Working Actor Life

Gabrielle Byndloss + Sam Valentine

The actor group chat you didn’t know you needed.

  1. 1D AGO

    From Sides to Deadline: Vas Saranga on His Netflix Booking and What Gets Actors Cast

    Our in-house Coach Vas is back on the pod, and we brought him on at exactly the right moment: his Deadline article just dropped for his brand new booking on the Netflix limited series I Will Find You, and we could not wait to dig into every part of how it happened. From the audition process + live Zoom session and the day to day of being on the set, this episode is a real behind-the-scenes look at what booking actually looks like from someone who coaches and acts. Vas also walks us through his SELECT framework he developed to make sense of how any actor gets cast. SELECT stands for Skill, Experience, Luck, Essence, Connections, and Timing, and hearing him break it down against his own recent booking is one of the most practical things we have heard on this show.} Links Join The Membership (TM) Sam on Instagram Gab on Instagram Timestamps 00:00 Welcome back, Coach Vas! The Deadline article drop and the Netflix booking news03:00 The full audition timeline: reading for one role, getting called back for another05:00 Live Zoom vs. self-tape: why Vas prefers self-taping and what changed in this session07:00 The director who hated him: breaking down creative differences vs. personal conflict10:00 What it means to be "hated" on a job and why it can actually signal your value13:00 Being loved vs. liked: why authenticity creates polarizing reactions15:00 The Vas-style audition: safety takes, elevated takes, and the four Es (Energy, Emotion, Engagement, Environment)19:00 How Vas decides which takes to submit and in what order22:00 The live Zoom: reading for a different character and referencing The Fugitive25:00 Intra-script improvisation: what it is and why it worked in the room27:00 Gab's callback story: taking ownership of the room through a calculated risk29:00 Introducing SELECT: Skill, Experience, Luck, Essence, Connections, Timing34:00 How SELECT applied to Vas's actual booking36:00 Luck and essence for early-career actors: why you can book before you have everything38:00 Network position: first, second, and third position explained41:00 Wrapping up: how to keep working on your SELECT letters even when auditions are slow45:00 Did Vas pay a publicist to get in Deadline? The answer might surprise you

    47 min

  2. APR 30

    32. Current audition situation: zero comfort-zone.

    We're pulling back the curtain on two very different audition-challenges we're each navigating right now: Sam took a leap on an audition that requires her to sing an original Christmas song..despite having been removed from choir as a kid. Gab is managing the physical, emotional, and logistical reality of straightening her 4C hair for a series of auditions while unpacking the complicated feelings that come with it. ...and essentially why both of us are choosing to lean into the discomfort rather than pass on what scares us. We wrap with a little detour into the Alex Cooper vs. Alix Earle situation because honestly, sometimes you just need some low-stakes drama to decompress. Links Join The Membership (TM) Sam on Instagram Gab on Instagram [00:00:00] Welcome back[00:01:38] Sam's singing audition[00:05:36] Favors, voice coaches & asking for an extension[00:08:31] When an audition pushes you out of your comfort zone[00:13:22] Gab's straight hair journey[00:15:00] The beauty politics of hair[00:25:26] Finding the fun in the hard stuff[00:28:32] Using personal challenges to deepen your acting[00:31:05] Detour- Alex Cooper vs. Alex Earl[00:36:22] Gab's upcoming live with Jen Rudolph[00:41:27] Ratings, reviews & where to find us

    42 min

  3. APR 23

    31. Zero Auditions = doubling down on the good stuff

    Sometimes the universe clears your calendar for a reason. So what happens when auditions go quiet? We think that silence might be exactly what you needed. We share three real examples from our own lives and inside The Membership of actors who shifted their focus, trusted the timing, and watched things open up in ways they never expected. We also get into why "just be grateful" is not the same as choosing to focus on what's actually working, how Sam's networking move turned a near-miss into a genuine relationship, and what Gab learned from Coleman Domingo about refusing to call this career hard. Links Join The Membership (TM) Sam on Instagram Gab on Instagram Timestamps[00:00:00] Welcome back (yes, there's a helicopter)[00:01:45] Trusting a quiet audition period[00:04:07] Our platform launch week and the auditions that waited[00:06:39] TM member story: boundaries, a great day job, and a flood of auditions[00:12:20] Doubling down on what's working instead of what isn't[00:15:00] The difference between gratitude and actually choosing your focus[00:17:42] Coleman Domingo never called acting hard[00:18:46] What's filming right now in Atlanta and LA[00:21:31] Why passing compliments is the best networking[00:24:28] What Sam would tell her younger self about the long dry spells[00:28:03] Why a quiet season might be protecting you from yourself[00:38:42] Alter egos, fake tattoos, and Gab's potential blonde era

