The Acting Podcast with Risa Bramon Garcia (director, casting director, producer) & Steve Braun (acting coach, communication consultant), founders of The BGB Studio, takes you inside the craft, the casting room, and the business- and bringing other Industry experts into the conversation- we dig into the work, pull back the curtain of the Industry, and show you how much power you really have as an artist..
Change is the only constant and the changes have come fast and hard. So what is the Industry now? What does it mean to be an Actor right now? What does it take to make it today? Risa and Steve discuss the current state of Industry, what actors can expect from the Industry and the essential shifts actors need to make right now to position themselves for success. Listen in and let us know how this resonates with you.
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Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Listen to other related episodes:
EPISODE 52: How to Stand Out from Hundreds of Other Actors
EPISODE 49: How to Redefine Your Career For This Moment
EPISODE 42: That Next Level Shit
EPISODE 28: The Practice That Leads to Success
EPISODE 50: The Strike is Over. Here’s What to Do Now
EPISODE 49: How To Redefine Your Career For This Moment
Join us in class today!
Credits:
PRODUCER:
BGB STAFF
TECH + DESIGN:
ASWATHI MENON
MUSIC:
SAM DEWEES + ANDY ABELOW
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
“Script Analysis” is an often misunderstood term that can result in an actor robbing a scene of its art by reducing it to mathematical calculations. Some actors love the idea of script analysis so they can “solve” the scene and control it. Other actors abandon the idea of script analysis altogether because they are afraid of adding any structure to their art. The truth of Script Analysis is more interesting and dynamic. BGB Master Teachers, Cate Cohen, Sydney Walsh, and Corey Parker, sit down with Risa and Steve to talk about the dance between structure and fluidity in your preparation, and how to use Script Analysis to find freedom and power in your work.
Guests & Resources:
Learn more about our wonderful teachers:
Sydney Walsh - BGB Master Teacher, actor, writer, director
Cate Cohen - BGB Master Teacher, actor, writer
Corey Parker - BGB Master Teacher, actor, coach
Listen to other related episodes:
Episode 6: The Secret To Successful Preparation
Episode 42: That Next Level Shit
Gifts & Opt-ins:
The Perfect Imperfect Self-Tape
21 Ways To Make Casting Directors Happy
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
An actor who books work consistently is an actor who has the capacity to remain vulnerable in the face of intense rejection, to stay focused in a world full of distractions, and to stay sharp in one of the most competitive Industries around. The actor who books work consistently has found a way to stand out from hundreds of others. They have expressed themself in a way that makes them a singularity. In a hard industry and a hard world, that kind of singular expression must be supported by a lifestyle that nurtures their art and their career. Listen in as Risa and Steve talk about how to cultivate a lifestyle that offers you all that, and then share your thoughts and questions with us on social @BGBStudio or by emailing us at [email protected]. We want to hear from you.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Listen to other related episodes:
Episode 28: The Practice That Leads To Success
Episode 36: The Pursuit Of Happiness - w/ Caroline, Dominic, Ellyn, Johnathan
Gifts & Opt-ins:
The Perfect Imperfect Self-Tape
21 Ways To Make Casting Directors Happy
Credits:
PRODUCER:
BGB STAFF
TECH + DESIGN:
ASWATHI MENON & MITCHELL BRAXTON
MUSIC:
SAM DEWEES + ANDY ABELOW
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
2023 was a really intense year. Two strikes, wars, a contracting Industry, inflation, lingering effects of the pandemic, etc. And that intensity revealed some powerful lessons that every actor must hear and understand in order to be a working actor in 2024. Risa and Steve delve into the lessons of 2023 that point to the new reality for actors and light the path to success in the New Year!
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Ep. 50: The Strike is Over. Here’s What to Do Now.
Ep. 47: A.I. is Coming for your Jobs. Here's What to Do.
Ep. 46: What to do when The Industry Stops
Ep. 45: The Healing Required to Be an Actor
Ep. 43: How To Be A Happy Actor
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
Ok, so the Industry is back. But it won't be business as usual. It can't be. Too much has changed. And if you want to book work in this new reality, you're going to have to change too. So listen in and let us know what speaks to you! You can meet this moment, but it won't be easy. Risa and Steve discuss where the Industry is at right now and the important first steps that every actor must take now that the strike is over.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Industry podcast:
- Episode 35: Is It Time to Give Up Acting?
- Episode 45: The Healing Required to Be An Actor
- Episode 46: What to do when The Industry Stops
- Episode 49: How to Redefine Your Career For This Moment
Summit Opt-in:
The BGB Actors Summit Video: How To Redefine Your Career For This Moment w/ Risa & Steve
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
This is a new world for actors. And the Industry that emerges on the other side of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes will be different than anything we've ever seen.
The ways in which Actors have thought about their careers for over a century are, in many ways, no longer relevant.
So, what's an Actor to do?
