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September 28, 2019

Shannon Sturges has taken her 25+ years of professional acting experience and utilized her talent to become one of the entertainment industry’s most sought after and respected teachers in the business.

Born to two working actors and the granddaughter of legendary writer/director Preston Sturges – one could say that acting has always been in Sturges’ blood. Discovered in a college acting class by coach Aaron Speiser, now 30 years later they are partners in Los Angeles’ top acting studios – Speiser / Sturges.

Sturges extensive TV & film credits include starring roles in feature films “S.W.A.T.,” “The Shift” and “Mr. Write.” Her most popular television role was starring in the hit Aaron Spelling series “Savannah,” and during that show’s run was selected as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful.” She starred in telefilms such as “Wives He Forgot” with Molly Ringwald, “Tornado” with Bruce Campbell and “Silent Predators” with Harry Hamlin. Other notable tv credits include “Nip/Tuck,” “Cold Case,” “Charmed,” “Brimstone,” “Boomtown,” “Extreme,” “Passions,” “Port Charles” and “Days of Our Lives.”

Sturges has brought her training and on-set experience to the Speiser/Sturges helping not only beginning actors but experienced actors as well. Respected filmmakers such as F. Gary Gray, Gerard Butler & Christian Gudegast and Will Smith’s Westbrook Entertainment have also hired her for their productions.

IN THIS INTERVIEW YOU WILL LEARN:

• How Shannon’s career all started with a Doogie Howser audition

• What type of Oscar her grandfather won in 1941

• Her audition advice for actors

• Why some actors book more than others

• Her experience on S.W.A.T. and working with LL Cool J

• The day in the life of working on a soap opera and why it’s not what you think

• How to “let go”

• & so much more!

Connect with Shannon at Speiser/Sturges.com

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May 17, 2019

Do you look at acting as a career or a calling? Do you know what your Why is? Have you found your Purpose? My guest today wants you to get clear on these things. He know’s why he gets up in the morning and why acting is his calling.

Actor/writer/director Elijah Cook hopes to keep taking his acting across the world. Hailing from New Jersey, Elijah chronicles his journey from the east coast to Los Angeles. In a short amount of time he has caught the attention of casting directors and directors and his career spans across all mediums. The sky is truly the limit for this talented young star.

As a young child, Elijah would mimic and imitate what he saw on T.V. and since then has honed his craft. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and embark on a play, perform a standup routine, or bust out a spoken word on cue.

Our conversation took place almost two years ago, yet I believe it stands the test of time.

JOIN US AS WE DISCUSS:

• Starting off as a child actor

• Films that have inspired us and changed the game

• The difference between a career and a calling

• Discover the number 1 way to find your “Why”

• The mindset that Elijah adopted that keeps him striving

• And so much more!

Connect with Elijah on Instagram and IMDb

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In the 10th episode of The Modern Actor podcast I sit down with accomplished Voice and Speech Coach and Founder of Speaking Of… podcast, Ryan O’Shea.

She received her MFA in Acting from Florida Atlantic University, and has extensive training in Fitzmaurice Voicework, Knight-Thompson Speechwork, Alexander Technique, Meisner Method, Michael Chekhov Technique, and other methodologies of voice, movement, and acting.

“Voice work helps you connect to your humanity and therefore the humanity of the character”

— RYAN O'SHEA

Ryan has utilized her training to become a sought out coach in Los Angeles. She is the former Head of Voice and Speech at Studio School Los Angeles. Since 2015, she has assisted Master Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, Saul Kotzubei, in his LA voice workshops for performers. Ryan has taught in Dublin, Ireland for the Fourth International Freedom & Focus Conference, and as a guest artist at Crash Acting, Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop and UCLA, just to name a few.

Ryan also coaches privately and specializes in a variety of areas around an actor’s voice and breath.

I first heard about Ryan while I was playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and was seeking help with maintaining my breath on stage through those long monologues. Ryan’s coaching helped me immensely and her techniques were simple yet so effective!

IN THIS INTERVIEW YOU WILL LEARN:

• How important the voice and breath is for an actor.

• All about the diaphragm and its function in the body

• How to properly “speak” from your diaphragm.

• How on-set actors tend to use “vocal-fry” and when it can be useful or not.

• The difference between the voice and breath on stage vs. film.

• The 5-10 minute warmup that will invigorate your performances and auditions.

• & so much more!

Connect with Ryan O’Shea at VoiceandSpeechwithRyan.com

CHECK OUT MY EPISODE ON RYAN’S PODCAST, SPEAKING OF…CONVERSATIONS ON VOICE, SPEECH, AND IDENTITY.

An accomplished dancer, entrepreneur, influencer, and actor, Orel De La Mota shares how he's crafted a bountiful career in Hollywood.

A skilled and talented actor who's been acting since he was a child in the Dominican Republic, was surrounded by older brothers and sisters in the entertainment industry.

"I like to excel above what I've already seen,"De La Mota says. "I don't like to go by knowledge, I like to go by imagination."

He describes himself as a 'Man-Child' and during our talk you come to understand what he means by that.

Inspired by the brilliant minds of Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers, he knew he needed to go farther than his family had gone.

A MISSION TO THE TOP

Orel has an unwavering confidence in himself and his brand. His degree in Economics has given him a unique advantage of knowing where he fits and how to market his talents, so casting can take notice—which they have time and time again.

"Where is the supply low and the demand high in the same place?" That was the question he asked himself during his final semester at Ohio State University, where he graduated from. He knew Los Angeles offered him his best odds of achieving success.

IN THIS INTERVIEW YOU WILL LEARN:

Branding and economic lessons to help you decide what market is best for you

The best advice Orel has ever received about auditioning

How to set yourself apart from the crowd

His "Perfect Daily Routine"

Everything you need to know about social media for actors like:

What type of content should I share?

