How to Choose the Best City for Your Acting Career with Talent Manager Natasha Matallana Marken

Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Natasha.
I'm five feet tall.
My dog's name is Toasty.
And you're listening to How WeRoll.

SPEAKER_00 (00:07):
Yes, Toasty's an icon.
When it comes to working inentertainment, there's a lot of
hows, and they all boil down tohow we navigate this wild
industry.
Well, how we follow our dreamsis uncertain.
How we roll along the way is inour hands.

(00:27):
Welcome to How We Roll, apodcast for Actors Podcasting
Network.
Hi actors.
Thank you for tuning back in.
It's your friend Robert PeterPaul coming to you from my
little studio on a rainy dayhere in Connecticut.

(00:48):
I love our home here.
I'm close to my friends andfamily and New York City for
work.
This is what works for me rightnow.
And before we get into thenitty-gritty of choosing where
to live as an actor, my hope isthat you choose a place that you
love that works for you.

(01:08):
Breaking down today's howalongside me, how to choose the
best city for your actingcareer, is my friend, marvelous
manager, Natasha MadalanaMarkin.
Natasha has worked inentertainment for nearly two
decades.
After spending 15 years as thefounder and president of Take

(01:30):
Three Talent Agency, she shiftedinto talent management.
In 2024, Natasha launched RebelCreative Group alongside her
partner Jerry Kane, representingartists across Medium.
On screen, her clients have ledhigh-profile projects like James
Cameron's Avatar The Way ofWater, Jurassic World 3Burst,

(01:52):
Avaton's Dumb Friday and Freddy,Netflix's Avatar The Last
Airbender, Tommy Live, Netflix'sThe Night Agent, Up3 Netflix's
new hit, Black Rabbit.
The topic clients have alsogreat agents across the globe.
In shows like Blenhead's theSocial Club, Shuff, Katie's

(02:14):
Town, MJ the Musical, In theHeights, Hamilton, Harry Potter,
The Great Gatsby, and many more.
Oh, and also on podcasts.
Like this one.
Yep, she's my manager.
Prior to all of this, Natashacut her teeth in the music
industry at places like MTV andRadio Disney.

(02:37):
She does hold a VA in musicbusiness management, after all.
On a human level, Natasha is ahuge country music fan, enjoys
musical theater, and will admitthat rom-coms are her guilty
pleasure.
She can usually be foundtraveling with her husband,
Dave, and their mouth-foodToasty.

(03:05):
Friends, please submit yourhouse on social media at Casting
Networks and at Rob Peter Paulfor a chance to be featured on a
future episode.
Now here's how we roll withchoosing the best city for your
acting career.

(03:27):
Natasha, I am so excited to haveyou on How We Roll today.
Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_02 (03:32):
I'm so excited too.
I've been I've been watching youdo this podcast now for months,
and it's it's such a coolendeavor.
Really, really smart on your endand casting networks and excited
to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_00 (03:43):
Thank you.
Well, we're thrilled to have youjoin the How We Roll family.
And I will say I've beenobserving you for years now in
the way you interact with yourclients, including me.
I'm so lucky.
And you counsel all of us on somany topics.
And so I think there's so manytopics that you're qualified to
cover.
One of them is what we're gonnabreak down today: how to choose

(04:06):
the best city to live for you asan actor, you friend listening.
And so our listeners are solucky to have you in their ears
right now.
Before we kind of get tobreaking that down, first of
all, very important questionhere in researching you, which
was kind of fun because Ihaven't really done that since I
guess before we first met.
I see rom coms are your guiltypleasure, Natasha.

(04:27):
So just hit us with yourfavorite before we dive in.

SPEAKER_02 (04:30):
They are.
I love them.
Wow, how to lose a guy in 10days might be my favorite.

SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
That's a good one.

SPEAKER_02 (04:37):
I love Leap Year.
I think it's just so likebeautiful and special and
unique.
I don't know.
I really enjoyed anyone but you,which is like semi-recent, but
really fun and different.
I sort of I love that likeenemies to friends to lovers
trope, right?
That's always a fun thing.
Yeah.
Those are some solid choices.

SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
Those are excellent choices.
We've got some Amy Adams.
We got some iconic gold dresswith Kate Hudson.

SPEAKER_02 (05:02):
And Matthew McConaughey.

SPEAKER_00 (05:04):
Like he was a rom-com star before he was, and
then he wasn't.

SPEAKER_02 (05:08):
He literally was like, I am not doing this
anymore.
And you know, more power to him.
But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (05:13):
Yeah, it was not a failure to launch for him to
become an A-lister, if you knowwhat I did there, but um chem.
Now that we've covered that, Iwant to move into a different
location where we're gonna liveas actors.
And before even looking at allthe options we have to outline
here today, because I think thisis a big thing to try and tackle
within our time frame here.
What do you think actors can doto kind of hone in on their

(05:35):
personal goals as artists in thesense of I think we can begin
our careers wherever we are,right?
I think you should, you have tobegin where you are.
And we kind of need to then knowwho we are and what we want.
In some sense, it can changebefore we move forward.
So I would love to start therewith you.
What are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_02 (05:54):
For sure.
Yeah.
I mean, I think as humans, we,you know, I I think in a in an
ideal world, we all know what wewant.
We have a perfect plan, youknow, and we check off the boxes
as we go along, but none ofthat's real.
And none of that ever reallyworks out exactly as you had
hoped.
So I think, I think ideally,yes, we should all know uh
enough about ourselves ashumans, as artists, as

(06:18):
performers, um, to get a senseof like, well, what city would
be the best place for, you know,for what I'm looking to do to
thrive.
You know, I know we're gonnabreak down a little bit about
that today, but you know, as aperson, if you're looking to
pursue a particular path, wherethe best place to do that is, I
think, you know, and we'll talkabout New York and we'll talk

(06:38):
about LA.
But um, if you are a theaterlover, you know, your natural
inclination is to go to NewYork, right?
Where the opportunities are vastand endless there in that space.
If the goal is to be um more inan on-camera world, what people
believe is that heading to LA isthe answer to that.
And that's not necessarilyalways the case.
So I think I think we'll breakthat down a little bit later.

(06:59):
But yes, knowing who you are asa human being will help you make
decisions on where you want tolive.
And ultimately, that's whatwe're talking about here is like
where do you want to lay yourhead at night?
Where, you know, what whatlocation is going to give you
joy, what location is not goingto give you joy?
What are anciliary factors,right?
Like relate personalrelationships, business

(07:20):
relationships.
It's it's not easy to make avery strong decision without
kind of weighing everybody that,you know, is part of your
support system and is part ofyour life.
So, in terms of how you knowenough about yourself, I think
the simple answer is what's theright answer for you right now,
right here, in this moment.
Um, it may not be the sameanswer five years down the line

(07:42):
or 10 years down the line.

