Advice

A person’s environment will invariably shape their personality to determine their voice and how they use it to interact with the wider world. For some, escaping from this inherent trap becomes a driving force until it utterly consumes every aspect of their existence. They avoid committing to anything locally for fear of being tied to their environment for life. Rather than finding ways to become part of their community, they actively seek to burn all bridges. This in itself initiates the firs...

One day in the mid-80s, I received a visit from a man wanting to join my repertory company for film and television. He had never acted before, and after perusing what was on offer in the local trade papers, had come to the conclusion that what I was offering gave him the best shot of establishing himself as an actor. Not only were we training actors, we were producing projects for them as vehicles, all the while marketing them to mainstream Hollywood. This gentleman liked 'sure things' and didn'...

I received my master’s degree in Composition and Technologies from University of Colorado Boulder and I couldn’t wait to start working in the industry. My journey has been incredible and I worked hard to get where I am. You have to start somewhere, so I began my career working for Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) as his primary assistant, working on sound design, additional composition, studio music tech, conducting and orchestration. During those years with Junkie XL, I worked on several films includ...

Registrations for the January 2015 On Stage With RB were in high demand, smashing all previous records. As you know, we normally open registration to the first 1000 members. We almost always hit capacity, but this time we were well above. As a result, many Stage 32'ers were shut out from the broadcast.  We apologize for this inconvenience! In an effort to make things right, we've taken the following steps: 1 - We've converted the video at record speed and it is now available by clicking be...

A person’s environment will invariably shape their personality to determine their voice and how they use it to interact with the wider world. For some, escaping from this inherent trap becomes a driving force until it utterly consumes every aspect of their existence. They avoid committing to anything locally for fear of being tied to their environment for life. Rather than finding ways to become part of their community, they actively seek to burn all bridges. This in itself initiates the...

OK, I'm not about to tell you about discounted print deals. (Although I do know a few of them in London) I've only been a 'working' actor and filmmaker since 2012. (Wow what a short time) I've been professional a lot longer, but professional is very different to working. So I wonder what I could possibly share with you all that would hopefully inspire any meaning. I have come to this industry through a somewhat unconventional means. I'm a working class boy from the North East of England. Ever...

Hi Stage 32. My name is Colin MacDougall and I'm a recovering Millennial. However, as you can tell by my "Less Than Jake" reference, I belong to the class of young adults who values the "good ole days" and real talent over flash in the pan focus grouping. I'm not cool enough to be a hipster, but just awkwardly self-aware enough to be cool... possibly just in my eyes but that's good enough for me. I am the product of divorce, as the majority of my peers are, and my father served in the US Navy...

So... I needed some stress relief from my day job (CPA and Business Manager for high net worth individuals). That’s how my acting career (on-camera and voice over) began. I asked my wife to bring home the continuing education catalogue from UCLA. Looking for an art class, flower design, photography or anything to relieve the stress, my eyes focused on a Voice Over class taught by a local radio disc jockey. Coincidentally, I had just met a voice over actor the night before. I really did not kn...

You will hate this blog. Not the most inspiring of beginnings, but bear with me… I struggled as a voice talent for almost 15 years. Before that, I went to college and graduate school for acting. It turns out that while I was pretty good at acting, I hated the lifestyle. I hated the competition and how it brought out the worst in people. I hated, well, other actors. Their insecurity, their need to act as a form of therapy, their love of Ramen Noodles. I hated actors because I saw too much o...

I have a secret. I write screenplays. There, I said it. It feels good to get that out in the open.   If you live across the pond in the States, that sentiment might seem strange. After all, coffee shops are chock full of people hammering away at their latest screenplay. Even the barista and unbeknownst to him his cat Twinkles are all working on the next spec to crack Hollywood.   Over here in Ireland, it’s a little different. Divulging that you write screenplays in not something you do in po...