Working Actor Life

Gab is officially booked and busy, and this episode kicks off with it! We reflect on what it felt like to sit in that uncertainty before the news came through.
We also discuss why it is so hard for Sam to celebrate her own wins the way she celebrates everyone else's. Gab pushes back on the instinct to shrink big moments and makes the case for taking up space, even when it feels uncomfortable or undeserved.

Links:TM — https://themembership.co/Sam IG — https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab IG — https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/
Chapters:00:00 Intro and celebrating Gab's booking02:00 Podcast moving to an every other week format04:00 Supporting each other through busy seasons09:00 Sam's short film premiere and red carpet13:00 Why celebrating yourself is so hard19:00 The real financial cost of making a short film23:00 Sam's history of self promotion, from camp bracelets to audition business cards31:00 Comparing their two red carpet experiences33:00 Wrap up and what's next

stevon lewis, a licensed therapist who specializes in imposter syndrome is HERE! he works with a lot of high achieving people, including actors, who feel like frauds no matter how much success they rack up.
we get into:
why hitting a new level in your career resets the clock instead of curing the imposter feelings
how to build confidence off data instead of feelings
gab's flip side of imposter syndrome, being told to shrink herself so she doesn't come off as cocky.
how actors can tell the difference between nerves and a real lack of confidence in a room.

Links:

Southern California Counseling Center www.sccc-la.org
Therapy for Black Girls https://therapyforblackgirls.com/

Timecodes:
01:00 — how stevon found his way into imposter syndrome work
04:00 — why success doesn't cure imposter syndrome, it resets the clock
07:00 — imposter syndrome disguised as motivation and hustle
09:00 — where to start when you've had success but still feel stuck
12:00 — SCCC and finding a therapist wherever you live
17:00 — gab's flip side, being told to shrink so she's not seen as cocky
23:00 — building confidence with zero credits yet, plus the shaq free throw analogy
28:00 — stevon's own story, wonderland ave and choosing to be himself
37:00 — taking up space while still reading the room, plus wrap up

gab is on network test for a series (yes there's a nudity rider, yes there's a lawyer, yes we break down a lot of it, and YES spoiler alert she booked RIGHT after we finished this pod)

sam just spent four days on avail hold for two commercials shooting in two different states at the same time.

so let's talk about the in between. what do you actually do with your body and your brain when you don't know if you booked.
Links:
TM https://themembership.co/
Sam IG https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/
Gab IG https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/

Timecodes:
00:00 — cold open, gab doesn't subscribe to her own podcast 04:00 — why sam can't live share the way gab does 05:00 — gab's elevator pitch, callback to network test to lawyer to nudity rider 12:00 — sam's story, two commercials on hold in two different states 17:00 — "booking the room" 22:00 — protecting your peace vs letting yourself feel it 26:00 — how to strengthen the waiting muscle, sam's booking song and gab's workouts 29:00 — why a co-star hold deserves the same respect as a series hold 32:00 — nudity riders, intimacy riders, and wikifeet 35:00 — wrap up

back from our little podcast break (which, tbh we recorded right before we left, so nothing actually changed). this week we're catching up:
from rewatching old audition tapes to see who booked the roles we didn't, noticing how often "open ethnicity" breakdowns still end up going to white actresses, the pitt's wild filming schedule, the ick we sometimes feel around actors overselling their credits in their bios, and whether that reaction says more about us than about them.

links:themembership.co@samvalentine@gabriellebyndloss

chapters:01:00 – what's actually filming right now (rj decker, will trent, the pit, criminal minds)04:00 – rewatching old audition tapes and who booked instead06:00 – open ethnicity breakdowns and the industry backslide since 202014:00 – the pitt's unusual filming schedule and self-submitting for emmys16:00 – the dunkin' commercial that got away19:00 – how the podcast became a trust-building tool for their brand22:00 – why talking about acting off the clock feels different in LA vs elsewhere29:00 – bosch, legacy roles, and feeling defined by your biggest credit32:00 – picking up cues, feedback for future episodes36:00 – the instagram bio debate: overselling credits vs owning your wins44:00 – the dm pet peeve: asking for a full career plan for a five day trip

Why we're stepping away from the podcast for the month of July, and why we think you should be looking at your own schedule for what can come off your plate right now.
Gab just took a full week off and we break down what that actually looked like (from nighttime resets to finally catching up on sleep debt) and what happens when you let yourself really disengage instead of half-assing a break...if you feel called out, hello!
We also get into the industry side of stepping away: why booking out doesn't mean you're not dedicated to your career, + why agents actually respect it.
Links:TM join
The Headshot Class
Sam IG
Gab IG

Chapters:00:00 Welcome back, and why we're taking July off from the podcast01:00 The industry slowdown and why this time of year hits different02:00 What you can let go of in these last few weeks before August04:00 What Gab's week off actually looked like06:00 Building a nighttime wind down routine09:00 Why disengaging has to be structured (and why that's okay)10:00 The steamboat mentality and why one person can't carry everything11:00 Booking out without the guilt13:00 Old school rep mentality vs how the industry actually works now14:00 Headshot Class wrap up and what's next with summer school inside the membership15:00 Sneak peek at what's coming: acting on camera skills, callbacks, and more