SPEAKER_00 (07:44):
Yeah, trusting your gut.
I love that.
Thank you for sharing that.
And so let's move into how tofind out where to live in 10
days, in 10 minutes, 10 minutestimes six, sixty minutes.
So to keep the rom com themegoing, a big picture question
here.
When you have your meet cutewith a potential client, when
you first meet a client, howmuch weight do you put on where

(08:04):
they're based?
You know, self-tapes kind ofrule now.
Does location matter as muchright now?

SPEAKER_02 (08:10):
I mean, 10 years ago, yes.
Now, not so much.
Um I think before it it madesense to be like in a major city
in New York or in LA or closeenough to it.
But now, yeah, self tapes arepretty much the go-to for the
you know, first round ofauditions.
And with that being the case,it's it's less of it's less

(08:33):
important to me when I'minterviewing a client.
What is most important to mewhen I have these conversations
with clients is, you know,wherever you are in the world,
do you have the capacity, themeans, the ability to get
yourself to one of these majorcities for potential callbacks
or, you know, the next steps inthe process.
But the initial step, you know,with self-tapes being the norm,

(08:55):
it no longer really matters.
I I prefer actually to meet anactor who's very happy where
they are, wherever that is, andwhere they're and and that their
lives are being fulfilled andthat there are more options for
them than strictly focusing onacting.
I think we could go off tangentand we can talk about this for
days and months and years.

(09:15):
Um, but no, but I mean, uhunfortunately, like a lot of
actors are very glued to thisbusiness.
And sometimes when you areslightly obsessed with the
possibility that you will makeit, um, you sort of lose sight
of everything else that makesthe world beautiful.
Um, you lose sight of thepossibilities that you might
find great hobbies, great thingsthat excite you outside of just

(09:38):
putting out self-tapes andgetting onset.
And so essentially, I personallyfeel like if I meet an actor
that is feeling really happywhere they are, that has a
fulfilled life outside of actingand a great support system, that
actually makes them better andstronger.
And that strength and thatknowledge that comes from all

(10:00):
these other interpersonalrelationships actually helps
make them a better actor andultimately lead to more bookings
than those that focus too muchon the individual tape in the
moment, that particular role,because there are thousands of
roles.

SPEAKER_03 (10:13):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (10:14):
But like what makes them, you know, what what's
ultimately going to um enrichtheir lives as a whole?
And ultimately for me, if anactor gets on, you know, on a
meeting with me, or you know, wehave a phone call and they say,
hey, I'm based in Vegas, or I'mbased in Texas, or I'm just
like, that's fantastic.
What do you like to do for funthere?
Like, let me learn more aboutyou as a human being because

(10:35):
where you are, again, we'refocusing on the here and the
now, right?
Where you are right now is notwhere you're gonna be in five
years or 10 years, or Godwilling, a role takes you
anywhere that you've ever wantedto be, or multiple roles.

SPEAKER_00 (10:46):
Yeah, I love that.
Well, you mentioned Vegas, andI'll be there trying to track
down Gene Smart on Loving Hacks,although apparently she's gonna
be in New York this comingseason, which is great.
So that's one of the cities thatwe're gonna touch on in this
little warm-up flash round game,Natasha.
I just thought it could kind ofturn the fire up a little bit.
I'm calling it location,location, location.

(11:07):
I'll name a location, and youtell me what you think is
generally the best about it as amarket or what what makes it
unique for an actor.
Whatever pops into your headfirst is great, and you reserve
the right to change your mind,everybody.
So let's get in the car androll.

SPEAKER_03 (11:25):
Okay.

SPEAKER_00 (11:28):
They gave me a soundboard.
They shouldn't have done that.
They shouldn't have done that.
They should not have done that.
Okay, we're gonna get into thesefirst two a bit later on, but
right off the bat, New YorkCity.

SPEAKER_02 (11:37):
Yeah, I mean, New York City is it's a cultural
hub, right?
I mean, it's a city that has somuch diversity.
Um, it's slightly likeunmatched, I think, in that way.
I think it's a global center forlike arts and entertainment,
which is really exciting.
We are like titans of industryin a really interesting way.
Um, when you go out and about inthe city, you go to a club or

(12:00):
you go to a bar, you go to arestaurant, and you meet people,
um, you're not strictly meetingactors.
You are meeting people, youknow, from the financial space.
You are meeting people that umlive in the fashion world,
right?
We are one of the fashioncapitals of the world.

SPEAKER_03 (12:15):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (12:16):
You know, there's there is so much more to our
city um than people think.
And and learning from all ofthese different POVs and these
perspectives um actually makes,I think, me a better human and
so many people that live in NewYork City, you know, better.
Better, not not that New YorkCity is better, but better
people in the in theentertainment space.

(12:38):
Because ultimately, like, youknow, being a great actor is
also about having livedexperience, right?
Um, you can't speak about painuntil you've seen it.
You can't speak about the hustleand the bustle till you've lived
it.
So I definitely think that, youknow, if you are a person, an
actor, a human, a creative ofany kind, um, that thrives in an
environment that just is somassive and yet at the same time

(13:03):
so tight-knit, New York is theplace that you want to be.

SPEAKER_00 (13:07):
I love that.
And we're gonna get into thenext one in a moment as well.
LA, what would you say that'sbest for?

SPEAKER_02 (13:13):
Um, I think LA is, you know, the there are a lot of
positives and negatives.
Uh LA was and will always beHollywood, right?
It will be the the ideal, thethe thing that we all, you know,
hope to achieve ultimately.
But LA has gone through a lot ofchanges.
I think LA has definitelysuffered a little bit post the
pandemic, post the strike.

(13:33):
Um, tax incentives in the city,you know, of Los Angeles have
unfortunately cut a lot of theirproduction short.
Um, and I think that um there'sa lot of misconception there.
But LA is absolutely beautiful.
Me personally, if I could takethe hustle and the bustle and
the excitement of New York andput it in the weather that

(13:54):
exists in LA, I'm there.
I am I'm a beach gal myself.
Like, so personally, I mighttalk a little shade about LA,
but it's it's actually becauseI'm just straight up jealous.

SPEAKER_03 (14:05):
I feel that.

SPEAKER_02 (14:06):
But yeah, I'm so, so jealous.
I'm going there next month andand I'm gonna be there for a
significant period of time.
But um, yes, it is it's alwayslovely to be able to see both
sides.
But yes, LA, something that Ithink might be unique to LA um
is it is networking.
I think the opportunity um in LAfor networking is really

(14:26):
massive.
I think um, you know, just offthe cuff, you have naturally you
have more premieres, right?
There are more Hollywoodpremieres in LA.
I think for various reasons.
Obviously, weather timing,definitely one of them.
Another reason is that there isa lot of production on the West
Coast, whether that is Vancouveror whether that is California or
whether it is Utah or whether itis Vegas, as we just talked

(14:49):
about.
Um, and so cast and crew, youknow, naturally are going to
head that way for saidpremieres.
And I think those premieresprovide a lot of opportunity for
actors as they're rising up,right?
Getting to go on those carpets,getting to socialize.
Outside of premieres, there area lot of networking
opportunities for actors thatjoin different sort of uh, you
know, groups, like for example,members of the television

(15:11):
academy.
They provide so many fantasticopportunities for actors to go
and mix and mingle and you know,meet creatives and um and
ultimately, you know, I think LAis a really solid space for
that, right?
For someone who is very good inthat space.
Other than, yeah, I mean, theweather, there are a lot of
fantastic castings and there'scasting opportunities on both

(15:32):
sides, right?
There are a lot of projects inproduction in both places.

