Mentors on the Mic: Your guide to pursuing a career in the Entertainment industry

Fiona and Sophia Robert are Producers, Writers, and Actors who have written roles for themselves in two feature films: The Country Club and A View of the World from Fifth Avenue. While The Country Club is available to stream right now, A View of the World from Fifth Avenue was cast by Mentor Julie Schubert and just premiered at Bentonville Film Festival.

Robert Sisters Pictures is an award-winning film production company founded in 2018. Created by sisters Fiona and Sophia Robert, the team writes, produces, directs, and stars in their films. TAll Robert Sisters productions aim to have an inclusive and gender-balanced crew behind the scenes, earning their second feature film, A VIEW OF THE WORLD FROM FIFTH AVENUE, the ReFrame stamp of approval. The Robert Sisters’ first feature, THE COUNTRY CLUB played five festivals taking home “Best Feature Comedy” upon its premiere at the Manhattan Film Festival and the “Marlyn Mason First Prize“ at Flicker’s Rhode Island Film Festival. The film was sold to Good Deed Entertainment for domestic distribution, and Archstone for International Sales. It will be released worldwide June 2023. The Robert Sisters’ second feature, A VIEW OF THE WORLD FROM FIFTH AVENUE will world premiere as one of twelve films in Narrative Competition at Bentonville Film Festival June 2023 founded by Geena Davis.

In this episode, we talk about:

• When they decided to make your own production company and was it before or after they wrote The Country Club?

• The story behind writing their first feature film The Country Club

• Their process for writing a film together and their steps towards pre-production of a feature film

• Lessons that they took to their second feature film from first film

• Made A View of the World from Fifth Avenue in just over a year with recent premiere at Bentonville Film Festival

• Sophia being directed by her sister Fiona and Fiona’s directing tips she’s learned along the way

• Tips for actors on their self tapes

• What the ReFrame Stamp of Approval is and why it’s important for them to promote equity

• Working with Casting Directors Julie Schubert and Kate Gifford to cast their films

Guest:

⁠Fiona's IG⁠ ⁠Sophia's IG⁠⁠

⁠The Country Club IG⁠

⁠A View from Fifth Avenue IG⁠

Host:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episodes we talk about: Becoming... Emmy winning Casting Director Julie Schubert and Becoming... Legendary Acting Coach Bob Krakower and Becoming... Executive Vice President at Maven Screen Media Jenny Halper ("The Kindergarten Teacher," "A Mouthful of Air")

If you like this episode, check out: ⁠

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Ads: Check out The Actor's Retreat by the Casting Director's Cut for schedule and ticket information. The Actor's Retreat (Comedy) is a 2 days of virtual Acting Masterclasses. Classes include Improv Master Class with Ian Roberts (Co-Founder of UCB), Ace Your Self Tape: Comedy with Erica S. Bream, CSA & Cara Chute Rosenbaum, CSA, and Comedy Master Class with Larry Moss. There will also be various workshops perfect for actors like Morning Pages from The Artist’s Way and Hypnosis for Actors: Using Hypnotherapy to Reach an Optimal Mindset.

You asked for it! A bonus episode all about making your own film. And who better to ask than the Robert sisters? Sophia and Fiona Robert are two women who write, produce, and star in their own feature films. Their second feature film, A View of the World from Fifth Avenue, just premiered at Bentonville Film Festival (founded by Geena Davis) to a sold out audience. They made this film in just over a year. Their first feature film, The Country Club, played 5 festivals and is available to stream starting today. It also stars Elaine Hendrix (or Meredith from The Parent Trap). Fiona Robert directed both projects.

In the interview that comes out this Monday, I ask these incredible women about their career and journey. I took some of their answers about writing and producing a film and compiled this special bonus episode.

