. Don't put all kinds of, you know, I, I don't even need to see, I don't want to see your student films on there.
You know, if you don't have, if you're brand new and you don't have anything like you can put that on there or even if you just have theater, But just know that, you know, you have to kind of be with a certain agent to be that developmental unless you're like a teenager or like 18. The way to get out of development and not look developmental and stand out is to understand the structure of resume, the structure of a package, the what is, what does that look like to somebody
looking at it? So first we're talking about letters. I always go through how many movies you book? Now we're not going to understand what those films are anyway, so just give me a number. So within, since I graduated college, I've booked 12 films. One, give people numbers. Agents are are business people. Give them numbers. I, I, I, I did a web series pilot. I've shot 7 episodes of this of this project web project. I've done 12 verticals. Just give them numbers.
I I play between the ages of now make sure you say what you play between the ages of 30 to 40 and and mostly when I get cast as is da da da da da da da da period period. You just got your, your structure right there. You just got it. That's. Exactly how I write. That's how I write the words like. No more than a paragraph.
No, it is just a paragraph. And then after that's done, then you then if you have something cool like I just won an award or I speak, let's say Iraq Iranian, like I speak Farsi fluently. Those are additional skills that somebody might think is a really great thing. So that could be in the sub paragraph and then please feel free to to check out my package here Colon your your actors access link and feel free to contact me to set me up for an interview here.
Your e-mail, your and and your your phone number. Thank you so much. Whatever your name is. Exactly. And here's another. And here's another important thing too. You know, if I get through that and I'm like, oh, this is interesting enough to open their. Actors, what would what would stand out is do I need this, this ethnicity exactly. You'll you'll be interesting right away. OK, so since let's say somebody's East Indian, well, I don't have a lot of East Indian
actors. Let's go to the next paragraph. OK, that's interesting. OK, now let's go to the link. Exactly, and make sure you have good headshots like you guys you want to. What is good headshots? What does that mean? Well, I have a whole headshot document that I send people and it it it's it's it's like a page because there's really specific things that you want to be
looking for. So when I'm going to give a shout out to my pretty much my like one of my favorite, There's a few, but one of my favorite, Jeremy David creative, he is in Alhambra, I think, which is like over near like San Gabriel, Pasadena, like under, under Pasadena. He we, we get a lot of traction with his head shots. We probably get the most traction with people who, I mean, it's not a nothing's a guarantee, but he is really,
really good. OK, So what is it about his head shots that you think people are responding to? There's a couple things, one of them he they're the quality of them. Like I've seen people who use, you know, headshot photographers that even have like a like they've somehow developed a good reputation, but we get them. A lot of them are dark. Like they try to be dramatic and make them like kind of dark, but then like half of their face is
like shadowed and you can't. Yeah, and also side note guys, whenever you upload to Actors Access, for some reason it makes it a little darker. So be on the lookout that your pictures are on the little lighter side when you upload and your videos. For some reason their software and. You notice that a lot with the videos, it's, it's, it's kind of annoying actually. But with his, with his headshots, they're always
bright. They're not, they're not overexposed, but they're like they're, they're bright and you can really see their face. Clarity. Talking about the clarity of it. You don't want it to be over edited. You you know, there's there was a trend for a minute and sometimes I still come across them where they they the pictures look like video game characters. What's going on here? And he doesn't over edit. You shouldn't have, you know, in
your headshot. You don't want to have you want to have women, you want to have minimal makeup on. I would not recommend getting hair and makeup when you do your headshots because when you get an audition, you need to look just like your headshot. I had. AII agree with that. And you should just do your own makeup. Like, you know, I have a tendency where a little bit more than most people because I'm character. I'm very character.
So that's, that's my brand, you know, but for the most part they're going to end up touching it up a teeny bit here and a teeny bit there anyway, so. Exactly, yeah, you don't want to you don't want to, you know, over edit any like, you know, major birth marks. If you have a little acne, like you're a teenager and you know, or young adult, like you know, they'll they'll get like you said, they'll edit that.
But you don't want to have anything major like covered up because when you show up on set if or an audition, if that's showing, they'd be like, what the heck, like this wasn't the headshot, you know, like a birthmark or a mole or something. Don't don't cover too much up. Just do some basic basic. There's some like famous actors that that have a distinct mole on their nose. Absolutely. And it's awesome and. You're like, well, you're a major actor. Like, why didn't you get rid of that?
