30: Hey (Nick!) Light the Lights!

We chat with Field Manager Nick about his life as a programmer, problem solver, dream maker, and more! He’s a self proclaimed “Gearhead” who tells us about mentorships, creating moments and emotions with lights, and gives us insight on being in the fancy and professional world of lighting! Also we cover fashion week, transferring schools, and Dracula! 

 

Here’s some resources mentioned in the episode:

University of Nebraska at Lincoln /
Penn State /
Cirque du Soleil /
ETC /
UW Madison /
Actors Theater of Louisville /
Diary of Anne Frank /
Swine Palace /
Playbill /
*Offstagejobs.com

*Correction. We call it backstagejobs.com on the episode.

29: Actor Hack 101

Your pals and mentors sit down to chat about some basics! This is a great listen for all NYC hopefuls and soon to be residents as we cover the logistics of moving, how to avoid scams, and general life advice for all our artists out there!

 

 

Here are some resources in this episode:

Reproductions /
The Public Theater /
Craigslist.com /
Actors Access /
Backstage /
Playbill /
Breakdown Express /
HB Studio /
U-Haul /
Ikea /
Street Easy /
Lovely /
Zillow /
Yoga To The People /
Drama Book Shop /
Grounded /
Shubert Alley

28: Fascinatin’ Castin’ with (Lauren)

We chat with Casting Director: Lauren Port! Lauren hails from Chicago and chats her journey from college actress to realizing immediately she needed more stability. She walks us through the casting process step by step in various mediums (from commercial Broadway to network TV) and gives invaluable advice on how to not be gross when networking! She also clues us into common actor mistakes in the auditioning room- a must listen y’all!

 

/ Syracuse University
/ Victory Gardens Theater
/ Tara Rubin
/ Cindy Tolan
/ Blue Valentine
/ Caparelliotis Casting
/ The Old Globe
/ Actors Equity
/ Breakdown Express
/ SAG-AFTRA
/ How To Get Away With Murder
/ Linda Lowy
/ Holler If You Hear Me
/ One on One
/ Actors Connection
/ Engagements
/ Second Stage
/ The Layover
/ The Front Page
/ Les Liaison Dangereuses
/ Caught
/ La Mama
/ The Next Step

27. Where There’s a (Will), There’s a Way

You may know Will Cooper as the pilgrim in a recent Subway campaign! He chats with us about moving to New York and starting from scratch as an actor. We break down what it is to audition for a commercial and how it differs from legit. We talk about “pay to meet” manager and casting director workshops, slingin’ drinks at Starbucks, improv, and his ultimate success as a Commercial actor. 

 

Here are some resources in this episode:

Mississippi State University
UCB
Playbill
Actors Access
Starbucks
Shetler Studios
Cap21
One on One
Standup Showcase
Subway
Younger
Stella Adler
Gypsy Housing
Girl Boss

And you know we love Sweet Soubrette.

26: Sewing up Vintage New York with (Sarah)

Sarah Bacot guides us through the world of costuming in New York! She got her start interning at Juilliard and has since worked on many TV productions including SNL digital and now NBC’s Blindspot. We chat unions, long hours, and her eco conscious label “ldv vintage.” We also go in depth on the NYC we all dreamed of and whether it still exists.

Here are some resources mentioned in the episode:
LDV Vintage
LSU
A.C.T.
Juilliard
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
Caitlin Doukas
Law and Order: SVU
Saks
Bergdorf Goodman
Royal Pains
Caroline Duncan
666 Park Avenue
Boardwalk Empire
John Dunn
Lisa Padovani
Gotham
IATSE USA 829
IATSE USA 764
America’s Got Talent
SNL
The Blind Spot
Time Warp Boutique
Etsy
The True Cost
Sweet Soubrette

25: Singin’, Strummin’ and Dreamin’ (Charlene)

Charlene Lite is a singer/songwriter from Cali now living in NYC. Her documentary, “The Dream Diaries,” chronicles 10+ years of her artistic journey using daily video diaries. She started in the music industry behind a desk, but eventually committed to open mics and self producing her own albums.  Join us for this soulful and honest sit-down where we ride with Charlene through her path of hope, hard work, and grappling with disappointments.

 

Here are some resources mentioned in the episode:

Charlene Lite
UC San Diego
Universal Music
Warner Bros. Records
Cal State Northridge
Barry Manilow
Music Connection
Macy Gray
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Comedian
Craigslist
Bowlmor Lanes
The Dream Diaries
Spike TV
MTV
Independent Filmmaker Project
NYU

And many thanks to Sweet Soubrette for the tunes.

 

 

24: Standing Up with (Sean)

Sean Kleier comes from a background unlike most our guests. Not convinced arts could be a job – it wasn’t until later he started to pursue. After moving to NY, nabbing a restaurant job, doing open mics, getting looped into the commercial world, his viral video got the attention of an agent. Now Sean is a series regular on Bravo’s Odd Mom Out and chats about all his mistakes as well as his socially conscious side projects. 

 

As a reference, here are some resources mentioned in the episode:

Humana Festival of New American Plays
Bowdoin College
Craigslist
UCB
Huffington Post
Creative Artists Agency
James Villemaire
Ken Schatz
Circle in the Square
Mohegan Sun
NBC
CBS
Odd Mom Out
Madame Secretary
The Affair
CW
Gersh Agency
Happyish
Motiv
New York Magazine
Represent.us

23: (Carey) Yourself Through It

Carey is an actress/producer whose been thriving as a voiceover artist for 11 years. We talk life while pounding the pavement, to finding her footing, to ultimately moving to Geneva Switzerland for 3 years at a peak in her career. She learned french and produced her own Shakespeare event in Geneva and back in the states continues to work as an actor and produce for New York Shakespeare Exchange

 

As a reference, here are some resources mention in this episode:

Carey
Belmont
Texas Christian University
Southern Methodist University
Stage West
Theatre 3 Dallas
Dallas Theater Center
Steve Blanchard
Martin Charnin
Match.com
Doug Trapp
KY
Judy Keller
L’Oreal
CESD
Cornelia Street Cafe
New York Shakespeare Exchange
Brendan Averett
Sonnet Project NYC

22: The (Nat)ural Highs & Lows

Nat Cassidy is an actor/musician/playwright and no stranger to life as a starving artist. He hails from Arizona and chats with us about his rough transition to winters and shorter days as well as survival jobs, reaching out to heroes, and adapting a novel as his first play. He shares his failures and successes as an actor and playwright and what he’s learned along the way.

———————————————————————-

Nat Cassidy is a musician, actor, and playwright whose found a groove for himself. He walks us through creating his own opportunities through playwrighting, benefiting from the generosity of strangers, and the worst first apartment story so far on Actor Hack Podcast.

22: The (Nat)ural Highs & Lows
On our website

Here are some resources mentioned in the episode:
NatCassidy.com
University of Arizona
Kaplan University
New York City Opera
Shakespeare and Co.
Arizona Theater Company
Stephen King
The Collector by John Fowles
Theater Row
Manhattan Theater Source is now closed.
The Reckoning of Kit and Little Boots
The Gallery Players
NYIT Awards
United Stages
Indie Theater Now
Any Day Now
Playwrights Direct
Samuel French
New Line Cinema
Warner Brothers
Playboy
ICM
The Knitting Factory
The Lark
The Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference
99% Invisible

And thanks to Sweet Soubrette.