The Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast
Episode 401: The Emotional Toll of Self Tapes
Let me ask you something.
When an audition lands in your inbox, what is your first reaction? Is it excitement? Or is it, oh no. Not another self-tape.
If it is the second one, we need to talk about that. Because that reaction means your nervous system has started associating auditions with danger instead of play. With burden instead of opportunity. And any time we get the chance to act, it should feel like a yes moment. If it does not, it might be time to pause and look at what is actually happening.
It Is Not Just Tiredness
So many actors feel ashamed admitting how exhausting self-tapes are. And I get it. But here is what I want you to hear. It is okay that you find them exhausting. What it means is that we need to take really good emotional care of ourselves so they do not feel so depleting every single time.
My mom used to say, you cannot give from a dry well. I have no idea if that is a Dutch expression or just a her thing, but she was right. And I have watched actors cry a...
Episode 400: SMART Goals
I'm going to say something a little unpopular.
Most SMART goals don't work. Not because the framework is bad. Not because I don't believe in it. I make SMART goals every quarter for myself. But what I actually see with the voice actors I coach is that they use them to create the appearance of a plan, not an actual plan. They check all the boxes, put it in a document, and never look at it again. And then at the end of the year they feel like they failed.
And that is awful.
What Goes Wrong
Here is a real example, completely anonymized. A student submitted this goal to me. By the end of September I will post once a week on LinkedIn, send five follow-up emails daily, and reach out to one voiceover buyer weekly. My goal is to book at least two new clients and generate $5,000 in new revenue within 12 months.
On paper that looks great. There is a date, there are numbers, there is a revenue target. But here is what is actually happening.
The timeline is a mess. The activity goal says ...
Episode 399: Stages Every Actor Goes Through
The Career Stages Every Actor Goes Through
There is a coaching phrase I keep coming back to.
It gets better, it gets worse, it gets different, it gets real. And then it starts again. Better, worse, different, real. Over and over, sometimes all at once, sometimes so fast you can barely tell which one you are in.
That is an acting career. And honestly, that is most creative careers.
So today I want to talk about the stages, because here is what I find is true for so many actors I work with. They are not failing. They are just in a different stage than they think they are in, and that changes everything.
Everyone Else Is Moving Forward and I Am Stuck
This is the quiet belief that a lot of actors carry around. And whenever we compare ourselves to other people what we are really doing is telling the universe we are in the wrong place. But you are not in the wrong place. John over there is just in a different phase. That is it.
Compare and despair. It is one of my favorite little s...
Episode 398: Make Your Own Content
"Make Your Own Content" Is Incomplete Advice. Here Is What It Actually Means.
I was scrolling TikTok, as one does, and I came across an actor who was fired up. She said the advice to make your own content is terrible. Her take was basically, I'm an actor, not a writer, not a producer, not a director. I don't have a crew or a budget. So what are you actually asking me to do here? Pull a short film out of thin air between my day job and my auditions?
And I watched that video and thought, you know what, there's a point there that's fair. But I also think the advice is incomplete. Not wrong. Incomplete. And incomplete advice is dangerous because it sounds reasonable enough that people try it, fail, and then blame themselves.
So today I want to unpack what make your own content actually means, who it's for, and how it means something completely different if you're a voice actor.
The Advice Is Missing a Map
As it's typically delivered, in workshops, masterclasses, panels, the advice ...
Episode 396: The Buyout Conversation Nobody Prepares You For
Let me walk you through a scenario.
A voice actor gets an offer. Major food delivery brand. Session fee is $500. Buyout is $10,000. Usage is worldwide, all media, in perpetuity. Broadcast TV, streaming, social media, paid and organic, radio, in stores, stadium, cinema, email marketing, every platform, every country, forever.
Is that a good deal?
Not even close.
Today I'm going to give you the math, the framework, and the language you need to have the buyout conversation without feeling like you're making up numbers or asking too much or too little.
Session Fee vs Usage Fee
These two things are important to distinguish because a lot of voice actors, especially newer ones, bundle them incorrectly.
The session fee is what you get paid for your time in the booth. It compensates you for the recording session itself, your preparation, your studio, your performance. For a typical commercial session, session fees range from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand depending on t...
