Full Transcript for Actors: The Rules Have Changed. Is Your Career Ready For 2027?

fundamentally the business has 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:12.740 changed. There is frustration, there is anger, 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:15.680 there is exhaustion, and there are some really 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:20.100 good ideas, but... recognizing that something 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.839 isn't working is only the beginning. And as we 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:28.980 approach 2027, my question is, what are we actually 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:32.300 going to do about it? But it's one thing to recognize 00:05:32.300 --> 00:05:35.439 that something isn't working. It's another thing 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.439 to do something about it. You know, we've spent 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:41.620 a lot of time talking about what's wrong with 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:44.500 our industry. And today I want to talk about 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:49.800 what we're going to do next. And how this affects 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:52.519 you personally. What decisions are you going 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:54.939 to make moving forward with your acting career? 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.540 But before we start getting to the solutions, 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:00.540 I want to sort of establish sort of the common 00:06:00.540 --> 00:06:04.519 ground of what this year has revealed. It was 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:08.100 a super interesting year. I'm talking like it's 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.459 already over, but there are still some big drops 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:13.939 to come at the movie theater, particularly, of 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:18.379 course, Doomsday. But I think what this year 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:21.779 genuinely proved was that audiences have not 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:25.019 abandoned the movies. They're just becoming more 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:29.259 selective. We have heard plenty of doom and gloom 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:32.680 about theatrical exhibition and what going to 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:35.980 the movies means and how streaming was supposed 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:41.259 to be the death of going to the movies. But 2026 00:06:41.259 --> 00:06:45.230 proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Audiences 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:48.829 are still prepared to leave their homes, get 00:06:48.829 --> 00:06:51.889 off the sofa, leave their homes, and buy cinema 00:06:51.889 --> 00:06:55.389 tickets. There were some huge, big -budget tent 00:06:55.389 --> 00:06:58.910 poles. Obviously, The Odyssey and Spider -Man, 00:06:58.930 --> 00:07:02.529 A Brand New Day. But then there were also incredible 00:07:02.529 --> 00:07:05.870 stories from much, much smaller films. Let's 00:07:05.870 --> 00:07:10.089 talk about Obsession. Big stars and big budgets 00:07:10.089 --> 00:07:14.910 are not. automatic guarantees of success. I mean, 00:07:14.930 --> 00:07:18.810 just look at the giant flop -a -rama that was 00:07:18.810 --> 00:07:25.350 Tom Cruise in Digger. I haven't heard what Tom 00:07:25.350 --> 00:07:29.649 Cruise got paid for starring in Digger, but I 00:07:29.649 --> 00:07:32.470 think he certainly thought that it was such a 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:37.310 departure from his regular action movie hero 00:07:37.310 --> 00:07:44.100 role. That I can't help but think that Tom Cruise 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:48.720 maybe had his eye on an Oscar nomination to put 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.439 another notch in his belt. That's just my opinion. 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:55.100 I have no evidence to support that. But I think 00:07:55.100 --> 00:07:58.060 what the movies, what moviegoers proved this 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:02.699 year is that the movie has to be good. The moviegoers 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:05.910 are selective. about what they're going to spend 00:08:05.910 --> 00:08:07.790 their money on at the movie theater. And one 00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:09.790 of those things was Obsession. Obsession was, 00:08:09.910 --> 00:08:12.870 the budget for Obsession was under a million 00:08:12.870 --> 00:08:19.069 dollars. It was $750 ,000 and it made $500 million 00:08:19.069 --> 00:08:24.850 in the worldwide box office. I mean, that is 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.949 an extraordinary achievement for a little film 00:08:28.949 --> 00:08:31.949 that was picked up for $15 million at the Toronto 00:08:31.949 --> 00:08:38.190 International Film Festival. So marketing, word 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:42.509 of mouth, originality, spectacle, and the experience 00:08:42.509 --> 00:08:45.330 of seeing something in the movie theater all 00:08:45.330 --> 00:08:48.389 matter. Audiences have not stopped going to the 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:50.950 movies. They've stopped going just because Hollywood 00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:55.690 tells them they should. You know, a $100 million 00:08:55.690 --> 00:08:59.850 budget doesn't guarantee you've made something 00:08:59.850 --> 00:09:03.289 that people want to see. And a small budget doesn't 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:07.269 mean that you haven't. I think that's what this 00:09:07.269 --> 00:09:13.840 year was really educational for moviegoers. We 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:19.200 got some chat on the YouTube. Linnell Chatterjee, 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:21.700 you're surreal. Love your live talk. Thank you, 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:26.730 Linnell. I appreciate that. Monica Garcia, I'm 00:09:26.730 --> 00:09:29.509 a big fan. Thank you so much. Love your live 00:09:29.509 --> 00:09:34.470 talk. I appreciate that very much. Linnell Chatterjee 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:36.389 brings up, what about ticket prices? I mean, 00:09:36.409 --> 00:09:39.889 what was super interesting to me is that, yes, 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:45.750 the box office this year beat pre -pandemic box 00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:49.409 office levels, but that was partly because ticket 00:09:49.409 --> 00:09:51.769 prices were so much more expensive. But what 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:55.529 I am fascinated by is that people will pay higher 00:09:55.529 --> 00:09:58.929 prices if the quality is there. Look at Odyssey 00:09:58.929 --> 00:10:02.159 and IMAX.