SPEAKER_03 (15:35):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (15:36):
Um, but I think for for LA specifically, I think
it's also important for folkslooking to move out there that
aren't from there to understandthat while it is a city, it is
not like New York City.
It is not a location where youcould potentially do a casting
at one o'clock and then acasting at 2:30.
Like there's no universe wherethe traffic will allow you to do
that.
They do not have that sort oftransportation system in place.

(15:58):
And also, you know, things, evenif they feel close together, are
quite a hike.
Everything in New York prettymuch lives in the midtown area,
give or take, right?
And so you can bop around fromone place to the other.
With LA, it's it's a little morescattered.
Um, and that is a little bitdifferent.
But again, it's definitelyHollywood.

(16:19):
It's definitely a bit of theglitz and glam.
And it's it's the place that Ithink a lot of folks ultimately
hope to end up.

SPEAKER_00 (16:25):
Yeah.
Well, you mentioned traffic.
Speaking of, we're gonna shiftinto the fast lane here with
this car.
We're gonna put the pedal to themetal, and I'm gonna name a
bunch more places to you, maybeones that aren't known for being
as iconically associated withthe industry, although some of
them are nowadays.
And you just say like the firstthing that pops into your head,
so we can fly through these oneshere.
The next one has been on therise.

(16:48):
So, Atlanta, what would you saythat's the best for in your
opinion?

SPEAKER_02 (16:52):
Oh, um, I think Atlanta has a has a really um
unique urban market, if thatmakes sense.
Um I think Tyler Perry reallycreated um a fantastic hub there
and and has a what's the bestway to explain it?
Basically has like a real handleon the city and and its people.

(17:13):
And and I think he's done abrilliant job of creating,
especially in the pandemic, Imean, what he was able to pull
off and to achieve when so manyothers couldn't.
Like it's such a testament tohim.
Um, but yes, Atlanta, Atlanta isinteresting.
Atlanta has a bit of the warmthof LA, but also a bit of the
city vibe of New York.

SPEAKER_00 (17:31):
I like that.
Speaking of warmth, somehow thiscar is gonna speed over to
Miami.
What's Miami the best for?

SPEAKER_02 (17:37):
Fashion.

SPEAKER_00 (17:38):
I love that.

SPEAKER_02 (17:39):
Miami, Miami is a fashion space, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (17:42):
Okay, Chicago.

SPEAKER_02 (17:43):
Windy.
It is.
It is.
Um, I mean, there are there area couple of cool productions
that shoot in Chicago.
I think the bear is out there.
Um I know that the Chicago PDsand the meds and um a lot of the
procedurals.
Um, however, there while thereare casting offices directly in
Chicago, they're also castingthese projects out of New York.

SPEAKER_00 (18:05):
That's true as well.

SPEAKER_02 (18:06):
Interestingly enough, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (18:06):
Okay, we're gonna go to a different sort of fashion
hub, which we might talk aboutlater on.
London.
What's that the best for?

SPEAKER_02 (18:14):
London is fantastic for theater.
They have quite the scene,right?
The West End over there ispretty much the Broadway of that
side of the world.
They would say that we're theWest End of our side of the
world, but what can we do?
Um, I think let and London alsohas a thriving um TV and film
space at the moment.
I mean, the the Emmy winning uhgroup from adolescence will give

(18:36):
you that answer right off thebat, right?
They are creating reallypropulsive and fantastic work
out there, and and it's a hugeopportunity for actors that
maybe want to see what thingslook like on the other side of
the Atlantic.

SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
And to continue this propulsive game, Australia.

SPEAKER_02 (18:53):
Oh my, Australia.
I that's I mean, that's afantastic production hub.
They do a lot of stuff.
They they birth a lot of realsolid actors, a lot of talent
coming out of Australia.
Um, all the agents and managersare looking to spoop them up.
Um, but yeah, there is there's alot, a lot there, a lot of
production.
I think Netflix has like threeor four shows that they have
lined up in the coming monthsthat are gonna start shooting

(19:15):
out there.
So it definitely has has grownin a really fantastic way.

SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
So fighting not to do my Australian accent and make
everyone scared.
Okay, me too.

SPEAKER_02 (19:24):
Mine is terrible.

SPEAKER_00 (19:26):
Nicole Kidman's here.
Vancouver.

SPEAKER_02 (19:29):
Uh the Hollywood of the North, right?
I mean, that's what that's whatthey're saying.
Um, a lot of production, a lotof opportunity, some fantastic
agencies, places like theCharacters Agency.
I share a couple of clientswith.
Definitely a cool place to visitum and to shoot and to uh work
there for, you know, bits ofpieces of time.

(19:53):
Um, I have not yet had a client,I've had a lot of clients work
there.
I've not had a client say that Iwanted that they wanted to
relocate there quite yet.
But that's not to say that it'snot a great opportunity um or a
great source of opportunity forso many actors.
I think actors on the come up,folks like looking to book some
co-stars and get stuff that um,you know, that will help build
out their resume.

(20:13):
I think Vancouver is a reallysolid option for transparently.
And I think all of Canada rightnow is um is really moving in
the direction of creating.
And you'd be surprised.
I mean, it's always been there,um, which is really interesting.
If you go and you look back atlike some of your favorite
shows, you'd be surprised therewas always sort of a unit in

(20:34):
Toronto or in Vancouver, but butmore so now than ever, um,
because of, you know, again,everything in our business is
because of the money and becauseof the cost of, you know,
creation.
But tax incentives and all ofthat are really strong out in
Canada.
And so there's a lot ofopportunity there now.

SPEAKER_00 (20:52):
Thank you.
That's good to know.
We were gonna fly over toVancouver again later on, but I
think you covered that prettynicely.
So the last one of this littleflash round, again, we're giving
you all sort of a blanketoverview before we break down a
few more things, would beNollins.
What do what do we have to sayabout Oh, I was like, wait,
what?
New Orleans.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (21:10):
Um, I mean, again, it that that's a city that I
think is used a lot um forproductions that have a
particular period in mind,right?
Because it's it is so culturallyvast um when it comes to things
like, you know, in the Victorianera, for example.
And obviously, you know, it hassuch a beautiful music
background, musical backgroundas well.

(21:32):
Um, I think that it lends itselfvery much to stories of the past
a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 (21:38):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (21:38):
Again, a place that I think would be really
fantastic to live for living andfor your life, not necessarily a
place that I would suggestsomeone to go move to for the
purposes of growingopportunities in the acting
space.

SPEAKER_00 (21:53):
Well, what would you say about being, I guess, a
bigger fish in a smaller pond,in the sense of even LA, if
you're going there for theater,not not many people are going to
LA for theater necessarily,although that it's changing a
little bit.
What would you say about that?
I guess it depends on yourgoals, right?