Right? Yeah. But it's like they're shapely. They are, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It's, it's like kind of fun. Don't women do not wear jewelry, you know? Don't. It's really distracting. It also sends a message of the kind of character that you're playing, and sometimes one picture needs to cover like 7 different characters.
Exactly, Yep, for sure. If you do like an extra bonus one that's like a real, real character look and you know, it's like big hoop earrings with like, you know, shirt shirt that's like off the shoulders and you know, you, you, you know, that kind of a thing or something you that's fine, but don't don't you know that's only going to be used by your agent for like a certain specific look.
You know. That we always want talent to get like 5 different looks and one of the things that Jeremy does is he he's really able to pull the character out of out of the person. So we want like 5 different characters we get we have seen headshots come that the quality is so good they they're let up. Good to see every single expression they have like. Yeah, they just changed the outfit. It's exactly the same.
Like what I can't, We can't use. We can only use one of all the 400 that you got because you look the same in every single one. Yeah, let me, let me speak on. Let me speak on photos, guys, It's really important to figure out where you fit, OK? Like where do you fit? I was coaching a guy named Abdullah yesterday. And I mean, I didn't even know he worked in the science field. And I said to him, I said you are, you are such like a, a forensic blood analyst guy. And he's like.
Oh my. Gosh, I'm in the science field. I medical stop right? I'm like, that's your whole essence, That's who you are in like that would make you would make an incredible forensic guy when like like in Dexter, they had the Asian guy be the forensic guy series regular. Well, Abdullah, you could have been that for an ethnic guy. He's very character ethnic. He, he speaks, he speaks the language perfectly. He does the accent perfectly. He's a short ball. You know what I mean?
Like so interesting. Yes, Oh my God, he'll pull you in. Yes. So I said to him, I said Abdullah, I said, I hope you have a forensic looking shot of a guy that would be like a scientist. And that same picture is a guy for NASA. Yeah, same picture is a guy that's a, that's a like a a certain kind of a surgeon, like a specific brain surgeon. Yeah, same guy, same guy. If you put on a stethoscope or you add jewelry or a hat or a jacket or a white coat, it changes everything.
So what I would rather you guys do is let's use Abdullah, for example, and and we're putting him as a forensic analyst. Like like he could be up on the stand. They could be paying him for his, for his expertise, right? Do a bio, call the guy Sammy. Sammy. I don't know, Sammy, give yourself a name Sammy Sheikh. That's actually a guy that I used to coach. So don't do Sammy Sheikh but but but like that and do a whole bio of, you know, my parents immigrated here to America.
Nobody speaks English in my house. I'm the only one that went to Med school and college. I graduated top of my class. I work at Cedars Sinai. You see what I mean? Like duo duo. So when you show up for your photos, Abdullah will be acting his can. You tell. Can you tell the? You tell the photographer, OK, this is the look I'm going for, right?
Now I have them send a picture of the polar, what used to be Polaroid but the picture of what you're wearing, and I have them send the bio with the name and what shows they're going for. That's awesome and that is something else that it that I tell my actress to do. Before you get your session, I want you to make a board and I want you to go talk to your acting coach. You talk to them, say what? What are my strongest roles? I need about 5 different looks.
One of them we always say because we do go across the board, commercial and theatrical. We always say one of them is just going to be your smiling like your pup. We call a puppet shot like this is your commercial shot. Just big open smile. Believe it or not, your commercial shot is also your sitcom shot. Yeah, exactly. It's really the same shot. Totally, absolutely you're bicycle. Mom, you know, or nosy neighbor. That's the gossipy, loudmouth friend.
Hi Cam, this is going to be your multicam look as well. So we need one of those and then do it like four other. If you want to do one extra bonus one, that's fine, but do 4 about four. You don't want to have too many because then it it's like. Yeah, but if your last name is Ramirez and you speak Spanish and you do a Spanish accent, if you don't give me an immigrant, then you'd be wrong.
It has to look like you just crossed the border and you got caught and you're in some truck somewhere, you know, give me a story. We're sad. We need to see a story because because what we're trying to do and what you're trying to do is actor is when casting, you get in front of casting, you need to help their imagination. Yeah, using their imagination the whole time they're casting. And so you need to help them out. You need to have like 5 different distinctive looks.
