Mentors on the Mic: Your guide to pursuing a career in the Entertainment industry

Ken Girotti has had a hand in the creation of hundreds of hours of television episodes, pilots, television movies and film and received multiple award nominations. His television movie MAYERTHORPE garnered the best director award from the Director’s Guild of Canada.

Recently Ken has been Executive Producer/Director on FBI MOST WANTED (CBS). He served the same role on ANNE WITH AN E (Netflix). He Executive Produced and Directed both

seasons of PURE (Hulu/WGN) and was a Producer and Director on the CBC miniseries FORTUNATE SON. He directed half the episodes of the first three seasons of VIKINGS (History Channel), episodes of DAREDEVIL (Netflix), LAW & ORDER ORGANIZED

CRIME (NBC), ORPHAN BLACK (BBC America), FRONTIER (Netflix), THE STRAIN (FX Networks), THE CROSSING (ABC), COPPER (BBC America), DAMAGES (FX Networks), RESCUE ME (FX Networks). Pilots and movies for television he’s shot include CRA$H & BURN, SABBATICAL, THE DEALERSHIP, and BEFRIEND & BETRAY.

Currently Ken has numerous projects in development with Scott Einbinder’s 5X Media

He splits his time between New York City, Madrid and Toronto.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Started in theater and craft services before assisting directing (which wasn’t the right fit for him)

• Working on the famous “The Ides of March” episode onXena: Warrior Princess with Lucy Lawless

• Gigging on various shows vs working a few episodes of one show or what he calls “a tonic”

• Tips for actors on their self tapes

• His approach to a new script and how much time he has for prep

• How do you add producing to your role as a director of an episode of a show

• What it means to be a creative gatekeeper of a show likeFBI: Most Wanted

• How he handles show runners, producers, and writers “meddling” while maintaining his creative vision as a director

• Tips for directors in training

• Lightning round with his thoughts on shows he’s worked on including:24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Season 1 ofSupernatural,New Amsterdam,White Collar,Covert Affairs,Rescue Me,La Femme Nikita,Nikita,Vikings,Pure,Orphan Black,Anne with an Ewith co-showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett(about to doFourth Wingseries), andFBI: Most Wanted

• What episodes Ken directs of FBI: Most Wanted and how does he choose who directs other episodes

Guest:

Scott McCormick, has been an audiobook director, adaptor and narrator for over 10 years. In that time he has directed and adapted over a hundred books and narrated and provided voices for well over a thousand book. He has played many characters through the years including the lead roles in Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David and The Ishmael Jones by Simon R. Green. He has also lent his voice to dozens of audiocomic book characters including Venom, The Thing and most recently Hellboy. A native of Baltimore, he moved to the DC metro area in 1999 to pursue a career in theatre, wanting to avoid any chance of fame by not moving to New York or LA. He just north of DC with the love of his life, Jillian.

In this episode, we talk about:

• A breakdown of his role as Creative Director and Director Training Manager at Graphic Audio

• Process for creating the dramatized audiobook for Graphic Audio

• How COVID expanded their roster of actors

• How long production and post-production takes for a book like Fourth Wing or Iron Flame or Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

• Reading Onyx Storm and starting in mid-February

• Surprise at the success of ACOTAR and Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, especially on Tik Tok

• How he envisions a character on the page

• Advice for starting in Voiceover including recommended hardware and software

• A great voice for Graphic Audio and the ways to submit to Graphic Audio as a VO artist

Guest:

Khaya Fraites is a voice and film actor based in New York City. She has narrated books such as the full cast versions of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame from GraphicAudio and has performed in video games such as World of Warcraft, Diablo 4, and Blumhouse games’ first release: Fear the Spotlight. You can also catch her in animated shows such as Pokémon Paldean Winds, Quantum Heroes Dinoster and Rainbow High. Khaya is also a filmmaker and has made short films that have screen at festivals such as Virginia Film Fest and, Big Apple Film Fest.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Her start in Voiceover in 2020 and what she used for her first voiceover reel on Backstage

• Her initial voiceover setup (including equipment and software) and how it compares to her setup and space

• The first websites she would submit to and what she submits to now

• How she started at Graphic Audio and recording for their database

• Recording narration and/or dialogue for Graphic Audio books like Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Crescent City, and Zodiac Academy

• The experience of the Iron Flame audiobook blowing up

• Working on animation and video games and booking VO work on twitter

• Advice for people who want to get into voiceover

Guest:

Joshua: Joshua is a diverse, singing actor who has worked on Broadway and regionally at esteemed theaters such as Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Theatre Under the Stars, Folger Theatre, Triad Stage, and Signature Theatre. His television appearances include "FBI," "Law and Order," "Law and Order: Organized Crime," "Law and Order: SVU," "Lincoln Rhyme," and HBO’s "Paterno." Joshua co-founded and served as Artistic Director of the Helen Hayes Award-winning No Rules Theatre Company in Washington, DC, and Winston-Salem, NC.

Mike Labbadia (co-host) an actor, producer, writer and filmmaker, a “multipassionate” you can say. As a company member of BEDLAM he's appeared Off-Broadway in shows from Arcadia to Julius Caesar. Regional work includes Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Gulfshore Playhouse, Penguin Rep and Virginia Rep. He's in the upcoming film "On the End" with Tim Blake Nelson. As a producer he's had films premiere at prestigious festivals around the world.

In this episode, we discuss these "Rules" actors should break:

06:15 - Rule 1 - Don't pitch yourself

• Sent 37 self pitching emails, without an agent, and booked a Broadway show

9:03 - Rule 2 - Don't complain to our Reps

12:45 - Rule 3 - We can only be one "kind of artist"

17:15 - Rule 4 - Wait until you have a big project to grow an audience

21:20 - Rule 5 - Don't actively pursue industry relationships

15:52 - Rule 6 - Take on Gig work to support your career

30:29 - Rule 7 - Let the Industry define you as an artist

PODCAST DESCRIPTION: “CREATIVE RISK”, is a new podcast hosted by actors Joshua Morgan and Mike Labbadia of Artist’s Strategy where they explore all things art, entrepreneurialism and everything in between. The acting industry is more volatile and competitive than ever before, therefore the artist must evolve in order to take radical ownership over their creative businesses. Each episode, Mike and Joshua will get raw and unfiltered, giving hot takes and cutting edge strategies on how to build a sustainable career in the arts. 

Guest:

For Joshua Morgan :