The Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast

About Stacye: 

After an illustrious career at Paradigm Talent Agency where Stacye Mayer has represented a diverse roster of actors she recently celebrated a successful year at Webb Sweeney Murphy talent (WSM).

Over the expanse of her career, she’s been part of the discovery & accomplishments of many actors’ careers. The list of numerous commercials she’s booked is endless but know that she’s collaborated creatively on many national campaigns, regional spots like state lotteries; as well as a long list of ads produced just for social/digital media. More recently she’s giving those with a good mic and an in-home studio an opportunity in the VoiceOver space as well.

Stacye is constantly looking to expand her commercial roster and cultivate new talent to reach their fame in this industry!

It’s the agent's job to introduce you to the Casting Director.

Once you make that connection, if you are doing callbacks, you are doing it right.

It’s important that the casting directors know ...

About Wolfie:

Wolfie Trausch is an in-demand voice-over director, casting director, voice actor, and loop group coordinator.

He works as a freelance English Dubbing Director for the top dubbing houses in Los Angeles, and directs an array of genres, from dramas to comedies, animated series, and video games. Some top credits include Netflix's To The Lake, Amazon's Parot, and HBO's Laetitia.

What is dubbing?

How dubbing is different.

Rhythmo Band by Voice Cue

Leave your baggage at the door and have an openness to play, be present, and be on time.

How to be a great dubber:

• Fully commit to the acting
• Timing is key
• You’re matching a performance
• All the technical aspects
• You are doing one pass
• You’re the principal

How have things changed since covid?

•  We were all in studio
•  Internet latency

Union vs. Nonunion

The rise of Dubbing

Biggest Pet Peeves:

•  Being late for a session
•  Difficult to schedule
•  Not honoring your commitments

Will bring in for incident...

Send your picture and resume to [email protected]

What to get your reps for the holidays:

$25 gift is fine

Avoid food and alcohol

Who to give to:

• Casting Director who you’ve booked a few jobs through over the years
• Agent and/or Manager
• Casting Director Agent or Manager who you’ve gotten a lot of stuff through get something a little more expensive

What to get:

• Movie Tickets
• Amazon Gift Card
• Find out if they like something
• Favorite restaurant
• Donate to a charity
• Flowers

Holiday Triggers:

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie:

"There are many positive triggers that remind us of Christmas (or Hannukah): snow, decorations, songs, wrapped packages, a nativity scene, or a star, stockings hung on a fireplace. And these "triggers" can evoke in us the warm, nostalgic feelings of the holiday celebration.

There are other kinds of triggers, though, that may be less apparent and evoke different feelings and memories.

Our mind is like a powe...

About Judy:

Judy Henderson has been honored by The Ross Reports as one of the top 20 US Film Casting Directors.

Highlights include Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting in a Drama Series. 2 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Casting in a Drama Series. 4 Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement TV Series and Theatre Drama Casting. Artios nomination for Independent Film Feature Casting, and 8 Artios nominations for Off-Broadway Theatre Drama Casting.

She has cast innumerable national on-camera and voice-over television commercials. She is a member of the Casting Society of America and Local 817 of the Teamsters Theatrical Union. Select Film credits include Before Midnight, Paranormal 2, 12 and Holding, L.I.E. (6 Independent Spirit Award Nominations, Winner of Best Debut Performance Award), and Before Sunrise. Select TV credits include Homeland-(Emmy Award and 2 Artios Awards - Showtime Series), Love And Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (Fox), and Land of Little Rain (PBS). Broadway credi...

What is required in this Industry: persistence, consistence, and tenacity.

Episode 101: The 6 Business Tools Every Actor Must Have

Episode 102: What is Your Strength Story?

Episode 103: 3 Tips to Up your Voiceover Auditions with Roger Becker

Episode 104: What to Get Your Reps for the Holidays & The Crucial Follow up List

Episode 105: What Would You Do if You Were Brave?

Episode 106: The 3 Must-Knows Before Beginning Your Content Creation Journey with Bill Timoney

Episode 107: Social Media for Actors - The 5 Things you Absolutely Need to Know with Heidi Dean

Episode 108: Goal Setting for the Actor

Episode 109: How to Maintain Your Actor Goals

Episode 110: Why Your Sound Sucks, Common Mistakes Voice Actors are Making from Home with Frank Verderosa

Episode 111: Affirmations, Energy and Truth & Our Consensus

Episode 112: Three Steps to Learning an Accent with Amanda Quaid

Episode 113: Your Life's (and Career's) Potential

Episode 114: How to Get the Most out of Your Acting ...

