The Actors Lounge

The Actors Lounge

By Melanie VictorTV & Film
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The Actors Lounge episodes

  • Jamall Rashaud Mcmillan- Talks Building His Own Production Company, Challenges Of Independent Filmmaking & Creating Faith Based Films
    Jamall Rashaud McMillan was born on January 5th. Since the age of two he has been a fine artist and writer. Passionate for the arts, his parents placed him in top schools for art and design and pushed him to follow his dreams. At the age of five he developed aspirations to build an arts based corporation that would revolutionize the world. He first developed a passion for acting after watching Ben Affleck's performance in Pearl Harbor and since has studied and worked to become a successful actor in his own right. In his freshman year of college he started studying acting seriously and during the six years in undergrad he achieved a BFA in Drawing and Painting and a dual minor in Theatre and Religious studies from Georgia State University. Upon graduation he started working as a background artist in many productions and has since grown to land principle roles on various shows and films. In 2015 he gathered a team of individuals to create what is known as EnVz Productions, the film/television division of his arts based corporation McMillan Smith Visual Enterprises LLC (MSVE). Since then he has produced two films: 1) Back to One: First Position (shot completely on iPhone) and 2) Sustained. Both films release 2017. In addition to pursuing the life of a filmmaker he is an accomplished fine artist, winning numerous awards, and an author. He is in development of two tv shows, and 4 four feature films.
    1 hr
  • Terry Berland- Los Angeles Casting Director Breaks Down The Casting Process & Talks Being A Prepared Actor Before The Audition
    Terry Berland, CSA, comes from a strong New York advertising agency background, including casting for J. Walter Thompson, Young and Rubicam and served as Head of Casting at BBDO/NY Worldwide.
    Terry headed the commercial division of Liberman Hirschfeld Casting in Los Angeles (Seinfeld, Larry Sanders Show, Grace Under Fire) which lends to her strong comedy background.
    Terry has been instrumental in the process of launching many talent careers. She has been an adjunct faculty member of the Lee Strasberg Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York. Terry has been brought in to cities all over the United States to work with talent on their commercial technique and to educate them on the world of advertising. She is the co-author of the #1 industry how-to book “Breaking Into Commercials”.
    24 min
  • William Uschold- Talks About HIs Powerful Feature Film "The Broken Rose"
    William Uschold is a visionary screenwriter with a strong love of music that manifested into a career writing music video treatments and producing many recording artist in the San Francisco Bay Area working with talented artist such as Juvenile, Andi Roxx, Johnny Fresh, Mistah Fab, San Quinn and Tab Danger. Uschold was inspired to do film as a needed platform to showcase stories about issues that plagued his community. After being galvanized by narratives of human trafficking, Uschold co-wrote and produced along with his partner and longtime collaborator Tyrone Dangerfield launching The Oakland Film Company, a production company that focuses on the parables straight from the streets of Oakland.  His film The Broken Rose set in Oakland about the pitfalls of underage sex trafficking took the film festival run by storm and end up winning 6 Best Film Awards and 12 awards in total in 2018.  He sets his passion on his new film set to start production at the end of 2019 titled NIA which is the story of the young girl in Oakland named Nia Wilson that was brutally murdered by a white suprematist on a BART platform in July of 2017.  Uschold and The Oakland Film Company will bring in top actors and a sought out crew including up and coming Director Tevin Tavares to tell the story of this beautiful young girls life cut short.
    32 min
  • Kelly Jenrette- Talks Booking Her First Co-Star Role After 7 Years Of Living In Los Angeles
    Kelly M. Jenrette, a native of Atlanta, now resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, Melvin Jackson Jr.  She and her husband published a children's book entitled The Adventures of Jimmy the Fly.  Most recently,  she booked an ABC pilot, Untitled Leslie Odom Jr., as the female lead opposite Leslie.  Kelly also wrapped three projects that she was working on back to back: Back To The Goode Life (BET Her), Uncorked (Netflix) and Limetown (Facebook Watch). Most notably, Kelly can be seen in Season 2, Episode 4 of The Handmaid's Tale on HULU, where her portrayal of Annie garnered her an Emmy Nomination.  She can be seen as a recurring guest star on HBO's Here and Now.  Kelly has also been a series regular on the Fox comedy, Grandfathered, starring John Stamos; She's had recurring guest star roles on Pitch (FOX) and Graves (EPIX). You may also remember her from her twelve Kmart commercials as Kmart Kelly!  Kelly was a part of the 13 time Ovation Nominated Musical, The Color Purple at Celebration Theatre, where her portrayal of Nettie earned her an individual Ovation Nomination for best featured actress.  Other TV credits include: Fuller House (Netflix), Weird Loners (FOX), The Haunted Hathaways (Nickelodeon), Happy Endings (ABC), Frisky Dingo, VO (Cartoon Network) WEB SERIES: Mommy Uncensored Episode 2 (YouTube), Much Ado About Mr. GQ (YouTube/FunnyorDie) and Study Buddy (YouTube).
    49 min
  • Thomas Q. Jones- Talks About How He Successfully Transitioned from Being A Professional Football Player To Becoming An Actor & Being Committed To The Craft
    While best known as an unstoppable All- Pro running back that played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL), Thomas Q. Jones has turned his post-NFL focus to the world of acting in both film and television, and the world of technology as the Chief Executive Officer of the mobile application developer, CASTAR Applications, Inc.
    In film, Jones headlined the independent film, “Runaway Island,” alongside Lorraine Toussaint and Aisha Hinds. He filmed “Straight Outta Compton,” the feature film based on the lives and careers of the hip-hop group, N.W.A. He shared a memorable scene with Paul Giamatti. The film opened and debuted in the number one box office position, and remained in the top position for three consecutive weeks. In 2016, Jones stars as a love interest to “Dawn 4.0” played by Jennifer Finnigan (FX’s “Tyrant”) in the dark romantic comedy, “Andover" and recently starred in and produced his own MMA murder mystery film "A Violent Man" starring Isaach De Bankole. Bruce Davison, Denise Richard's and Chuck Liddell.
    In television, Jones guest-starred in Seasons 2 and 3 of the BET drama series, “Being Mary Jane,” in a multi-episode arc as “Brandon ‘Cutty Buddy’ Gibson,” love interest to “Mary Jane Paul,” played by award-winning actress, Gabrielle Union. On the TV ONE comedy series, "Born Again Virgin," Jones guest-starred as the irresistible commercial pilot, "Vince," a love interest to the series lead, Danielle Nicolet. He also appeared in featured roles in the acclaimed SHOWTIME series “Shameless," IFC’s “Comedy Bang! Bang!” and Netflix's hit show "Luke Cage" Endings,” “Brother and Sisters,” and “Castle” to name a few.
    34 min
  • Angela White- Film Producer Gives Advice To Actors Who Feel Stuck & The Importance Of Having A Presence In LA, NYC and ATL

