Photo Source: Nicholas Sayaan
"It's becoming more and more important that actors know about the business side of things to get a leg up and to show off their craft," said casting director Bonnie Gillespie, who co-created the program with actor Mitchell Fink and casting director Marci Liroff. All three host each episode; the first, "Auditioning for Film," was posted Sept. 22.
Each episode features industry guests—working actors, directors, writers, casting directors, producers, and agents—who talk about their experiences. The lineup so far includes director Mark Waters, actor Anna Vocino, agent Louise Ward, and actor-producer Mark Gantt.
"Never before has anybody pulled these many professionals together and gotten them in an involved setting, shot with multiple cameras, in a teaching format," said Fink. "Usually you have to go to a convention or go to different organizations where they bring in a guest."
Fink came up with the idea while working as a consultant for actors. He noticed that few acting schools offered classes in the business of the entertainment industry. "Universities don't teach you communication," he said. "They don't teach you about any sort of business; they don't teach you money management or the other transferable skills so that you can form relationships and market yourself."
Fink originally approached Liroff with the idea of a teleconference series that would teach actors that practical information. She brought in Gillespie, and the idea evolved into a Web series. The three had originally met online—evidence of how much influence the Internet now has in the industry. This is one of the lessons that Your Actor MBA hopes to teach.
"The way to create relationships is evolving based on social networking and technology becoming more affordable," Gillespie said. "It's to the advantage of the actor to truly understand the power that they have and how to harness that."
The Web-series format also allows Your Actor MBA to reach an audience beyond Los Angeles. So far, hundreds of actors have subscribed (the cost is $250), from as far away as London and Prague. Each taped episode is streamed twice weekly, while subscribers interact with the hosts and guests via live chat. Subscribers also receive a syllabus for each episode. It's the interactive aspect that makes Your Actor MBA unique, according to Fink.
"We decided to do it over the Internet so we could reach more people and help many more people," he said. "The things that we talk about in Your Actor MBA transcend—no matter what market you're in, whether you're just new to movies or whether you're playing in a movie or whether you've been here for a couple of years."
Liroff has found the program educational for her as well. "I noticed in the sessions so far, people stayed in the chatroom after the video was over to talk about it and go over stuff and ask questions," she said. "I've been in this business for close to 30 years, and I learned something at the end of every episode."
