Acting Business Boot Camp
Episode Summary: In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on something I think we all struggle with at some point—especially if you’re a voice actor, on-camera actor, or creative trying to “make it”: shiny object syndrome. You know the feeling. You see someone post about a fancy new mic, a game-changing workshop, a big booking, and suddenly you're wondering… should I be doing that too? I’ve been there. I’ve spent the money. I’ve chased the dopamine hits. And I want to talk honestly about how jealousy, comparison, and impulse spending can quietly erode your confidence,...
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How to Land Acting Work in Smaller Markets (And Why It’s More Accessible Than You Might Think) Have you ever thought that real acting work is only found in big cities? Like you have to be in New York or LA to make it? I used to think that too. But my conversation with actor Aaron Marcus on the Acting Business Boot Camp podcast really shifted that perspective. About Aaron Marcus Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor for over 40 years, with nearly 1,300 bookings across film, TV, commercials, and more. You might have seen his scene with Tom Hanks in the film A Man Called Otto. Aaron...
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It’s Mandy Fisher here, your Voiceover actor and creative coach. Today I want to dive into something that’s been on my mind a lot: how the neuroscience of decision-making can help us as actors and creative professionals. Because we’re not just making choices in auditions or on stage. We’re making decisions every single day that shape our careers, relationships, and—let’s be real—our self-worth. How the Brain Guides Our Creative Decisions Let’s talk brain science for a sec. The prefrontal cortex? It’s the part of the brain handling complex thoughts and decisions, like our...
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When we talk about acting tools, we usually mention headshots, reels, technique, or coaching. But punctuation? Not so much. And yet, punctuation—something you probably haven’t questioned since middle school—might be interfering with your most natural, honest performances. The Problem Most Actors Don’t Know They Have You get a script. Maybe it’s commercial copy, maybe it’s a scene. And without realizing it, your brain starts obeying the punctuation. Comma. Small pause. Period. Full stop, drop your pitch. Exclamation mark. Boost the energy, punch the line. Your body responds to those...
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Feeling behind in your acting or voiceover career? You’re not alone. But you might be burning through your creative energy in the wrong ways. In this blog, we’ll unpack something that rarely gets talked about in the entertainment industry: desperate energy. What it looks like, how it sneaks into your process, and why it might be the real reason you feel stuck. What Is Desperate Energy? Desperate energy is that anxious, frantic feeling that shows up when you think you're falling behind. It's applying to projects far below your rate just to stay busy ...
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Episode Summary: Feeling stuck? You are so not alone. In this episode, I’m diving into one of the biggest roadblocks I see actors (and creatives of all kinds) face: procrastination. I’m breaking down my signature framework—the **3 P's: Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Paralysis—**and showing you how procrastination is often just fear wearing a clever disguise. I’ll help you reframe your stuck-ness, understand what’s really going on underneath the delay, and—most importantly—take messy, imperfect, courageous action. And yes, I’m also sharing how the energy behind...
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Welcome back to the Acting Business Boot Camp podcast! 🎙️ I'm Peter Pamela Rose — casting director and certified life and career coach for actors. My mission? To help you break down the business of acting into clear, actionable steps that move your career forward. In today’s episode, I dive into a powerful concept from Energy Leadership by Bruce D. Schneider — the idea that we are constantly choosing between two mindsets: the dream and the nightmare. 💭 Are you focused on the dream of your acting career? Or are you unconsciously living in the...
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Episode Summary: In today’s solo episode, Mandy Fisher gets real and raw about something that far too many actors and creatives are experiencing but not talking about enough: burnout. This isn’t your typical “self-care” pep talk. This is a grounded, honest conversation about the soul-deep exhaustion that can hit even the most passionate, high-achieving creatives. Mandy shares her personal experience with burnout — how it feels, why it happens, and what it actually means — and offers a compassionate, human-first way to start recovering. You’ll learn: Why burnout isn’t a...