    As a new evolution in the  movie industry emerges, one of the people breaking down barriers and  leading the way is Angela White, a film producer and member of the  Producer’s Guild of America, who specializes in creating compelling  commercial stories with a distinct multi-cultural perspective. Angela  White is the founder of Silver Lining Entertainment, LLC, a family owned  Multimedia Entertainment Company based in Los Angeles, California.

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    As  an executive, filmmaker, entrepreneur, producer and talent manager,  Angela has not only worked shoulder to shoulder with the Hollywood  elite, she has opened the velvet rope for newcomers by guiding their  careers and giving several stars of today their big break. Angela's  films have been highlighted on ABC News, CBS, Good Morning America, Fox  News, Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Washington Post, NY Times, USA  Today, LA Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood,  Huffington Post, The Real, and Dish Nation, just to name a few.

    26 min
  • Benjamin Patterson- Talks Working On OWN's Greenleaf & The Power Of Seeing Yourself Represented On Screen

    Charismatic television actor and Hollywood’s next  leading man Ben Patterson, best known for his pivotal and culturally  important roles as the trans-gendered brother of ‘Dr. Ben Warren’ on  ABC's massively popular "Grey's Anatomy" and the groundbreaking drama  series “Noah’s Arc,” is set to return to television this summer on OWN’s  “Greenleaf,” alongside executive producer Oprah Winfrey, who also stars  on the show. Set in Memphis, “Greenleaf” follows the unscrupulous world  of the Greenleaf family with scandalous secrets and lies, and their  powerful megachurch with predominantly African-American church members.  The series is headed by Keith David as Bishop James Greenleaf, and Lynn  Whitfield as his wife and matriarch of the family, Lady Mae Greenleaf.  Merle Dandridge plays series' protagonist, Grace Greenleaf, their  estranged daughter who has returned home after 20 years following the  mysterious death of her sister, Faith. Oprah stars as Mavis McCready,  Lady Mae's sister and a close confidant of Grace who is also a blues  club owner.

    An Oakland native, Ben grew up in a diverse neighborhood  of Maxwell Park, playing the drums and swimming competitively through  high school in the same community that also produced future television  stars Lance Gross (Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne”) and Russell Hornsby  (NBC’s “Grimm”). As an aspiring musician he picked up the guitar and  piano, while booking DJ gigs at house parties and local nightclubs,  which continued while he was a psych major at San Diego State  University. Discovered by a scout for a local modeling competition that  he ultimately won as “International Model of the Year,” he quickly  booked campaigns for Macy’s, Bud Light and various infomercials. Another  model suggested him for a walk on role on “The Bold and the Beautiful”  thus launching his acting career and the rest is history. He has since  appeared on “CSI-Miami,” “Happy Endings,” “Brother and Sisters,” and  “Castle” to name a few.