everybody was perfectly happy to shell 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.340 out to see the Odyssey and IMAX at a much higher 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:08.980 price because they were reassured by the reviews 00:10:08.980 --> 00:10:11.519 and everything else that the product was going 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:16.019 to be worth it. So yes, ticket prices are absolutely 00:10:16.019 --> 00:10:18.399 driving some of the figures that we're seeing, 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:23.539 but I think there's still plenty of evidence 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:26.919 there that if the product is good, then people 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:30.129 will pay the prices and that it matters. But 00:10:30.129 --> 00:10:32.269 what I think we really learned this year was 00:10:32.269 --> 00:10:35.809 that Hollywood doesn't have all of the keys anymore. 00:10:36.169 --> 00:10:39.250 You know, look at Backrooms and its creator, 00:10:39.389 --> 00:10:43.289 Cain Parsons, a young filmmaker building an audience 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:46.610 and a distinctive creative voice on YouTube. 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:53.080 And that work, you know, that movie attracted 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.860 the attention of the established film industry. 00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:59.620 You know, the important point isn't the budget. 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:03.059 of the film is that the creative work and the 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:07.059 audience existed before the traditional legacy 00:11:07.059 --> 00:11:11.740 Hollywood studio development process. You know, 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:14.679 the old way of doing things was that you got 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:17.519 access to the industry, you convinced the gatekeepers, 00:11:17.580 --> 00:11:21.320 and then you hopefully reached an audience. And 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:23.980 this emerging alternative that we're seeing from 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:28.240 back rooms and from obsession was that you create 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.519 something. You find an audience, whether that's 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:34.179 through YouTube or a different social media channel, 00:11:34.299 --> 00:11:38.179 you demonstrate the demand, and then you potentially 00:11:38.179 --> 00:11:43.289 attract industry investment. But what does that 00:11:43.289 --> 00:11:46.570 mean for actors like me? Are we still behaving 00:11:46.570 --> 00:11:49.850 as though agents, casting directors, and studios 00:11:49.850 --> 00:11:52.909 are the only people who can give us opportunities? 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:58.950 Hollywood used to decide who got access to an 00:11:58.950 --> 00:12:03.419 audience. Now... creators build an audience before 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.509 Hollywood even knows they exist. You know what 00:12:07.509 --> 00:12:10.549 I mean? It's like the gatekeepers haven't disappeared. 00:12:11.190 --> 00:12:13.370 They're just not holding all the keys anymore. 00:12:16.889 --> 00:12:20.629 And I think another thing that is getting a lot 00:12:20.629 --> 00:12:22.990 of attention this year, as it should, was that 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:26.330 the enormous numbers that are being thrown around 00:12:26.330 --> 00:12:30.169 Hollywood with the Paramount Warner Brothers 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:36.710 merger, there is still... Big, big dollars to 00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:40.490 be made in Hollywood. So here's my question. 00:12:41.110 --> 00:12:47.129 Why are working actors struggling? This contradiction 00:12:47.129 --> 00:12:50.509 exists at the heart of our industry. There is 00:12:50.509 --> 00:12:54.389 still enormous money to be made in entertainment. 00:12:54.809 --> 00:12:57.750 But that doesn't mean that the money is reaching 00:12:57.750 --> 00:13:01.629 the working actors who are in the middle of the 00:13:01.629 --> 00:13:04.320 profession. It used to be true that there was 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:09.809 a middle class channel, a middle class path for 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:13.590 working actors. And now what we're seeing is 00:13:13.590 --> 00:13:15.570 that the A -listers are getting their compensation 00:13:15.570 --> 00:13:21.149 and major commercial successes coexist with this 00:13:21.149 --> 00:13:29.750 precarious employment for many actors. And, you 00:13:29.750 --> 00:13:34.360 know, the systems that we built were based on 00:13:34.809 --> 00:13:40.250 traditional legacy models. Like in network television, 00:13:40.809 --> 00:13:45.350 there were longer seasons. Network television 00:13:45.350 --> 00:13:48.750 used to feature 22 episodes per season. Think 00:13:48.750 --> 00:13:54.049 about that. 22 episodes, 24 episodes of a season. 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:57.970 That meant recurring work for the actors and 00:13:57.970 --> 00:14:01.909 the crew employed on those productions. They 00:14:01.909 --> 00:14:05.419 had... more episodes. They were longer seasons. 00:14:06.590 --> 00:14:12.070 There were residuals from when a television show 00:14:12.070 --> 00:14:13.809 aired the first time, that's what the actors 00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:16.629 were paid for. If it aired a second time, then 00:14:16.629 --> 00:14:20.590 there were residuals that were money that was 00:14:20.590 --> 00:14:23.889 accumulated for of those actors. So there was 00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:29.980 ongoing income that actors could rely upon. And 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:33.750 those employment patterns could help actors qualify 00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:36.769 for union health insurance and build pension 00:14:36.769 --> 00:14:39.769 credits. Now with the introduction of streaming, 00:14:39.970 --> 00:14:43.690 we have much shorter seasons. Six to ten episodes 00:14:43.690 --> 00:14:47.919 is about normal. Eight seems to be where the 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.679 largest number of episodes are. But there's also 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.019 an enormous gap between the seasons. We're looking 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:56.759 at 18 months between seasons. On network television, 00:14:57.019 --> 00:15:00.639 it used to be four months. And now that's what 00:15:00.639