Risa and Steve shed light on this strange new world, offer insight into what it might look like, and discuss the action that Actors can (and must) take right now if they want to have a career on the other side of all of this.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Listen to other related episodes:
Episode 46: - “What to do when the Industry Stops” with Risa & Steve
Opt in:
The BGB Actors Summit Video: How To Redefine Your Career For This Moment w/ Risa & Steve
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
John Levey loves his job. He loves actors. He loves storytelling. He loves diving into the worlds each character inhabits. He’s been loving it for 40 years and is one of the masters of this passion profession, having won multiple Emmys and Artios awards, putting actors into groundbreaking roles on some of the most popular television shows of all time- E.R., The West Wing, China Beach, and Shameless, to name just a few. Listen in as Risa & Steve have an honest conversation with the legendary John Frank Levey.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Listen to other related episodes:
Check out John’s book, RIGHT FOR THE ROLE:
While there are many books that catalog Hollywood—from the classic to the profane, gritty to salacious—few tell the tale of how entertainment’s biggest names became the biggest names.
Right for the Role shares the story straight from an insider who’s been central to that process for decades. Four-time Emmy-award-winning casting director John Frank Levey hasn’t just witnessed some of the world’s greatest acting talents make it in Hollywood; in many cases, he’s had a major hand in it.
As the casting director for numerous iconic TV series, including ER, The West Wing and Shameless, Levey saw firsthand that household names like George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Allison Janney had “it”—and then watched their “it” propel them into the stratosphere.
In Right for the Role, Levey manages to tell a story of life among the glitterati while never losing his exuberance for being a part of the process. Through his colorful tales of meeting incredible talent early in their careers—including Josh Gad, Lucy Liu and a just-out-of-Julliard Jessica Chastain—Levey documents his transformation from a novice casting director to one of the greats in the field.
Beyond teaching readers how to spot what it takes to make it in Hollywood, how casting has changed since the 1980s (when telephones had cords!) or how to live in a world of glamor and gusto, Levey’s stories also show how to play a central role in a show’s success without losing a sense of wonder.
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
Generative A.I. is not the future. It is here. Now. And as the technology gets better and better, and audiences become less able to discern whether or not the actor on their favorite TV show or movie is human or A.I., the Industry will choose A.I. generated actors over human actors. A.I. actors are cheaper, less demanding, don’t have a union, and don’t require inconveniences like air, water, food, physical space, etc.
But as Generative A.I. comes for your jobs, it forces all of us to ponder important questions that, left unanswered, could lead to the end of the acting profession altogether.
What does it mean to be human?
What is the actual difference between a human actor and an A.I. actor?
Risa and Steve explore this new technology and the kind of work human actors will need to do to keep their jobs. Listen in!
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
We wholeheartedly support the writers as they fight for what they rightly deserve. And also, a strike means that the Industry is slowing/shutting down. For actors, that can mean fewer auditions and less hope of booking jobs. It can bring up fear and disappointment, especially after three years of pandemic-related uncertainty. In this episode, Risa and Steve offer tools to navigate it all, and reveal some of the incredible opportunities that present themselves when the Industry stops.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Ep. 43: How To Be A Happy Actor
Ep. 27: Not Just An Actor: Making Your Own Box
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
As an actor, your vulnerability and emotional sensitivity are not only tools of your art. They are your products. But being a sensitive person in an often cold, emotionally violent industry can be a train wreck waiting to happen. Risa and Steve explore the kind of consistent healing necessary to stay open enough to bring the fullness of your talent to your auditions, and not compromise your mental health while doing it.
Your nervous system is your tool and your product. It’s also a sacred element of your being, through which you receive and process the world around you. Your past experiences and dormant emotions can fuel your work, but they can also make you miserable. You need to be sensitive to do great acting work and book acting jobs, but the industry in which you’re operating often offers emotional violence, disinterest and the inability to see to any of your needs. While the industry needs to be kinder and softer (even in the interest of finance), it won’t happen anytime soon. So, you are going to have to do the labor of looking at your pain and taking steps towards healing. Risa and Steve explore the way in which actors can heal and offer their own healing journeys.
Subscribe! And if you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating!
Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.
AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!
If you’ve missed any episodes, catch up now!
Guests & Resources:
Ep. 41: Fighting Isolation: Why You Need an Artistic Community
Ep. 35: Is It Time To Give Up Acting?
Ep. 10: Saying Yes to the No: Managing Rejection
Meet us on Instagram and other social spaces where we hang out — with tons more great advice, inspiration, and Industry intel.
@BGBStudio on IG + Twitter + TikTok + @theBGBStudio on Facebook.
CHECK OUT our Audition, Scene-Study, and Hybrid Classes!
SIGN UP for our BGB Group Career Coaching series!
JOIN US for The BGB Actors Summit: A virtual workshop with Risa & Steve
The BGB Sit-Down is back! Meet Risa + Steve in our Studio
Are You Ready For Class?
Actors can often see CDs as faceless, soulless gate-keepers with the potential to grant wishes or kill dreams. This perception is not only wrong, but it’s bad for an actor’s business. Casting directors are human beings who, like you, often struggle to do good work in an emotionally violent industry. In fact, the humanity of casting directors- their ability to be emotionally affected, to be moved- is often the reason an actor gets a callback and gets cast. Actors must believe then and constantly remind themselves that casting directors have the capacity to be emotionally moved by their work. This discussion with Michelle Allen and the story of how and why she walked away is a great reminder. Email us at [email protected] and comment on our IG posts!
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