Episode 393: What CD's Notice in the First 10 Seconds
What Casting Directors Notice in the First 10 Seconds
Most actors believe the audition starts when they begin the scene.
It doesn't.
The audition starts the moment casting sees you. And casting directors often know within the first 10 seconds whether someone feels like they belong in the room or belong in the self-tape. Whether they feel they deserve to be there and are really showing up to drop off the gift of their talent.
Presence Before Performance
It's not that casting directors are judging your soul. It's the energy. Are you giving off the energy of clarity, of worthiness, of confidence that you believe you deserve to be there?
I work on this with so many actors. The thoughts that creep in. I hope they like me. I'm probably not right for this. Everyone else is probably better than me. Before COVID I would always ask, are you the actor who goes into the audition waiting room and gives away the role to someone else sitting there? You want to be giving the role to you.
And...
Episode 391: The Myth of Getting Lucky
Somebody books a big role and everybody says the same thing. They got lucky. They just got lucky.
And yes. Of course luck plays a role in this industry. It can be the luck of being in the right place, right time, right project. You're just the right actor. But if you look closely at actors who work consistently, not flash in the pan, but those who have a consistent career, something else becomes very clear.
What looks like luck from the outside is usually preparation meeting opportunity.
What Actors Think Luck Looks Like
There's this idea that a career unfolds like this. One audition, one big booking, and everything changes overnight. I remember thinking that as a young, and I'm going to add this word in, foolish actor.
That makes a great story. But the reality is that most overnight success stories look very different. Usually it involves years of training. Usually it involves hundreds of auditions. One of the things I used to say to myself was this is one audi
...Episode 388: Actor Tools of the Trade
One of the biggest misconceptions in voiceover is that success comes from talent plus a good booth.
And yes, performance matters. Audio quality matters. But what actually creates consistency in this career is operational support. It's the systems you build that allow you to track opportunities, manage relationships, understand your income, organize your marketing, and reduce decision fatigue. Because decision fatigue is real, and it will stop you in your tracks and you will end up doing nothing.
So today I want to walk you through some simple, accessible tools that you can use right now. Even if you don't have a team. Even if you don't have fancy software. Even if you feel completely disorganized.
These are the tools that turn creative chaos into professional clarity.
Excel or Google Sheets
I know. A spreadsheet is not anyone's favorite thing. Nobody got into acting because they love spreadsheets. But spreadsheets give you something emotional actors often lack, w
...Episode 387: Why Talented Actors Stay Invisible
There are so many incredibly talented actors out there. And so many of them do not get seen.
Meanwhile there are actors with less training booking roles more regularly. And if you are one of those highly trained actors, that is so freaking frustrating. It brings up all the not so helpful questions. Am I not good enough? Why am I not getting these opportunities? Insert your favorite self-doubt here.
But here's the truth. Talent alone does not guarantee visibility. I know this as a casting director. I also know this as an actor.
Talent Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Acting is an art. Just like painting, just like dancing, just like writing. But the industry that hires actors is a business. And casting directors, I can certainly say this for myself, are not only looking for great performances. We're also asking very practical questions.
Does this actor fit this role? Do they understand the tone, the energy of the project? Do I feel they are professional and prepared? And then my ...
Episode 386: Micro Habits To Keep You a Professional Voiceover Actor
Everybody wants to talk about the big wins in voiceover. The national spot. The animation series. The dream agent. The viral audition story. But there are operational realities that actually determine whether you stay in this business long term, and those don't make it into anyone's Instagram carousel.
These are the things that quietly make or break your career. Because voiceover is not just a performance career. It is a business, a micro business, and it runs on detail.
Your EIN. Get One. Today.
Most actors I talk to don't even know what this is until someone asks them for a W9 and suddenly they're panic googling at midnight. An EIN is basically a business social security number. It's free from the IRS. Do not get scammed into paying for one by a third party provider. Some will charge $75, $150, $200. Go directly to the IRS website.
Getting one doesn't mean you're suddenly a corporation. But psychologically there's a shift. Once you have an EIN you start thinking like a service...