--> 00:15:03.559 those systems were built on. And now with streaming 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:07.000 television, we've got 18 months. Do you see season 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.659 two of Wednesday came out over two and a half 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:13.980 years after season one of Wednesday, two and 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:17.299 a half years of those actors sitting around waiting 00:15:17.299 --> 00:15:23.179 for season two. These are different economic 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:27.039 models for actors. Residuals don't work the same 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:30.549 way because. On network television, you can easily 00:15:30.549 --> 00:15:34.610 count how many times a television program airs. 00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:37.950 But with streaming, you can binge that show as 00:15:37.950 --> 00:15:41.690 many times as you want. So the residual economics 00:15:41.690 --> 00:15:48.279 don't work in the same way at all. The old system 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:52.250 wasn't equally generous to everyone, and the 00:15:52.250 --> 00:15:56.889 unions have negotiated improvements. But my argument 00:15:56.889 --> 00:16:02.639 is that the employment model, ecosystem that 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.679 employment for actors now operates in has changed 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:09.480 faster than the structures that support working 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:12.820 actors and what we're seeing now i'm sure this 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:16.059 is all over your feeds as well is that an actor 00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:19.440 can be successful they can be regularly employed 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:24.700 and still struggle to assemble enough work to 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:30.789 qualify for health insurance we need to stop 00:16:30.789 --> 00:16:34.559 confusing the success of the entertainment business 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:39.799 with the economic health of the people working 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:44.070 in it. The entertainment business is not dead, 00:16:44.210 --> 00:16:47.789 but the business of making a living in entertainment 00:16:47.789 --> 00:16:52.649 is changing. The industry hasn't run out of money, 00:16:52.750 --> 00:16:56.929 but the way that money gets distributed isn't 00:16:56.929 --> 00:17:00.929 sustaining the working middle of our profession. 00:17:04.009 --> 00:17:06.029 You know, the question isn't just whether acting 00:17:06.029 --> 00:17:08.650 jobs exist. It's whether enough of those jobs 00:17:08.650 --> 00:17:14.059 can add up to a sustainable life. So that brings 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:19.140 us to the topic today, which is what are you 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:25.440 going to do about it? This is where you get to 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.619 have a say in what your career looks like and 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:39.170 feels like to you. I think. One path is certainly 00:17:39.170 --> 00:17:41.990 the political one that you can fight for the 00:17:41.990 --> 00:17:45.269 industry that you want. And I think what we saw 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:48.849 with this week's election is that whatever your 00:17:48.849 --> 00:17:52.509 politics, collective participation can change 00:17:52.509 --> 00:18:00.059 how power operates. The election doesn't prove. 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:03.480 you know, that any one particular policy will 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:06.339 pass, but the parallel is about participation 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:10.059 and collective action. Actors have organizations 00:18:10.059 --> 00:18:13.859 specifically designed to advocate for their professional 00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:17.640 interests. And a lot of people participate in 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.220 that and some don't, you know, SAG -AFTRA, the 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:24.450 film and television actors. and actors' equity 00:18:24.450 --> 00:18:27.950 for stage actors aren't just places where we 00:18:27.950 --> 00:18:30.589 pay dues and hope somebody else fixes things. 00:18:31.529 --> 00:18:35.430 There are ways to get involved and participate 00:18:35.430 --> 00:18:39.829 in those conversations at those unions, contract 00:18:39.829 --> 00:18:43.549 negotiations, union committees, member organizing, 00:18:43.970 --> 00:18:50.390 meetings, advocacy. These are all ways that actors 00:18:50.390 --> 00:18:56.009 can get involved. Federal and state production 00:18:56.009 --> 00:18:58.430 incentives are another arena where political 00:18:58.430 --> 00:19:01.390 engagement can affect the industry. You know, 00:19:01.410 --> 00:19:03.950 we're seeing this. It'll be very interesting 00:19:03.950 --> 00:19:06.990 to see what happens now that Congress has changed 00:19:06.990 --> 00:19:12.490 because there is a bipartisan bill proposing 00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:15.250 a federal film and television production tax 00:19:15.250 --> 00:19:17.869 credit. And that's something that I'm certainly 00:19:17.869 --> 00:19:21.089 going to be following because, of course, the. 