    45 min

  4. APR 16

    30. Do you really need a manager?

    We are about to get so for real. MANAGERS and AGENTS. When and why actors should consider adding a manager to their team, the differences between managers and agents, the importance of having leverage before hiring, financial and legal considerations, team dynamics, and a hell of a lot of personal experience. Take the free Actor Type Quiz⁠ Join the waitlist for The Membership⁠ Sam’s IG Gab’s IG

    14 min

  5. APR 9

    29. The "Waiting" Trap: reps, readiness, and releasing the pressure

    We pulled real comments from our Working Actor Express Bootcamp participants and broke down what we would say to each of them if we were coaching them live. Chances are, if they're wrestling with it, you are too. We dig into the "waiting until ready" trap that so many actors fall into, including the outdated idea that you need a perfect package before reaching out to reps. We also get into the truth about how representation actually happens in today's industry (hint: it's peer to peer, not cold submission), why going somewhere with a networking agenda usually backfires, and how to release the pressure of doing everything all the time. We also talk about one bootcamper sitting on a celebrity connection and why we'd actually coach them NOT to use it, what to do when you're creatively depleted but still showing up, why we think "just be grateful" is a fear-based manipulation tactic, and how to think in seasons instead of days so your workload doesn't flatten you. Links: Join The BootcampSam on InstagramGab on InstagramTimestamps: 00:00 Podcasting from the car (Sniff Spot run with the dogs)01:00 Why we're breaking down real bootcamp comments today02:40 Bootcamp comment #1: "I procrastinate on things that will move me forward"03:45 The Dreamer archetype and learning to leap without a net05:20 Why the traditional rep submission process isn't working the way it used to07:00 How representation actually happens now: peer referrals over cold outreach09:00 Kick The Ladder and finding your community (especially in non-LA markets)11:30 What the WAL Membership actually looks like for relationship building12:25 Should you use Rapunzel or Talent Link? Our honest take13:03 Staying active without expectations: the hardest skill in this career14:28 Bootcamp comment #2: "I've been doing a lot of waiting"15:45 The "working actor version of me" exercise and what it reveals17:35 The celebrity contact: why we'd coach them NOT to reach out yet19:50 When you're creatively depleted, what actually needs to change21:13 Thinking in seasons, not days, and lightening up on your expectations23:30 Auditions as inconveniences and giving yourself permission to need a slow week25:00 "Just be grateful": why we think it's a manipulative tactic and what to say instead26:35 The bootcamp is still open + how to join

    27 min

  6. MAR 26

    27. Redirects, Callbacks, & why the acting career doesn't really have LEVELS.

    Everything we knew about this industry two years ago is probably already outdated...We are back after a week off because auditions came first, and that is exactly the point. This episode covers a big, busy week. We talk about redirects that feel like callbacks, a five-minute straight monologue callback tape, the reality of sustained audition volume without a booking, why levels in this industry are mostly a myth, the rise of vertical shorts, my manager search, and why everything you knew about this industry two years ago is probably already outdated.We also get into the case against AI demo reels, how to use an emotional map for long-form auditions, and why staying humble and staying a student is the only real survival strategy. Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro, tech issues, we skipped last week, and why acting always comes first 00:01:30 The redirect that felt like a callback and what re-tapes actually signal 00:03:30 Essence over credits and why I did not get the redirect and was totally fine with it 00:06:00 My four auditions for two characters on the same new series 00:07:00 Sam's five-minute straight callback tape, 9 pages, one scene, full monologue 00:10:30 Using an emotional map and pinned sides, not cheating, it's smart prep 00:13:00 How many pages does The Pit film per day and what that tells you about your audition 00:14:30 Audition volume without a booking and when frustration starts to kick in 00:15:30 A series regular had to put a one-liner on tape and nobody is above self-taping in 2026 00:17:00 White Lotus, two co-stars, going up against a series reg, hope and perspective 00:18:30 Ground Up with Natalie, the podcast I sent Sam (linked) 00:19:00 Levels in acting and why we do not use them in TM and why they stunt your growth 00:22:00 What I learned from Sam and what Sam learned from me, it is not about credits 00:23:00 Vertical shorts are SAG now, Disney, YouTube, and why we are the beginners here 00:24:30 Your essence is your superpower even if you do not know what it is yet 00:25:00 Sam's new commercial agent and going back to in-person audition rooms 00:25:45 My manager search, Talent Link, cold submissions, referrals, and what actually worked 00:29:00 Thunderbolts was coming out and nobody responded, the industry is humbling 00:30:00 What our TM members have taught us about growth and staying open 00:32:00 Ego in the room vs ego about the outcome and how to use confidence correctly 00:33:30 Actors who make their own stuff and then steamroll everyone, Sam's lesson in humility 00:34:00 Do not hold us to what we said two years ago and do not hold yourself to it either 00:36:00 AI headshots and AI demo reels and why they look like shit and will not skip the line 00:39:00 The moral: nobody knows anything, let's play as a team 00:39:30 Our Working Actor Bootcamp is coming in April, join the waitlist below Links Join The Membership (TM) Sam on Instagram Gab on Instagram Ground Up with Natalie How We Approach Auditions Differently What We Were Wrong About, our most popular episode