SPEAKER_02 (22:09):
Yeah, it fully depends on your goals.
I think LA, um, you know, goingsort of jumping back to a little
bit of what I said earlier aboutNew York and LA and sort of what
makes New York unique.

SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Unique New York, unique New York.
We should have done that too.
Unique New York.

SPEAKER_02 (22:23):
Um but yeah, I think I think the thing that makes LA
unique, whether you look at thisas a positive or a negative, is,
you know, is all um subjective.
But everyone in LA is in thisindustry in some form, in some
way.
And if they are not actually inthe industry yet, they are
striving to be in the industry.

(22:44):
They're on the struggle bus tobecoming an actor or a writer or
a producer.
Like a fun story, you know, Ihave.
Um, I went and rented a car inLA a couple like two years ago
or so.
And I'm standing on this line,like endlessly trying to get
this car.
Other people are standing on theline before me.
Um, and the gentleman looks atmy, because we were all handing

(23:06):
in our credit cards trying toget all this like checkout done.
And the gentleman looks at mycard and sees that at that point
I owned a talent agency.
Um, and the credit cardspecifically said talent agency.
Well, I got pushed to the frontof the lawn.
Um, and I didn't know why.
I was like, oh, I don't likehave a membership here.
I don't have points.
Like none of this actually likewarrants, but I was just like,

(23:29):
great, awesome.

SPEAKER_03 (23:29):
Why?

SPEAKER_02 (23:30):
Well, because the gentleman behind the desk was
pitching me his headshot andresume and hoping that I might
meet him as an actor.
Later that same trip,ironically, um, I went to
Verizon because my phone compedout and didn't want to work.
And the folks at Verizon wereall like sort of up in arms.
And then they said, Oh, we havea fantastic gal who's one of our

(23:54):
IT folks.
I'm gonna have her come out andwork with you.
And she was wonderful,brilliant, was able to make it
work.
I didn't have to pay the$1,200to buy a new phone.
It was, it was a blessing.

SPEAKER_00 (24:04):
That is a blessing.

SPEAKER_02 (24:05):
And while, you know, we are waiting for um certain
things to happen between phoneto phone, uh, she begins to tell
me how she got there and whyshe's and I because basically I
complimented her and said, like,you're brilliant at this.
Like, did you go to school forIT and tech?
Like, how did you get started?
And her answer was, no, I'mhere.

(24:25):
I moved to LA to become anactor.
And so, and there are so manymore stories like this.
There was a waiter who handed mehis manuscript because he was a
writer.
LA is is very much this space,and it's very difficult to sort
of learn and grow um who you areas a human being, your

(24:47):
foundational knowledge wheneverybody is sort of doing the
exact same thing.
So that's something to thinkabout.

SPEAKER_00 (24:54):
That's interesting.
And to that I say, can you hearme now?
Is that that Verizon?
Is it well this is?
I think it was.
Okay, I'm like, or is thatSprint?
Is Sprint even a thing anymore?
I would love to know.
I guess while we're here, I knowthe world has changed so much.
What would you say is the mostinteresting pitch you've gotten
from someone in person that'sworked out?
Has there been someone that'sdone that to you at like a

(25:16):
coffee shop or in line somewhereand then it actually worked out
and they became your client?

SPEAKER_02 (25:20):
Wow, that's a great question.
Um that well, a somewhat recentone happened.
It wasn't necessarily someonelike completely cold pitching at
like a coffee shop, um, but itwas someone that uh was uh
seated at the table next tomyself and my husband at a
restaurant once, um, who wassort of overhearing me talking

(25:44):
about frustrations, venting, acasting director, a project, an
actor, like that sort of stuff.
And came up to me and was like,Hey, I'm sorry, like I was
eavesdropping, but I'm actuallyan actor.
I love your email.
He sent it, and interestinglyenough, like he really was an
actor with some solid credits.

(26:05):
And um, and yeah, and we took ameeting and this was you know,
not that long ago.
We're still in conversations,um, but it's definitely looking
positive.
And I think it it could happenfrom time to time.
It's yeah, it really, reallydepends, I think.

SPEAKER_00 (26:21):
Yeah, I'll be crossing my fingers for you,
buddy.
I feel like that stuff happens alot in New York City because of,
or more often, maybe I have nodata here, but because of what
you said, which is that it's alittle bit more unusual.
There are other types of folksaround there, something to
consider as well.
You know, it's like, where areyou going to be able to build
your community?

SPEAKER_02 (26:43):
Yeah.
I mean, you know, and like Isaid before, I think uh I think
the reason that LA has um all ofthese different networking
opportunities, things that aresort of set at certain locations
is exactly because of what youjust said, is that it's a lot
harder to create that communityorganically.
Um, where I think uh New Yorkand its theater space, it's a

(27:06):
very niche space, but it's verytribe, if that makes sense.
I don't know if that's the bestword, but um, but when you get
into that community, you prettymuch stay in that community and
you grow, you know, within itand then outside of it as well.

SPEAKER_00 (27:19):
Yeah, I love that.
And I love LA too.
I mean, I I really do love LA.

SPEAKER_02 (27:23):
I love LA so much.
And honestly, I think I thinkthe other positive to LA, I will
say this because I think thisshould be included in what we're
talking about, um, is that it isthe city.
Well, while we were talkingabout community, which I think
is kind of funny, but it is thecity of like generals and
coffees and meetings.
Like casting and and executivesand producers in LA are so much
more welcoming to the idea ofsitting down with an actor, um,

(27:46):
having a larger lifeconversation and a larger career
path conversation, I think, thanin most cases in New York.
Like I have some fantasticcolleagues in New York that I
absolutely love and that I wouldlean on when I have a great
actor doing something and say,hey, like I would really love
for you to meet this person.
I would love for you to um toknow their body of work.
And they will take thosemeetings, but they're just less,

(28:08):
like there's just less of them,if that makes sense.
It's it's not nearly as common.
Um, where I do feel like LA, Ithink I I blame it on the
weather because to be honest, inLA, it's beautiful and sunny
every day.
And casting is like, great, I'llgo to have coffee any single
day, I'll make this happen.
Where in New York it's like mostof the time when you have these
asks, unfortunately, it's like ahundred, it's it's like either a

(28:31):
hundred degrees outside and likesticky and humid, or it's the
polar opposite and it's like 25degrees outside, and nobody
wants to leave their comfortableoffices or home to make that
happen.

SPEAKER_03 (28:41):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (28:41):
But LA does have that, that sense of community,
which I think, you know, can bereally helpful as well.