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:26.740 intention is to bring production back from overseas 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:29.920 and back into the U .S., particularly since the 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:34.140 industry in L .A. is struggling so hard. But 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:38.940 what the evidence shows is that what is happening 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:43.940 in New York, New York State changed its production 00:19:43.940 --> 00:19:48.910 tax credit and incentives and in New York City, 00:19:49.069 --> 00:19:54.289 vastly simplified. How easy it was to make a 00:19:54.289 --> 00:19:57.329 film in New York City or make a television production 00:19:57.329 --> 00:20:01.009 in New York City by streamlining the red tape 00:20:01.009 --> 00:20:05.230 and making it simpler and faster to get approved 00:20:05.230 --> 00:20:09.470 for shooting permits in New York City. And the 00:20:09.470 --> 00:20:15.049 industry is booming, apparently, in New York 00:20:15.049 --> 00:20:17.390 City. Of course, I'm not there. I'm in Alabama 00:20:17.390 --> 00:20:25.039 because I'm back to my stage work. But I am reading

00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:29.259 all of the reports that the new sound stages 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:33.960 in New York City are full to capacity and their 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:38.480 calendars are stacked. So the work is there in 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:40.680 New York City. I know LA doesn't want to hear 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:44.339 that, but the work is there because New York 00:20:44.339 --> 00:20:47.299 changed their tax credits. So it's just another 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:50.220 way that political activism can be effective 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:55.940 in... changing how things work. But not everybody 00:20:55.940 --> 00:20:58.519 is suited to activism, and I get that. Not all 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.259 of us are going to become politically engaged, 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:04.079 and not all of us are going to become energized 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:08.000 to be organizers. Not everybody is suited to 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.980 that. And some actors find a renewed sense of 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:15.900 agency and community through participating in 00:21:15.900 --> 00:21:20.559 those kinds of processes. And I just want to 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:22.359 recognize the people who do that work and who 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:24.700 step up for the rest of us, because I am not 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:28.660 particularly active in the union. I do my part 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:31.920 and I kind of keep my head down. It's not something 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:37.390 that attracts me. Being a union organizer is 00:21:37.390 --> 00:21:39.170 not something that particularly attracts me. 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:47.089 But my hat goes off to those people who do it 00:21:47.089 --> 00:21:51.509 for the rest of us. But if you think the system 00:21:51.509 --> 00:21:53.509 is broken and you keep complaining about it, 00:21:53.529 --> 00:21:55.930 you can become part of the work of changing it 00:21:55.930 --> 00:21:58.450 if that speaks to you. And if the system isn't 00:21:58.450 --> 00:22:01.269 working for us, somebody has to do the work of 00:22:01.269 --> 00:22:04.950 changing the system. Collective action isn't 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:07.970 just about what happens to your next job. It's 00:22:07.970 --> 00:22:10.990 about the conditions under which all of us get 00:22:10.990 --> 00:22:16.630 to work. I don't know. You tell me, do you have 00:22:16.630 --> 00:22:20.660 an appetite for this kind of work? Are you interested 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:24.369 in... getting involved in the issues behind the 00:22:24.369 --> 00:22:28.500 contracts that you work under, would getting 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:34.170 involved make you feel less powerless? I don't 00:22:34.170 --> 00:22:37.200 know. Let me know if that speaks to you, if you're 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.839 one of those people that that speaks to. But 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:44.980 what if union organizing and political advocacy 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:52.450 aren't where your energies lie? If you're more

