Creative Actors Lab

Creative Actors Lab

Join Max and Kelley Grimm as we explore ways to incorporate creativity into your everyday life. Once we give ourselves permission to feel inspired by allowing our imaginations to flourish, we can reignite that childlike joy to create without being self-conscious.

Episodes

June 27, 2025 4 mins

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Join Max as he reads Ellie in the Closet, which is the heartwarming story of Ellie, a shy rainbow lizard who longs to be accepted just like any other kid. When her bright scales make her a target for teasing, Ellie hides away in her closet, believing no one could ever see her as beautiful. But everything changes when a kind new friend named Storm offers her comfort, sandwiches, and the courage to step into the light. ...

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Join Max, Kelley and their daughter Danielle as they discuss the production of Max's one man spoken word album, Shapeshifter. It was a labor of love that almost didn't happen when Max got sick in February, and it was due at the end of March. Luckily, Danielle help guide the project and found a recording studio at the local library and sound edited the entire piece. Kelley also got to play an ex-girlfriend wi...

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December 24, 2024 36 mins

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Medium Sophia Gardeen must examine her life choices with the help of Charles Dickens, Bob the Atheist ghost, and the spirits of two hip grandmothers on an especially haunted Christmas Eve. 

Includes the voice talents of:
Kelley Cody-Grimm as Sophia Gardeen and Little Sophia
Benja Petty at Bob the Atheist Ghost
Max Grimm as Charlies Dickens, Cal Gardeen and a Demon
Kim Hart as Laura Gardeen, Na...

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December 11, 2024 37 mins

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Join us as ghosthunter Jack Bronson gets some divine intervention on Christmas Eve from Em, an angel who needs to help Jack so she can get back into the good graces of her "boss" with the help of Keith, the ghost. 

We have a wonderful cast of voice actors, including: 
Mezi Mulugeta as Em 
Dean Atkinson as Jack Bronson
Brandon Winget as Keith the Ghost 
Shiyla Gantt as Jack's Mom...

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December 9, 2024 3 mins

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A special rendition of the classic holiday story and editorial written by New York Sun's Francis P. Church for an editorial on September 21, 1897.  The voice talent includes Carlos Tovar, Blerta Xhelili, Estella Love-Rice, and Kelley Cody-Grimm. This is a collaboration between OTC Productions and Creative Actors Lab.

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find...

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Nero and Malaria hatch a plan to deal with Larry Linberg and his photo development store after a shocking discovery. Manson and Esther befriend Saffronia and her brother Nelson after the Mayor's son and daughter bully them.  The Demonis also face heightened scrutiny from their nosey neighbor. 

Warning: Adult Themes and Content

Directed, Written, and Edited by Danielle Grimm

Produced by Danielle Grimm and Kelley Cody...

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After going on the run after a botched murder, the Demoni family settles into the simple small town of Simpleton, a perfect vision of 1960s suburban utopia–or so it seems! As they learn more about the unsavory characters in town, they know that they have their work cut out for them, which includes cutting down those who exploit the innocent.  

Warning: Adult Themes and Content

Directed, Written, and Edited by Danielle G...

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August 5, 2024 25 mins

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In this episode, Kelley discusses what you need to do in a slate and do it correctly for an audition. A slate is a basic introduction before you submit your sides or monologue to a casting director or agent. It helps them see who you are before you delve into your character. Mostly, they want to see that you are easy to work with.  Here is some of the essential information you need to include, but check with the speci...

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In this episode, Kelley discusses the fine art of pitch decks for authors, screenwriters, and filmmakers. She looks at the basic structure of about 12 to 15 slides that can be in Google Slides or PowerPoint which includes:

  • Cover Art
  • Logline
  • Comps - other works that you can compare it to. 
  • Character Descriptions - only for your to 6 to 7 characters
  • Synopsis of the plot - one page or slide.
  • The inspiration for the project
  • ...
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July 8, 2024 35 mins

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In this episode, Max talks about how he left art school to pursue acting and how much he learned in the process. At one point, he was in the best and worst productions he'd ever been in.  He's looking back at his history to plan for the future which is a great exercise for anyone, no matter your age.  