SPEAKER_00 (28:47):
Yeah, and I think it's so personal, right?
It's sort of like, do you wantto constantly be surrounded by
the industry?
Does that motivate you or doesit overwhelm you?
And everybody's differentbecause I know people that live
in LA and they walk down thestreet.
And I'll say specifically, I hada friend who walked down the
street, saw Judy Greer, who's anawesome performer that we love,
had written a screenplay thatthey couldn't really get out

(29:10):
there, and they wrote it withher in mind.
They happened to walk by eachother, they kind of lightly, in
a friendly way, pitched it toher.
It's on Hulu, and she's in it.
It happened.
So that's something I thinkunique to LA as well.
Although, of course, you can runinto people in in New York.
Now, you know, we've talkedabout New York, LA.
I want to just hop over to whatpeople are starting to call

(29:30):
Hollywood East, which is NewJersey.
Fist bump.
I could do that because you knowit's my hometown, and that's why
I have big hair.
Netflix is uh building a massivestate of the art film and
production studio on the formerFort Monmouth Army base in New
Jersey.
I know they already have officesin Jersey City, things are
happening.

(29:51):
What do you make of all this?
I mean, I kind of clumped NewJersey and New York together a
bit now.
But what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 (30:00):
So Netflix has been trying, has been putting their
stamp on the East Coast a lot inrecent years.
I think folks are not even net,like some folks are not even
necessarily aware.
I have a client like starring ina TV series that was entirely
shot on the Brooklyn stages forNetflix.
And a lot of people are like,oh, Netflix is in Brooklyn.

(30:21):
I had no idea.
So like Netflix has has beeninhabiting a couple of smaller
little places here on the EastCoast, as I think that they've
been investing more obviouslyinto this big production hub
that they're creating and thesemassive stages.
But I definitely think it'sgoing to make a huge impact.
I think New Jersey provides afantastic landscape that almost

(30:44):
can mirror a lot of major citieson screen.
They have obviously theirsouthern shore, their the Jersey
shore, which essentially goesdown miles and has those
beautiful, like sprawling,opulent houses along the beach
coastline, right?
And then on the flip side, theyhave the more inner city and you

(31:06):
know, and and the vibes here inlike northern Jersey.
So I think that the landscapeprovides a really fantastic um
foundation for a lot ofproduction.
And I think they've started tosee that.
I think the tax incentives,again, are definitely there,
which has started to lean themum into the East Coast.

(31:26):
I think unfortunately the firesin California have become a big
concern for a lot of these majorstudios.
Um and so I think New Jerseysort of answers a problem.
You know, it is sort of thesolution to a problem that they
sort of are seeing develop inother places.
And it's quite exciting.
I mean, I think it's going togive some of the New York

(31:48):
studios a run for their money.
I think Steiner and Silver Cupand Kaufman Astoria.
Like I think I definitely, and Ithink they're already starting
to feel the little bit of thatheat, right?

SPEAKER_03 (31:57):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (31:58):
Because movies are already shooting, especially for
Netflix.
One uh one of my clients isstarring um Obasa Jennifer Lopez
in a in in a new movie thatshe's doing out here or in New
Jersey.
I say out here because I have ahouse in New Jersey.
So for clarity, yes.
Um, but I am on the Upper WestSide at the moment.
Um, but yes, there there is alot of production that has been
happening in New Jersey.

(32:19):
It's sort of always sort of satin the background to New York
for so long.
I think when they finally createand open these studios, I think
it's going to be wild and crazyand it's going to give people
even more reason to feelcomfortable staying on the East
Coast and not necessarilyfeeling the need to flee to the
West.

SPEAKER_00 (32:37):
Yeah.
I mean, what what about beingbicoastal?
I think that's the dream for alot of actors, right?

SPEAKER_02 (32:41):
A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 (32:42):
It can be attainable.
It's not always attainable atfirst, but do you think that's a
great goal to be able to haveabsolutely.

SPEAKER_02 (32:49):
I mean, if yeah, listen, if you have the means
and the capacity, and you know,what's interesting is yes, you
do need a you need you need somefinancial foundation to be able
to say you're truly bicoastal.
But but truthfully, like anactor can become bicoastal
because they have family on twocoasts, you know.
Being a local hire, it's atwo-parted thing.
Casting asks this question andthey're very specific about it

(33:10):
in many cases.
Where are you currently?
And can you be a local hire?
Because those are two differentthings, right?
Where you are currently, youmight be in Texas, you might be
in um Kalamazoo, you might be inUtah, you might be in New
Jersey.
It really doesn't matter.
Um, but ultimately, like, canyou be a local hire?
And the answer to that reallyfalls in do you have the means

(33:33):
and capacity to fly yourself toany of these locations?
Um, and then do you have asupport system, a family member,
a buddy, someone whose couch youcould essentially stay on if
necessary?
Or do you want to pay for afancy Airbnb while you're there?
And if you can do one or theother, then you can be a local
hire in any of these places.
And you could essentiallyconsider yourself bi-coastal,

(33:55):
tri-coastal, whatever.
You know, at the end of the day,it really just comes down to,
you know, what does your, whatdoes your team look like?
And I by team, I don't meanagents and managers and
publicists.
I mean, you know, your hometeam, the people that can help
support you and help you get tothat next step.

SPEAKER_00 (34:14):
Yeah, I love that.
I mean, I was so grateful tojust shoot something and I think
about how fast the turnaroundwas, which was so exciting.
It was like the next day I hadthe fitting and then I had to be
on set.
And if you kind of say you're alocal way you're not, you can
get yourself into trouble.

SPEAKER_03 (34:29):
Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (34:30):
Or just you could totally wash out your check
because you'll end up having topay for a hotel or something.
So it's better to be honest andreally think about this stuff,
like you're saying.

SPEAKER_02 (34:38):
A hundred percent.
I I always tell my clients thatlike let's be honest and up
front.
And sometimes, you know, listen,sometimes your tape is so
fantastic and you know, castingis really responsive to the
work.
Every once in a while they willbe willing to call you and say,
hey, you know, is it at allpossible for them to be
realistically here tomorrow fora fitting?

(35:00):
And if that's not the case, thenobviously they can't push it
forward to their producers andto the higher ups.
But yeah, it is ideal to alwaysbe honest, always be realistic,
uh, and especially duringspecific seasons.
Like for example, if you are onthe East Coast or on the West
Coast in the winter time, um,and you tell your reps that

(35:22):
you're local to a particularcity, or you tell casting you
are, there's a much strongerlikelihood that your flight does
not make it to wherever it isyou have to be the day before or
the day of a particular fittingfor a shoot.
So, and that's oftentimes aconcern.
And that's oftentimes whycasting will say they have to be
physically in LA in order for meto consider them for this
project or that project.

(35:43):
So for any viewers and peoplewatching this, I think that's
the greatest takeaway isunderstanding that casting does
not not want to give you theopportunity.
They just want to be realisticabout whether or not you can
accept the opportunity and theydon't want to um take any
chances with regards to theirproduction that perhaps they
cast an actor that can't show upthat day because then everybody

(36:06):
looks bad.

SPEAKER_00 (36:07):
Yeah, that's a really smart reminder.
I wonder as we move on here, arethere any of the cities that
we've mentioned or anysurprising cities or regions
that you would like to bring upwhere you think actors can
really build credits and starttheir career?