Robert Sisters Pictures is an award-winning film production company founded in 2018. Created by sisters Fiona and Sophia Robert, the team writes, produces, directs, and stars in their films. The company was founded with the goal of creating inclusive work which strives to uplift both its audience and its team. All Robert Sisters productions aim to have an inclusive and gender-balanced crew behind the scenes, earning their second feature film, A VIEW OF THE WORLD FROM FIFTH AVENUE, the ReFrame stamp of approval. The Robert

Guest:

Fiona's IG Sophia's IG⁠

The Country Club IG

A View from Fifth Avenue IG

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

INGRID FRENCH is a personal manager and owner of Ingrid French Management, a dynamic talent management company.  IFM represents actors and models for commercial print, commercials, television, film, theatre and voice overs.  IFM has recently booked clients for several commercial print campaigns including Verizon, GAP, Johnson and Johnson, and Target; for commercials such as T-Mobile, Graco, Amazon Fire Phone, Kraft, Bacardi, Olive Garden, Fed-Ex, Nike, Toyota and Heineken; and voice- overs for Yuengling, Smirnoff, Blue Buffalo, Philips and Yellow Tail. IFM has booked actors on Law and Order SVU,  Crime, Person of Interest, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Blacklist, KC Undercover, Boardwalk Empire, Happyish, The Knick and Orange is the New Black to name a few.  Recent feature film and independent project bookings include The Wolf of Wall Street, Daughter of God, Brooklyn.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Starting off as an agent's assistant and how similar/different it is to now

• Difference between agent and manager

• Freelance vs signing actors and the benefits of both

• Is she looking for talent during the strike

• How she hears about new actors and does she look at website submissions from actors that aren’t referred

• Suggestions for actors that they can do right now to be a better actor, including habits she can recommend

• What makes her interested in an actor and what does she look for. Does location matter? Does she like a cover letter?

• What her happy/satisfied clients seem to have in common

• When she think its appropriate to push for an actor and what she needs from an actor right now to help with pushes

• Who should actors be connecting with aside from Casting Directors

IMDb

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and www.mentorsonthemic.com

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We discussed: Becoming Actor and Tony-nominated Broadway Producer Lamar Richardson ("DEATH OF A SALESMAN," "NEW YORK, NEW YORK")

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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"I don’t think an actors private life is entertainment for other people. So I never ask anybody any personal questions of any kind."

Want to make your own film and have no idea where to start? This episode answers so many questions with Mentor Izzy Stevens.

IZZY STEVENS is an acclaimed Aussie-American Actress, widely regarded for her lead role in Netflix’s ‘Occupation’ Franchise among other lead roles in films such as ‘Rainfall’, ‘Underbelly’, ‘Puberty Blues’, and ‘Another Mother’. On top of her successful acting career, Izzy has created a name for herself as a powerhouse filmmaker and producer. Izzy’s award winning films have been screened on ABC National Network, as well as at Cannes Diversity, Hollyshorts, Cinema Australia, Tropfest, Redline Int. Film Fest, (Winner: Best Experimental Film), LA Shorts, and more!

Izzy is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. As the CEO and business owner of her consulting and mentorship company, Indie Spunk, Izzy is passionate about helping fellow filmmakers, producers, actors, directors etc. find success in this cutthroat industry. Now, Izzy’s dedication to championing independent filmmakers has inspired her to launch her own film focused podcast ‘indie spunk’ which highlights emerging industry creatives, giving them a platform to share their knowledge, advice, and experience! Izzy intends to inspire listeners through sharing her own personal anecdotes, alongside other film professionals and special guests. With her infectious personality, Izzy is determined to revamp the film sector of the podcast world, as she feels there aren’t many film focused podcasts left standing. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Izzy's start as a series regular role in a TV show in Australia at 17 years old, turning her into a "quiet, conservative people pleaser"

• The similarities and differences between shooting Australian shows and American shows

• How close she was to quitting before booking a huge Netflix film

• How to navigate the film festival circuit and focusing on that during pre-production

• 3 reasons to crowdfund your project: 1. make your money 2. marketing tool to talk about your project 3. helps you focus on your niche which is important in the film festival circuit

• The three tiers of festivals 1. community festivals 2. industry festivals (Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Hollyshorts) 3. Niche festivals Sales and distributors go to niche festivals, too. Always ask for a waiver.

• Her Indie Spunk podcast to help encourage filmmakers to create work from idea to script to screen

• Finding your zone of genius in filmmaking so you don’t have to do everything

Guest:

Website Instagram IMDb Facebook page

Indie Spunk podcast

Host:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠

If you like this episode, check out ⁠Becoming... Film Producer Gaylyn Fraiche and former VP of Film & TV of Hello Sunshine ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," "Cheetah Girls 2")⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Ads: Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cave Day⁠⁠⁠ right now. Only $40 for the first 3 months!

