Hometown To Hollywood w/ Bonnie J Wallace

Today my guest on this podcast is the hilarious and extremely handsome Joey Bragg.

Joey is best known for his work on Liv and Maddie, where he plays Joey Rooney, as well as The Outfield, Mark and Russell’s Wild Ride, Fred 3: Camp Fred, and he recently guest starred on Criminal Minds. He also co-hosts his own podcast with fellow actor Kurt Long, Dudes of Future/Past, which is seriously smart and funny and which I recommend. Look for him in the upcoming Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later on Netflix in 2017.

Joey's a true outlier. He entered the world of acting through standup comedy, performing at legit comedy clubs starting at the age of 13. His agent and manager both approached him with an offer to sign after seeing one of his shows. I love Joey's story because it shows so vividly that there are many ways into this industry.

We talked so much and our conversation was so wide-ranging that I decided to just go with it and make my first double episode. So this is part 1 of 2. Enjoy!

Find Joey Here:

Twitter: @joeybragg

Instagram: @joeybragg

Facebook: @joeybraggcomedy

Dudes of Future/Past podcast (Note: this podcast does contain adult language).

 

Are you thinking about how to help your child become an actor? Or are you a young actor yourself?

Buy my book, The Hollywood Parents Guide, on Amazon. It contains everything I wish I’d known when Dove and I started this journey, and will save you untold amounts of time, money, and stress. Full of information you MUST know, it also features stories from parents of other kids who’ve made it! Invest a little in your kid’s future today.

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This week’s guest on Hometown to Hollywood is actor and singer Dove Cameron. Dove is best known for playing the title roles in Disney’s Liv and Maddie, Mal in Disney Descendants and Descendants 2, as well as lead roles in Barely Lethal, Cloud 9, Monsterville Cabinet of Souls, and guest star appearances on The Mentalist, Shameless, Malibu Country, and Austin & Ally. She plays Amber Von Tussle in the upcoming Hairspray Live in December. Dove is also my daughter!

Listen in as Dove shares in perhaps her longest and most intimate interview to date:

Her inspirations

Her influences

Her approach to a character

Audition advice

Advice for young people who want to be in entertainment

 

On training: “Anybody can, and should, take voice lessons.”

On acting: “The practice of getting into the mind of someone who’s not you… it makes you much more empathetic, and sympathetic, and thoughtful.”

 

Some of my favorite quotes:

“My biggest measure of success: when I walk away from a project and people speak well of me, and want to work with me again.”

“I wanted the normalcy… but it didn’t fit in with the other life that I wanted more.”

“There are so many kids out there that are special and different and they get left out, and they get bullied, and they become the most incredible adults… I just want you to know… it’s going to be OK.”

“Stay close to your family, know who your friends are, and trust your gut.”

“Don’t take yourself too seriously.”

 

You can find Dove here:

Twitter: @DoveCameron

Instagram: @DoveCameron

Facebook: @OfficialDoveCameron

 

Are you thinking about how to help your child become an actor? Or are you a young actor yourself?

Buy my book, The Hollywood Parents Guide, on Amazon. It contains everything I wish I’d known when Dove and I started this journey, and will save you untold amounts of time, money, and stress. Full of information you MUST know, it also features stories from parents of other kids who’ve made it! Invest a little in your kid’s future today.

Did you enjoy this post? Share it! Sharing is sweet.

Welcome to Hometown to Hollywood! Today my guest is Singer/Songwriter Aaron Benward.

Aaron is a 2nd generation professional singer/songwriter, host of Nashville Unplugged in Las Vegas at 8pm every Friday night at Mandalay Bay, and is co-creating a documentary called Ghost Town Troubadours to bring attention to the plight of American songwriters.

He is also the father of actor Luke Benward, and married to acting coach and actress Kenda Benward. His songs are soulful and memorable; he gave me a clip of one of my favorites and you can hear it about halfway through the podcast.

Aaron walks us through the songwriting process, what it’s like to collaborate with other artists, how getting a song onto a TV show works, changes in the music industry, and shares excellent advice for young songwriters, and for artists in general. We cover some very fun crossover themes between songwriting and acting. (“Yes/And” anyone?)

Some of my favorite quotes:

“The expression of art is just the most beautiful, sacred thing.”

“Write from your heart—and own the masters!”

On songwriting and art in general: “There are no bad ideas—maybe just wrong timing.”

“If you love the song, BUY IT!”

 

Find Aaron here:

Twitter: @aaronbenward

Instagram: @aaronbenward

FaceBook: @aaronbenward

 

Twitter: Ghosttowntroubs

Instagram: Ghost Town Troubadours

Facebook: Ghost Town Troubadours

 

Are you thinking about how to help your child become an actor? Or are you a young actor yourself?