SPEAKER_02 (36:22):
I mean, I'm not sure that there's a place like a like
a full-time, like a space wherefull-time I would say like you
can absolutely really build acareer, but I think that you
would be surprised.
A lot of actors, name actors,are looking to create production
hubs in places that sort ofnever had them or places that we

(36:43):
sort of overlook.
And a surprising location forproduction that people have not
thought of is actually Thailand.
They are producing so manyincredible projects as we speak,
and a lot of the studios andnetworks have actually decided
to move some of theirproductions there, um, also
because of the beautifullandscape, the lush rainforests,

(37:05):
and also the city um foundation.
So there's a lot of opportunitythere.
I think Vegas, interestinglyenough, is one of those places.
I know that Mark Wahlberg hasbeen actively looking to um
expand over there.
He's got studios that I believeare getting started or, you
know, they're they're breakingground on.
Um, and I'm interested to seehow that sort of develops

(37:28):
because it is so close to LAthat a lot of the Vegas actors
will essentially head that way.
But it's also like so close toLA that a lot of folks are
comfortable sort of living inthat space as well, right?
And I think a lot of actors, alot of humans just prefer it for
a variety of reasons.
And as a result, I think that itis a city that we should keep an

(37:48):
eye on.
I don't know that it's the placeto move tomorrow, but I
definitely think it's a place tokeep an eye on.

SPEAKER_00 (37:53):
Well, roll the dice and maybe you'll hit the
jackpot.
Vegas.
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (37:58):
Don't lose your shirt.

SPEAKER_00 (38:00):
I probably would, Natasha.
For actors listening who maybeare torn between staying where
they are and making that change.
Do you have any advice on achecklist or a set of questions
or something they can askthemselves before deciding?

SPEAKER_02 (38:16):
Yeah, I mean, I think that the first thing that
I would ask myself as a human,not necessarily even as an
actor, is, you know, I the firstthing that I would look at are,
like I keep mentioning, all ofyour interpersonal
relationships, all of the peoplewhose lives would be affected by
this decision that you mightmake, right?
You know, if your parents arestill, you know, are are here,

(38:40):
are in the picture or are not,you know, do you want to be
significantly far away fromthem?
If your, you know, is yourspouse or significant other
comfortable with this move?
Do they have other sorts ofthings going on?
Your family, your kids, like um,again, this is adult actors, but
even youth actors, likeultimately, um, is it the best

(39:02):
decision for the family as awhole?
Uh, and these are things thatright off the bat, you should be
asking yourself.
Number two, I think, is will Ibe happy living in this place
even if I don't make it as anactor, or even if I don't see
the success or the growth that Iam hoping for or looking for?
Because that's really important,again, you know, as individuals

(39:24):
for us to be happy with theplace that we are laying our
head at night.
You know, is the climate where Iwant to be?
Are the people, like I saidbefore, like are there people to
meet and learn from and grow andbuild communities?
Are they there where I'm lookingto go?
Right.
Do I know anyone?

(39:44):
You know, let's say you aresingle and you're just looking
to like make a change.
Do I know anyone where I'mgoing?
Like, do I have any supportsystem?
Is there anyone that's going tobe able to keep me on track,
keep me accountable?
Am I represented?
I think that's also a reallyimportant question that we can
dive into a little bit.
If you are represented where youare at the moment, uh, having

(40:05):
that representation, especiallyduring a transitional period, is
really important because thatrepresentation could potentially
introduce you to representationwhere wherever it is you're
looking to go, whether that isregionally in a place like
Atlanta, or whether that isyou're moving from New York to
LA, you know, how can thatrepresentation help you build
out a team?

(40:26):
Are they able to, you know,provide additional insight into,
you know, how to be successfulin that particular location?
Going to a city you've neverbeen to with no representation
and no friends and no family andno uh support system, it's
challenging.
It's not impossible.
I've seen people do it, but it'slike you're you're starting 95%

(40:49):
behind the eight ball.
And that's difficult most of thetime, right?
Um, if you have a friend there,if you have someone in your
community, if you have someonethat can show you the ropes,
that's going to make things alot easier for you.
So I think that's probably thefirst, you know, or or one of
the first things that I woulddefinitely look at in terms of a
checklist.
Um, and are the opportunitiesthere in line with what you're

(41:10):
trying to do?
I know we touched on this verybriefly at the beginning, but
like, yeah, I mean, there's asmall fish, you know, big pond
scenario, of course.
I don't know many people thatmove to LA for theater,
transparently.
I know you threw that in thereearlier.

SPEAKER_03 (41:24):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (41:24):
Sure, there probably would be some cool
opportunities, but also there'snot a ton of theater in LA,
right?
Um, you know, that there are twoor three really great theaters,
right?
And but oftentimes, similarly tothe big TV and film projects,
casting happens in New York andit happens in LA.
Um, so like, and they'll castfrom anywhere essentially for

(41:47):
those theaters.
So you don't necessarily need tobe a local hire for that
theater.
On the flip side, you know, inNew York, if you want to do
theater, like the sky is thelimit, right?
There's Broadway, there's offBroadway, there's off off
Broadway.
There's so many lanes, so manytheaters, and we're so grateful
that that exists.
If you're looking to, you know,do animation, for example, like

(42:09):
you can live anywhere in theworld for that, right?
So it it really sort of doesn'tmatter.
It's it what matters is like, doyou have representation in the
place that you're trying to go?
And most important or in theplace that you're in, and can
you get some representation inthe place you're trying to go?
That feels like those are reallyimportant and integral to, you
know, what you're going to wantto do next.

SPEAKER_00 (42:29):
Absolutely.
I think those are great tentpoles.
And it's it's tricky, everyone,because this is a subject that's
very personal and specific, andyou can't quite as blanket cover
it anymore because ofself-tapes, which gives us a leg
up, right?
Like now more than ever, itgives you a bit more power to
live where you want to livebecause you you can still get

(42:50):
seen.
Of course, we talked aboutbefore, can you get there?
That's a whole other story.
But it's so personal to you.
So the more you can ask yourselfthese questions and unpack it
and even just think about, okay,I'm gonna take a leap.
Maybe I don't know anybody inanother state.
Think about what Natasha wassaying.
How can you set yourself up forsuccess by making a community?

(43:11):
Can you find acting classesthere?
Can your current agent refer youto somebody?
I mean, these are really smartthings to consider.
It's hard to just show upsomewhere with a suitcase, like
really starry-eyed anymore andsinging N-Y or whatever it is,
you know.
So I think that's smart.

SPEAKER_02 (43:26):
That's funny.
I was actually gonna go with theum the landing at LAX with
nothing but a cardigan.

SPEAKER_00 (43:33):
Hey.
And a dream.

SPEAKER_02 (43:35):
A dream and a cardigan.
Um but yeah, I mean, that'sultimately that's all that's
ultimately like that'sultimately what what you have to
decide, right?
There are there are ways tobuild community, of course there
are.
And and like I said before, likebelonging to certain um
alliances, um, becoming membersof, you know, the committee for

(43:57):
um, you know, the Academy Awardsand for the Emmys.
And um, and it's it's actually alot easier than a lot of actors
think.
Um, you know, you just sort ofhave to have like that one
credit to essentially get intothe TV Academy and apply and you
know, hope they they get you in.
But there are really coolopportunities once you get there
to make a community for yourselfand to build friendships and to

(44:19):
build relationships.
So I think that there's actuallymore of that in LA than there is
in New York, interestinglyenough.
So for um, but yes, superpersonal decision.
But ultimately, my piece ofadvice is go where you are going
to grow.
Whether that is growing as anactor, growing as a human, um,
growing your support group, yourfamily, whatever that looks like

(44:43):
for you.
But ultimately, go where yougrow.

