Camera Ready & Abel

The topic of relationships come up often in my conversations on Camera Ready & Abel. This is no surprise since media and entertainment are relationship-driven industries. People like to work with people they know and trust to to get the work done on time, on budget and well executed. It's also a fact that media and entertainment are referral driven businesses, and people recommend people they know, like, and trust.

So I've pull...

My dear friend, Sean De Simone, is back on the podcast and we are discussing the phrase, Play to Your Strengths. This comes up in all areas of our business from coaching to casting to the courses we teach.

My favorite definition of Play to Your Strengths is: Do what you are able to do well, instead of trying to do other things. Sounds simple but so often we waste energy on trying to conform to a narrow ideal - The Shoulds - that we...

Camera Ready and Confident is a rebroadcast of my guest appearance on Vinnie Potestivo's I Have a Podcast two years ago, shortly after the launch of Camera Ready and Abel.

Vinnie is my dear friend, co-conspirator and Emmy Award-winning media advisor who helps people and their business get seen and heard. Vinnie and I met years ago when we were talent executives at MTV Networks. 

Listening back to this episode I can hear how far I'v...

This episode of Camera Ready & Abel is brought to you by the phrase Daily Disciplines. According to success.com being a high performer is the result of your daily disciplines.

Here to discuss is my friend, journalist, J.D. Durkin, who opens up and shares the personal details of how developing his daily disciplines with intention helped him navigate his career, work through challenging times in his life and evolve as a human bei...

I get asked all the time by clients and students Am I allowed to say that??

It used to be we were afraid of causing offense or being inappropriate, now add to that the very real fear of being canceled.

I'm very happy to have this timely conversation with a bonafide expert on the subject, Karith Foster, who is a diversity engagement specialist and creator of the groundbreaking INVERSITY™ methodology and other signature programs. 

Ka...

Humans are social creatures and yet it can be mighty hard to talk to people. It's a serious challenge - when you Google, how to talk to anyone, 455 million hits come up.

Here to discuss is my dear friend Crystal Jones, who is the associate director of Major Gifts for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and who talks to people all day, every day for a living and talks them into making serious donations.

The alternative title to this episo...

Everyone from Socrates to Euripedes to Virgil Abloh has commanded us to Question Everything. My guest for this episode, television host and professional interviewer Danielle Robay, figured out early on that questions are a superpower - and all of us can develop and tap into it. 

At a critical time in Danielle's career, when she was rebounding from the dream job that turned out to be a soul crushing mistake, she turned her superpowe...

Mastery = deep, comprehensive knowledge or skill which is the difference between knowing how to do something and doing that something extremely well.

Marketing = the activity or business of promoting and selling products or services.

Mindset = the established set of attitudes held by someone

Here to discuss the 3 M’s is Wendy Alane Wright - acting career coach, Hollywood talent manager and fo...

Several guests have said this to me: Working harder IS working smarter. 

My guest for this episode of Camera Ready & Abel - multi Emmy nominated Television Host, Producer and journalist, Buki Elegbede - says his Work Ethic is his Superpower.

Buki believes his work ethic is what has given him a competitive advantage in an industry that is saturated with talent. As he says, quoting Milton Berle, “when opportunity doesn't knock, b...

This episode of Camera Ready & Abel is brought to you by the phrase Write Your Dream Role, an action at the heart of creating opportunity. A core principle of being camera ready.

My guest for this episode is Emily Grace - a career coach and Sundance award-winning actress - who lives the mantra:

Why wait? Don't ask for permission. Go do.

Because that's what Emily did. She learned hard lessons as an actor going from making a big ...

Trends and market changes - like emerging technologies and shifts in consumer behavior impact every industry -  and are hitting entertainment and media particularly hard right now.    Here to discuss both the opportunities and challenges of current industry trends is legendary agent Mark Turner, who currently serves as a Partner and Vice President of programming, digital media licensing, branding and head of unscripted talent at A3...

I grew up with an imbalanced idea of what life balance is, thinking all the different parts had to be in equal amounts. What a huge relief and step forward when I met my guest for this episode, Erin Palinski-Wade, who helped me understand balance is about having the correct proportions.

Erin is the ultimate multi-hyphenate:  a nationally recognized nutrition, diabetes, and fitness expert, author, TEDx speaker, business owner, frequ...

Being on message means saying things that agree with the official position of a political party, organization, business, or brand…and most importantly, being true to your own message!

My guest for this episode, Johanna Maska, is an expert bar none on the how and why of being On Message.

Johanna shaped the message and image of Barack Obama, beginning with the Iowa caucuses in 2007, all the way through being White House Director of P...

This feel great episode is brought to you by the word industrious which means diligent and hardworking, and also implies a habitual devotion to the work, which in the Camera, Ready & Abel universe is one of the keys to success.

This episode could also have been called Industrious: How to Get the Gig! because my guest, TV host, narrator, and media personality, Matthew Hoffman, generously - and hilariously - walks me step by step thr...

Life is a series of choices. To choose means to select freely after consideration, to decide upon, to vote (important reminder!), to have a preference. This implies both freedom and responsibility.

Joining me to discuss on Camera Ready & Abel to discuss the phrase You Choose! is legendary Talent Executive, Producer and Casting Director, Beth Schiff, who believes in the power of choosing so much she named her business You Choose Cre...

“Alignment is a real place,” shares my guest Tamiko White who joins me on this episode of Camera Ready & Abel to discuss the journey to alignment.

Tamiko White is the founder of White Noise Consulting and creator of #NOWTrending, a branding course and community for entrepreneurs. She is a fashion and media entrepreneur, creative brand consultant and writer who has worked with an impressive list of clients over the past 30 years- in...

If you're thinking I'm not in sales or I'm not a creative, I'm never going to pitch anything, think again!

As my guest for this episode, Dave Noll, says, life's a pitch, life's a series of pitches...whether it's love or work or anything important. Selling anything, creating anything, anything important in life comes with a pitch.

Dave knows what he's talking about. He and his partner, Cleve Keller, are the mega-successful creators ...

Dreams only become reality when we actually are curious enough to start implementing and making them happen. - Alice Ford

I say all the time that I'd be sitting in my villa in Tangier right now if I had a dollar or ten for every single person I've encountered who said I want to host a travel show. My guest for this episode, award winning host, adventure filmmaker and stunt woman, Alice Ford, created a travel show and turned it into...

I am a card-carrying etiquette nerd along with my guest, for this episode, Kristi Spencer, who spent over two decades working in the rough and tumble world of local news before becoming a certified business etiquette expert and launching her business The Polite Company.

Why does it matter?

Good manners are good for business. Good manners minimize or prevent problems with reputation and employee/client retention (which impact the bo...