00:22:52.450 --> 00:22:58.750 like me and you... Try to adapt your career to 00:22:58.750 --> 00:23:02.170 the industry that actually exists. And I think 00:23:02.170 --> 00:23:05.150 this is where my coaching philosophy comes in. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:10.000 I believe that actors need to take radical ownership 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.019 of their creative lives. I think it is not up 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:16.299 to somebody else that your creative satisfaction 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:20.319 is not up to somebody else. And that does not 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.700 mean pretending that we can control the whole 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:26.420 industry. It means examining the parts of our 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:29.079 careers where our choices make a difference. 00:23:31.130 --> 00:23:33.869 And I think that this time of year in particular, 00:23:34.089 --> 00:23:38.609 November, is an excellent time to look back at 00:23:38.609 --> 00:23:41.150 what you've built this year and ask what worked. 00:23:42.829 --> 00:23:46.990 What strategies are you still using simply because 00:23:46.990 --> 00:23:52.509 you've always used them? What opportunities have 00:23:52.509 --> 00:23:56.599 emerged that you haven't yet explored? And what 00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:02.859 should you stop doing in 2027? And this is where 00:24:02.859 --> 00:24:06.839 I find all of that can be overwhelming on the 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:09.380 macro level. So that's why I break it down from 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:12.500 my coaching clients into four categories. And 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:15.400 I call them the four inputs. So I get them to 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:18.440 look at craft. The craft is the work. The craft 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:21.730 is the fun stuff. The craft is the actual. Did 00:24:21.730 --> 00:24:25.569 your work improve in 2026? Are you preparing 00:24:25.569 --> 00:24:29.410 well? Are you making bold choices and bringing 00:24:29.410 --> 00:24:34.380 something specific to the auditions? Are you 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:39.309 developing skill sets relevant to the work that 00:24:39.309 --> 00:24:43.599 you want to be doing? And that's all under the 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.400 umbrella of craft. Then I get them to look at 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:49.980 visibility. Are the right people seeing your 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:53.799 work? Are your headshots, your reels, and your 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:56.579 other materials, are they communicating your 00:24:56.579 --> 00:25:02.779 casting lane, your wheelhouse, clearly? Are you 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:06.480 exploring ways to create and share work rather 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.619 than relying exclusively on traditional gatekeepers 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:17.000 like agents and casting directors? Then the third 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.319 category, the third input, is relationships. 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:25.390 Are you building genuine professional relationships? 00:25:25.450 --> 00:25:28.230 Are you nurturing the relationships that you 00:25:28.230 --> 00:25:31.579 already have? Are you connecting with people 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:34.579 who are actively making the kind of work you 00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:38.170 want to be a part of? There's lots of different 00:25:38.170 --> 00:25:42.089 ways to do that. I know some of it is casting 00:25:42.089 --> 00:25:44.650 director access workshops that you can get either 00:25:44.650 --> 00:25:48.490 through the union or you can pay for. uh classes 00:25:48.490 --> 00:25:51.650 with casting directors it can be a way to start 00:25:51.650 --> 00:25:54.829 a relationship with those casting directors or 00:25:54.829 --> 00:25:57.809 maybe you go to film festivals and you watch 00:25:57.809 --> 00:26:00.250 a film you identify the filmmaker and you go 00:26:00.250 --> 00:26:03.130 up to the filmmaker and say i love what you created 00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:07.890 here i want you to remember my name uh build 00:26:07.890 --> 00:26:10.450 a relationship that way by attending film festivals 00:26:10.450 --> 00:26:14.700 make them laugh make them remember you and then 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.799 the fourth area that i work on with my coaching 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:20.920 clients is infrastructure Are your professional 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:26.230 systems helping you or getting in your way? It 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:28.609 can be something as technical as your self -tape 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:31.890 setup. When you have a self -tape, how ready 00:26:31.890 --> 00:26:37.549 to go can you be? Does it happen easily or is 00:26:37.549 --> 00:26:39.430 it something that tortures you every time you 00:26:39.430 --> 00:26:43.789 have to do it? But your infrastructure also applies 00:26:43.789 --> 00:26:48.670 to things like do you have a workable financial 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:54.029 plan? for the gaps between the jobs? Are your 00:26:54.029 --> 00:26:57.329 administrative habits, your scheduling, your 00:26:57.329 --> 00:26:59.789 career management tools, are they sustainable? 00:27:00.049 --> 00:27:04.309 These inputs are not guarantees of bookings, 00:27:04.329 --> 00:27:08.990 but they are ways that you can evaluate whether 00:27:08.990 --> 00:27:14.579 or not you're making progress. So as we reach 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:16.259 towards the end of this year and look forward 00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:21.970 to 2027, it's a good time to look at your progress 00:27:21.970 --> 00:27:26.809 this year and acknowledge whether something you 00:27:26.809 --> 00:27:29.309 invested in this year worked or didn't work. 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:34.799 Speaking from my own experience this year, I 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:38.480 took six months off from my bread and butter, 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:44.289 which is doing regional theater, to, hi friends, 00:27:44.529 --> 00:27:47.390 I took six months off from my bread and butter 00:27:47.390 --> 00:27:49.910 career doing regional theater to focus on film 00:27:49.910 --> 00:27:53.819 and

