The Actors Lounge

David Figlioli is a 25 year veteran  of working as a union film, television, commercial and stage actor.  David received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and has notably worked in over 100 television commercials, over 50 television dramas and comedies while working in professional theaters from New York to Los Angeles and several places in between.  David also spent 3 years touring the globe as the main character in the Cirque Du Soleil show CORTEO, performing over 1000 shows in front of more than 2 million spectators in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Russia.  David is the author of two books,  MEMOIRS OF A CIRCUS CLOWN-( highlighting his journey of working with the Cirque du Soleil) and THE ART AND BUSINESS of ACTING in COMMERCIALS- (sharing his first hand knowledge of the demands of a successful career working in the commercial industry.)- both available on Amazon.com.

I was born and raised in Seattle, WA where I began my career as a model.   After settling into modeling, I branched out into acting and fell in  love with the art.  As I was pursuing both modeling and acting, I  attended Bellevue College pursuing a degree in Communications.   After completing my 2 year degree I moved to LA and enrolled at Loyola  Marymount University to finish my four year AND pursue acting and  modeling. The juggling of all of this was stressful and almost  impossible so to lighten my load, I took a leap of faith  and paused my education to focus on my art.  I have not looked back  since and have had many great accomplishments along the way such as  several national commercials, spreads in magazines such as Vogue and  Essence, and much more.  I feel like I am just getting  started and look forward to what else is in store for me.

Amber is a Chicago native now living and working in LA. With experience on stage, in voiceover, and on screen, her credits include How to Get Away With Murder, Shameless, Grey's Anatomy, and Parks & Recreation.

Monica Lawson is a a bi coastal actress and producer based in Los Angeles  best known for her roles on NCIS, Grey's Anatomy and Wakefield.  She began her acting career in New York as a classically trained actress who received her BFA from NYU's Tisch school of the arts.

 Excited by the call for diverse voices in entertainment, Monica wanted to expand her influence in the industry and created BOND Motion Pictures. BOND  is production company that seeks to find & develop stories that provide a shift in consciousness toward underrepresented voices and revolutionize the limited pattern of demographic inclusion among performing artists within the industry.

Classically trained in both drama and dance, Keena Ferguson has  performed in a vast array of TV guest roles on many hit TV shows  including those such as, Two in a Half Men - (CBS), Gortimer Gibbon's  Life on Normal Street - (Amazon), and in last year's breakout hit for  FX, Atlanta. Keena's television work experience also includes co-hosting  The Way We Do It on BET with comedian Ricky Smiley.

Keena's  filmography includes a star billed role in the theatrically released  action-packed thriller, Red Line, a supporting lead opposite Stephen  Dorff in the screwball dramedy feature , American Hero,, indie drama,  Daughter of Fortune, and stylized digital action feature, Forever No  More.

Keena Ferguson's achievements in legitimate stage  productions include clinching the prestigious 2016 NAACP Award for Best  One Person Show. In addition to her acting and dancing passions, Keena  is an accomplished writer and producer. Her current project, the  docuseries From the Fly gives viewers a chance to take a bird's eye view  of regular people actively pursuing their dreams. Previous films  produced by Keena have screened at 35 international film festivals and  been picked up for television distribution and garnered multiple awards  including the HBO Shorts Series at the Martha's Vineyard African  American Film Festival.

Having worked on stage and in front of the camera acting, in print and film for over twenty-five years. Tony is originally from Chicago where he grew his love for theatre (especially Shakespeare), and in Northern California where he became a SAG-AFTRA actor.

Now, he's on the other side of the camera writing, producing and directing. He loves collaboration and telling stories.

Watch his two original short films on Amazon Prime in which he wrote and directed, 1440 and Counting and Neighbor.

He loves all aspects of the creative process from beginning to end. Writing and directing energizes him whether it be live performance or film. He loves building relationships on sets and beyond because he loves working on a team. That's why he started his own production company: SonCity Media. He wants to entertain and it's his passion to move people and affect change in the world by making meaning of life through stories.

He believes stories can change the world and change people.

For him, life is about learning to tell AND LIVE a good story.

His wife, three kids and dog live the crazy/good life in Northern California. Say hi and shoot him a message on any of your favorite social media platforms. He hangs out on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter!

