Acting

Our Founder and CEO, Rich "RB" Botto, was a guest on the extremely popular Actor's Anonymous podcast hosted by Jordan Burbank and Weesam Keesh of MTV's Awkward, The Mentalist and NCIS: Los Angeles. In a lively and spirited hour or so (filmed at the Stage 32 offices), the trio discussed a life in the arts including RB's early days of acting and his pursuits in screenwriting and producing. They also discussed the importance of support in a creative's life, as well as the need to embrace a collabor...

I was 8 years old, knowing I wanted to be an actor, but I was 909 miles away from Hollywood. This was... brutal. Obviously, I had no control over anything. I would beg my parents to take me to “where they make movies.” My parents moved from Los Angeles to Idaho for a calmer life and they told me I was free to move to California in 10 years after I graduated from high School, which I did.    In Idaho, I was 909 miles away from where I wanted to be...Hollywood   When I was 8, my dad said...

Much has been said on the topic of non-U.S. actors landing prime acting gigs in Hollywood, but much of it accuses America of offering inferior training, which I don’t believe necessarily to be true. Though it may account for a small part of the difference in success between actors from different countries, for my money there are many other highly influential factors than training alone.   Lower cost, good training Regardless of the standard of acting training, the United States has inc...

An actor walks into an audition and says to him or herself, “If I don’t get this part, that’s it. I am giving up acting.” The list of successful actors that have thought of quitting is long. The path is filled with rejection. You have to know that. Every time you put yourself out there, know that it may be "no" for now, but your big "yes" could be just around the corner. Today, I'm going to go over some famous faces that almost gave up, and, if they had, we'd miss out on some of the best ch...

Last time, I gave you important introductory pointers on how to conduct interviews. Most importantly, I talked about researching your subjects, holding a conversation and not an interrogation, keeping eye contact and making your interviewees feel comfortable. Here are a few more tips that have helped me over the years. PUBLICISTS CAN BE YOUR FRIENDS You’ll run into several kinds of publicists if you’re interviewing celebrities. First, there will be the studio, network or set publicists for t...

I once had an audition for a HUGE casting office that I wanted to read for. When it was my turn to go in, the casting director did this super weird move. No one I had ever encountered, by this point, had ever done it before, and no one's done it since. A SIDE HUG...   ​Striped cat - casting director; Orange cat - me   Being the naturally (hopelessly) awkward person that I am, I stiffened up and tried to smile, (with pretty much just bared teeth) and allowed myself to be side-held by t...

History does not record if Otto Von Bismark was twirling his waxed Prussian moustache when he declared “Politics is the art of the possible”. He meant that dreams and ideals are nothing if we don’t grapple with the real world, and work through real problems to get from where we are to somewhere closer to where we want to be.   For those trying to make their way in the film or TV world in the 21st Century, I would say movie making is the art of the possible. For every thousand people who like...

The August 2015 edition of the On Stage With RB webcast was a smashing success with over 3 hours jam packed with information! It's now available on-demand for you to watch for FREE! RB’s first guest Joe Bohn (1st AD) talks about how it’s vital to behave on set in order to make for a positive on-set environment. He breaks down what, in fact a 1st AD does on set and that you have 2 bosses – a director and a producer. They discuss how everyone on set has an opinion, but it’s how you phrase your c...

I’d like to write about something that I feel very strongly about, and passionate about, but am still learning to do. I believe this is essential for those involved in creative industries; those who feel the desire to create and express themselves; those who act, write, perform and create. As we all know, the creative process never ceases. It may stall or idle, but there is always a need, a drive, an internal force allowing it to happen. It’s a creative process and journey. But as the cliché goe...

I was just some kid. As a teenager I moved a lot due to my parents’ attempts to lead a better life for the family, for my four sisters and I. I’m originally from the Philippines. I’m sure you’ve met a Filipino at this point, we’re kind of everywhere now, infamous for our intense passion for karaoke. I moved to Los Angeles when I was 15. This lanky teenager still reeling from losing his friends, being devoured by the massive culture shock that was America. And I had to enter American high schoo...