S5E40 - Finale Pt 2 - Reflection
The 98%
It's here! After 40 episodes of Series 5, the season draws to a close. Join the OG's, Alexa and Katie, as they check in on recent goings on, chat about when actual life leaves no room for #actorslife, look back at change of attitudes since the podcast began, discuss the lack of working class creatives in the industry, share a whole lot of love for this community, and more! “We’ve got to look after ourselves first otherwise we have nothing to give.” This episode is dedicated to you, wonderful listeners. Things mentioned in the episode: 'The Good Ally', By Nova Reid Acting With...
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S5E39 - Finale Part 1 - Finding Joy In Your Journey
The 98%
Every guest on The 98% who has chosen to move on from the performing industry didn't do it because they fell out of love with the art of acting, it was because they didn't want to continue with the industry itself. So for those of us who choose to stay in it, how can we make it an enjoyable place to be? In this episode Alexa shares her thoughts and musings over recent months having a "front row seat to the sh*tshow" and why it is so important to redefine what success means to you in this business. Strap in for some classic 98% brutal honesty. The rose tinted glasses are off, because you...
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S5E38 - Representation Special Part 2: Agent Roundtable
The 98%
Grab your headphones and settle in for one of the best episodes of The 98% of ALL TIME! There's been a lot of coverage of dodgy agents recently, so let's hear from some wonderful, trustworthy, supportive ones. In this episode Alexa is joined by Mildred Yuan PMA, Liz Pratt PMA and JBR PMA for an incredibly honest, transparent and wisdom filled chat. You'll hear about how to find the right representation for you, what to look out for when looking for representation, the current state of the industry, a real look into the life of agenting, and so. much. more. Whether you are represented by an...
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S5E37 - Representation Special Part 1: Self Representation
The 98%
There's been a lot of worrying discussion around agents recently, so before this series ends The 98% wanted to finish on an uplifting note - platforming conversations around representation that instill confidence and trust in actors. This is part one of a two-part representation special! Due to recent exposé's unconvering malpractice from agents, many have found themselves now without one. While this can feel very daunting, it's a disservice of our industry to make actors feel like they are doomed without an agent. Self representation can be an empowering journey and give actors some control...
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S5E36 - The Deceit and Corruption of Fake Self Tapes
The 98%
Just when you thought this business couldn't get any tougher, Deadline exposes another scandal that has rocked the industry and sent shockwaves through the creatvies involved in the audition process. Agents sending fake self tape requests to actors?! If this is something you'd never even contemplated before, you wouldn't be the only one. But sadly these are not just isolated incidents... Including comments from The CDA and Equity's General Secretary, testimonies from actors who have been affected, and more, join me on a deep dive into the recently exposed scandal of agents sending fake...
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PSA: Jamie Fisher / "Archie Purnell" Statement
The 98%
"Archie Purnell" JAMIE FISHER (also using the name 'Richard'), rogue talent agent, is back with a new name, new studio name ('Wigan TV & Film Acting School'), but the same old tricks. To get ahead of accusations he is spreading rumours and false claims. Knowing all I know, I cannot sit back and let more people be scammed. "Drawing from documented sources and firsthand accounts of those impacted, I am making this public statement, as a vital disclosure for anyone who may come into contact with, now or in the future, Jamie Fisher aka Jamie Thomas Fisher aka AP James aka Archie Purnell." This...
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S5E35 - "The Best Journalists Are Trustworthy"
The 98%
This episode is 1 hour 4 mins long. If your podcast app is only playing the first 45 mins, there is a technical issue that is currently being looked at! Please check back here for the full episode coming asap! Last year The 98% was contacted by Jake Kanter, a journalist for Deadline, after the podcast featured stories of those who experienced abuse and misconduct at UK drama schools. Thus began a relationship that has resulted in multiple exsposé articles unearthing misconduct in the industry after people who had reports to make had nowhere left to go, apart from The 98%, to share what had...
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S5E34 - “My greatest performance was pretending everything was ok"
The 98%
Mental health has always been a throughline for episodes of The 98% and so the podcast is proud to host Adam Bambrough in this episode, founder and CEO of Wellbeing in the Arts. After leaving the acting profession due to struggles with his own mental wellbeing, Adam planned to write a book revealing the scope of actors and creatives with mental health struggles. He soon realized that there was no stand alone mental health support in the entertainment industry, so no wonder mental health struggles were affecting so many creatives. And so..he made one himself. Wellbeing in the Arts works towards...
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S5E33 - "'All I can do is act' is absolute bull"
The 98%
After a lifetime dedicated to the "I can do nothing but act" frame of mind, everything changed aged 39 for guest Lee Mengo. Thinking about his future and his prospects, Lee realized that acting wasn’t giving him what he needed in life. Financially, mentally, spiritually, egotistically...but coming to terms with that was a long hard road. When he finally made the decision to step away, start his journey of sobriety, and found a job that he loved teaching young actors…his 20 years of hard work came back around and he ended up booking bucket list acting jobs! As a teacher, Lee practices the...
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S5E32 - Bodhi Scandal, unveiled by The 98%
The 98%
After a group of actors reported their concerns about their former agent regarding fake self tapes, withheld pay, skimming money, lying about cancer, and more, to no avail...they came to Alexa at The 98% for advice on next steps. With seemingly nowhere else to turn, Alexa passed the information on to Deadline journalist Jake Kanter, encouraging him to help expose these dodgy dealings...For the sake of these actors, the others on the agencies book, and the inudstry as a whole. Thankfully, he did. And thus began #BodhiGate. Hundreds of emails, texts, screenshots, messages, sent and...
info_outline“It’s all corporate greed”
July 2023 marks an historic time for the entertainment industry. For the first time in decades the actor union in the United States (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) have joined forces to strike after the expiration of their contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the AMPTP's refusal to engage in negotiations for fair pay, safe working conditions, protection against AI and other basic rights for performers, writers and creatives.
Whether you are a member of SAG-AFTRA or not, this strike affects and represents us all. Knowledge is power and we are all in this together, so tune in to this episode to arm yourself with insight and fuel your solidarity.
Why are the strikes happening?
What caused them?
How does SAG-AFTRA work as a union? How are they different to Equity and other sister unions?
How can you support the strike and how does it affect you?
What are some experiences of actors that are happening right now in terms of why we need this strike?
Find out all of this and more from this episode's two brilliant guests; Kylie Sparks (they/them) an actor, writer, singer, comedian and strike leader on the ground at the picket line and Dominic Burgess (he/him) a British actor who has been living and working in LA since 2007. They give detailed, open, honest accounts of the importance of these strikes and show why this should be a global movement.
Follow them online @kyliesparks and @dominicburgess
Some links mentioned in the episode...
https://www.sagaftrastrike.org Information on the strike
tinyurl.com/2023support Free resources and assistance for strikers and how to support them
https://www.equity.org.uk/solidarity-statement-advice-regarding-sag-aftra-industrial-action-2023 Comment from UK Union Equity on the strikes
https://www.ubcpactra.ca/strike-updates/ Information from Canada's Union UBCP-ACTRA on the strike
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Follow us on twitter/instagram at @the98percentpod for relatable #actorslife content, tips and advice for actors, and news about our new series.
Follow alexa @alexamorden
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If you've benefitted from and enjoyed the podcast and want to give a little back, we have a ko-fi where every penny thrown in our hat goes straight into contributing towards the costs of running the podcast and creating helpful content online for actors. Every little helps and is so appreciated! https://ko-fi.com/the98percent
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This episode was recorded on Squadcast - the virtual podcast recording site. Find out more here https://squadcast.fm