We are so fortunate to have another Showrunner on the podcast. This time, Hank Steinberg.

In 1997, Steinberg successfully sold the cable network HBO on 61*, a biographical drama about the legendary home-run race between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle of the 1961 Yankees. The following year, Billy Crystal came aboard as a producer on the project and subsequently directed the film, starring Thomas Jane and Barry Pepper. 61* garnered 12 Emmy nominations, including Best Motion Picture for Television and Best Writing. Steinberg was also nominated for a WGA Award for the film.

Steinberg then created the CBS show Without a Trace, which aired from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009. Without a Trace follows the cases of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City. During his tenure as executive producer and show-runner, the show won several Emmy awards and a Golden Globe for lead actor Anthony LaPaglia, as well as earning a SAG and Humanitas nomination. Steinberg was executive producer and show-runner of Without a Trace for the first four seasons.

Afterward, Steinberg created and was showrunner/executive producer of the ABC series The Nine, which he wrote with his sister, KJ Steinberg. The show ran for one season. Steinberg co-created and was executive producer of TNT's The Last Ship ,in 2014, which ran for five seasons. The Last Ship follows a naval destroyer crew, after a pandemic kills most of Earth's population.

Steinberg went on to create and serve as an executive producer of the ABC American legal drama For Life, which premiered February 11, 2020.The series is a fictional legal and family drama inspired by the life of convict turned attorney Isaac Wright, Jr. The success of the show led his Channel Road Productions company to an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.

Most recently, Steinberg landed a straight to series order with Fox for DOC, an adaptation of the Italian series of the same name.  Steinberg will executive produce under his Channel Road Productions.

In this episode, we talk about:

• His straight to series FOX show called Doc based on an Italian series

• The story behind getting the pitch for For Life and why he had to come back to it months later

• His advice on to get started writing for a TV show

• His writing process and to just get through the first draft

• Working with his sister KJ Steinberg on Nine (she is now working on This is Us)

• Advice for actors approaching pilot auditions and why there are no small roles

• The gentle balance between a strong pilot to hook in executives and having some discipline in holding back to have an engaging season

• The genesis of Without a Trace and how they came up with the idea (question from Mentor David Grae) and why the pilot is the worst episode of a show

• How he got the idea for 61* which focused on Roger Marris and Mickey Mantle’s home run which was directed by Billy Crystal and garnered 12 Emmy nominations

• Spec script on The Duel (Burr vs Hamilton) and his particular appreciation for Hamilton the Musical

Guest:

IMDb Wikipedia

Variety article on new show DOC

Host:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠⁠

If you like this episode, check out ⁠David Grae - From Spec Scripts to Executive Producer of Madam Secretary

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Did you know what it takes to be a post production supervisor? Or that it's a possible way to climb up the track to Executive Producer?

LESLIE CONVERSE is both a producer and a post-Production Supervisor. She tells us about her start in the industry, assisting Director Frank Oz on movies such as  The Indian in the Cupboard, In & Out starring Kevin Kline, and Bowfinger starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, she goes into how she started as a post-production supervisor and what that usually entails, and working closely with directors such as Ron Howard, Steven Soderbergh, Frank Oz, Noah Baumbach, and more. She has worked on incredible films such as Marriage Story with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johannsen, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta and Alan Alda, The Laundromat with Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, David Schwimmer, The Stepford Wives starring Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, and Matthew Broderick, and more, Hillbilly Elgy starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close, just to name a few. She also discusses getting into producing and how much of a commitment that means, especially as a mother. One of her latest projects was Noah Baumbach’s White Noise starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, which she was both a post-production supervisor and executive producer.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The awesome story about going out to LA to interview to be Director Frank Oz's assistant and working on THE INDIAN AND THE CUPBOARD

• What goes into being Post-production Supervisor on a film and her responsibilities

• Organizing ADR and finding actors for looping and loop groups

• Being bumped up to co-producer, in addition to post production, for STEPFORD WIVES