Just don't you know your outfit. You need to study that think about you wear do not do costume. I I don't want to see The only exception. A couple times I've had someone do like like a cop like like top. Yeah, that's kind of nice because military is a big deal and it also, you know, it it it sets a certain precedence about the power that is you. Absolutely, if you can play that role, we again. Don't shoot it, you can't play it. Not play if you get run the camera, you just can't.
You just can't be that tough, you know, like then don't do even if you look out outwardly like. Yeah, so that's how, that's how you'll stand out. I mean, but, but we want to see the, the, the life in the picture. So it's family, the photographer, it's it's you. If your photographer's picking your clothes, then you have no business shooting in session. What? Absolutely. Like you just go home because honestly, you're not ready. You're really not ready. Just just go home.
Exactly you need to. Find I used to say that if I was in the outer office at a casting facility on a callback and I and I looked at a girl there and said, why didn't I do that? I should have just gone home. I just gave her the job, right? So it's like, like, just go home. Just just forget it. Just forget about it. OK. Just call it. Yeah, seriously, you. That's how you stand out with your photos when you're really specific and you know what you're going for and you you are consulted.
Don't just throw a bunch of crap up against the wall because you need to educate your the people that are representing you. Yeah. They need to know, oh, this is this and also your media guys don't just throw a bunch of media up there and go, you know, like every anybody's going to know what it is. Your clips need to match your photos, which needs to match your resume, which needs to match you. And so that's a comprehensive
package. Yeah, if you don't have, you know, if you have enough, like if you're just starting out and you don't have real material yet, you do like some self tapes, but don't do, please don't do a monologue. Please get a reader and pick something that pulls something offline that fits who you are. You just do not have to be over 2 minutes. Maybe do and separate it into
dramatic and comedic. And then after that you can, if you want to put individual clips that have like, you know, nurse, you can put that, but you want to have, you know, so that casting has choices of what to look at, but you also want to have like dramatic and comedic and you can start with self tapes. In the meantime, get yourself into some student films. So even they, even though they don't pay, typically don't do just any student, any school. Jump over Nichols to save pennies.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, look at how many credits I have, like 172 credits or something like that on IMDb. And that's not even the ones that they didn't even put up there. OK? I just act because I love to act. And you guys, you need to do that too. If you love to act, stop looking at what they're paying you. Just think about the car ride home. You like Skippy? Skippy and the car ride home, aren't you? Like I'm an actor, I'm an actor.
It's going to be, yeah, I mean, you don't want to like if you have an agent, you don't want to be like submitting for tons of student films, you know, while they're trying to submit you and then booking out for bigger stuff that they're trying to find you. But you need you. Can you keep either? They're not going to likely submit you to student films. Like I don't 'cause that's. No, but there's certain student films to look at though, like American Film Institute, second year.
I've been in two of those and they both went to Sundance so that's a big deal. So you guys second year now? AFI is not postgraduate, it's post post Post postgraduate come from other schools that graduated top of their class in a lot of them have masters. Yeah, AFI is a great choice. It's a great and sometimes they even they and sometimes they actually pay. It's low, but they still pay. So that's like ideal USC. Deferred.
What happens is, is that when they sell it, and they do, they sell those shorts later on 'cause you sign a sag agreement and it's deferred and so they'll pay you later. Yeah, yeah, it absolutely. USCUCLA Chapman See son. I would do I wouldn't do like random schools because you will never you may never see and probably won't ever see the footage. So it's like a. OK, the reason why? The reason why you won't see the footage? The reason why you won't see it
is yeah. Why do you think the reason why you don't won't see the footage? Well, sometimes they never even finish them. There you go. They didn't. If they can't afford to go to UCLA or USC, they're not finishing their movie, right? OK. Or it's going to take much longer. And doesn't mean it's a bad movie. But the reason why you're doing
it is to get footage. And you and I would recommend when, if you do something like that, that in the contract that you get something in writing that says within 90 days, I will have my, I will have my footage because that's the whole reason that you're doing this. It's so right you guys. You got to get something in writing, otherwise you're going to be chasing. They're going to finish their project and be like, oh, I'm done. And then forget about you. Exactly.
Yep, 100% you got, you got. You can't just trust. You need and you need to know it needs to say like how many days you're going to be working. It needs to say the hours you need to decide am I going to go, oh, 'cause it's not going to be it's usually not going to be sag you're.