SPEAKER_00 (44:45):
That's beautiful.
Go where you grow.
I'm gonna write that on myforehead and look at it in the
mirror.
It reminded me of the Ben Plattsong, too, where it's like,
well, that's let's grow as we aswe go.

SPEAKER_02 (44:55):
Go as we go, which is also very valid.
That is what's gonna happen.
You know, this you could watchthis podcast this week and think
something, and five years fromnow, you could rewatch it again
and be ready to make that nextjourney or that next change.
And um, because we do, we growas we go.

SPEAKER_00 (45:11):
Yeah.
And don't be afraid, take thepressure off, grow where you are
right now.
I think if you're able to sortof the word exhaust maybe sounds
extreme, but exhaust the optionsaround you and build the network
where you are, that's gonna setyou up for even more success
when you move.

SPEAKER_02 (45:26):
Absolutely.
And before you move, I thinkalso you should ask yourself,
like, have I done everythingthat I can do here?
You know, have I have I checkedevery box that I can?
Have I, if I'm I'm interested intheater, have I gone to every
EPA and every ECC?
Have I tried to be seen?
Have I, you know, have Iactively, you know, made the
effort to get representation?

(45:47):
And if I have representation,you know, have I had every
conversation with them that Ican to, you know, make the m
best of where I am right now.

SPEAKER_00 (45:56):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (45:57):
And that's really that's also a question to ask
yourself.

SPEAKER_00 (46:00):
Yeah, it's a great question.
And because all these thingsevolve, right?
Tax credits, where things arebeing shot.
So ultimately.
It's gonna keep changing.
You want to be happy where youare.

SPEAKER_02 (46:10):
Absolutely.
And I I had a client that movedto LA far too quickly, a couple
of years back, right before thepandemic, and and post the
pandemic, like they're kickingthemselves about it all the time
because they left a place thatnow is a huge hub with regards
to production and has great taxincentives.
And they went somewhere thatdidn't for a really long time.

(46:32):
And now it's complicated andthey really can't get at, you
know, they they built a family,there's a situation there, like
they can't exactly like flip thescript that quickly.
But yeah, I mean, being reallylike, yes, do what trust your
gut, do what feels right, gowhere you can grow, but also be
methodical.
Take your time.

(46:53):
You know, this is a bigdecision, it's a life decision,
right?
Because outside of acting, um,outside of our business, you are
also putting yourself somewherewhere like relationships will be
formed and where they will grow.
And and that will ultimatelyplay a part in what your next
steps are in life.
And so it's just much biggerthan this.

(47:15):
I think that that's also reallyimportant.
I mean, I know this is anactor's podcast, and we should
be talking about, you know,drive like the drive that it
takes and making it, but likesometimes making it is more than
what you think it is.
And it's it's it's an overall360 approach to have you made
it.
Are you both successful andhappy?
Is that possible?

(47:35):
Can you do both?
You know, that's a whole othertopic for a whole other podcast.

SPEAKER_00 (47:39):
Yeah.
Well, that euphoria onlysustains you for so long before
you come back down to reality.
And if you don't like yourreality and the ground you land
on, then that's gonna be reallytough.
Because I try to ask myself allthe time, what am I doing this
all for?
And what what are you doing itfor?
Is it because you love it andyour friends and family?
Are there other reasons?

(48:00):
So I mean, it's good to recenteryourself in that regard.
Because again, like these thingsare very fleeting.
It's up and it's down.
But if you're in a place rightnow, wherever you are, wherever
you're listening from, you'rewhere you're supposed to be.
I'm turning this into a rom-comagain, Natasha.
You're where you're supposed tobe.
Love is around the corner.
No, but I really I really dothink that.
I think we're all where we'resupposed to be in any given

(48:21):
moment.
And even if you make a mistake,you move somewhere, it blows up
in your face.
It's gonna be okay.
You can always pick up your uhyour bootstraps.
What do they say?

SPEAKER_02 (48:31):
Yeah, pick yourself up by your bootstraps.

SPEAKER_00 (48:34):
By your bootstraps.
My aunt says that she's pickedherself up by her bootstraps so
many times, they're tied aroundher ears.
That's the the joke of thefamily.

SPEAKER_02 (48:41):
But it makes a lot of sense.
And listen, I think we all have,right?
At the end of the day, we allhave had to do that.
And and I think I think there'sa beauty in reinvention.

SPEAKER_00 (48:52):
I love it.
You're giving us all the quotes.
And I want to continue thatright before we let you go.
We're gonna play another game.
This segment is called castingkeywords, and you're gonna just
have, let's say, two, threeminutes to throw out the best
pieces of advice you can foractors based on the keyword I
give you.
So I'll give you a keywordyou're familiar with, and you

(49:12):
just name that first piece ofadvice that pops into your head.
Are you ready to play?

SPEAKER_02 (49:16):
I'm ready to play.

SPEAKER_00 (49:18):
You're gonna kill it.
Okay.
You're such a treasure trove ofknowledge that we gotta talk
about more than just locationswith you.
Okay.
Getting an agent.

SPEAKER_02 (49:25):
Make sure that your materials are really solid.
Uh, make sure that everythingthat you put out there is the
best reflection of who you are.
Send great sides if you havethem, scenes, real clips, um,
and really just a fantasticphoto.
Oftentimes that's really whatyou need.

SPEAKER_00 (49:42):
That's excellent.
Okay, the slate.
Slating.

SPEAKER_02 (49:46):
Slating can be very boring.
And my suggestion always is tofollow directions.
Casting has very specificdirections, and don't
necessarily stray from those.
But once you have given, youknow, those specific analytics,
your height, your name, yourage, if you are interested in
giving that last piece ofinformation.
Um, you should try to dosomething that showcases some

(50:10):
personality, just somethingthat's unique about you.
I feel like you, Robert, havelike sometimes like sang the
last part of whatever it is yousay.

SPEAKER_00 (50:18):
I don't even notice.
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (50:20):
I yes, but you know what?
That's actually that's whatmakes you you, and that's what
makes you beautiful.
And I think that that isprobably surprisingly something
that probably makes castingcontinue to click to the next
part to watch your tape and isexcited and really wants to
reach you on, and hopefullyyou're the choice.

SPEAKER_00 (50:37):
Oh, thank you.
I love that.
Yeah, I think it's do what feelsauthentic to you, but follow the
instructions, like you said.
Speaking of self-tapes, what'syour your general piece of
advice there?