• Why someone should hire a post-production supervisor for in pre-production

• Missed the jump from 35mm to digital because she took off working to parent

• Finished reshoots for Hillbilly Elegy when the pandemic hit, so post production looked very different

• Bumped to EP for White Noise, also directed by Noah Baumbach for 2.5 years

Guest:

IMDb LinkedIn

Host:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠⁠

If you like this episode, check out Becoming... Film Producer Gaylyn Fraiche and former VP of Film & TV of Hello Sunshine ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," "Cheetah Girls 2")

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠⁠⁠

Ads: Check out ⁠⁠⁠Cave Day⁠⁠ right now. Only $40 for the first 3 months!

Courtney Michelle Dlugos is an actress and viral content creator with (at the time of this episode airing) 450k followers on Tik Tok with over 20million likes and 127k followers on Instagram. She creates her own work every day on social media, many of which are sponsored/branded.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The vulnerability of creating your own work and sharing it, including getting over her self-judgement

• Whether she has a content creation schedule and what is her process

• Her advice for you about creating your own content now

• Being liked or shared by celebrities like Lena Dunham and Taika Waititi and why those videos surprised her

• Her equipment set up for her videos

• Her start creating sponsored/branded videos and how she got her initial sponsors before getting a social media manager

• She comes up with her own ideas for sponsored videos with parameters

"You can never guess what video is going to do well or what video is going to serve any sort of purpose or move your career forward or anything like that… just like you don’t know what audition is going to change your life either..."

Guest:

Instagram Youtube

IMDb

Tik Tok

Host:

Instagram: ⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠⁠

Facebook page:⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠⁠

Website:⁠⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle⁠

If you like this episode, check out ⁠Becoming... Actor, Director, and Viral Sensation Ben Giroux

⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠⁠

Ads: Check out ⁠⁠Cave Day⁠ right now. Only $40 for the first 3 months!

Marta Kauffman is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning television writer, producer, and showrunner behind the hit series Friends and Grace & Frankie. After graduating from Brandeis University, Kauffman got her big break alongside David Crane when their pilots Dream On (1990) and The Powers That Be (1992) were green-lit. The pair then launched Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions with Kevin Bright and became the trio that created the iconic sitcom Friends. In 2015, Kauffman started her production company, Okay Goodnight, with industry veterans Robbie Tollin and Hannah KS Canter. Their first series, Grace & Frankie, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston premiered on Netflix in 2015 and is Netflix’s longest-running original ever. The series has received multiple Emmy and SAG nominations and is beginning production on the seventh and final season. In 2018, the company produced the documentary Seeing Allred, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is currently available on Netflix. Kauffman has received a number of honors and awards including the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for lifetime achievement in television writing from the Writers Guild of America, the 2016 Outstanding Television Writer award at the 23rd annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference, The Kieser Award at the 44th Annual Humanitas Awards, and Variety’s TV Producers Impact Report for consecutive years in 2019 and 2020.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Writing Musical Theater in NY with her writing partner and friend David Crane and making $18,000 a year, before moving to LA and working with Norman Lear

• Behind the Scenes on the beginnings of Friends including why it was important for it to be an ensemble show and fighting for Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston

• The number 1 thing she wants actors to know when they walk in for an audition

• Why the time after Friends was a really hard period and how she pushed out of it

• Her thoughts on the Reunion and why she could never do a reboot

• The incredible story she hasn't able to sell (yet!)

• The misunderstanding that led to the terrific pairing of Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda on Grace & Frankie

• Was there Improv on Friends or is there improv on Grace & Frankie

• Why she gets credited for every the theme song of Friends is played

• Working with Netflix as opposed to a Network

Guest:

Wikipedia IMDb Twitter

Host:

Instagram: ⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠ ⁠@MichelleSimoneMiller⁠

Twitter: ⁠@MentorsontheMic⁠ ⁠@MichelleSimoneM⁠

Facebook page:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic⁠

Website:⁠ www.michellesimonemiller.com⁠

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle

If you like this episode, check out Becoming... Showrunner/Writer Marshall Herskovitz "Blood Diamond" "The Last Samurai""My So Called Life"

⁠⁠⁠Click here to join our Mailing list.⁠

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