About Adrienne:

Adrienne is a renowned Independent Casting Director.

Her films have premiered at Sundance, Toronto, Cannes, Tribeca, Berlin, South by Southwest, Seattle, and many other prominent film festivals, many taking home prestigious awards. She is always working and always keeping an eye out for new talent. She cast both film and TV Union and Non-Union. Please check out her IMDB and her website www.AdrienneStern.com 

U.S. Theater Programs that Adrienne feels put young actors in the industry right out of the gate:

• Carnegie Mellon
• Point Park
• BU
• NYU
• Howard University
• Elon
• Temple

Tips for finding the right school:

• Look at alumni
• Think about what you want and what’s the best fit for you
• Have a second thing that makes you just as happy

How do creatives contact you?

• Often work with a lot of clients
• Don’t want to turn down a project, because they will find someone else and they will become part of their family
• Writer, director, or producer
• They have w
...

About Jen:

Jen Rudin is the head of the animation department at ICM Partners. She joined ICM in July 2020 following two decades as an award-winning casting director. Rudin grew up in New York City and began her professional acting career at age eight. She is the author of Confessions of a Casting Director: Help Actors Land Any Role with Secrets from Inside the Audition Room published by HarperCollins. 

Jen spent seven years as a Casting Executive at The Walt Disney Company. From 2002-2007, Jen served as head of casting for Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California and she won the 2006 Artios Award for casting Chicken Little and the 2010 Artios Award for The Princess and the Frog. From 2007-2009, she served as Director of Casting and Talent Development for Disney Theatrical Productions in New York City.  

"As a casting director, if you’re good, we will bring you back because we depend on certain actors."

Jen Rudin’s Book: Confessions of a Casting Director 

You can b...

About Jason:

Jason has been head of the commercial voice-over department of Stewart Talent NY for 15 years. He initially trained as an actor and screenwriter at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts before making the shift to the business side of entertainment. His first job was at the William Morris Agency where he served as booth director for their commercial department, able to draw upon his creative background to effectively interpret copy and direct talent. When Stewart Talent was looking to start up their own voice-over department in NY, Jason jumped at the opportunity.

The last 15 years have seen huge amounts of growth for the division, including the hiring of additional voice-over and on-camera agents, and he represents a flourishing roster of clients.

The massive importance of networking as an actor is equally important on the agent side.

Jason's Advice to Actors:

• Be honest about your skills
• Communicate book outs
• Be aware of your commercial exclusivities
• Knowing your t
...

 About Melissa:

Melissa Berger Brennan has been an agent for Theatrical (Film and Television) since 2002 and is Senior Vice President of the Young Talent Voiceover Department at Cunningham-Escott –Slevin-Doherty, (CESD), a talent agency with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Founded in 1967, CESD has been one of the most prestigious and popular agencies for commercial and voice over talents as well as a pioneer in the theatrical representation of young talent in all areas of the entertainment industry.

As a theatrical agent, she has placed clients on such diverse projects as PAPER GIRLS, EXPATS, LIGHT YEARS, GOOD GIRLS, BLACKISH, THE GOLDBERGS, GRIMM, GLEE, SHAMELESS, MAD MEN, PARENTHOOD, and THE WALKING DEAD.

Melissa is also the Senior Vice President of the Young Talent Voiceover department. Her clients have voiced leading roles in animated movies such as TURNING RED, MOANA, BIG HERO 6, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2 & 3 & 4), GOOD DINOSAUR, PEANUTS, KUNG FU PANDA 3, PEABODY AND SHERM...

About Mark:

Mark Bennington is an American actor, photographer, drummer, and author. After graduating from Mike Nichols's New Actors Workshop in NYC, Mark worked in theater for 10 years, with such directors as Sir Trevor Nunn, Paul Sills, Charles Marowitz, and Diane Paulus. 

Mark also did the guest-star grind in LA before picking up the camera in 2004, which quickly morphed into him becoming one of the 'Top 10' headshot photographers in the country. He later added both advertising and documentary portraiture to his repertoire with his work being published in The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, UpWorthy, CNN, PDN, GQ India, Varity, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times and many more. Mark authored the acclaimed photography book Living the Dream: The Life of the 'Bollywood' Actor (HarperCollins) and in 2016 his photography project America 2.0 about Muslim youth in NYC received worldwide recognition and was exhibited at major galleries in Jerusalem, Rome, Tokyo, New York City, Hudson, San Fra...