Do I have to be on every social media platform?

How to hashtag to get more views to your post

& so much more!

This interview is next-level! So excited for you to hear this one!

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Laura Mitchell is someone who appreciates the value of her experiences. She is an actress, coach, and teacher at Rogues West Acting Studio in Vancouver, Canada. Laura’s core beliefs are apparent in her acting and her teaching.

Mitchell connects to her career and students through her real-world experiences. From acting at a young age to then stopping for years at her mothers behest, due to the dishonest behaviors her mom witnessed at the expense of innocent children. Laura recounts a story about casting agents rewarding their favorite actors with lollipops and dismissing the unchosen talent empty-handed. Although, she’s able to laugh it off now, Laura stressed how damaging this was to her love for acting.

Luckily, after years away from the stage, Mitchell decided to pursue acting once again. It was during her time at Concordia College, in Montreal, studying English literature that she was sparked with the desire to act. Following her childhood hobby, she left Montreal half way through her schooling and picked up acting full-time back in Vancouver.

As with any success story, Mitchell’s career didn’t take off in a flash. She regretfully admits to wasting some of the early years on partying and not taking her career as seriously as she does now. After one too many missed opportunities, Laura had enough and vowed not to let another one slip by on account of anything else, other than her performance.

Laura is now a seasoned actor whose trials and tribulations have shaped her into a dynamic actress with emotional depth and range.

In Episode 5, Laura skypes in from Canada to discuss Finding Balance in the Industry and shares her story as well as her thoughts on a multitude of topics that young actors face on a daily basis. From practical tools, to what it’s like for Canadian actors to book jobs in America, to her thoughts on how the #MeToo Movement is changing the showbiz culture. Laura’s interview is a must-listen.

In this episode you will learn:

The audition mindset that both Laura and I share

What Laura does to stay balanced in her career

The good and bad aspects of being an actor in Vancouver

Listen to Laura's personal story about encountering sexual harassment in the industry

& much more!

In Episode 4, Actor, Director, Writer and Friend Alex Alcheh shares with us his journey from New York to Los Angeles and the story behind the creation of the first west-coast Syracuse University Alumni Showcase.

One common trait among successful actors is a sense of vision—spotting a need and responding without hesitation to address it, even when that means taking a risk.

Alex Alcheh is a prime example. As an actor who spent a thousand dollars on an agent showcase, he had long struggled with feeling like he was actually showcasing his “real” self, and what he saw was a lack of authenticity in the market. But what he realized through talking to other artist friends was that the problem was much bigger than his own, so he started working on the idea of creating a showcase for actors BY actors.

“So I wanted to showcase the real parts of people…the real me,” Alex tells The Modern Actor.

Despite feeling in over his head a couple of times along the way, Alex stuck with his vision and enlisted the help of his co-producer MaryAnn Pianka. Together they produced 11 scenes—six filmed and five live on stage. Alex’s showcase successfully partnered agents and managers with this burgeoning group of thespians.

Now approaching seven years in the business, he has used the showcase experience as a springboard to confidence, as he pursues more directorial endeavors as well as continues to hone his acting craft on tv and film sets in LA.

Alex’s self-starter, collaborative and visionary qualities, have added up to a versatile body of work, all in the face of serious business and personal hurdles.

Interviewing Alex Alcheh is a huge triumph for me, as he embodies the essence of a modern actor today.

From humble beginnings in Buffalo, NY, Selina Kaye found her love for acting by chance. It was because of an extra credit assignment that Selina was inspired to travel across the country to Los Angeles and pursue acting. 

For Selina, acting is a true love affair. In Episode 3, Kaye tells us about her love for self-tapes. She goes through the ins and outs of the self-tape and what it’s like to succeed without even being seen in person. 

Selina is a true enthusiast of acting. 

You can’t speak to her without be infected by her genuine lust towards working and creating full characters for every audition she gets. Her love for the CW network is charming and her down to earth perspective on the business makes this interview one of my favorites by far.

Selina opens up about where she is today in her career and admits that at the time this episode was recorded she hadn’t booked a job. But I believe Selina is unfazed by the natural ups and downs of this industry. You won’t be able to watch or listen to this interview, without coming to the conclusion that Selina’s definition of success isn’t confined to just booking, but rather, relishing in the entire experience itself. 

Her mantra is simple “That’s your time, make sure you leave there knowing you did your best possible work.”

In this episode you will learn:

The tools you need to complete a Self-Tape audition from start to finish

How to produce top level quality in your self-tapes 

How to book a self-tape audition

What to do to make your bi-costal team happy

 & much more!

In Episode 2, we featured Hermie Castillo, Actor, Navy Sailor, Comedy Sketch Writer, and Postcard Embracer.

Ask yourself, how many times you have wracked your brain about delivering a Co-Star one liner?

As an actor who received his first Co-star credit without the help from an agent or manager and seven co stars in seven months it seems like Hermie Castillo might be able to provide an answer to that. Luckily for us, and our listeners, he was much more interested in sharing his tips on getting on an agent’s radar and his philosophy on acting.

If you haven’t heard of Hermie Castillo, you have probably heard of Scandal, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Superstore, Mom which are just some of the show he’s been on. Each one has been a stepping stone for Hermie’s career in the right direction.

The secret behind Castillo’s success is simple, he just reminds himself, “I always have to learn.”

For Hermie, there’s much more than just surviving in this industry. There’s making “impressions” and having those impressions put a smile on the face on the faces of casting directors and the professionals he works with.

I am very excited for you to hear this interview with actor on the rise Hermie Castillo!