    41 min
  • Brely Evans

    Brély Evans is a beautiful multi-talented native from Oakland,  California.  She is an Actress, Vocalist, Comedienne, and Voice Over  Talent.  Whether Brély is making you cry in a drama, laugh in a comedy,  or challenging you intellectually through her thought provoking  discussions as a talk show host and radio personality she finds time to  Key Note speak and serve as ambassador for several national brands.

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    In  the stage play, Two Can Play That Game, Brély quickly became a fan  favorite.  Recognized for her ability to captivate an audience she was  cast opposite Queen Latifah in 20th Century FOX, Just Wright.  Her  comedic timing resulted in the expansion of her role as Sabrina.  It was  this same power packed persona that afforded her an opportunity to work  with the late Whitney Houston in the SONY Feature, Sparkle.
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    Brély  extended into television and is recognized for her recurring role as  Nichelle Nichols on BET’s Being Mary Jane as Gabrielle Union’s best  friend.  Her reach continued to expand with projects such as Regina  King’s directorial debut Let The Church Say Amen.  She was also cast in a  lead opposite Lamman Rucker in the film, The Man In 3B.  Brély stared  in the short film, Black Rose with Tyrese and Jennifer Hudson and as  leading lady in TV One’s You Can’t Fight Christmas. -
    Brély recently  wrapped on a comedy series, The Last Call, starring opposite Carl  Anthony Payne.  She is looking forward to creating her newest character,  Rondell Lancaster, in the upcoming series titled, Ambition, for the OWN  NETWORK. She will also be recurring in BET’s the hot new series The  Family Business.
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    Brély says it is her faith, drive, positive  outlook, and commitment to excellence that continues to reward her with  career opportunities.  She coaches people in her series Get Your Act  Together and Start Living Your Dreams both national and internationally  through her company Water Walkers Worldwide, Inc. that has recently  opened a Talent Management division.

    32 min
  • Avery Mason

    Avery Mason was born on December 20th in Brooklyn, New York. He is the  youngest of three children. After graduating from high school, Avery  enrolled at University at Albany (SUNY), intent on a career in  journalism. However, he caught the acting bug and began chasing his  dream, seeking work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in an  independent short film called "Dana" in Brooklyn, NY. He played the part  of 'Mike' a blue collar mechanic. Afterwards he began to pursue screen  roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful presence, he  had no difficulty finding work in television productions.

    He made  his first TV appearance in The Good Wife (2015) with Julianna  Margulies. He continued his work on television and was chosen for the  role of Black Grimace in Starz's hit series Power (2016).

    Avery  continued to work on his young acting career and also co-starred in such  productions as The Breaks (2016), Gotham (2018), The Last OG (2017) and  The Punisher (2018). He continues to define his onscreen persona as a  tough, no-nonsense man.

    In 2013 Avery began performing stand up  comedy at Caroline's on Broadway, he did so well, he continued  performing all over NYC; including performances at New York Comedy Club,  The Comic Strip Live, and Broadway Comedy Club. He still performs to  this day.

    He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, and their child.

    56 min
  • D'Kia Anderson

    D'KIA ANDERSON can be seen in Lethal Weapon (FOX) and Nashville (CMT).  She can also be seen in the Season 3 of Bosch (Amazon). Other TV credits  include The Thundermans (Nickelodeon) and Happy Endings (ABC). D'KIA  has also starred in a dozen national and international commercials. She  can currently be seen in a Home Depot national commercial and in an  upcoming national commercial for Consentyx.

    Throughout her time  in Los Angeles, D'KIA has studied with some of the best acting coaches  from Amy Lyndon, Brian Reise to Margie Haber. Her eagerness to learn  from the best will never cease.

    D'KIA is currently starring in an  independent feature film, TURNT and a web series, Off The Track  (Artistic Standard TV). She has also had leading and supporting roles in  several other independent projects. D'KIA tried her hand in filmmaking,  completing a short film, Passing Period, which was accepted into The  Cannes International Film Festival 2015. D'KIA had the opportunity to  attend the festival in Cannes, France, where she was able to network and  meet with other like-minded actors/filmmakers. This experience  heightened her perspective on hard work and determination

    23 min

About The Actors Lounge

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Welcome to The Actors Lounge Podcast, where actors share their stories including the challenges, successes and lessons learned along the way!