television. I made a lot of progress, but 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:57.849 I didn't make any bookings. And one thing that 00:27:57.849 --> 00:28:00.710 I am particularly looking at is whether the headshots 00:28:00.710 --> 00:28:03.410 that I got at the beginning of the year are doing 00:28:03.410 --> 00:28:06.170 enough work for me. So I am currently in the 00:28:06.170 --> 00:28:08.750 process of assessing whether or not my materials 00:28:08.750 --> 00:28:15.789 are working as hard for me as they could. That's 00:28:15.789 --> 00:28:18.750 just what I'm working on as I review for the 00:28:18.750 --> 00:28:25.279 year. You know, and that also, it may... Part 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:27.519 of the reason that I stayed at home was because 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:34.039 in 2025, I spent 42 weeks away from my home and 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:38.250 I wanted to make, I needed to spend some time 00:28:38.250 --> 00:28:42.470 at home in my house. You know what I mean? And 00:28:42.470 --> 00:28:46.170 that was a sort of, I could tie what I wanted 00:28:46.170 --> 00:28:48.950 personally with what I wanted professionally. 00:28:48.970 --> 00:28:53.599 It was able to. Having a successful year professionally 00:28:53.599 --> 00:28:56.220 and still decide that something about my career 00:28:56.220 --> 00:29:01.519 model needed to change. You know, what I'm getting 00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:04.640 at here is that if you're using a 2016 career 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:07.119 strategy in the 2026 entertainment industry, 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:12.329 maybe the problem isn't your talent. It's the 00:29:12.329 --> 00:29:15.089 systems that you're using, the strategies that 00:29:15.089 --> 00:29:17.049 you're using. And that's what I want to encourage 00:29:17.049 --> 00:29:19.789 you to have a look at, because I don't want you 00:29:19.789 --> 00:29:24.250 to confuse a lack of results. with a lack of 00:29:24.250 --> 00:29:26.210 progress. Because you might be further ahead 00:29:26.210 --> 00:29:29.970 of your results than you think. You can be successful 00:29:29.970 --> 00:29:33.650 at something and still decide that the way you're 00:29:33.650 --> 00:29:36.589 doing it needs to change. But maybe everything 00:29:36.589 --> 00:29:39.750 that's happened in the acting industry this year 00:29:39.750 --> 00:29:44.970 has just made you look at it all and realize 00:29:44.970 --> 00:29:48.789 you simply don't have the energy to keep doing 00:29:48.789 --> 00:29:53.910 it right now. So maybe your choice is to step 00:29:53.910 --> 00:29:57.250 away. from the acting industry and reclaim your 00:29:57.250 --> 00:30:02.130 life. This is not the failure option. Some actors 00:30:02.130 --> 00:30:06.109 are exhausted by the constant instability that 00:30:06.109 --> 00:30:12.059 we all have to deal with. And some actors that 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:16.319 I know have spent years of putting their lives 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:20.059 on hold for the possibility of the next opportunity. 00:30:20.900 --> 00:30:24.819 Relationships, finances, family, creative interests. 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:30.460 mental energy, all of those things matter. So 00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:33.700 maybe the right choice is to take a different 00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:40.420 job. Maybe it's to explore a different creative 00:30:40.420 --> 00:30:44.329 discipline. Maybe it's to stop auditioning for 00:30:44.329 --> 00:30:49.109 a while. And maybe it's to leave the professional 00:30:49.109 --> 00:30:54.269 business entirely. You can still love acting 00:30:54.269 --> 00:30:59.220 without organizing your whole life. around trying 00:30:59.220 --> 00:31:05.339 to make a living from it. And a break from a 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:08.400 professional career can help you rediscover what 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:12.329 you love about performing. Or maybe it helps 00:31:12.329 --> 00:31:15.250 you discover that you want something different. 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:21.400 That's a legitimate choice. You don't owe the 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:25.970 industry your exhaustion. Taking a break from 00:31:25.970 --> 00:31:29.309 the business of being an actor doesn't mean you've 00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:35.670 stopped being an artist. I'm here to tell you 00:31:35.670 --> 00:31:39.029 that you can love acting and decide you don't 00:31:39.029 --> 00:31:41.769 love what pursuing it professionally is costing 00:31:41.769 --> 00:31:48.079 you. The industry doesn't get to decide whether 00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:52.640 you've lived a successful creative life. You 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:55.599 get to take charge of that. And I want to empower 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:59.460 you that you can make the decision that is right 00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:04.670 for you. So as we're looking forward to 2027, 00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:08.240 I want you to start thinking about what designing 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:12.119 your own path in 2027 looks like. You don't have 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:16.099 to choose just one. Maybe you're going to advocate 00:32:16.099 --> 00:32:18.420 for better working conditions while continuing 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:24.359 to audition. Or maybe you're going to focus on 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:27.579 your four inputs of your acting career while 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:32.279 building another income stream. That's certainly 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:37.029 something that I'm pursuing as I build my business. 00:32:38.250 --> 00:32:41.369 I am still participating in my acting career 00:32:41.369 --> 00:32:43.910 and making adjustments along the way. I just 00:32:43.910 --> 00:32:46.309 told you about how I'm looking at my headshot 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:51.140 strategy, my material strategy. Or maybe you 00:32:51.140 --> 00:32:54.559 take six months away from auditions, but continue 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:58.640 your training and making your own work because 00:32:59.849 --> 00:33:02.150 the auditions are getting you down. So you take 00:33:02.150 --> 00:33:04.970 a break

