You get a 3 for 2 deal in this episode as Georgie and Pierce are joined by Austin from Mortgages for Actors, the original, performing arts and entertainment-specific, dedicated mortgage advice service. Austin is a Financial Advisor to the Entertainment Industry specialising in Life Insurance, Mortgages and Wills. Georgie and Pierce get the financial lowdown from Austin on what services Mortgages for Actors can offer to all types of jobs not only in acting but all across the entertainment industry, how one gets a mortgage, what information needs to be provided, what lenders like to see and be assured of and how to protect your house and mortgage once it has been achieved. KEY TAKEAWAYS Mortgage for Actors will take a detailed financial history from you and approach insurance services directly to source the services that are appropriate to you, your job and your circumstances. Mortgage for Actors can identify the problems that may be sticking points for potential lenders and deal with them. Due to the number of lenders available the requirements can differ greatly so direct communication and negotiation to assure clarity of your financial position can reassure lenders into giving you a mortgage. To increase your credit score and better your chances of a mortgage make sure that any debt you have you make sure you set up a payment at least for the minimum amount required so you never miss a payment. If you are a sole trader or limited company consider setting up a business account through which you can summarise your financial position. Consider Insurance as Property Insurance is often mandatory for getting a mortgage and also insure against potential income loss. BEST MOMENTS ‘We saw that there were a lot of problems in the entertainment field especially since lockdown happened and all the income really struggled to come in.’-Austin ‘I think I speak for a lot of actors when I say the thought of something like home ownership seems so off the table because no one’s ever going to give you any kind of mortgage.’-Pierce ‘Lenders really do want to lend but they are very restricted by the people that fund them.’-Austin ‘Obviously, I can’t tell you to work more because every actor in the world wants more work but the more consistent you are the easier it is to show someone how much you earn.’-Austin ‘We try and touch on everything so you know that it’s there. Why not spend that extra bit of money to insure yourselves really well so that if anything happens you’re still spending every month that you thought you were anyway?’-Austin VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As jobbing actors, what is a day like for Georgie and Pierce? What is the effect of a non-linear choice of career on day to day living? Georgie and Pierce share the working actor’s day including frequency of work, job applications, staying in contact with their network, their work and social life, hobbies, and second jobs. KEY TAKEAWAYS Applying for at least five jobs a day is a good benchmark for frequency of work. Expect your work and social life to meld to some extent. Sharing non-acting friendships, jobs or hobbies can create some breathing space away from the sometimes pressure filled acting career. Try not to let other people make you feel bad for choosing your career over your social life. Do not compare milestones with those in other careers. BEST MOMENTS ‘I would say at the moment I’m consistently playing two roles a month’-Georgie ‘Often when you’re working a more traditional job you’ve got your work life and personal life and they’re very separate. So many times with acting they just merge as one.’-Pierce ‘It struck me that people who aren’t in the acting industry don’t know these things. They don’t know that people need an agent to perhaps take it into the next step of their career.’-Georgie ‘Are we going to accept that our bloody car insurance is going to be higher if we put ‘actor’ or ‘entertainer’ down on our insurance policy?’-Georgie ‘Don’t let acting stump what you want to do.’-Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgie and Pierce speak of the traditional and rather old-fashioned idea that all actors must have attended Drama School. What advantages, if any, does Drama School offer and how is it regarded by the industry? Listen in and find out if that blank space at the top of your CV has any bearing on your ability to work in acting. KEY TAKEAWAYS While Drama School used to be the main route to an acting career, it is no longer essential but optional. Most Casting Directors, especially in the screen world, only care about talent. Drama School as a route to an agent is also a red herring. You should not approach agents until you have established some professional credits. Have an open mindset to learning. While working, you are always training. There is no need to feel less than those that have attended Drama School. BEST MOMENTS ‘There’s this whole thing about; “If I don’t go to Drama School I’m not going to get cast because they don’t trust me, they don’t know that I can act.”’-Pierce ‘If you spent as much time working on your acting career as you would have spent in Drama School by the time that 3 year mark rolls around, guaranteed, you would have done some pretty incredible things.’