IG: @tonygapastione

Website: http://www.tonygapastione.com

Anthony L. Fernandez broke on to the scene in 2010, becoming one of the most emotional and intense up and coming actors of today. Fernandez gained public attention for his intimidating performances, such as Cesar Figueroa in, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' and most recently gained notoriety with his cross-over comedy performance as Angel in the hit feature film, 'The Wedding Ringer'. Now, reaching prime time television success with his performances as Carlos Diego on Hawaii Five-0 & as Texas in John Singleton's hit series 'Rebel' on BET.

Anthony L. Fernandez was raised by his mother Lisa M. DeCoria. The youngest of two brothers, his family constantly moved around the country. He was raised in small towns and big cities, from the east coast and back to his home on the west coast. His young life was filled with experiences of survival, determination, and emotion at its best and worst. From living a fast life of drugs, guns, sex, and violence in the streets to creating a successful film and television career, Anthony L. has turned his life around, becoming a positive example of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, drive and passion.

At a time of tremendous obligation and reflection Fernandez made the biggest decision of his life and after studying Eric Morris Method Acting for a number of years he pursued his professional acting career. Fernandez has played a variety of roles from police officers to criminals, drug addicts to loving fathers. Delivering many colorful performances, Fernandez paints an organic picture with his presence.

His career going strong, Fernandez continues working hard to achieve industry success. Using every opportunity on and off set to develop his craft. The look of a dark figure with a mysterious past meshed with his warm appeal, helps him to connect with his audience. His physical fitness and background in security are attributes that have helped him to cross over into action films such as, 'Close Range', utilizing his Stage Combat, Stunt Driving and Firearms experience. Stepping up his game Fernandez showed his comedic chops having one of the most memorable scenes in the feature film, 'The Wedding Ringer', giving an emotional performance in the award winning film 'The Boatman', and initiating himself into horror with his chilling performance as Juan Morales in the psychological thriller, 'The Evil Gene', all proving his ability to work in a variety of film genres, as well as, television credits including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Kings of Con, Days of Our Lives, & Scorpion, etc.

Anthony L. Fernandez continues to solidify himself as a character actor & permanent fixture in the industry with many more intriguing, dark, and mysterious performances to come. Anthony L. Fernandez resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 3 children.

A Philly girl to her core, Crystal Lee Brown ditched cheesesteaks and  soft pretzels for sushi and fresh pressed juices in Hollywood, CA. She’s  holds a B.A of Fine Arts from Temple University, where she majored in  Theater and Journalism. Upon graduation, she spent five years in New  York City as a member of the African American Women Repertory Theater  Company in Brooklyn, New York,  where she starred in numerous  Off-Broadway productions. She recently added writer and producer to her  resume with the hit stage play The Cell Block Seven, which was nominated  for a NAACP Theatre Award for Best Ensemble Cast.  Currently splitting  her acting career in both Los Angeles and Atlanta, Crystal has emerged  as a multi-talented fresh face. Her niche as the hip and witty charmer  with an east coast flare, has landed her roles on NETFLIX, HBO, ABC,  CBS, TNT, The CW, where she’s currently recurring on Black Lightning and  feature films, including, Lionsgate’s Uncle Drew, Tyler Perry’s,  Nobody’s Fool and 20th Century Fox’s  Hidden Figures, where she worked  alongside Oscar Winner Octavia Spencer and Golden Globe Winner, Taraji  P. Henson.   As a working actor, Crystal knows the importance of creating strong  auditions, so she started her own company, iTape LA, where she serves as  an audition coach and self-tape specialist for actors, for TV and film  castings. Her clients have seen an increased callback/booking ratio and  she is highly recommended by agents and managers. Her passion is to help  actors gain control of their auditions by having fun and releasing  fear.  With significant credits to add to her resume, Crystal promises to forge  a permanent impression in the world of show business.  

Social Media: IG: @crystalleebrown 

FB: @crystalleebrown 

Twitter: @crystalleebrown  

iTape LA (Audition Coaching and Self-Tapes) 

IG: @i_tape_la 

FB: @Itapelosangeles

Chris Gardner is an award nominated actor (NAACP, Sunset Baby) whose career has spanned theater, television, film, print, and radio.  Hailing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Chris began his work in television on HBO’s, “Oz” and NBC’s “Law & Order”. Since being in L.A. he’s racked up many guest appearances on shows such as “The Practice”, The West Wing”, “Hart Of Dixie”, and “Pretty Little Liars”. Some of his theater credits include Unbound (IAMA/Hudson Theater), The America Play (Theater @ Boston Court), Sunset Baby (Odyssey Theater). He is also an accomplished voice-over actor “Star Trek: Into Darkness”, the animated feature “Jungle Shuffle”. Many video games including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, World of Warcraft.