from auditioning and just focus on creating 00:33:04.970 --> 00:33:10.369 what it is that you want to create. Or maybe 00:33:10.369 --> 00:33:12.880 you stay active in the union. while deliberately 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:15.799 reducing the pressure that you put on your own 00:33:15.799 --> 00:33:19.079 career. Look, there are different seasons of 00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:22.579 our lives and they call for different strategies. 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:29.779 I am in the middle of that right now. I'm trying 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:33.180 to find that balance between the life that I 00:33:33.180 --> 00:33:37.000 have at home in New York City and the work that 00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:40.819 I do, the majority of which is in regional theater 00:33:40.819 --> 00:33:44.009 that takes me away from my home. So I'm in this 00:33:44.009 --> 00:33:46.650 struggle with you. I am right there with you, 00:33:46.690 --> 00:33:51.769 friends. You know, the most important thing here 00:33:51.769 --> 00:33:55.430 is to make a deliberate choice instead of simply 00:33:55.430 --> 00:34:02.970 repeating another year of the same habits. You 00:34:02.970 --> 00:34:05.809 don't have to know what your whole career will 00:34:05.809 --> 00:34:10.889 look like in five years, but you can decide what 00:34:10.889 --> 00:34:17.199 deserves your attention in 2027. You don't have 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:19.659 to choose between changing the industry and changing 00:34:19.659 --> 00:34:24.489 your own life. A sustainable career isn't a fixed 00:34:24.489 --> 00:34:27.269 set of rules. It's something you have to keep 00:34:27.269 --> 00:34:31.190 adjusting as your life changes. And stay open 00:34:31.190 --> 00:34:33.789 -minded to what that is and what that looks like. 00:34:34.929 --> 00:34:38.690 And don't get stuck in a habit because it worked 00:34:38.690 --> 00:34:43.159 10 years ago. You don't have to solve the future 00:34:43.159 --> 00:34:46.059 of the acting industry, but you do get to decide 00:34:46.059 --> 00:34:51.670 how you're going to participate in it. So we're 00:34:51.670 --> 00:34:55.269 getting a lot of blue wave, Texas blue comments 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:58.789 in the comments. But what I'm interested in is 00:34:58.789 --> 00:35:01.650 for the actors in the room, what worked for you 00:35:01.650 --> 00:35:06.829 in 2026? Not just bookings, but meaningful progress 00:35:06.829 --> 00:35:11.469 in your training, in your organization, in how 00:35:11.469 --> 00:35:15.239 you financed your career. What worked for you 00:35:15.239 --> 00:35:19.800 in 2026? Then, of course, the partner of that 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:21.989 question is what didn't work? And what are you 00:35:21.989 --> 00:35:24.949 ready to change? What habits, what expectations, 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:27.650 what strategies, what priorities are you ready 00:35:27.650 --> 00:35:33.849 to let go of? And what does your 2027 career 00:35:33.849 --> 00:35:37.769 path forward look like? Are you an advocate? 00:35:40.289 --> 00:35:43.670 Are you going to adapt your strategies to the 00:35:43.670 --> 00:35:47.119 current climate? Or are you going to take a break 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:52.699 and restore yourself? Or maybe you have a combo 00:35:52.699 --> 00:35:57.159 platter of your own. I think combo platter is. 00:35:58.179 --> 00:36:00.500 Probably the most genuine way for a lot of us, 00:36:00.539 --> 00:36:04.219 because it never looks like just one thing. Here's 00:36:04.219 --> 00:36:06.960 a question in from Jay, who says, what's the 00:36:06.960 --> 00:36:09.599 hardest part about the industry for someone who 00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:14.130 isn't a hotshot in the space? I don't know if 00:36:14.130 --> 00:36:17.750 this is the hardest part, but if you're not on 00:36:17.750 --> 00:36:21.840 the A -list, you have to figure out your way 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.139 to still think of yourself. As a creative artist, 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:28.280 you still have to figure out your own unique 00:36:28.280 --> 00:36:34.090 way to still contribute being an actor when you're 00:36:34.090 --> 00:36:38.909 not at the A -list end of the chain. And that's 00:36:38.909 --> 00:36:41.429 unique and individual for everybody. For some 00:36:41.429 --> 00:36:43.909 people, it's making content. For some people, 00:36:43.909 --> 00:36:45.469 it's doing commercials. For some people, it's 00:36:45.469 --> 00:36:49.880 doing regional theater. It is doing funny skits 00:36:49.880 --> 00:36:52.260 on social media and writing their own material 00:36:52.260 --> 00:36:56.780 or doing stand -up or creating a podcast like 00:36:56.780 --> 00:37:01.869 this one right here, The Working Actor NYC. So 00:37:01.869 --> 00:37:04.289 I don't know if that's the hardest part, but 00:37:04.289 --> 00:37:07.530 I think one of the hard things is not putting 00:37:07.530 --> 00:37:11.050 all your creative eggs in somebody else's basket. 00:37:11.289 --> 00:37:16.329 I want you to... empower you to take radical 00:37:16.329 --> 00:37:20.010 creative ownership of your creative life it's 00:37:20.010 --> 00:37:23.690 up to you nobody's going to do it for you and 00:37:25.829 --> 00:37:29.309 as we land the plane on this episode i just want 00:37:29.309 --> 00:37:33.659 to say the industry is changing whether we like 00:37:33.659 --> 00:37:37.340 it or not and we can spend the next year waiting 00:37:37.340 --> 00:37:40.219 for things to go back to the way they were or 00:37:40.219 --> 00:37:44.110 we can decide what we want our place in this 00:37:44.110 --> 00:37:47.710 new version of the industry to look like you 00:37:49.820 --> 00:37:53.420 don't have to wait for hollywood to figure out 00:37:53.420 --> 00:37:57.380 its future before you start figuring out yours 00:37:57.380 --> 00:38:02.110 let me know if that resonated for you jay if 00:38:02.110 --> 00:38:05.010 i answered your question you let me know jay 00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:09.639 says to be on a list is it an