-Pierce ‘You can make waves without crashing and shouting about. You can make things move without having to yell and scream about it.’-Georgie ‘Now more than ever we are seeing an acceptance and encouragement of individuality and bringing a unique spin to things.’-Pierce ‘When it comes down to the crux of it, but out of everybody, I may not have an agent, I may not have the best showreel in the game, I may not have trained at all but I’m still on the same film set and the Director is happy with what I’ve done.’-Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Occupying a role can be stressful and takes full concentration so it can be difficult to unwind when the cameras stop rolling and the job is complete. Georgie and Pierce share their tips on how to get out of a character as effectively as you get into one. KEY TAKEAWAYS If you have an intense scene to perform do not be surprised if it takes a while for your adrenaline to subside. Set time and activities into your schedule that help you unwind. Consider your day and what you found difficult during it. Occupy yourself with a task or hobby that requires concentration and distracts your mind. BEST MOMENTS ‘Even if you’re not playing a mean character, sometimes just being in intense scenes or scenes, in general, can really take it out of you.’-Georgie ‘It’s so important that you give yourself that time to unwind and give your body the time to catch up as well because it is exhausting.’-Pierce ‘I think doing things that you consciously have to make an effort to do can really focus you in a way that nothing else can.’-Georgie ‘Energy, it flows, and if you are keeping bottled up within you, you will need an outlet.’-Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email ; Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgie and Pierce lift the veil on their deepest and darkest fears in the acting profession. Often people don’t like to discuss their worries about the job for fear that it will make them less desirable to hire, but as in all professions, everyone has nerve-wracking areas that they find a challenge. Listen to Georgie and Pierce’s worries and their tips on how to battle a bugbear. KEY TAKEAWAYS The more time you spend outside your comfort zone the better. Fear is inevitable, it’s how you deal with that fear that moves you forward. It is important to know the difference between something that is scaring you and something that is scaring you for the right reason. Fear of judgement can be a common fear in acting but for the most part, acting is fairly free of judgemental people. Some of the best scenes have been accomplished through mishaps and mistakes. BEST MOMENTS ‘Personally, I find if I’m a bit nervous about whether I can do something it’s a sign for me that I should be doing it.’-Georgie ‘If it’s too scary, if it’s too much it’s ok to walk away from, there’s no shame in that, but recognise all the things you’re going to miss out on if you do.’-Georgie ‘My fears, in an acting sense, mostly revolve around fear of failure I’d say and, to be fair, I think this is the case for quite a lot of things outside of acting as well.’-Pierce ‘Acting is about making mistakes and it’s about getting a little bit messy and I always like to think of it as like a toddler at nursery and you’re slapping your hands in bits of paint and chucking it on a canvas.’-Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about investing in yourself as an actor and working on continuous self-improvement and support to facilitate your career. Where should you be spending your hard-earned cash to get the most out of the advantages it will present and what are the most cost-effective ways of making those investments? Georgie and Pierce detail where your money and efforts should be going to increase your chances of moving forwards in your acting career. KEY TAKEAWAYS Ignore the stigma of not going to Drama School and, unless you feel you want to specialise in musical theatre, there are other opportunities to train. Educate yourself on how to market yourself and how to work profitably and understand that this will include networking. If you do invest in an agent, do your research and make sure they are right for you. Look after your mental health. Consider therapy for introspection and to deal with the pressures of the acting world. Your mindset is key. Books and courses on Marketing and how to treat yourself as a brand can be as insightful as acting classes. BEST MOMENTS ‘You don’t have to go to University, you don’t have to go to Drama School to be an actor and lots and lots of very successful actors prove that.’-Georgie ‘Acting is 20% of the job of an actor. You don’t get to act as much as you do get to apply for jobs and chat to people about jobs and make connections.’-Georgie ‘You could be the best actor on the planet but unless you know how to sell yourself, unless you know how to get in the right room and unless you know who to speak with and how to build connections you won’t get very far.’-Pierce ‘You can take every course under the sun and be an absolute pro, but if you’ve not walked onto that film set, it’s so different in practice than it is in theory.’