    40 min

  7. MAR 11

    26. This is unlikeable: What we are actually think mid-audition

    Doors to The Membership are opening soon. If you’re tired of spiraling alone after auditions, ⁠this is where we fix that! What actually goes through our heads when the camera is rolling and nobody's watching? This episode, we pull back the curtain on the messy, unfiltered, very human We take turns going deep on the real inner monologue behind the self-tape process, from imposter syndrome to beauty standards to full-blown existential crises. We're talking: the thought that makes Gab question whether she should even be coachingwhy being "beautiful" in this industry isn't always the advantage people think it isthe hidden time tax of hair and makeup — and why it makes Sam genuinely resentfulsecond-guessing whether Atlanta actors are just fillers for bigger-market hireswhat self-sabotage actually sounds like mid-tapespiraling from one hard audition into "what am I doing with my life"whether you have to feel it "in your bones" to be a working actorthe difference between doing this because you love it vs. because you're good at ithow your cycle can affect your confidence (yes, we went there)what to do when the thought doesn't go away — and when to just tape anywaySam's skincare journey update (and a truly unhinged Accutane detour)Timestamps:00:00 what this episode is and why Gab came up with it02:00 the format: fly on the wall, ping pong style03:00 Gab's first thought: "how can I not know how to do this if I coach people?"05:00 walking away vs. pushing through...how Gab decides07:00 when being in your head can actually work for you on camera09:00 a membership win: booking after an audition they hated10:00 Sam's thought: resentment about hair and makeup prep time13:00 "being beautiful in this industry is not helpful" and why Sam stands by it14:00 Gab's second thought: are they just going to give this to someone from LA?16:00 self-sabotage disguised as logic17:00 spiraling into: what are we actually doing?19:00 acting as a drug, signing up again and again for the emotional toll21:00 synced cycles, spiral season, and the audition thoughts that come with it22:00 Sam's deepest fly-on-the-wall thought: is this as good as it gets?25:00 Gab's honest take: "I don't feel it in my bones that I'm supposed to be an actor"27:00 over-identifying as your job and what that costs you29:00 Sam's skincare update + the Accutane rabbit hole we did not plan for Follow: ⁠Join The Membership ⁠for coaching, live feedback, masterclasses, and real-time actor community support. ⁠Follow Sam⁠ ⁠Follow Gab

    37 min

  8. MAR 4

    25. Why we stopped prepping every audition the same way

    Doors to The Membership are opening soon. If you’re tired of spiraling alone after auditions, this is where we fix that! We break down exactly how we prepped two very different auditions + why there is no one-size-fits-all method for working actors. We’re talking: - how to decide how much time an audition actually deserves - indie film vs network tv prep differences - when to immerse yourself in research and when to keep it simple - memorization tricks that actually work for self tapes - audition burnout and over-prepping - why consistency with casting matters more than perfection - how to stop “showing your work” in auditions - the psychology behind relaxed auditions - why not every tape needs 12 hours of backstory - how to treat audition prep like a strategy, not a ritual Timestamps: 00:00 why we’re keeping this intro short 02:00 sam’s indie film audition breakdown 05:30 reformatting messy sides and making bold choices 07:45 memorizing with repetition and passive listening 10:00 why taking breaks (and naps) actually helps 14:00 filming in stages and not forcing creativity 16:30 over-prepping vs strategic prep 20:00 gab’s “24th time auditioning for this show” mindset 22:00 how to prep when casting already knows you 24:00 why both approaches are valid 26:00 the biggest mistake actors make with audition prep Follow + resources: Join The Membership for coaching, live feedback, masterclasses, and real-time actor community support. Follow Sam Follow Gab

    28 min
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4.6
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

The actor group chat you didn’t know you needed.

Information

  • Creator
    Gabrielle Byndloss + Sam Valentine
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gabrielle Byndloss + Sam Valentine
  • Show Website
    Working Actor Life

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