Advice

Getting the Call It started, as it always does, with a phone call. I was driving down Sunset, it was a beautiful day in Hollywood; and I was feeling good. I had been in Los Angeles for five years, after having moved from Minneapolis. I had some great success back home and was expecting to jump right into the business when I go out here, but I was in for a bit of a surprise. I booked a guest star after only a couple of months, but then things really dried out. I spent the next five years tryi...

Happy Sunday to all.  Hope you are all enjoying and taking advantage of Introduce Yourself Weekend! Back with another 2 videos designed to entertain and educate. First up, New York Acting Coach John Windsor-Cunningham with an acting lesson he says saved his own career.  The vid is titled The Best Acting Lesson in the World (I don't name 'em folks) and I'll be very interested to get your feedback. Next up, a TEDx talk from Zach King:  The storyteller in all of us.  Zach built a huge online...

Hello, my dear, creative friends. It's been a long time since we had a FREE On Stage With RB webcast. I'm appreciative of all of you who have written in asking when the next one was going to air.  It's been a busy few months for yours truly. There have been many project meetings - progress on a few, and a couple of false starts. I've seen and heard much throughout and I'm anxious to share what I've learned out there with you. In addition, so many of you have sent in such incredible ques...

My name is David Banks and I’ve booked over 100 national commercials. Recently, I was a featured guest at Film Con LA and was asked how it’s seemed so easy for me to book spot after spot and what’s my magic touch. How it’s easy? That’s quite funny. Although it may appear like I have some kind of “magic touch,” my current method never fell into my lap. It was derived from MANY years of hearing no after no after no and having no clue how to remedy the situation. Rather, it came from studying t...

Happy Sunday to all my creative friends.  Hope you're all having an awesome weekend.  First up for Coffee & Content this week, with so many Stage 32 members creating short films and short form digital content, I thought it might be worth having a look at Filmmaker IQ's recent video How to Get Your Short Screened at Film Festivals.  Certainly interested in hearing your thoughts on this one! Next, from our friends at Cinefix, yet another comprehensive video.  This time, it's a look at 2 brilli...

It’s been two years since I began the crazy notion of directing and writing my feature films. In that time I’ve written a book that’s been published that I’m turning into a movie later this year, I have completed 6 feature films. All totally different genres. I have met an incredible mentor who supports me in ways I never thought possible. I am speaking on a directors panel at Cannes Film Festival and I have won various awards at various film festivals. The reason I’m telling you this is not...

Happy Sunday, everyone. Let's get right to the action, shall we? Today I have 2 videos from This Guy Edits, a very popular channel on YouTube. First up, who doesn't love Werner Herzog?  Well, maybe there are some that don't connect with his art, but it's hard not to connect to the person and his passion for storytelling.  How does he get it done?  How Werner Herzog Masters Storytelling explains all. Next, I have 3 Filmmaking Mistakes to Avoid and, well, although the title is self explana...

We’ve all read those “14,962 Things You Should Do to Become a Successful Screenwriter” lists before, right? Well, halfway through this article, I’m going to give you a slightly different kind of list. It’s a revolutionary, paint-by-numbers guide to how you can become a paid screenwriter, just like me. THUNK! Phil falls off his chair. Rolls on the floor. His face stretched. Tears on his cheeks, laughing – or is he crying? Sorry… I’m ok. (wipes his face/ retakes his seat) Where was I? Oh yes...

Hello, creative army! You've all heard me preach about the importance of relationships as it relates to accelerating your path toward success.  In my humble opinion, the daily work you put into your craft should be matched by the time and effort you put into building and nurturing relationships.  I'm not alone in this thinking.  Just yesterday, I was having lunch with my screenwriting manager, a guy who has been around and seen it all.  When I asked him the biggest mistake creatives make in th...

The mother of all skill is repetition! To have the confidence you want to show on stage, or in the audition room, you have to be willing to go the extra mile. Be willing to rehearse and practice more than others and go beyond what your body and mind think is enough. When you go the extra mile and drill your work over and over, that is when your skills become sharp and your confidence grows. This past year I was asked to perform my current solo show, The American Soldier, plus a new solo show...