-Georgie ‘If you knew that you had to get a new showreel scene done because your old ones were rubbish, you wouldn’t have booked that holiday, you would have booked in the showreel. Same with headshots.’-Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pierce and Georgie discuss if acting is a career, lifestyle or, possibly, both. There may be no definitive answer but listen in to find out if a life in acting can mean a change in lifestyle whether you are supplementing already varied passions with acting as just one of many interests or embracing it as a full-time job. KEY TAKEAWAYS There is a lot of stigma around choosing acting as a career but it is sustainable as long as you know how to take the steps to turn it from a passion into a profession. There is pressure on holidays and other commitments in life as you may need to prioritise work availability. You must set firm boundaries and ensure you do not burn yourself out by accepting every single job that comes your way. Practice gratitude to break your scarcity mindset. Where you live is not as big a restriction on your career as you think. BEST MOMENTS ‘There’s so much stigma about pursuing acting as a career. It’s often made out to feel like it’s not a real job or it doesn’t have value for some unknown reason.’-Pierce ‘It’s really important to remember that just because you are getting opportunities and people are helping you to get those opportunities, it’s good to be grateful but it doesn’t mean you have to bend over backwards and do things you don’t want to do.”-Georgie ‘It just goes to show that no matter where you live chances are that if you do take the decision to move to London, Manchester, Birmingham, wherever your closest media hub is, if you are a new actor chances are you’re going to end up working outside of those places anyway.’-Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgie and Pierce discuss a really important topic when starting as a new actor. How do you stand out on set and make the right connections and end up working with the same teams over and over again? Find out how to create consistency and create an attractive catalogue of work and a supportive network to provide you with ongoing opportunities. KEY TAKEAWAYS It’s not about having a certain method of making connections, it’s just about being you. Be likeable and try not to offend to make yourself easy to work with. Try not to be too blunt but be open and honest. Be a good part of the team and don’t frustrate your workmates. Connections are made more out of the workplace. Join social invitations. BEST MOMENTS ‘Because I was so nervous I was quiet and I just wasn’t myself. ’-Georgie ‘It’s ok to have opinions, it’s great to have opinions but read the room. Understand and know when to not say stuff.’-Georgie ‘There are going to be people who are difficult to work with and I think it’s important to remember that in that moment why you’re doing this but also remember that you’re part of the team.’-Pierce ‘I think it’s about knowing how to converse and when to converse.’-Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgie and Pierce examine a practical aspect of acting that very few consider before they start working in the industry, accommodation. This can be an incredibly stressful consideration, especially with the differing requirements of time and location that come with the job, so Georgie and Pierce are here to give you a head start on keeping a roof over your head while you are working. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many lower-budget projects may ask you to front the cost of accommodation yourself. Think outside the box to keep the cost down. Airbnb, camper vans, caravans and tents are all viable options depending on the project. If you’re on a shoot in a house or flat, have a word with the production team to see if you can stay there. If you are a theatre actor you can use sites like Theatredigsbooker.com to find accommodation. Always check with production for info on where to stay. BEST MOMENTS ‘I highly recommend that if you can drive, do it, because as an actor it just opens so many doors.’-Georgie ‘You might be able to afford it, but is it worth the value? And then you’ve got to think about food and stuff. They might feed you on set, but that depends on how long you’re shooting for.’-Georgie ‘I think one of the most underutilised hacks is just to have a chat with the producers or production team if a scene’s being shot in an apartment to see if you can stay there.’-Pierce ‘Get yourself a good suitcase as well. If you do have to travel, whether it be to the far reaches of the country, then just be prepared for that, so try and make your suitcases fit all the dimension restrictions of the travel companies.’-Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every time you embrace a role in your career whether it be on stage or screen you will change a little as a person as you carry that character and your experiences with you. You visit the same emotions as your character feels to achieve the finest acting performance you can, so how does this affect you while inhabiting those motivations and what do you take with you when you stop? What experiences can you expect in the acting environment that will help you grow as an actor? KEY TAKEAWAYS The body cannot tell what is real and what’s not and physiological responses to the emotions being acted can take their toll. You are going to have off days and your on-set experiences are going to affect you going forward, for better or worse. Smaller roles often mean you feel less entitled to guidance and support. Rehearsals are important. Give them your all. It is your chance to contextualise and refine your performance. Don’t be afraid to change your methods and your opinions as you grow your experience. BEST MOMENTS ‘There is a reason why we struggle with it and it’s because we are actually going through it.’ – Georgie ‘I didn’t want to ask for extra support because I knew how stressful that particular scene was going to be for the other actors and for the production team. Looking back now I wish I did because we probably could have worked on the character quite a lot.’ – Pierce ‘If your playing one of those standard day player type roles it can be really difficult to explore that character.’ – Pierce ‘I think there are a lot of people who feel very similar, that they are going to get judged if they give their all in a rehearsal.’ – Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email ; Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing. Georgie and Pierce are here to share theirs to inform you before you enter the world of acting, so you can avoid the pitfalls they had to encounter. Elegantly swerve all these problems thanks to Georgie and Pierce, from the difference between stage and screen to dealing with the taxman. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tax! When you are self-employed and employed somewhere else filing your tax return is incredibly complicated. Try to understand taxes as much as you can. Buy a good suitcase. You are going to need it for the travelling involved in acting. Understand the importance of networking and relationships. There is no particular method or process for acting. Find your method. There is a big difference between screen acting and stage acting. Editing can make or break a performance. Have a good support network to deal with the emotional side of acting. You are not going to get an agent straight away. It takes time to build up experience and material. BEST MOMENTS ‘HMRC, if you’re listening, I dislike you intensely right now!’ – Georgie ‘People don’t want to work with people who are going to be a pain in the arse. They want to work with someone that can show up pretty much at any time of day.’ – Georgie ‘Every character you take on is going to become a little part of you. You’re going to change ever-so-slightly as a person with each project that you take on.’ – Pierce ‘It’s not down to the agent to find all the opportunities for you. If you sign with a great agent, yes it’s their job to get you in the right rooms, pitch you, sell you as a fantastic actor.’ – Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email ; Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grab yourself a comforting hot drink and a cushion to hide behind. Here come Georgie and Pierce with some horrible set stories. A collection of gruesome, embarrassing, awkward and hilarious stories of on-set shenanigans, difficulties and disasters! Here is a peek behind the curtain of the industry to ready you for the kind of days you are going to face as a working actor on set. KEY TAKEAWAYS Let’s not sugarcoat it. Sometimes you are going to walk onto a set and it will be diabolical. From unexpected building projects, noisy rivers, leaky roofs, and many other spoilers of sound design, delays and difficulties spring aplenty to challenge your projects. Never succumb to ‘fix it in post’! Always fix it on camera in person if possible. Indie projects can take years to be edited and finally produced and many times do not appear due to a lack of funding, manpower or expertise. Three-pin plug gory story warning!! Cancelled locations! Costume malfunctions! Out-of-control livestock! Handcuffs! BEST MOMENTS ‘Naturally, as you’re going through, there are so many mishaps and slip-ups and funny things that happen throughout the time that you are on different sets.’ – Pierce ‘One thing we didn’t realise, and we saw this before we booked it, there was a river running past the property. Turns out, of all things, it ran underneath the house that we were filming in.’ – Pierce ‘Unfortunately, the risk that you take is that a lot of smaller projects you won’t get back for ages, if at all.’ – Georgie ‘We were still shooting midday scenes when the sun had basically set and there was hardly any light at all. And they were like ‘oh it’s ok, we’ll fix it in post’. You can’t quite replace the sun in post!’ – Pierce ‘Even if I was to explain this in a really gentle way and go ‘Well, I’m an actor and I was working on a film and I had to be handcuffed to a bed’. You could say it was a horror film; they're still going to think it’s not that sort of film. They’re gonna think it’s a particular type of film.’ - Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Georgie and Pierce gain insight into the acting world from West End star Joel Montague’s first-hand experience. Joel Montague is a professional actor from London. He has his own production company in the North West named Curtain Call Productions. There, he directs and choreographs his own shows. Joel is experienced in voiceover, theatre, music videos, commercials and comedy. He is also skilled in tap, jive, jazz, ballet, Latin American, and Breakdancing. A graduate of The Guilford School of Acting, Joel has had stage experience in newer musical productions like Sister Act, Hamilton and School of Rock as well as all-time musical classics like Funny Girl, Carousel and The Producers. Georgie, Pierce and Joel talk about how he has gotten so far in the industry, drama school, the nature of musical theatre, time off when working in musicals, method and context, and modern diversity in the industry. KEY TAKEAWAYS Joel attributes his success to ‘luck’ in terms of his compatible talent, in-sync timetables and availability, and faith in his abilities and personality. His aunt and mother ran an acting school and so Joel was introduced to acting and dance at a very young age he then attended The Guilford School of Acting when older. Acting is still a hard graft. There are aspects of the industry that you are not going to like and that are repetitive and boring. It’s not all glamorous. The character process is just as involved and complicated as film work but should be kept in context with the material and the storytelling primarily. Joel feels that the acting world is becoming more diverse. Hamilton, for instance, has changed the way musicals are viewed. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s a hard world. It is wonderful. I think it is definitely an industry that is most likely to be compared to a rollercoaster. The highs can be very high and the lows can be very low.’ – Joel ‘Do you think that (Drama School) gave you any sort of particular, not ‘leg up', but what particular way do you think it has helped you in the industry.’ – Georgie ‘I would say if you get to 17 and you don’t know what to do, I would say apply for drama school because it’s like that University element taking it off your hands for two or three years. But some people just bite the bullet and just go for it and go to open calls.’ – Joel ‘As an actor, your main aim first is the storytelling, regardless of what the character is, the storytelling aspect is key.’ – Joel ‘The thing that so many actors get caught up in when they are starting out is feeling like they have to have these processes and techniques to go through for every single character but a lot of it does come down to figuring out what works for you because at the end of the day, it’s your performance, it’s your vision of that role.’ – Pierce ‘This is one thing that I find very difficult. You are attacked for not knowing information that you never knew.’ – Joel VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we meet Nina Malone, Talent Agent at IAG (Identity Agency Group). In 2006, IAG burst on the scene as a response to the lack of diversity across Screen, Television and Film. Almost two decades later, IAG has now established itself as the leading talent agency representing the very best in diverse, groundbreaking talent across Theatre, Television and Film, both in the UK and globally. Their award-winning actors have been recognised by major awards such as the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, Olivier Awards, British Independent Film Awards and EE Rising Star Awards to name a few, and have claimed lead roles in major Hollywood productions. Georgie and Pierce ask Nina about herself and her role as an agent, how she became an agent, how to get in front of a casting director, communicating with agents, what an agent is looking for, how to approach an agent, the relevance of age, diversity, nine to five jobs, and scouting for talent. KEY TAKEAWAYS The IDSA Talent Division specialises in developing emerging actors from the Identity School of Acting. Nina used to be an actor so has insight into the perspective of this side of the industry. If you are not getting results with good headshots and showreel, consider having a voice reel and taking a second look at your Spotlight to perfect it by adding useful skills outside of acting, and work out where the disconnection is with your current material. Honest communication with an agent is essential. You still have to keep up a consistent level of effort. The best way of contacting an agent is a succinct email with links to your material. It does not matter your age when you start as an actor, but you do require the time to put the effort into your new career. Nina has plenty of talent that has full-time jobs. As long as submissions are back before the deadline and you can spare the time, it doesn’t matter. Know that you have done your best work when you go for a job. BEST MOMENTS ‘I was talented. So I’ve been on the other side longer than I’ve been an agent. I loved my agents and I always felt connected, protected, supported and I just had a really good relationship with them.’ – Nina ‘I suppose it gives you a really quite unique position in that you understand where the actors are coming from because you’ve been there yourself, so you understand the fears, the worries, the doubts…’- Georgie ‘I prefer you to ask me questions and I prefer you to tell me the truth because further down the line it will just collapse at some point. So I would never push anybody to do a tape they didn’t want to.’ – Nina ‘It is quite a move, taking on an agent, and the projects that can come your way can be of a certain calibre. So make sure this is something that you’re ready for.’ – Nina ‘It’s not easy for anybody. It’s just a hard industry to be in. Starting younger can give you advantages but it also means the horrible cliches of child actors, you’re also battling that as well.’ – Nina ‘We are getting asked more questions about authenticity, personality, gender, experience, lived experience, more than ever.’ – Nina ‘We work in a profession where emotions are our job. If we are not in touch with those and we don’t understand them then that can be really difficult.’ – Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Georgie and Pierce chat with Tree Petts, an award-winning casting director, founder of the Casting Directors Association, and owner of her own casting company Tree Petts Casting. She has worked with some of the world’s foremost directors, including Michael Gracey, of The Greatest Showman, over ten times. Tree specialises in casting Films, Commercials, Photographic, Branded Content, and is known for her knowledge, enthusiasm and abundant energy. As an specialist in casting and over 20 years of experience in all areas of the industry, Tree is an expert on what you can expect as you pursue your acting career, She talks to Georgie and Pierce about her early career in acting, how to stand out on a Casting List, how commercials differ from dramatic roles, how to make contact and get yourself noticed, and answers many questions on the busy world of Casting. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tree worked as an actor for 15 years before becoming a Casting director specialising in Advertising. Headshots are very important because casting sheets list hundreds of applicants per role so your headshot is the first thing to catch a casting director's eye. In commercials the casting director considers more people for a role than in dramatic roles. This is because there are more people that need to agree with the choice in advertising than just a handful in drama, so they have to have more options. Casting sites are very convenient for casting Directors to access so ensure your presence on them. When contacting a Casting Director, e-mail is best and keep attachments and links to absolutely essential only. Keep sending your emails and keep plugging away at it. Catching a Casting Directors eye can just be a matter of luck, so increase your presence with regular contact and presence on casting sites and any acting based social media. Learn from the experience of casting even if you don’t get the role. Live casting gives you a good idea of what to expect and can provide you with valuable interaction with casting Directors. If you need the basis of a regular wage try to acquire a job within the industry because you get to learn the intricacies while you work. BEST MOMENTS ‘For about 15 years I was an actor. I find it really helps with casting because I know where actors are coming from, I know the nerves.’ – Tree ‘You need to have a picture of your head that doesn’t have too much body. You need just your head. If I’m scanning those lines, your face is not popping out on anything because it's so small. Make sure that they’re cropped well.’ - Tree ‘If you’re doing self takes and you’re not landing a role, never ever think that it’s a reflection on your acting ability because the way choices can be made for commercials is very arbitrary.’ – Tree ‘I think it’s really comforting for actors to know that it’s not as black and white as ‘you’re right for the role, you’re not right for the role.’’ – Pierce ‘I would say, on Mandy, if you’re not too worried about it I would put a mobile number because they do check the breakdowns to make sure dodgy people aren’t getting on to Mandy. But Spotlight I will go through agents.’ - Tree ‘That’s the thing about commercial casting. This is not the major feature film that’s going to change your life. It might be a nice bit of money but you just have to enjoy them, I think. Enjoy doing self tapes, enjoy what you bring to the role. Send it in and then get on with your life.’ – Tree ‘I do think now that everything is so diverse. I see a lot of non-binary people and we Casting Directors are very on top of the changes in language, what you can ask for and what you can’t ask for.’ – Tree VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Georgie and Pierce look at independent work versus all the other types of work available in the industry. You should take a look at these opportunities as they become available to you as they are a great way of building up your first experiences with acting and gaining new skills. Georgie and Pierce let you know what you can expect from indie work on your first working forays. KEY TAKEAWAYS The system of casting means you have to be on top of your game and build up your experience using these independent projects. If you put in as much effort as you can you can prove via small productions what your capabilities are. All work can be placed on your CV, fleshing out the visible work that you have done for future casting directors. Indie work is great for adapting to the culture and workings of the film set. BEST MOMENTS ‘We recommend, we advise that you go down the indie route for so many reasons but most importantly you want to be working on big projects but, if you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re not ready for that yet.’ – Pierce ‘No one sets out going ‘I know exactly where this project is going to end up.’ Even Netflix put stuff out and it flops and they’re one of the biggest streaming services on the planet.’ – Georgie ‘You can train and train and train, and you can practice at home doing self-tapes or creating your own work, but until your on set with even a small team of people like on an indie film, you’re not going to get that full appreciation of how the whole process works.’ - Pierce ‘Because a lot of the time they are low-budget projects they’re not going to be able to compensate you in a massive way financially, but they can compensate you in so many other ways. They can give you so much value in getting credits.’ - Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email ; Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Georgie and Pierce’s first interview with character actor Bill Blackwood, they hope to provide you with a plethora of insights into the acting world and how to secure your place in it. Based in The North of England, Bill is a proud Yorkshireman who was born and bred in God’s Own Country. You will have seen or heard him in a wide variety of television, film and radio projects including BBC’s Silent Witness and Doctors. You may even have caught him on stage! He has bases in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Manchester, London, Birmingham and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of BBC Class Act, a member of Profile Performers and a proud Equity member. Bill, Georgie and Pierce talk about Bill’s current work, his beginning in acting, training, low budget independent film work, the nature of casting and auditions, learning your lines and the ongoing changes in inclusivity in the acting world. KEY TAKEAWAYS Bill is currently working in the Channel 4 and STV series Screw, a prison drama. Before embarking in the police service, Bill was a young actor and had a good basis for his current career. Bill was not classically trained but he feels the only advantage of doing so would be ready made contacts. When entering the casting process, if you find yourself called to audition you can be reassured that the casting director has already whittled down the applicants to those they feel can fit the part. When learning dialogue there are so many ways, find the way that works for you and you are comfortable with. Inclusivity is improving in the acting industry and there are not as many blocks in place based on race, gender, class and disability. BEST MOMENTS ‘Inside this wonderful building that was built in the 1930’s, Channel 4 and Scottish Television built the entire three storeys of a prison wing. So what is absolutely realistic on TV is actually a film set.’ - Bill ‘You started acting earlier in life before you joined the police force when you were 22 I think I saw. Isn’t it interesting how it always seems to come back to acting.’ – Pierce ‘Independent film work is real acting. If you look at the BAFTA nominations for film this year you will find a number of those films have been produced independently on a low budget.’ – Bill ‘My assumption is if I’ve not heard anything, in fact I’ve forgotten about the job nine times out of ten after I’ve auditioned for it…I don’t spend time worrying about not hearing whether I’ve booked a job or not. I move on and do the next audition.’ – Bill ‘For me it starts with a character and I need to know what the character is, I need to know what the character has done, I need to have a backstory for a character, I need to know what their likes and dislikes are and, obviously, having read the full script more than once, I never read a script just once.’ – Bill ‘I was fortunate enough in 2018 to audition into a thing called Class Act, which was a BBC three day workshop program that allowed me to work one to one with a well known TV director and develop my skills as an actor.’ - Bill VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Often we overlook the myriad of opportunities available in the acting genre, and one of these niche opportunities is voiceover work. Georgie and Pierce detail the jobs available out there, how to find it and how you should widen your acting net to include this growing area of work. KEY TAKEAWAYS Voice acting is a new way for you to flex your acting muscles and can be completed from home, especially since COVID. Equipment can be relatively cheap for voiceover work from home; there is no need for expensive studio work especially when creating your own content. Audacity is a fine, free piece of software to record with. You do not have to be just a voiceover actor, you can continue to pursue all kinds of acting work. Fiverr and Upwork are freelance work sites on which you can list yourself as a voice actor to connect with production companies looking for voice talent. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s so accessible, especially if you’re struggling to find paid opportunities at the moment as well.’ – Pierce ‘As Georgie said, we did invest in it. It wasn’t crazy but it was a few hundred pounds for the two mikes and the setup we’ve got and the storage device and everything.’ – Pierce ‘Don’t be afraid to get creative with it. Even have a look on LinkedIn. I got into voiceover work quite young. I think my first voiceover job was when I was about 16 or 17.’ – Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creating your own work as an actor can be a great way of building a portfolio, creating a showreel, getting your name out there and flexing any peripheral expressive muscles you have to show off to the world. Georgie and Pierce take you through the opportunities that are offered by penning your own masterpiece or directing your own acting tour de force and how you can most efficiently achieve a great start in the industry by tapping into your full creative skill set. KEY TAKEAWAYS Georgie and Pierce have created their own film but have learned that writing and producing can be a very steep learning curve. However, don’t be afraid of the learning opportunity. Delegation is key. Know the size of your project and don’t be afraid to delegate to others to make it manageable. This is where your network can be utilised. Test your ideas by crowdfunding. People are only going to invest in a project if they think your work is solid. Indiegogo is a good example of one of the leading crowdfunding websites currently available. There is nothing shameful or egotistical about creating your own acting roles via your own work. BEST MOMENTS ‘I think it would be very silly of me to say that it was easy because it wasn’t. There were, believe it or not, a lot of mindset issues that definitely didn’t help. Less so than the physical side of getting the project up and running.’ – Georgie ‘I think risk-taking is a really scary thing but it’s what makes projects good. It’s what draws people to them.’ – Georgie ‘People are only going to invest in your project if they think it’s a good idea and if they think it could do well. Obviously, if they’re going to invest their money into it it’s very different to investing your own money into it.’ – Pierce ‘If you can’t find opportunities, if you’re struggling to land roles, get out there, connect with the right people and just start creating your own work’ – Pierce VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode tackles the thorny question of dating when working as an actor. As a couple, Georgie and Pierce are well placed to answer the question, what difficulties are encountered as a member of the acting profession in a full-time relationship? From time constraints to on-set intimacy, get familiar with the different dynamics an acting career offers. KEY TAKEAWAYS Acting work is difficult to keep compartmentalised and regular. Time commitments mean often sacrificing time with a partner but you can set apart time to spend together. Difficult and emotional jobs can put pressure on your relationship. The emotional stress from a harrowing acting role can be as draining as the real thing. You don’t need to spend money or go out to spend quality time together. Often with your friends following a more traditional career path, it can feel that you are missing out. Intimacy in acting can be a sticking point so openness is important. BEST MOMENTS ‘The day-to-day life of acting when you’re both having uncertain job security, maybe you’ve got day jobs to juggle around everything, even though you know that’s going to happen when you date an actor it’s still difficult.’ – Pierce ‘What that character is feeling, you are feeling. That’s exactly why it has an effect on your daily life, on your relationships, on your family life, whatever it might be.’ – Pierce ‘Ok, you may not be able to go out to a club every single weekend, you may have to skip drinking nights with your friends, but if you manage your expectations and the goal is to spend time with each other, it doesn’t matter where, instantly that time becomes so much more valuable.’ – Georgie ‘Find out how you work together as actors because Pierce and I found out the hard way.’ – Georgie ‘I think it’s good to sometimes open those conversations, not only for your partner, but sometimes I think for you as well to workshop it and work out ‘am I actually ok with this scene?’’ – Georgie VALUABLE RESOURCES https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUWz5ZlIg0sH0F27Zs7Cnq https://www.actorswarehouse.co.uk/ https://Www.instagram.com/Actorswarehouse/ https://Twitter.com/Weareacting/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Georgie King and Pierce Connelly are a couple and business partners with experience in TV, film and theatre. Co-founders of The Acting Warehouse, an organisation dedicated to helping you achieve turning your passion for acting into a full-time career, they are here to guide you to get out there, find opportunities and land roles. CONTACT METHOD Email: Contact@actorswarehouse.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.