Acting: Conversations on Craft

Before I talk about the amazing conversation that Heidi Dean was gracious enough to have with me, I need to add a quick note that this conversation was recorded before Twitter changed its name to X. Now most of you probably know that Heidi Dean is known in the industry as the top social media strategist for actors. She has also recently published a book, Social Media for Actors, 100 essential tips to grow, thrive, and survive online. When I was trying to figure out how to introduce this episode, I realized that I always seem to say the same thing about my guests: how they are passionate about what they do, how they love to help actors, and how they have given me great information to share. But it’s true every single time! And Heidi Dean is no exception. So if you are like me and have a love/hate relationship with social media then you will get a lot out of this conversation. If you are part of the, “I hate Social Media” club, Heidi gets it! She too, was once part of that club. That is, until she started to understand the power it had to connect her to people. And it isn’t about the numbers. As she says, social media enabled her, “to connect with the right people on my own terms.” Over a decade later, it has become her career, her mission, her passion to help as many actors as possible optimize their use of social media for their careers. While she steers away from saying we, as actors, “should” use social media, she does wonder why we wouldn’t. It’s free, it’s creative, and it’s not going away. I gave her a whole host of reasons why some of us don’t want to use it, don’t like it, don’t want to learn and she came back with a whole host of reasons why that is, and how to change our mindset. And it is a change in mindset that, as this conversation shows, could help our careers. So I hope you enjoy my conversation with social media guru, Heidi Dean.  Heidi Dean is known as the industry’s top social media strategist for actors and the creator of Marketing4actors.com. She’s a social media writer for Backstage Magazine and a frequent speaker at film festivals, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, conferences, podcasts and universities across the country. Her clients include Emmy Award-winners, Broadway stars, series regulars, directors, producers, casting directors, voice actors and audiobook narrators. Heidi turns social media rookies into ROCKSTARS! Connect with Heidi Dean:Website: www.Marketing4actors.comJoin her Community: www.TechSavvyActors.comInstagram & TikTok: @Marketing4actorsX/Twitter: @marketing4actorYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@heididean30 Post Ideas: https://marketing4actors.com/30posts/Heidi's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Actors-Essential-Survive/dp/B0CVHMQRCFConnect with me: IG: @tarmeydanielleTikTok: @danielletarmeyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarmeydanielle

When I think of curators of film festivals, I often think of them the same way I used to think of casting directors: as the gatekeepers to our success. But during my conversation with Angie Reza Tures from the Femme Frontera Showcase and Mary Dossinger from the RiverRun International Film Festival it became very apparent that the curators, just like casting directors, are rooting for us and our films. When I asked Angie and Mary what they were (or weren’t) looking for, the question caused them to hesitate. Both said they didn’t want to limit what might be submitted. What is really exciting for both of them is when filmmakers take a “paint by numbers” storyline and then play with the form. As Angie says, “We like to see our filmmakers take risks and push themselves, but the story has to be the strongest component.” Mary adds that she is always looking for, “films that blow your mind and make you question the artform in general.” And they both recognize how difficult this is to do, and do well. But the take away for me was that it gives us permission to play. That again, we need to create without thinking, “what do they want?” and create with the mindset, “what story do I want to tell?”  Mary Dossinger is the Director for the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC and just took part in her 16th Festival in 2023. As Program Director, Mary oversees all aspects of the film program, festival schedule and all filmmaker correspondence. Prior to joining the team at RiverRun, Mary received her Masters in Fine Arts in Contemporary Cinema Cultures from The University of London – King’s College London in 2007.  She also earned her Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and minor in film studies at Emory University in 2000.  She has had a varied career, starting as a Program Assistant at CNN and Turner Broadcasting and then moving on to Capitol Hill where she worked as an Executive Assistant at an international lobbying firm, the American Council of Life Insurers.  She has moved all over the world, thanks to a father who worked for Exxon.  She was born in Guildford, England and lived in Athens, Greece; Houston, TX; Anchorage, AK; Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC.   Angie Reza Tures has worked in independent film since 2003 after graduating from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Media Studies and a minor in Music. For twelve years, she worked as a producer, director, and editor in the Bay Area mentoring under Oscar-nominated and Sundance award-winning documentary filmmakers. Since 2011, Angie has lived and worked in El Paso, Texas. She founded the Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase in 2016 and serves as Executive Director of Femme Frontera. In 2021, Angie will complete her first feature narrative script. She is a 2022 Rockwood Documentary Leaders Fellow, a fellowship supported by the Ford Foundation. Find out more about the Femme Frontera Showcase:  https://www.femmefrontera.orgIG: @femme_fronteraFind out more about the RiverRun International Film Festival:https://riverrunfilm.com/https://www.facebook.com/riverrunfilm/IG: @riverfunfilm If you want to chat or ask questions about the episode go to FB: https://www.facebook.com/tarmeydanielle/ and visit the group site. Follow me on IG @tarmeydanielleqyCpCacyTSkDlG0ltqoc