Almost your own manager, you know, so learn how to manage yourself until you are until you're at a level where you can get proper management and the and the way to do that is to just say, well, what what might happen. Yeah, go through all the scenarios like I don't want if, you know, I'm not going to work over 12 hours. It's not unusual to work 12 hours. And and if and then some student films, they might, it might, you know, they might say no, we that we need the flexibility to do 14
hours. And if it's, you know, if you can do that, do it but. You know what, it's really good to like if they're not done because sometimes they're like, oh, I'm not done. You can just say, hey, listen, I totally respect that. But how about giving me my raw footage so you can get the raw footage and go to an editor and shadowbox out the numbers and it'll look like a big movie 'cause it'll have a shadowbox on it? Absolutely. That's a great idea.
You just get, yeah, get whatever they have done. Like just get it you, you that you want to, you got to get. If you don't have reels on actors access in both categories, it's like no casting director is going to pay any attention to what's going on there. Like they're going to they're, it's like, you know, I, I won't, I won't even, you know, represent, move forward with the
people. If they are, if they don't, if they don't have reels, 'cause they're just starting and, and we're developing them where it's like, I give you a certain amount of time to get a reel up there. And then from there, you have to, you have to, you know, look at in, in shorts, get, get into some shorts. Those are great ways to get and a lot of those. Shorts, I think shorts are great and I love, you know, your career could be made in a Film Festival.
You know, also, I have to say, if you don't like what's in your actor's package, I mean, even if your reps love a picture that you think is just plain old fugly and you just like freaking hate it, take it down because you have to resonate with everything that is you, you know, did that you. Should not. Having said that, an actor should not, like, be picking out their own headshots because the way we see ourselves, we cannot be objective.
Your Rep knows what to look for. They know what casting is looking for because this, this has happened several times. Someone will be like, well, I really like these pictures. And we're like, no, those are not going to work. Yeah. But you know, on the other side, the devil's advocate side, a lot of agents aren't picking your, your boutique agent. You, your approach to your actors are more like a manager, right? And so most agents are not picking and they'll fly through
the pictures. And that's how you get the fugly pics. You're not really looking. They're not taking the time. That's why you guys have to be so clear in your business and what's in your shoe store. You know, like I gave you the shoe analogy the other day, but you know, you're a store, So what are the products in your store? And they have to be just clear and people buying them because they're clear. You know, definitely, if you don't like a video, take it down. Fracking's not great.
Take it down. You don't want anybody seeing just sub poor acting or that was me. Like a lot of people go BA before Amy, that was me BA and I'm like, take it down. You're not that person anymore. Well, absolutely. And the other thing too is if you have like, let's say you have you don't have a lot of real material, but then someone filmed you in a play and but it the quality isn't great. Don't put that up. I would rather you get yourself like like you're doing a self
tape. That's clear you. Yeah, get coached on that self tape, guys. Do not randomly put up a self tape 'cause that could be bad too. Yes, you want it. You don't exactly you, you want, you don't want to put it like a a previous audition up. You want to get? You want to pull something. Off. You'd book it and then also like, you don't know what it's like. A lot of these things are like copyrighted, so you could get in trouble on top of it.
You just pull something online that you know is OK to use. Don't. Like an actor that's famous where they could go and they're thinking of Heath Ledger while you're doing it. Like don't do that. Like the first episode of Friends, Like go like the first five years of Friends and pick something from that and change the names. Great, fabulous idea. Yeah, 'cause what are they going to be thinking about if they're watching like some famous scene from what are they?
Going to be Monica. Yeah, they're going to be thinking, well, that they're not anything like them. Oh, that's terrible. Like they're going to, they're going to be comparing. And the other thing too is some people like when you do yourself tapes, you don't it, it doesn't need to look like you don't need to like make a set like you don't Oh. My God, these people. Because it's never going to look that way. So don't sit on a couch like this, right? I mean, yeah. Oh my God. No props. No.
