Did I Just Break Up with Auditions?

Let’s talk about something that’s totally flipped the game for me.
I used to believe I had to audition for everything—every breakdown, every opportunity, every maybe-fit role. But let’s be honest: that mindset is exhausting and lowkey soul-crushing.

Here’s the plot twist: my best gigs? They didn’t come from the hustle of constant auditions. They came from clients who found me directly through my agency’s site. Yep—they picked me.

That realization changed everything. I stopped scrambling for roles that didn’t feel aligned and started getting really intentional about the ones I say yes to. I’m no longer bending myself to fit every part—I’m finding the parts that actually fit me.

This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing it smarter. It’s about taking back some power in an industry that often feels like a never-ending audition room. Already this year, I’ve turned down multiple auditions that didn’t feel like a match—and instead of feeling FOMO, I felt free.

Outside of that shift, I’ve been leveling up in other areas too—adding fresh e-comm photos to my portfolio from an amazing workshop, researching new markets (hey Connecticut!), and gearing up to update my demo reel. I’m building a brand that feels like me, not just checking boxes.

So if you’re an actor, a model, a multi-passionate creative—whoever you are—just know this: saying no isn’t closing doors, it’s clearing the runway for the right ones to open.

Stick around for more glow-up strategies, and remember: your next big move doesn’t have to be loud. It just has to be true. 💫

✨ 2025✨ is about to be huge, and I want you to be part of this journey. Let’s glow up together.

🎭 Follow My Journey: Stay connected and get behind-the-scenes insights!

📸 Instagram: @megsalisburyofficial

🎬 TikTok: @megsalisburyofficial

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with your fellow dreamers—we’re all in this for the long game!

Let’s glow up together—because your breakthrough moment might be closer than you think.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Hey there and welcome to the glow up year.
I'm Meg, an actress and a modeland your go-to for all things
chasing big dreams and makingthem happen.
After years navigating theentertainment industry on camera
, behind the scenes andeverywhere in between, I'm
officially stepping into myglow-up era.
Think of this podcast as yourall-access pass to the real

(00:35):
journey, from auditions to photoshoots, to script breakdowns
and behind-the-scenes chaos.
I'm bringing you the wins, thelessons and the moments that no
one talks about.
So if you're ready to bet onyourself, take bold action and
see what it really takes tothrive in this industry, you're

(00:56):
in the right place.
Grab a coffee or a tea and getcomfy and let's do this glow up
together.
Hey there y'all.
We're back for episode fourhere.
I hope you're doing fantastic.
So the last couple episodeshave been all about modeling,

(01:17):
and if you're an actor listeningand you're thinking where's all
the acting that's happeningthis year, what's going on?
Don't worry, we are going toget to it.
Actually, the first two shortfilms that I had booked for this
year got cancelled or I guessthey're not cancelled.
Some of them got rescheduled,but the first one of the year

(01:40):
was this really cool vampireshort that I was recruited to
act in based off of otherperformances I've done in other
short films.
And last minute the other actorjust happened to have some
health issues and so it had toget rescheduled.
So we'll talk about that whenit gets closer in the year.
And then the 72 hour filmfestival got rescheduled this

(02:05):
year too too.
So the 72 hour film festival isreally cool because you have to
write, shoot, edit and submitall within 72 hours.
So it's a really cool exercisein completing all of these tasks
really quickly with a reallyhigh turnaround.
So that's a fun artistchallenge and that got
rescheduled this year too.
So as acting projects come up,you will be the first to know,

(02:28):
and we are going to do anepisode on demo reels.
Stick around for that.
I want to update all mymarketing materials this year.
That was one of my goals forthe year.
I am going to be updating mydemo reel and I am going to take
you through every step of theprocess.
That will be coming up hereshortly too, in the next month
or so.
I also wanted to talk to youguys about my method for

(02:51):
auditioning.
This year I'm changing it up.
This year I am trying somethingnew and let me tell you what it
is.
Previously, what I've beendoing is so I get an audition
from the agency right, and thenI read through the details, I
make sure the project relativelyfits me, that I would fit into
their project, and then I recorda tape and I send it in.