For more on Creative Actors Lab, check our website, www.creativeactorslab.com. You can always find us at our...

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This week, Kelley talks about using AI to help you cut down on your writing time, whether it's helping you write a synopsis based on your Save the Cat Beat sheet, crafting a logline, or doing research for your pitch deck. What AI doesn't do well is writing comedy, and we discuss that, too. 

Here are some of the AI resources that Kelley talks about:

  • Claude AI is good for doing literary research an...
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April 15, 2024 39 mins

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This week, Max and Kelley talk about their creative journey through writing, with Max's being mostly in poetry and writing a blog for a year and Kelley's journey with writing scripts, short stories, and novels.  Max also talks about a time in the early 90s when a short film that he wrote and produced called The Red and the Black was banned in New Zealand.  Kelley talks about learning from Table Reads for her...

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This week, Kelley and Max discuss the documentary series Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV  from the perspective of acting coaches and people who have also faced sexual assault. They discuss how important it is to listen to your gut instinct and how their experiences have helped them help others.  Please note that this episode discusses sexual assault. 

It's not an easy topic, but it needs to b...

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April 1, 2024 53 mins

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Max and Kelley discuss the importance of creativity and how it affects your brain when you do or try something new. They also discuss some of the scientific findings and a podcast by Dr. David Eagleman called The Inner Cosmos.  Max also talks about different problem-solving approaches, such as the SWOT analysis, Business War Games, and Brain Storming and Brain Writing. We also discuss how important it is to seek out n...

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March 18, 2024 37 mins

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Join Max and Kelley as they discuss why someone like Max might need to step away from acting for a few decades. In the interim, he found a new love of writing poetry, cooking as a chef, and expanding his painting ability.  Kelley talks about leaving an improv company after some bad experiences and finding the love of her life (spoiler alert - it's Max). 

Thanks and have a great week. 

For more on Creative...

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This week, Kelley and Max explore how to act like a private detective when you're creating or playing a character. They explore the process of researching a character's motivation by pretending that you were hired to follow the character around. They delve into various aspects, such as how the character would cross the street, how they would perform household chores, or how they would get ready for work.

Kell...

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March 4, 2024 41 mins

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This week, Max and Kelley discuss the importance of meditating and reflecting on your art and what creativity you can accomplish. We discuss different meditation techniques, including Yoga Nidra it is considered sleep yoga, non-sleep deep rest,, and it's meant to reset your nervous system.

If you want to check out some of the practitioners, here are a few that Max suggests:
Ayla Nova - Yoga Nidra - ...

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February 26, 2024 40 mins

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This week, Kelley and Max look at the person who has influenced Kelley's acting journey the most: Viola Spolin.  Viola Spolin was an actress, educator, director, author, and the creator of theater games, a system of actor training that uses games she devised to teach the formal rules of the Theater organically. Her groundbreaking book Improvisation for the Theater transformed American theater and revolutionized h...

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Join Max and Kelley as we look at iconic character descriptions in screenplays from Rick Blaine in Casablanca to Annie Wilkes in Misery to Apollo Creed in Rocky and Rose Maxson in Fences, and many other characters in between. We discuss the impact these characters had in their films and why writing good descriptions is vital for both the actor and the writer.  You get to hear the actual description as it was in the sc...

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February 12, 2024 48 mins

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Max and Kelley discuss the importance of Set Etiquette whether you're on stage or on a TV or Movie set. They use personal examples of the do's and dont's such as:

  • Do be kind and show good manners. 
  • Don't ask for a selfie with a lead. 
  • Do be on time. 
  • Don't try to manifest by telling a lead you will be their co-star one day. (Yes, we saw that happen)

We also talk about how being professiona...

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