inherent thing 00:38:09.639 --> 00:38:11.260 where they have the looks and personality or 00:38:11.260 --> 00:38:16.889 training it could be any one of the above i I 00:38:16.889 --> 00:38:18.469 think there are some people on the A -list who 00:38:18.469 --> 00:38:22.820 I don't find particularly attractive. Can I say 00:38:22.820 --> 00:38:25.219 the name out loud? Am I going to get canceled 00:38:25.219 --> 00:38:28.019 if I say I don't get it with Timothee Chalamet? 00:38:28.099 --> 00:38:32.630 I just don't get it. I really don't. He's a fine 00:38:32.630 --> 00:38:36.230 actor, but I don't know why he got catapulted 00:38:36.230 --> 00:38:41.820 into the A -list and other actors did not. So 00:38:41.820 --> 00:38:44.019 it's not an inherent thing. I think it's an incredible 00:38:44.019 --> 00:38:48.269 amount of luck and charm and personality. And 00:38:48.269 --> 00:38:51.170 relationships, I think Timothy Chalamet was certainly 00:38:51.170 --> 00:38:54.030 helped to get onto the A -list. But then there 00:38:54.030 --> 00:38:57.050 are sort of, there's an old school version of 00:38:57.050 --> 00:39:00.170 this where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who are 00:39:00.170 --> 00:39:02.409 certainly in the A -list, you know, and have 00:39:02.409 --> 00:39:06.170 been for many decades. But you have to remember 00:39:06.170 --> 00:39:08.730 that they got where they are through their own 00:39:08.730 --> 00:39:11.369 initiative, their own hard work. They were not 00:39:11.369 --> 00:39:15.309 booking the roles that they wanted in the film 00:39:15.309 --> 00:39:19.750 world. So they wrote their own film. They wrote 00:39:19.750 --> 00:39:22.630 Good Will Hunting because they were not booking 00:39:22.630 --> 00:39:26.659 the jobs. And Good Will Hunting got made and 00:39:26.659 --> 00:39:28.699 it starred Robin Williams and it got a lot of 00:39:28.699 --> 00:39:31.619 Oscar buzz and it won them an Oscar. They won 00:39:31.619 --> 00:39:34.559 an Oscar for a film that they had written out 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:37.559 of the frustration of not being on the A -list. 00:39:37.780 --> 00:39:42.059 And it's exactly what took them there. That's 00:39:42.059 --> 00:39:45.659 the exact kind of... taking radical ownership 00:39:45.659 --> 00:39:47.840 of your creative life that I'm talking about. 00:39:52.030 --> 00:39:54.389 Sassy Min says it, if you don't get the work, 00:39:54.530 --> 00:39:59.670 make the projects you want. 100 % correct. Sassy 00:39:59.670 --> 00:40:03.269 Min, I am right there with you. And if you are 00:40:03.269 --> 00:40:05.329 enjoying the chat, if you're enjoying the live, 00:40:05.590 --> 00:40:10.079 please hit follow, hit subscribe, because we 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:14.920 do this all the time. Yeah, if you're not having 00:40:14.920 --> 00:40:17.699 fun, you're doing it wrong. Right, Sassy Min? 00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:21.400 You know what I'm talking about. Oh, that's it 00:40:21.400 --> 00:40:23.800 for this episode of the Working Actor NYC podcast. 00:40:24.019 --> 00:40:26.079 We'll be back in two weeks with another episode. 00:40:26.179 --> 00:40:28.480 So make sure you're subscribed to come back and 00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:31.179 join us. And if you would like some personalized 00:40:31.179 --> 00:40:33.440 help figuring out what your next steps as an 00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:35.679 actor look like, head over to theworkingactornyc 00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:39.440 .com where you'll find information about my one 00:40:39.440 --> 00:40:42.650 -on -one career coaching. And while you're there, 00:40:42.690 --> 00:40:44.469 check out our merch. I'm wearing some right now. 00:40:44.829 --> 00:40:47.929 We've got T -shirts. This one says, I don't know 00:40:47.929 --> 00:40:49.690 if I booked the job, but the part was mine for 00:40:49.690 --> 00:40:53.050 15 minutes. I know you had that experience in 00:40:53.050 --> 00:40:55.090 the audition room. Remember the audition room? 00:40:55.170 --> 00:40:57.650 Remember when we used to be in the audition room 00:40:57.650 --> 00:41:02.889 and enjoy that? But yes, also this Working Actor 00:41:02.889 --> 00:41:07.070 NYC hat, your shirts. We've got hoodies. We've 00:41:07.070 --> 00:41:10.050 got coffee mugs. Head on over to theworkingactornyc 00:41:10.050 --> 00:41:13.219 .com slash merch. And check it out. Every purchase 00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:15.480 there helps support the channel and keep the 00:41:15.480 --> 00:41:18.480 lights on. And we really, really appreciate it. 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:21.880 And please keep the conversation going. Reach 00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:23.719 out with your questions, your comments, your 00:41:23.719 --> 00:41:27.739 disagreements, or your ideas for future episodes. 00:41:27.920 --> 00:41:30.840 You can find us on TikTok, on YouTube, on Instagram, 00:41:31.019 --> 00:41:35.809 and at TheWorkingActorNYC. Thank you so much 00:41:35.809 --> 00:41:39.610 for spending time with me today. Remember, wherever 00:41:39.610 --> 00:41:42.469 you are in your acting career, You got this. 00:41:43.190 --> 00:41:43.929 Keep going.