From Anchor to Actress: Morgan Deer's Journey to Success
Conversations with Alya Lei
Morgan Deer, now based in Los Angeles, shares a unique and inspiring perspective on her acting journey, rooted in her transition from a career as a news anchor in Humboldt County. Her dedication to the craft is palpable, as she immersed herself in various acting workshops, studios, and improvisation classes, all while living with epilepsy—a condition that has only fueled her determination. Despite facing self-doubt and uncertainty, Morgan draws inspiration from renowned actors like Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins, embracing every opportunity to bring memorable characters to life,...
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Vanessa Haney: Horror Stories Author
Conversations with Alya Lei
Vanessa Haney (pen name: Van Haney) grew up in the new age circus known as the entertainment industry. Van was first published in an anthology of poems in 1997. In the early 2000's she was showcased in young filmmaker competitions for her screenplays, and in 2018 while getting her Master's in Education, while also working as VP of Communications at Shoreline Entertainment, she self-published her first book of short stories, "Stories to Curl Your Toes". Now after two children and a move to the Pacific Northwest she's unleashing her stories into the world once again. "Bloody Ever After" nine...
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Stephanie Bell - Award Winning Producer
Conversations with Alya Lei
STEPHANIE BELL, PGA A member of the Producers Guild of America, Stephanie is an Emmy nominated & multi-award-winning producer and line producer with over 25 years experience in film, TV & digital content. Her films (both features and shorts) have screened in over 75 film festivals around the world, garnering more than 50 awards, including 14 for “Best Feature”. Stephanie’s goal is to tell daring and provocative stories that spark a dialogue about the human condition and how our actions impact it. She is the founding partner of three production companies, BelLipoma...
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Achieve acting success anywhere with a strategy from award-winning actor Chrissy Hogue Bartels
Conversations with Alya Lei
Achieve acting success anywhere with a strategy from award-winning actress Chrissy Hogue Bartels! Chrissy Hogue Bartels shares her journey as an actor, challenges of being "derailed" from acting and her strategy to be successful as an actor no matter where you live! Chrissy is a multi-award winning actor with a recent Best Supporting Actress Award from the Iowa Motion Picture Association for her role as "Katie" in a film she produced titled A Swan Song. She recently became SAG Eligible after booking a co-star on the popular NBC TV Show Chicago PD, holds an MFA in TV &...
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Arron Lloyd: Actor & Elite Neuroencoding Specialist!
Conversations with Alya Lei
Arron Lloyd: Actor & Elite Neuroencoding Specialist! How Arron went from growing up in the inner city to being in a commercial for the NFL and an elite neuroencoding specialist sharing stages with Les Brown and Joseph McClendon III!! Arron Lloyd was born in the inner city in a single mother household, Arron has an appreciation for what it takes to create the life you deserve. As a theater, TV/Film actor and certified one star dual elite neuroencoding specialist, Arron helps actors/creatives & entrepreneurs encode themselves to default to their best. Helping them eliminate,...
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Transitioning to a "new" podcast: CONVERSATIONS with Alya Lei
Conversations with Alya Lei
The Actor's Resource podcast is changing!! We are transitioning to this podcast: CONVERSATIONS with Alya Lei. The purpose of the podcast will remain the same: Inspire, Inform, and/or Uplift with guest interviews - the new difference is we are including guests from outside of the entertainment industry, also! Please join me over there! Thank you for listeining to The Actor's Resource podcast! I appreciate you!!
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Max Muscato - Founder of Rock Autism Music Festival
Conversations with Alya Lei
Max Muscato is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and philanthropist. As a rock artist he brings electrifying performances to every show. Over the last several years Max has gained an extensive following and has toured and opened for: Our Lady Peace, Citizen Cope, Theory of a Deadman, Aaron Carter, Finger Eleven, Ripe, The Allman Betts Band and more. He is currently working on his next singles Valarie and Toxic & Poison due out in 2022. In addition to his music career, Max is also the founder of Rock Autism Music Festival and the creator/writer of the new TV show...
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Success Interview with Catherine Campion - Voiceover Artist and Death Midwife
Conversations with Alya Lei
Catherine Campion is a lifer in the entertainment industry. She has been working as an actress non-stop since she was 16 - first in theater, then commercials, followed by TV & features. Some favorite roles have been a foul-mouthed cancer patient on Weeds; a MN Iron Range mom standing up to Charlize Theron in North Country; and a nerdy gamer in Silver, written by Diablo Cody. Now she works almost exclusively in voiceover. Highlights include TV campaigns for Subaru, United Health, Aveda and H&R Block; voicing Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow for...
