Castability: The Podcast

Amanda Lenker Doyle, CSA, sits down to interview editor and VFX artist Spencer Houck. You may know his work from Cobra Kai, Pitch Perfect, Bumper in Berlin, Community, Super Troopers 2, HAPPILY, and Silent Retreat. Spencer focuses on the importance of various editing aspects such as continuity, non-verbal communication, and the use of actors' eyes. He also highlights the importance of non-verbal communication in creating authentic and truthful stories, specifically mentioning the role of an actor's eyes in conveying emotion and meaning. This episode is a must-listen for a peek into the creative process of editing and the crucial role it plays in bringing stories to life.

— Challenges of Editing Films & TV Shows

— Editing Movie Trailers vs. Film/TV Editing

— Importance of Understanding the Story and Characters

— Editor's Cut, Director's Cut, Producer's Cut

— Weighing Pros and Cons of Cutting Scenes and Characters

— Importance of Continuity for both Editors and Actors

— Being Aware of One's Physical Self on Camera

— The Power of Non-Verbal Communication in Film and TV

— How Eyes Effect Performance

— The Role of Editors in the Filmmaking Process

— Inspiration for Getting into Editing

— Editing Heroes and Influences

— Staying True to Authenticity and Truth in Storytelling

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG!

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

In this episode, Head of Actor Relations explains the concept of deliberate practice and how it can be applied to acting. Deliberate practice involves setting goals, identifying areas of improvement, and actively seeking feedback to continuously improve in your craft. It is a key tool in stepping outside of your comfort zone, becoming unafraid of failure, and surrounding yourself with a community you can be motivated from and learn with. Taylor also explains how deliberate practice, not natural talent, is the key to becoming an expert in your art.

— Deliberate Practice vs. Purposeful Practice

— Learning New Skills

— Quality over Quantity

— Why A-Listers Excel

— Showing Up for Yourself

— Mental Representations as Repeatable Patterns

— Incorporating new Techniques

— Feedback & Unbiased Self-Reflection

— Practicing as You Perform

— The Myth of Natural Talent

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

Gabriella Tranchina, Castability's long-time Operations Coordinator, gets reacquainted with two of the original writers from our Castability Writers Room after surviving a devastating accident in Los Angeles. In this episode writers Thomas Ireton and Jenn O'Malley discuss what writing our sample scripts are like and how they feel watching their work come to life in the Winner's Gallery and on Instagram. Get to know some of the voices behind the app as we celebrate our writers and dive into their process, career goals, and who their favorite TV and Film writers working today are.

— Being Writing Partners

— Watching Their Work Performed

— Writing to the Archetypes

— Genres

— Tonally Inspired By Scenes

— Deliberate Practice for Writers

— Staying Gender and Age Neutral

— Favorite TV Show and FIlm Writers

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

New to Castability and not sure where to start? This episode is for you. The Castability app is a data app, a self tape practice community, as well as marketing tool for actors. With many the facets of the app, you may not know where to start first. Join us as the Castability staff walks you through different pathways on how to get the most out of your membership and frequently asked questions!

— How to Use Castability

— Why Castability was Created

— Deliberate Practice

— Honing Skills

— Growing Alongside Your Peers

— Where to Find Scenes

— Your Account Credits

— Data Reports

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

In this episode, Amanda sits down with special guest and co-host Jessica Sherman, CSA, to interview KJ Rose, who blew them both away during her time onstage with Misty Copeland at the Sundance Film Festival. KJ Rose is a performance coach who specializes with helping musicians conquer their nerves to deliver the performance of a lifetime. She helped Lil Nas X with his Grammy dance routine, and aims to unlock that same confidence in all the artists she works with. Before becoming a performance coach, KJ Rose has been a backup singer for artists such as the Notorious B.I.G, Justin Timberlake, P. Diddy, Janet Jackson, and Britney Spears. With Clive Davis as her mentor, she has honed her own style of coaching and mentoring, leading to her new book The Rose Effect where she outlines how to occupy your space in every stage and in every room.

— Presence, Engagement, Connectivity, and Personalization 

— Never Recycling Inspiration

— Defining The Artist

— Tools to Recover Quicker

— Building Habits

— Stage Fright, Empathy, and Becoming a Talent Whisperer

— The Evolution of You

— Law of Attraction

— Finding Pride in Your Story

— Embracing a Victory Mindset

— KJ Rose's 8 Power Chants: The Espresso Shots of Motivation

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

Audrey Moore is an accomplished actor, host of the hit Audrey Helps Actors Podcast, and creator of Self Tape May. In this episode we discuss unique ways to approach this year's Self Tape May, how Audrey developed her own self tape practice, and what she does currently to maintain her progress and continue to grow. You are not going to want to miss this episode if you are looking to up level your tapes this May!