I recently attended a film appreciation class with Dale Pollock, called Senior Moments. And yes, as the name suggests, it was a look into how the film industry, Hollywood in particular, has treated aging. Not surprisingly it has not done a stellar job. When I asked Dale to tell me more about how the industry has changed, he said we’ve come a long way from depicting older characters as simply being the crazy old biddy or the wise decrepit grandfather. Especially when you look at a film like “Good Luck to you Leo Grande,” with Emma Thompson.He believes that advances in science and technology with regards aging will inform filmmaking and stories. When I ask Dale if there is anything that actors, filmmakers, and the industry in general can do to improve accurate and authentic representation of older characters, he points to three main things. The first is, as actors we must embrace our older selves. His second point is that directors, who are typically ‘risk averse’, need to be more willing to cast 50-year-old characters who actually look 50. He also says those teaching in the many film schools around the country have to continue to move towards a more generous view of aging. He says, only then will filmmakers fully realize the dramatic and comedic potential of aging.  Dale M. Pollock received a BA in Anthropology from Brandeis University in 1972 and MS in Communications from San Jose State University. In 1977, he became the head film critic for the Daily Variety until he was hired by the Los Angeles Times to be their chief entertainment correspondent.  He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the early 1980s and wrote Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas in 1984, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and remains in print. In 1985, Pollock joined David Geffen’s company as a development executive, where he discovered the scripts for Beetlejuice, The Burbs and Universal Soldier.  He joined A&M Films as vice president in charge of production, and was named president in 1990, producing such films as The Beast, The Mighty Quinn, A Midnight Clear and Mrs. Winterbourne. Pollock ran his own film company Peak Productions for 10 years, producing the box office hit Set It Off.   He co-founded the producing program at the American Film Institute in 1995. In 1999 he became Dean of the School of Filmmaking at the (then) North Carolina School of the Arts, stepping down in 2006 to become Professor of Cinema Studies. He was awarded Emeritus status in 2019 and served as Interim Dean for nine months in 2021. Pollock was awarded an Endowed Professorship in Film in his name at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking and is the 2016 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. He also received the 2020 Arts Council of Winston Salem’s Annual Award, its highest honor. Pollock's first work of fiction, Chopped: A Novel will be published in February 2023, and he is at work on a book about how Hollywood has treated aging in the movies. Learn more about Dale Pollockhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0689645/https://dalempollock.com If you want to chat or ask questions about the episode go to FB: https://www.facebook.com/tarmeydanielle/and visit the group site. Follow me on: IG: @tarmeydanielle Twitter: @TarmeyDanielle

Anthony Meindl is an acting coach and has published several books about acting, such as Book The F*cking Job and his latest, Unstuck. Anthony is also the host of a podcast for actors, “In The Moment”, and there is a reason he calls it that. Throughout our conversation that was a phrase that came up again and again: actors have to be in the moment, they have to live in the moment. And as actors, we know full well that means we have to listen, truly listen. Anthony will tell you, “If you’re not listening to your partner then you’re never going to act.” But he goes on to explain that the listening isn’t the hard part. All of us can do that. He says, “the listening opens up the feelings and the expressing of those feelings is hard.” That, he says, takes courage, takes bravery, and it takes choosing yourself. Anthony Meindl is an award-winning director, writer, actor, acting coach, entrepreneur, author and inspirational speaker.  As an acting teacher, he’s known for revolutionizing a more modern understanding of acting training. He founded Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop in 1997 and has schools in 10 cities around the world: Los Angeles, New York, London, Vancouver, Toronto, Atlanta, Sydney, Chicago, Copenhagen and Cape Town.   He has been the guest acting teacher for directing at David Lynch’s Master of Filmmaking Program, and has guest lectured at the prestigious Moscow Arts Theatre, The National Theatre School of Ireland, The Actors Centre London, and many more. He has been an inspirational speaker, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Jim Carrey, Jack Kornfield, and Tom Shadyac.    As a filmmaker, Anthony has received a number of awards and acclaim. His latest feature film, Where We Go From Here is available on HULU. The film premiered at Outfest, won the “Best Screenplay” award at Q-Films Long Beach, and the “Jury Award” at NYC’s East Village Queer Film Festival.   He is the author of five books, including best-sellers, At Left Brain Turn Right and Book the F*cking Job and his latest book, Unstuck, was released July 2022.  To follow or connect with Anthony Meindl: IG: @anthonymeindl, @amawstudios in Los Angeles, @amawatl in AtlantaWebsite: https://www.anthonymeindl.comIf you want to chat or ask questions about the episode go to FB: https://www.facebook.com/tarmeydanielle/and visit the group site. Follow me on: IG: @tarmeydanielle Twitter: @TarmeyDanielle