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🔊 Episode Summary Hey hey! It's Mandy Fisher here, and in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on something I see way too often in the VO world—over-relying on email templates to do your marketing. Especially the kind that demo producers hand out like candy. If you’ve ever sent one of those plug-and-play emails and heard crickets, this episode is for you. I’m digging into why that approach might be sabotaging your chances—and what to do instead. Because while templates can save you time, they can also strip away the one thing that books the job: your voice. So...
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In this episode, I’m getting real about something every actor struggles with at some point in their journey: the frustration of not seeing the success you know you’re capable of. Inspired by a powerful passage from Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass, I explore how your dream career (yes, including that dream agent, those callbacks, and the big booking) isn’t out there in the future… it’s already here, waiting for you to meet it at the right frequency. If you’ve ever asked yourself: Why isn’t this working? Where’s the success I’ve been working...
info_outlineToday is going to be a short podcast, but it's going to be a very useful one.
I'm going to talk about morning routines.
I'm going to be using, I haven't used it in a while, the fabulous Melody Beattie.
And this reading that I'm going to be coaching off of is called Morning Cues. Melody says, “There is an important message for us first thing every day. Often, once we get started with the day, we may not listen as closely to ourselves and life as we do in those still moments when we first awaken.
An ideal time to listen to ourselves is when we are laying quietly, our defenses are down, and we're open and most vulnerable.”
Now, I'm going to stop there because I'm going to tell you what I do for my morning routine and then I'm going to continue to read Melody's reading.
Every morning, when I get up, I make myself a cup of tea.
That's a non negotiable.
And then,while my husband makes me a egg white omelette, as he does pretty much every single morning, He's a master at the egg white omelette. I just have to say. The guy should open up a cafe.
What I do is I go outside and I look at the mountains because I live near mountains.
And I sit and I go through two prayers.
And after I finish those two prayers, I then open up my little notebook and I read out loud the things that I want most.
And in reading those things, I am affirming them. And sometimes I'll be using visualization. Sometimes I'm just saying them. Sometimes I'm just thinking them.
But what it does is it really tunes me into what I want the focus of my life and my day to be.
And when I finish, I always say these words, “Peter Pamela Rose, suiting up, showing up, reporting for duty.”
And that duty is not only to the Universe, God, whatever you want to call it, my God, it's also to me. And it's also to my life and what is important to me, in this one brief shot I have on this earth.
So I hope that inspires you, but I'm going to go on and continue to read what the fabulous Melody Beattie says. She says, “What is the first feeling that floods through us? The feeling that perhaps we are trying to avoid during the business of the day? Are we angry, frustrated, hurt, or confused?
That is what we need to focus on and work through. That is the issue.”
We need to address and I agree that is very helpful and then go on to affirm that you will be able to do that or that you are doing it in that morning routine for me what I am filled with in the morning and this is I'm coming up on my 30th anniversary of doing this work is that I am at peace with who I am now.
And I just want to become a bigger, better, badassier version of Peter Pamela Rose than I already am.
She also asks, “What is the first idea or thought that enters your mind? Do you need to finish a timely project? Are you in need of a fun day, a restful day?”
I also think that is a great question to ask yourself, because that tells you what you most don't want to do, which becomes the number one thing you need to do to build self esteem, to build trust in yourself.
She asks, “do you feel sick and need to nurture yourself? Are you in a negative frame of mind? Do you have an issue that you need to resolve with someone?”
Again, pay attention to those first thoughts so you know where the healing needs to go.
Do you need to tell someone something? Is something bothering you?
Is something feeling particularly good? Does an idea occur to you?
That happens to me all the time while I'm affirming in the morning.
In the morning does an idea occur to you? Something you could get or something that would make you feel good? What are those things?
Embrace the good. Embrace the challenge.
Embrace the learning that you are listening to first thing in the morning.
When you awaken, what is the first issue that presents itself?
You don't have to be fearful. Be brave.
You don't have to rush. Go as slowly as you need to in order to take care of yourself. Lay. Listen. Be still. Accept the message.
And then, affirm the good.
Find that relationship between you and the universe.
And state to yourself that today, I will suit up, show up, and report for duty. Mostly to myself.