— What Started Self Tape May

— The Value of a Self Tape Practice

— Why People Don't do Self Tape May

— Copyright + Social Media

— Moving Past Just Listening and Reacting

— Building an Audition Technique

— Competition

— Mastery of Craft

— Dealing with Frustration

— Leveling Up Your Career

— Co-Stars and Guest Stars

— Being Prepared for Being On Set

— Creating and Engaging Performance

— Authenticity and Mumble Acting

— Evaluating Your Own Work

— Community

Episode Resources:

────────────────────────────

Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

In Part Two of this State of the Union, Amanda Lenker Doyle, CSA, continues her conversation with Nawal Bengholam to discuss the recent divide caused by self tapes within the entertainment industry. After polling the Castability community on questions that they had regarding self tapes, Amanda and Nawal answer questions and give their opinions. From requiring readers for a self tape, to losing a sense of community after not being in the room, to whether or not Casting Directors watch every tape that is sent in, no stone is left unturned as the two continue their discussion about the hard truths of this business in 2023.

— How Could Casting Make Auditions Worse for Actors?

— Competing With People Outside of Major Cities

— Capitalism + Art

— Readers

— Rebuilding Your Community

— The Autonomous Actor

— Not Giving Story Details

— Escaping Victim Mentality

— Watching Actor's Tapes

— Memorizing Multiple Pages for an Audition

— Prescreens vs. Callbacks

— Casting Director Workshops

— Building Relationships with Casting

— Self Tape Feedback

— Chat GPT and AI

Episode Resources:

────────────────────────────

Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

In Part One of this State of the Union, Amanda Lenker Doyle, CSA, is joined by Nawal Bengholam to discuss the recent divide caused by self tapes within the entertainment industry. Amanda first discovered Nawal on social media, where Nawal's initial thoughts on the controversy made Amanda want to sit down with her and discuss the situation in full. The two have an open, honest, heart-to-heart about the industry and self tapes. In Part One of this Two-Part episode,

— Understanding One Another In This Industry

— Casting Director Workshops

— Casting Director and Actor Relationships

— Actors Being Taken Advantage Of

— Art in a Capitalist Society

— Standing Out in the Crowd

— Craft, Business Acumen, and Mindset

— The Art of Casting

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

Anna LaMadrid and Alyshia Ochse are both working actors, creators of Put Me On Self Tape and The New Triple Threat, and are master coaches for actors everywhere. You may have seen Anna from her time on Hulu's This Fool or HBO's The Rehearsal, while Alyshia can be seen as Lucy on HBO's True Detective with Matthew McConaughey and on Quibi's #FREERAYSHAWN with Laurence Fishburne. Dedicated to actors everywhere, Anna and Alyshia are a dream team and hope to empower actors through tech and community, teaching artists everywhere how to put their best take forward every single time.

— How Alyshia and Anna Created Put Me On Self Tape

— The State of the Self-Tape

— Developing a Critical Eye

— The Validation Loop

— Learning From Our Peers

— Positive Self-Assessment

— The Acting Career Ladder

— The Actor's Curiosity

— What Is a "Working Actor"?

— Common Self-Taping Mistakes

— Making The Tech Work for You

— Being "Director-Proof"

— Perfectionism and Shooting vs. Rehearsal

Episode Resources:

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Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!

With over 100 tapes submitted on the Castability App, Amy is always at the top of the Castability List. She recently won a Cast Away Cancer challenge, and joins the Castability Staff to discuss balancing parenting a teenager while self-taping, how self-taping has enhanced her awareness of what she looks like on camera, and transitioning from music to theatre to Film and TV. She also shares how her self tape practice has influenced her current short film shoot, and gives her biggest piece of advice to actors who may struggling with self-tapes.

— Amy's Acting Journey

— Motherhood and Acting

— Watching Ourselves On Camera

— Fixed and Growth Mindset

— Handling Objective Data and Constructive Criticism

— Self-Tapes and On-Camera Awareness

— Pursuing Acting While Not In a Major Market

— Experience with Audition Data and the Winner's Gallery

— Relying On Your Community

— The State of Self Tapes

— Transitioning from Music to Theatre to Film

Episode Resources:

────────────────────────────

Learn more about the Castability app right here.

And keep updated with us on our IG! 

Ready to work? Download the app here for iOS or Google Play!