Buy my book, The Hollywood Parents Guide, on Amazon. It contains everything I wish I’d known when Dove and I started this journey, and will save you untold amounts of time, money, and stress. Full of information you MUST know, it also features stories from parents of other kids who’ve made it! Invest a little in your kid’s future today.

Did you enjoy this post? Share it! Sharing is sweet.

Thanks for joining us! My guest on this week’s Hometown to Hollywood podcast is Chambers Stevens.

Chambers is an actor, playwright, author, and award-winning acting coach in Los Angeles. He teaches workshops as well as private coaching in his Hollywood studio. Chambers also travels across the country to bring his teaching to students in many other cities.

This is SUCH a great interview—filled with amazing stories that include cameos by Roy Orbison, Ashley Judd, and Faith Hill, as well as brilliant advice for young actors and anyone looking to make their way creatively in the world. Listen for a little audition advice from the great playwright Lanford Wilson!

A few of my favorite quotes:

“It’s an exciting time to be an actor.”

“You don’t have to be a triple-threat. Don’t worry about what you CAN’T do; worry about what you’re really good at doing.”

“You’ve got to do what’s in your heart.”

“There is no better way to train than doing theatre. Read plays out loud!”

 

 

Check out Chambers’ Hollywood 101 Series books on Amazon:

Magnificent Monologues for Teens

Magnificent Monologues for Kids

Magnificent Monologues for Kids 2

Sensational Scenes for Teens

Sensational Scenes for Kids

24-Carat Commercials for Kids

The Ultimate Commercial Book for Kids and Teens

 

Find Chambers here:

Facebook:       @Chambers.Stevens

Twitter:         @ChambersStevens

Instagram:     @ChambersStevens

Facebook:       @Hollywood 101

Facebook:       @Chambie Awards

 

Thinking about how to help your child become an actor? Or are you a young actor yourself?

Buy my book, The Hollywood Parents Guide, on Amazon. It contains everything I wish I’d known when Dove and I started this journey, and will save you untold amounts of time, money, and stress. Full of information you MUST know, it also features stories from parents of other kids who’ve made it! Invest a little in your kid’s future today.

Did you enjoy this post? Share it! Sharing is sweet.

Today my guest on Hometown to Hollywood is Anna Grace Barlow.

Anna Grace is best known for her work on Summer Forever, The Fosters, and Scream Queens, and has made appearance on numerous other shows including Bones, Castle, Young and Hungry, Faking It, Best Friends Whenever, and I Didn’t Do It. She is fresh off the world premiere of The Prom in Atlanta.

Anna Grace shares her story of how she began acting, and transitioned from a kid growing up in the South who loved musical theatre, to a successful Los Angeles film and TV actor. It’s a great story both for its inspiration, and its many lessons.

A few highlights:

We debate the merits of NY vs. LA for actors

Anna Grace explains some differences between acting for film/TV vs. for stage

She shares the meaning of being “pinned” and some of her adventures with that nerve-wracking term

She also shares her best audition advice: “Unwind.”

And there are several shout-outs to Jordan Fisher. Hey, Jordan! :)

Great quote:

“If you want to be on TV, you have to watch TV.

If you want to be in movies, you have to watch movies.

If you want to do theatre, you have to go see theatre.”

 

Find and follow Anna Grace Barlow HERE:

Twitter: @therealagbarlow

Instagram: @therealagbarlow

Facebook: annagracebarlow

 

Thinking about how to help your child become an actor?

Buy my book, The Hollywood Parents Guide, on Amazon. It contains everything I wish I’d known when Dove and I started this journey, and will save you untold amounts of time, money, and stress. Full of information you MUST know, it also features stories from parents of other kids who’ve made it! Invest a little in your kid’s future today.

Did you enjoy this post? Share it! Sharing is sweet.

Today my guest on Hometown to Hollywood is the wonderful Emmy-nominated television director, writer, producer, animator, story artist, and voice actress Aliki Theofilopoulos.

Aliki is best known for her work on The Disney Channel’s Phinneas and Ferb, Mickey, and the Descendants Wicked World series. She began her career on Disney movies including Hercules, Mulan, Fantasia 2000 and many more. Today she is supervising producer for a new show at Dreamworks.

Aliki is guided by her drive for authenticity, and uses fear as a signal to move toward, rather than away from a challenge. A little wisdom from today’s podcast:

“Do what it takes to become good.”

“Always take the meeting.”

Favorite quotes from Aliki’s TEDx Talk:

“Our greatest gift—to the universe-- is to be our truest self.”

“Your fear doesn’t have to stop you from being who you want to be.”

 

How to Find Aliki:

Twitter: @alikigreeky

Instagram: @alikigreeky

Website: http://alikigreeky.com/

An Animated Life | Aliki Theofilopoulos | TEDxAthens

 

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