No props. No, props don't because if you're trying to make it look high quality, it's never going to look like that high quality. And so looking like, well, this looks like a bad movie, like, you know, just either do the self tape or getting you the real footage. OK, But I want to what I want to talk about the most today is how do you stand out in a self tape? Because this is what we're
trying to do in a book. And This is why you developed your whole technique was to get people to book auditions. So how do you stand out in a self tape when you turn your audition in? Why are some people getting called back? Why are some people booking and why are others not? Well, the first thing that everybody has to think about is like if you got an audition, Oh my God, for today's standards, they what are they getting like
between 5 and 10,000 auditions? But that's something on actors Access. It just came out and then they closed it. That's how fast people are. I mean, you guys, it's crazy what's going on out there. So you're, you're getting an audition. They want to see what you're going to do because you're going to be one of eight or ten people that they're going to call back, right? And so you're already special.
Right, right, right, exactly. You've already like like, wow, look at you stood out amongst all like hundreds and hundreds. Yes, there was something about your picture, something about your ethnicity, something about your whole thing that that caused them to tell the agent or manager to bring you in. OK, So that alone, you're already you're already doing a good job. OK, so there's that. Absolutely. And my old thing is why buy it
back? You know, if they're looking for somebody that they saw in the picture, why are you trying to be any different than that? Most of your time needs to spend be spent either in therapy. Exactly. Like, like find out who you are. That's how you stand out. And that's just in a nutshell. I mean, of course, I've been doing this 30 years. I have 15 guidelines.
And then I could teach you how to technically break down a script and read better and how to use this frame because this is a 16 by 19, which is why all my classes runs in. It's how to use this frame. Like, that's what makes it interesting, like the choreography of what's in this box. Geography, I mean, thinking about choreography when they're doing a self tape, probably not a lot, right? They're not, they're because they're just standing there. The it's moving pictures.
Film and television is moving pictures. So it goes frame by frame by frame by frame by frame. And so if when you get a script after you, you know, one of the 10 times I ask you to read it is watch it being played by somebody else that's not you. Like, because if you could see it, you can understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't play it. You don't even try. Like, like literally you don't even try because then you're going to play at it and you're not going to be in.
It. So you know, people don't want to see your rehearsal process. So if you are doing a self tape and you're already like with you and your reader on like #10 then you know, like, like tell your reader come back tomorrow because you're not ready to self tape. Yes, you should be rehearsing between self tapes. Like if you're just, you know, doing other stuff and going doing other all these other hobbies and you're also a writer and also like directing and producing.
You're doing all this stuff, but you're not practicing. You're not focused on being. Practice. You need to be practicing. All the, all the. Time in between. That's your result. That is. You know what I tell my students is to take a self tape that they did like a year ago 'cause let's say they've been with me for a year and re tape it and then look at the difference. I think it's so it's, it's so
important to see your growth. You know you're not going to get better unless you're feeling like you're getting better. Yeah, stop beating. Yourself up. You know, oh, that's so good. You need to actually believe that you're getting better a lot. And this is, I think, why you touched on therapy. A huge part of why people get called back, why they get books, why they get auditions, is because of what they are believing about themselves. Yes. What? What do you believe about your?
Do you believe that you are enough? Let's start there. Yeah, most people get into acting because they feel broken and and that's what makes you a great actor, but that doesn't make you a great Booker, OK? Is people don't want to like hire any needy people, OK? They just don't want to. And so the moment that they feel you're reaching towards them, they pull back. It's like any relationship, right?
So, so if you can get to a place where you really know who you are when they're calling you in and feeling special that I got this opportunity. And then breaking down a script according to the writer's intent and really understanding story and then inserting yourself in it after understanding and really knowing the genre, the tone in the show and the network and the base. And like, what is it?
What does it remind you of? Because everything should remind you of something, unless it's the bear. OK, that's its own thing. Like why are you even calling it comedy? That's a couple of other topic. But anyway, so if that's all recognized, then it needs to be for you and not for anybody else.
So that's part of the process. And when it's for you, then you're going to represent a strong way to go because you'll swing all the way through, you'll send it in, you'll feel proud and you'll walk away and not think about it and just go. If they don't hire me, it's not my fault, it's their fault. It's your fault, yeah. Yeah, I did everything. I I'm done. Absolute. That's such a great way to to explain that. And you said something that reminded me of something.
It'll come back to me. Oh, I know what it was. So you, there's a difference between taping and and acting on when you're acting on set and taping, booking on audition. Those are two different skill sets. Oh yeah, Booking is a separate beast. It's a separate beast. You're by yourself. You're like a, you're like an actor magician.
