Every actor knows the feeling. Anxiety is real. That feeling before you step on stage on opening night and can’t remember your lines or the gap between jobs that can span weeks, months, or even years. There’s as much fear in those moments as there is hope. We associate excitement with positive feelings, but we think of anxiety as an overwhelmingly negative emotion that’s at times debilitating. While some anxiety is useful, as it can help motivate us, protect us when we’re in danger, and increase our alertness, too much can be disruptive to our state of being and make us suffer physically and mentally. So how do we manage the ebbs and flows of this business alongside the ups and downs of our lives? Well, I recently came across the Biopsychosocial Model, a pluralistic model of understanding mental health that looks at the Biological, Psychological, and Social factors that contribute […] Read More
“How are you?” It’s a question we hear all. the. time. And we’re so conditioned to give a generic response. What do you usually say? “I’m great!” “Good, thanks, and you?” “Happy to be here” But when you enter a live audition, a producer’s session, or a meeting with someone who has hiring power in the industry, instead of a basic, overused answer, what if you used this question as an opportunity to connect? As an artist, when a producer, casting director, or someone else - who has the potential of offering you a job or chance for collaboration - asks this question, this creates a great moment to give a personal YOU-nique response. One that shares your personality and brings out a common human interaction. For example, I was in a producer’s session and when asked, “Tiffany, how are you today?” I said, “Well, I got my son’s hair […] Read More
This past summer, two exciting moments coincided on the same weekend: I organized my best friend’s bachelorette weekend in Miami and I booked the coolest job ever (recurring guest star on the NBC hit show QUANTUM LEAP)! Fun times, indeed, and a lot of potential stress that I’m proud to say I was able to deftly avoid. Here are some of my takeaways: TIP 1: HAVE A SUPPORT TEAM AT THE READY I asked a friend to help me for the first audition, who’s on a campy detective type show with a vibe similar to what I thought the show I was taping for would be. She’s a smart actor and has a solid sense of tone, two valuable assists in a reader. It was the first season of the show I was taping for, so there was no reference material, save the sides and breakdown. Nevertheless, my friend and […] Read More
Does Fear get in your way? Do you procrastinate, resist or delay taking the “scary” actions towards your career? I get it. I’ve done it. It’s soooooo much easier to busy yourself with other things. Read More
If you ever hear about other actors creating opportunities thanks to Instagram and think “ The only people who like my posts are my mom and my bestie,” you’ll love the below tips.. Here’s three concrete strategies to boost your IG engagement without feeling like a stalker that have helped me and my Clients:CASTINGFigure out the shows/films you’re right for, and then follow those CDs to start organically and authentically engaging with their content. If they post something that genuinely makes you laugh, you could comment saying so, you could even share it to your story. And I think using the Stories section of Instagram is great for sharing your new reels or clips, ESPECIALLY if the tone matches the types of projects that they work on.For example, a client of mine had created a new comedic demo reel, and she posted it to her story and then tagged a […] Read More
Oh, headshots! If you’re reading this blog, you know you need ‘em. And you probably know how difficult it can be to finally land the right ones. And yet, they’re one of the most important tools for us as actors and are unlikely to be out of favor anytime soon. So what’s an actor to do when the prospect of headshot photos fills you with dread and feels as daunting as ever? First, take a breath. Then, trust that with a little planning and some creativity, you can still make it a fun and playful experience! A couple of months ago, a Client and I were talking through her headshot plan. She had the basics covered: 3 strong looks, a great photographer booked, and a stellar makeup artist. But still, she felt like something wasn’t clicking. So, because we both like to write, I shared with her a little activity […] Read More