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Success Interview with Michael Vincent Berry, actor and Tony nominated coach
Conversations with Alya Lei
Michael Vincent Berry is a Texas-born Actor most known for his roles in American Tragedies: WACO The Trials, Law and Order SVU, Better Call Saul and THEM. Other notable projects include the multi-award winning Crude Massacre, Last of the Grads and the LGBT dystopian film; Innocent Boy. Michael is a veteran stage actor and former Chair of Theatre and Artistic Director at Oakland School for the Arts. Former students of Michael's include: Bo Burnham, Tati Gabrielle and Zendaya. In 2017 he earned a Special Tony nomination for his work in Theatre Education and was inducted into his Alma Mater's...
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Success Interview with Josh Murray award-winning actor
Conversations with Alya Lei
Success Interview with award-winning actor, Josh Murray - General Hospital, Christmas at the Greenbrier, Gym Rat. Josh Murray debuted nationally in TV movie "Killing Lincoln" (as assassin Lewis Powell) – Executive Produced by Ridley Scott and narrated by Tom Hanks – it set a record in viewership on the National Geographic Channel. Since then he has appeared in NBC's “Revolution” and "Taxi Brooklyn" as well as the feature film adaption of David Baldacci’s book "Wish You Well" (starring Mackenzie Foy, Ellen Burstyn and Josh Lucas). He has also worked as an actor for and/or with...
info_outlineVanessa Haney (pen name: Van Haney) grew up in the new age circus known as the entertainment industry. Van was first published in an anthology of poems in 1997. In the early 2000's she was showcased in young filmmaker competitions for her screenplays, and in 2018 while getting her Master's in Education, while also working as VP of Communications at Shoreline Entertainment, she self-published her first book of short stories, "Stories to Curl Your Toes". Now after two children and a move to the Pacific Northwest she's unleashing her stories into the world once again.
"Bloody Ever After" nine short stories based on re-imagined fairy tales, will be free for digital download on Amazon August 13th through 15th. If you follow her on TikTok: Van_Haney_Books (where Vanessa tells ghost stories), Vanessa will be doing a giveaway for both of her books of horror shorts in September and in October, she will be releasing her novel, currently titled "Safest in the Light".
TikTok: Van_Haney_Books
Instagram: @dystopianess
Show Notes (timing is approximate)
28s Intro Vanessa Haney aka TikTok: Van_Haney_Books
1m 15s - Growing up in the Hollywood Circus
3m 12s - Started acting
3m 45s - Looking back - wished she focused more on what she was good at in film school - not the “idea” of the path
4m 6s - Getting into film sales, VP of communications
5m 15s - Details of film sales 8 years: what is it, how Vanessa got into it, how/why she get out of it
6m 38s - Miracle and Interview with Shoreline entertainment
7m 17s - Going to Cannes and assistant to VP of Shoreline
7m43s - Communications and becoming VP
8m 07s - Great boss teaching how to market yourself and be an entrepreneur
8m 34s - High stress job - only 1-3% of films make their money back / profit
9m 13s - Loved job, but no longer a fit with wanting a family
9m 43s - Received Masters in Education
9m 53s - Tends to say “yes” when presented with opportunities
10m 28s - Improv in high school and college
10m 36s - One of the main ways independent films are sold
13m 41s - Picking up films at festivals
13m 47s - Picking up films that have never been screened at a film festival
13m 57s - Pitching directly to decision makers at Cannes, TiFF, etc
14m 47s - Pitched films are not purchased by the company, works as a sales agent
15m 21s - How independent filmmakers get in touch with companies like Shoreline
15m 37s - Cinando.com created by Cannes film festival
15m 52s - look up film sales agents
16m 02s - Short films?
16m 13s - Shoreline distribution wing
17m 01s - Self publish books vs publisher, similar to picking up and distribution for films
17m 38s - Transitioning into being a mom
18m 26s - Volunteering at homeless shelters cooking and teaching art, exploring teaching as a new career
18m 54s - Film set and School community similarities
19m 27s - Looking back, missing things about Shoreline
20m 27s - Timeline after Masters degree and moving to Pacific Northwest
21m 12s - 2022 in Portland, Oregon - teaching and involved in school district
22m 22s - When did writing, screenplays and books, get involved?
23m 28s - Started writing 15 years ago, novels and bizarro books
24m 01s - 2019 wrote short stories and published them
24m 33s - 1st published book
24m 48s - Publish another book
25m 07s - YA fantasy book
25m 17s - Self publishing books
26m 07s - Started social media
26m 31s - Finding your niche
26m 54s - Ghost stories
27m 16s - TikTok: Van_Haney_Books (videos) and Instagram: @dystopianess (horror writing)
27m 52s - Why writing fantasy and horror has always been a part of Vanessa’s life
28m 37s - Most recent horror book, Safest in the Light, hybrid baby as metaphor for being a parent, juxtaposition LA lifestyle
29m 58s - Beta readers and editor, out in October 2024
30m 29s - 2nd book of short stories, Bloody Ever After, 9 re-imagined fairy tales, available on Amazon
31m 04s - 1st book, Stories to Curl Your Toes, short stories on Amazon
31m 22s - Books that go out with the Northwest independent writers association
31m 47s - Giveaways of books and swag - follow Vanessa on social media