Yes. Yeah. OK, so you transport if you're great, if you're great, you can just have a background and transport me into your imagination with everything that you're doing, seeing and saying. And and the the the bigger, the most places I go watching you, the more you're going to be a working actor. Yeah. Oh, that's so good. That needs to be like a mantra. Like a a mantra type of. Thing. Yeah. Actor, magician. You're an active magician.
Literally and a lot of the training that people are getting and, and with, you know, different acting studios, even some of the well known ones. Not get me started. Don't get me started. Oh no, I'm awakening. Well, I get all those students from all those teachers and I'm like, you were there. How long? And you're giving me this, you know? I look at resumes and I'm like, oh, they were five years and blah blah blah. I'm not going to name.
That's kind of good thing. Either they're auditions. I'm like, what did what was going on in those five years? I'm so confused. Well, also, if your training is like this on your resume and your credits are like this, there's a problem. Yes. You know, that means you are you are a student who won't get out of the the everybody loves you. Pat you on the back. You guys have coffee and you go, no, no, you're good. No, you're good. No, you're good.
You know what? I really love that moment when and and if you're doing that a lot, then you're not out there. You got to be out there falling on your face. Learn on set. Like, I know I could teach you like a million things, but unless you take what I'm teaching you and you go on set, it's a whole another thing. You have to practice. You have to go out and practice, right. A lot of a lot of times people are like, no, I'm not ready. Well, who told you that?
That's a great question. Where did that come from? Who told you that you're not ready? Yeah. Because if your teacher's telling you you're not ready, then you might need to re evaluate your process. Yeah, definitely. You have to take where you're at right now and practice it in the real world, and then keep training and take the next thing and practice it in the real world and then take the next thing and practice it in the real world. It's practice, training and practice.
Yeah, exactly, exactly. And you, yeah, a lot of the stuff that actors are learning, I'm finding that that that's more applicable to like once you get on set, but it's not helping them book jobs. Yeah. There's something missing. Well, it's a lot of it too. I mean, this is a very long conversation I've had like lectures and lectures and lectures and lectures about it. Which you guys, you can go to the Actors toolbox.net and get a free week on there and you can just watch a whole bunch of
videos. We'll be lecturing about so many different topics regarding booking, but I think like the the biggest thing is that people are just not understanding how strong you need to be. Like one of my students booked booked Rise of the Pink Ladies for Paramount Plus. She had eight callbacks on Zoom. Wow. She never even met anybody. She met them in person when she got the job. 8 callbacks on Zoom. So intense. Yeah, Marissa Davila.
Yeah, it is #1 on the call sheet, 8IN takes a lot of stamina, takes a lot of of focus. It takes a lot of discipline. And if you're not training in that way, and that's how I train people. I train people to discipline, focus, stamina, strength, power, and it's all to train you like you're going to be an Olympic athlete, yes. That's the level. That is the level. Of level. This isn't. If this is a hobby for you, that's OK, That's totally fine. Like.
Don't expect anything. But don't have the same expectations as if you've decided that you are, this is what you're going to do. Because if it is, don't, don't give your age in a heart. I, I know my talent. I, I know like when I, you're always as an age, you're taking a risk every time you sign someone. And then the longer you do it, the, the more you can start to filter out the risk. But there's still risk involved.
And so I have people on my roster that I know are not going to, I'm not, they're not going to be on there. They're not going to go the long haul with me because I'm likely, it's likely going to be that I don't keep them. But you know, you, you as an agent, particularly boutique you, you do your best to try to make it work.
But there's people that I they're, you know, when I see people getting their auditions in like a minute before they're due consistently or when I see people, I ask them to do a retake and they give me a hard time. You know, I think it's fine or I don't really have time, whatever. It's like, OK, that tell that right there tells me a lot. It tells me a lot. And they never grow out of that even after I've conversation about them. Why that? Why that is not the right answer.
I just know they're not going to be long for their life with me. Like, yeah, they're not long for this world with you, They're not. They're not long for this world. That is a way an Olympic athlete would respond to their coach before like one of the biggest races of their. No. And there's a lot, a lot more respect, you know, that people have when you're in high training with people who know that they have your best interests and they know what you need to do to succeed.
And. So like, where's the respect? I don't get paid if you don't get paid, like, what do you, what do you think is happening here? Yeah. There's no respect. Yeah, you know, reason #5,000,333, while no longer a manager, is nobody had. It's like being a producer. It's so freaking thankless, you know, like, like not as a boutique agent, 'cause you're not like that. But if I was an agent, it wouldn't matter as much.