(03:19):
That's what I've been doing andthat has felt like I have been
throwing spaghetti at the wallBecause I've been doing so many
auditions.
The ones that I'm booking arethe ones I'm not even
auditioning for.
It's the ones where clients arelooking at my agency's website
and saying I want this person, Iwant that person, and I just
happen to be one of those people.
Those have been the jobs that Ihave booked the most frequently

(03:39):
.
So this year I want to makesure that the projects I'm
auditioning for I reallyspecifically fit into.
Sometimes I'll receiveauditions from my agency and
I'll be like, oh, this isn'treally my strong suit, but I'm
going to audition for it anyways.
Or this just doesn't reallyfeel like it says they're

(04:01):
looking for all ethnicities butit really feels like they're
actually looking for a morespecific ethnicity and that's
not going to fit me.
So instead of auditioning forevery single thing that comes in
.
This year I am handpicking,really specifically what I'm
auditioning for, and maybe thatsounds like a cop out, like I'm

(04:21):
not booking so I'm going toavoid auditioning, and that is
not what I'm doing here.
What I'm doing is, honestly,I'm avoiding wasting my time.
When there are jobs that Isubmit for that I know I'm not
going to book, I'm not going tosubmit for them this year, I'm
just not.
It feels like a waste of mytime.
This is what the method I'vebeen doing for the last year and
a half that I've been with myagency and it feels desperate,

(04:45):
almost like whatever you give me, I'll audition for it, like it
feels like it's in the wrongenergy and the wrong vibration,
versus me getting a submissionand going no.
That doesn't fit my vibe, feelslike it's putting me in more
control than what I've had inthe past.
And you know this is an industrywhere we really don't have much

(05:05):
control over what's going onaround us.
You know we don't.
We don't really control whetherwe book the job right.
That depends on the otherpeople who audition and it also
depends on the casting directorsand the directors and all of
those other things the agencies,your resume depends on all of
those things.
So it's not a factor that's inmy control, and so this year I'm

(05:28):
just really specificallypicking the jobs that I'm
auditioning for, and I haveturned down four or five
auditions already this yearbecause I felt like they didn't
actually fit me, and I want tobe auditioning for jobs that I
that fit me, not that I fit into, and I also promised in the

(05:48):
last episode that I was going totell you guys how I was going
to use my digitals from themodel workshop in my portfolio
and to submit to agencies andhow you can use your materials
in multiple ways.
Once these photos are completedand they're retouched, obviously
I'm going to send them to myagency and they're going to put
them in my portfolio.
When I'm looking at myportfolio, I want to make sure

(06:10):
that it feels reallywell-rounded, that has a little
bit of everything, so that whenpeople are looking at my
portfolio to book me, they cansee that oh wow, she's really
versatile and she already hasexperience in the area of
expertise that I am currentlybooking people in the model
workshop.
Photos are going to fill a hugehole in my portfolio and that

(06:33):
hole is e-commerce.
I don't have any photos of mein my portfolio where I'm
modeling clothes or whereclothes are the focus or the
product.
So it's going to fill that gapin my portfolio, which I'm super
stoked about.
I'm also this year to expandingmy representation, so I want to

(06:56):
essentially find a couple moreagents in a couple different
markets so that I have a broadernet where I'm fine tuning what
I'm putting myself out there for, because if agency A sends you

(07:17):
a submission for an audition andagency B also sends you the
same audition and you book it,who gets the 20%?
It gets kind of complicated.
So I'm looking at other marketsright now and trying to see
what is a good market for mybody type and my personality and
what I bring to the table.
Right now I'm looking inConnecticut, but I have about

(07:42):
four or five agencies right nowthat I am also going to use my
photos from the model workshopto submit for representation
from these other agencies.
I also want to use these photosfor self-promotion as well.
So on Instagram platforms,facebook, all of those things,
as well as my website, which I'mbuilding this year too.

(08:06):
If we're actors and we're modelsand we're creatives, at the end
of the day nobody sees our workunless we put it out there
right.
And these photos represent meand what I can do, and so I want
to put those out to the worldin some form or other, whether
that's just putting it on socialmedia or creating a reel or

(08:26):
putting it on my website,whatever that means.
I also have a business website,and so they'll probably go on
there as well.
And also, when I get thegallery and the gallery is like
complete and I get my completedphotos back, I am going to drop
a link in the show notes so thatyou can see the photos that
I've been talking about for thelast four episodes and you can

(08:47):
have like a reference point ofwhat I'm talking about and you
can get to see my denim on denimlook and my pink sweater look.
I think that would be fun toshare and for you guys to feel
like you are actually involvedin the process and you can see
what's happening with your owneyes.
Today is going to be a shorterepisode, but, as always, thank

(09:07):
you so much for being here andfor listening.
It's been so fun and there's somany cool things we got coming
on the horizon and I'm excitedto get going and to give you
more strategies and steps andtips along your way as you glow
up this year as well.
And that's a wrap on thisepisode of the glow up year, and

(09:30):
this journey is just gettingstarted and I'm so glad you're
here for it.
If today's episode gave you alittle extra motivation, don't
forget to subscribe, leave areview and share it with a
fellow dream chaser, becausewe're all in this together.
And if you want more behind thescenes moments, updates and
inspiration, come hang out withme on social media.

(09:51):
Remember, your glow up isalways within reach.
It starts with just one boldmove.
So keep showing up, keepbelieving and let's make some
magic happen.
Until next time.