SPEAKER_02 (50:48):
I mean, it's pretty much the same.
I think self-tapes need to beum, you know, all instructions
followed, but ultimately you'vegot to give this role um, you've
got to give this role you likethe best version of you that you
can.
I think ultimately there arethousands of actors that can
regurgitate material and and saythe words, but they can't say

(51:10):
the words like you do.
And ultimately, you know, whatcasting just wants to see is
what your take is on it.

SPEAKER_00 (51:16):
Yeah.
Like that's smart.
It's a journey.
General meetings, those areexciting and rare, but I think
they can be a littleintimidating for people.

SPEAKER_02 (51:25):
Yeah, general meetings.
Um literally, my best advice forgeneral meetings is be yourself.
That is what we want to see.
I know it's a bit cliche, butyou know, going back to the
conversations we had earlier, Iwant to learn the most about a
person outside of their act, youknow, their acting pursuit.

(51:47):
General meetings go really wellif you talk about your hobbies,
things that make you unique.
You know, ultimately, you know,where are you from?
Where do you want to go?
You know, find things that couldpotentially be relatable between
yourself and the castingdirector or the executive or the
agent or whoever it is you aretaking a general meeting with.
And that ultimately is going tolead to better conversation and

(52:10):
a great result.
It's also important to knowthough, and I will say this to
protect all my agent and managerfriends general meetings do not
mean that you're going to get ajob.
Um, general meetings do notalways lead to a job.
But what general meetings can dois build a foundation of
knowledge between yourself andthe casting director or the
producer, the creative personyou are meeting, so that when

(52:32):
the time comes, if anopportunity arises that you are
right for, they'll have thatinformation organically in their
minds from the conversation youhad.
Um, and most likely they'llsuggest that you tape on it or
get the opportunity to, youknow, meet a creative on the
project.
And then ultimately, if you are,you know, one of two at the end

(52:52):
of the day, knowing that team,having that initial
relationship, that initialconversation can only help you
when they're making a finaldecision between you and someone
else.

SPEAKER_00 (53:02):
Yeah, that's awesome.
It's such a human-firstapproach.
So as much as you can humanizeit, it's like meeting friends at
a party, you know?
Sure.
How do you like to talk withpeople?
You don't want really someonesitting there droning on like
their accomplishments.
You you want somebody talkingabout, you know, their family
farm, wherever it is, and howthey grew up and all that kind
of cool stuff.

SPEAKER_02 (53:21):
And that's typically where you'll find some common
ground.
And I think this business can beso transactional that having
that common ground is sopriceless.

SPEAKER_00 (53:32):
Yeah, and we all need each other.
That's the way this businessruns.
Can't have one without theother.
What about co-star auditions?
I think those can be a littletricky for people.
I mean, this used to be when Ilike when I got my first one,
it's like, I want to show you Ican act, but just saying hey,
the line's hey, but I'm gonnashow you.
You know what I mean?
It's like, yeah, just say theline.

SPEAKER_02 (53:53):
Uh yeah, you you need to, like you said, just say
the line when it comes toco-star auditions.
But if the lines are short, ifthere's not a lot of them, um,
doing two or three takes alsomight help a casting director
get a better sense for yourpersonality and also a sense for
your ability to makeadjustments.
I think that co-star auditionsare a fantastic way to get your

(54:14):
foot in the door.
It's a great way for for castingto know who you are.
And ultimately, you know, acouple of co-star auditions on
your resume, it's it's abuilding block.
You know, it's no differentthan, you know, working in the
mail room at CAA until youbecome a power agent.
You know, we all have to startsomewhere.
And so co-star auditions shouldnot be uh looked at as a bad

(54:37):
thing.
They should be looked at as, youknow, as a stepping stone.

SPEAKER_00 (54:41):
Yeah.
And they're a win.
I mean, it's it's tough to evenget that.
So if you got that, you'rewinning, y'all.
Just have fun with it.

SPEAKER_03 (54:48):
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 (54:48):
Yeah.
Well, the last one here is bestcity to live.
Gotcha.
No, you don't just say that.
You don't just say that.
We covered a lot of them.
Just kidding.
Thank you for playing.
Like, oh no, I'm not doing that.
I know.
No, no, you don't have to sharethat.
Thank you for playing castingkeywords.
I know I gotta let you go.
We always end with a gotten or agiven.
So the best piece of adviceyou've either gotten or given in

(55:12):
this industry, welcome to shareboth as well.

SPEAKER_02 (55:15):
I would say the best piece of advice I'd ever gotten
was that nothing that we do inthis business is changing lives.
You know, nothing, even thoughthere may feel there may, they
may seem like these timelinesare are immovable, like, you
know, something is due at 105 orsomething is due at 125.

(55:38):
And I know that's very specific,but ultimately at the end of the
day, if you are five or 10minutes late on an audition or a
submission, you know, unlesssomething is quite literally on
fire, which is so rare,typically we can accept that,
you know, and and especially ifyou've asked for that extension
ahead of time.
I think, you know, I always hadthe when I was coming up in this

(56:02):
business for many, many, manyyears, I always felt this like
internal fear, fire, whateveryou might call it, to get
everything done perfectly and ontime and specifically and and to
deliver what is expected of mesuper duper quickly, or that I
had failed.
And and a fantastic castingdirector and a dear friend of

(56:24):
mine basically called me one dayand said, Hey, I, you know, I
need something from you, X, Y,or Z.
Um, and I said, I'm walking intoa Broadway theater.
Is this something that I canhandle in a couple of hours?
Or is like, do I have to walkout of the Broadway theater?
And he literally said to me, andI quote, we are not saving

(56:45):
lives.
This is not brain surgery.
There is absolutely no reasonwhy you can't get this to me
tonight or even tomorrowmorning.
And that was really impactfulfor me.
Because, you know, I was, I wasyoung, I was like in my 20s.
I was building an agency and andI was um, you know, and and so
many lives, people's lives, yourlivelihoods, so many other

(57:07):
livelihoods depended on megetting, you know, my stuff
done, getting everything outthere into the world.
And it was, it was a kindnessthat I did not expect to
receive, and also a moment, youknow, of sort of reflection and
clarity and uh taking it withme.
I really have.

SPEAKER_00 (57:24):
Yeah.
And good on you for learning toraise your voice because that's
like a confidence-buildingmoment too.
And we all have these instancesat the crossroad where it's like
you can make one decision and goone way or go make another
decision and go the other way.
And I think the communication isjust super important.
And you've always communicatedso kindly with me and your
fellow clients.
And I just feel so grateful tohave you in my corner because

(57:45):
you're truly a dream maker.
And even the advice you justopenly shared here with everyone
today is gonna help so many.
So while you may not be savinglives, you are inspiring people
and empowering them just bybeing your beautiful self.
So thank you, Natasha.

SPEAKER_02 (58:00):
Thank you, Robert.
And being being with you allthese years has been such an
incredible pleasure, too.
And I'm really grateful for allof it, for the experience, for
everything we've done so far,and and for being on this cool
podcast.

SPEAKER_00 (58:12):
Oh, thanks for being here.
And there's gonna be more coolthings to come.
Thank you all for tuning in.

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