But when you're a manager, you're like, in their lives, Yeah. And it's it's your kind of relationship and I the responsibility of their careers, wanting it more than they did. It's crazy. It starts to be like, I am, I, I'm, I need therapy because why am I doing this? And they don't even want it as much as I why am I doing this? Like for them, you know, absolutely. You got to evaluate. Yeah, after. And you there's a sense that your agent is working harder than you are.
If you find yourself giving those kinds of answers, like, oh, I'm good. I don't need, I don't, I don't, I'm fine with it like that. I, I don't think I need to re tape it or, or you're like, I don't I, you know what? I don't know if I, I don't know if I have time. You have to remember if I called you or your agent calls you right now and said you have an in personal audition in three hours, would you say, oh, I'm sorry, I can't rearrange my schedule? I don't think you would say
that. There's something about self tapes that has changed people's attitude about. Oh yeah, they're like I'm going person. Yeah, or like something you. Mean I I booked a matches for a commercial commercial in person last year, right? In person, Yeah, person. I think you could book more in person. Yeah, definitely, if they get to. Know you. You get the vibe the director's able to work with it on the call back. Yeah, exactly. We can give you feedback on the first call.
I mean, the casting directors liked it too, you know? Yeah, I know. I know. Most cast directors I talked to like they, you know, they, it's, they're not, it's not going back. But they're like, oh, I miss in person, you know? Yeah, it was a vibe. And and likely if I say you have to be there in three hours, most of most, not all, but most of them, my talent would be like, all right, But if it's a self tape, suddenly it's like, oh, I don't, I don't, I put all I
already put my stuff away. I don't, you know, I took my makeup off, all right? Wow. You I, you probably. Won't. Well, that goes in your notes. Yeah, I I-100. They already took their makeup off. It's fine. It's not like it's bad if you did, but then it's like, so do you need me to tell you that the solution is to put your makeup back on or what is like you can't think of that? Like why are you telling me this
like? No, because because it you don't want to do it, they're easily inconvenienced. Yeah, and that and that's not the mindset of it. Because we're not in a convenient business. No. You're not in a convenient business, things are so inconvenient. And if you want a really big audition, book a cruise. Oh yeah, right every time. Right, every time. Every time you're like, I'm sure you see it when, when you get auditions for people like, Oh my God, they're booked out.
They're on a cruise. Yeah. We've had people that have flown back, who have flown back from family vacations. And I'm not. I'm not saying. Or they're taping in the bathroom of the hotel room. Oh, what absolutely. That's like I'll figure it out. I will figure it out. So when I have, you know, when I have you talent and I have some of my talent or like I tell them to do something, they're like I'm on it like that's my I I've posted that in my stories before. Look at this amazing response
from my talent. I told them to do this, the XY and the I'm on it. That was their response. You know, it wasn't like, oh, I don't know, I don't know. But it's, it's basically what everything boils down to. It's inconvenient, right? So there's a difference and agents see it, they see it quickly. If I am having people, you know, consistently turn things into the last minute, meaning I don't care if it's not good because I'm not going to have time to re tape it.
But obviously you obviously don't care. Or it's like also like knowing that just because the, you know, the clock turns 6, it doesn't mean your agent's going to be is sitting at your their computer waiting on you to turn. I might be having dinner. You might miss the deadline because I'm not going to stop everything because you got it in
at six on the dot. Like I might be in a meeting, like I'm not going to change my plans for you, you know, So I, I think, you know, as an actor, if you are, if you really want the things that you're telling people that you want or you're telling yourself, you have to look at what you're doing and seeing if that. Yeah, and I think it's always good to get things in early because, I mean, as long as it's great, OK? But but, you know, maybe they're
exhausted. Maybe they already saw like 80 auditions and they could pick somebody from that. And you were #81 because you got it in late. So I say get it in early. Set the bar. Exactly that that and then also not only does it actually give you better chances, but it also communicates to your agent and to yourself. I mean this is that should be the main and. The casting because they get it right away. The casting, absolutely.
That's what it communicates. Sitting at your agents, they're getting it. As soon as your agent says yeah, I I'm going to go with this, they're getting it. Exactly. So let me see your name showing up early. Yeah. That's somebody. That's somebody that you want on your team. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Yeah. We could talk about this forever and ever and ever. There's so much to talk about regarding this subject. Yeah, there really is. Yeah, like so much.
But I think the biggest things that actors need to to think about is how much do you want it? How much do you want it? How much do you want it? Yeah, I think that's the question of the week. How much do you want it? And, you know, and if you don't want it that much, that's OK. Don't expect more. Yeah, yeah, like. OK, That's like being in a relationship with somebody and you tell your friends, yeah, yeah, I'm not going to marry this guy. He's like, whatever. And then he leaves you and
you're crying that he left you. Yeah, right. And they're. Like yeah, but you said I don't care, you left me and I'm rejected. I'm upset. Well you know you didn't care. So if your agent dumps you because you showing you don't care and then you cry and you bitch about the agent that jumped drop dropped you, why don't you start thinking about what led up to that? Yes, yeah, if you want to grow and get better, think about that. Think about why why did why did this?
Where can I grow from this? Because if you just keep blaming your agent or blaming something or someone else or blaming you're you're, that doesn't serve you like you're never gonna that. Doesn't serve. Trust me. You know, I get people that are crawling. They're freaking crawling. I had 40 auditions and I know I've I've heard about you.
I. Don't know but my friends have trained with you, my agent told me about you but I need you to help me now because I have a feeling they're going to drop me. What? You are not my perfect student. I I literally don't even want to train you. Wow, wow. That's that's what you get. I'm getting a lot of because they come crawling to me to fix them. I'm like, I'm not going to fix you.
This is a whole process. This is a whole process and it started with everybody told you and you did nothing. That says something about you. I don't want somebody that like, that's why I don't advertise. When people find me, they finally find me because you know the Lord sent them. You're looking at that way. God said you. God sent them. That's right. I really didn't hear. That way I could match. Yeah, like when we met, at least in London's party, God did. God did that. That's the God.
Thing see that just happened out of nowhere. It was a God thing. That's a God thing on so many levels. Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, you guys, if you don't believe in God, that's OK, But you maybe believe in spirit, maybe believe in the universe, I don't know. But there are no coincidences. Things happen for a reason. And and if you're coming to me after you're crawling on your knees, then you should have thought about it 35 auditions before.
And probably and you need to do some internal work before you start trying to fix anything. You need to do some internal work before you. What I mean that dialogue was correct, right? Oh my gosh, I just, I was like, I almost fell out of my chair because it was like, this is real. It happens all the time. Or like let's say one of my students is now booking after being with me for a year. Now they're booking Co stars and recurring and heading into guest star.
And so I'll get a phone call. Yeah, Someone told me about you a year ago. They wanted to see what they were going to do. They were looking at their friend going, well, let's see what you do. So now they've had a year of not training with me. Right. What their friend was going to do when it took their friend about a year. Yeah. You just up everything to get ready and how to hit it. Yeah. And that's now they're behind. Yeah. And it's, that's not a, it's, I understand why people like.
Well, I want to see what happens for you or for this. I understand why people think that, but it's actually like a logical fallacy because that's not you can't, you can't obtain information from about your life, your future based on someone else's life. There's so many factors involved in why someone books. You know, there's so many. It's it's obviously what we're talking. About let's talk about, you know what, we got to go. Let's talk about that next next time.
Yep, that'll be our that'll talk. Well, we're going to talk about it next time, like we'll name it. Why aren't you booking? Oh, that's so good. You better, you better. If you're, you better turn in TuneIn for that. If you're in this, you're better tune in for that and. You guys, we really want you to write us and give us some topics that you want us to talk about because I mean, we'll just be talking. I mean, like we're already over at this point. So you want to know this is your
chance. This is your chance. Let's go. But subscribe, share, comment, follow. You know we did our thing. You do your thing. Exactly. These are free tips, so show us some love. Show us some love. Right. OK, you can follow Ophelia where? At this happens every time 8 OK. It's JTA under score. ATA under score agent under score Ophelia and it's OFOF Frank Lia. Thank you love there. Yeah, yeah. So follow her on Instagram. Yeah. And she will remember her.
I keep testing her. Maybe you'll be ready for the next test. You guys, I'm everywhere. I'm like, shit, I'm everywhere. Just, you know, at Amy Linden, OK. OK. Bye, everybody. Hi. Everybody.