Working Actor Life

Sam landed her first TV role in five years on a show she's auditioned for eight or nine times, Gab is mid-shoot on her own show, and we get into what it actually looks like to share space when you and your best friend book at the same time. We talk about keeping the business running from set, why we're still auditioning, and why one booking is not the start of "season two" of your working actor life...and from there it only gets spicier.LinksThe Membership: https://themembership.co/Sam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab on IG: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/Chapters00:00 Welcome to episode 5000:48 We're both booked in Atlanta01:15 Sharing space when you and your friend book at the same time03:15 One booking is not "season two"04:50 Gab's Marvel story: am I still allowed to audition?08:15 Co-star pay, eight-page auditions, and healthcare14:00 Fi-Core, the union, and strength in numbers20:20 Losing credibility once you start booking24:25 Who decided sides should be in Comic Sans?28:45 Acting as a hobby, background work, and go vote.

Bringing back The Comment Section, where we finally respond to the rogue comments and DMs that land on Instagram, the podcast, and everywhere in between. We kick off with a follow-up from last week's Sparkle Angel episode (turns out we weren't the only ones), then get practical: when you should actually print your scripts and sides once you're on set, and why we think you need to be off book for every audition no matter what the SAG-AFTRA disclaimer says...it only gets spicier. Links:TM: https://themembership.co/Sam IG: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab IG: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/Chapters:00:00 Welcome to The Comment Section01:30 Sparkle Angel follow-up: another survivor speaks03:20 When do you print your scripts and sides on set?07:20 Do you really need to be off book for auditions?11:00 Gab responds to the "out of touch" set prep comment16:45 Who our content is actually for20:00 Do actors need help making money? Boot camp and S corp taxes25:30 What is TM?31:40 Intimacy scenes, boundaries, and your partner36:30 Wrap up

Join us for our three day workshop for $5 (yes correct) to help you start your actor side hustle! Side Hustle Bootcamp(that's all, this is a mini ep, tks bb)

Gab gets called to set in the middle of our Nashville membership retreat, and we talk through what it really looks like to hold a business, a booking, and auditions all at once.We're recording from the car on the drive home from Nashville, where we just wrapped our in-person membership retreat. The week before, Gab was taken off the shooting schedule, so we headed out believing she was free. Then Monday night, deep into catered Italian food with our members, she got a call time for 10:18 the next morning. We also get into booking out for in-person only while staying available by tape, and why you can't give 100% to two things that both need all of you.Meanwhile, the retreat kept going, and so did the auditions. Oh and we close with a series regular role we both auditioned for three weeks apart, and why you should double down on who you are when casting doesn't know what they want yet.LinksThe Membership: https://themembership.co/https://the-membership.kit.com/waitlist2026Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/Chapters00:00 Recording from the road after our Nashville retreat01:30 Running the business, auditioning, and Gab's big booking02:50 Booking out for in-person but staying available by tape04:00 Off the schedule, then back on it06:50 The 9 PM call time and the 6 AM flight09:40 Two big feelings at once and not our best day on set13:00 Letting it go and moving forward14:00 Member auditions and Sam's live Zoom from the Airbnb19:55 Letting our members see us figure it out21:50 Auditioning while on a show and doubling down on you for series regs24:40 Tired takes, simple choices, and the TM waitlist

what happens when your career starts moving but your brain hasn't caught up yet?sam walks through a rough stretch that stacked a big series regular audition and the general uncertainty that comes with bigger opportunities landing without the "data" to back them up. we talk through the difference between skipping your feelings and actually moving through them, why finding your baseline matters more than forcing positivity, and how differently we each process hard emotions.then we shift into what it's actually been like for gab to be booked on a show for seven out of eight episodes, including the real costs (financial, emotional, and logistical) of prepping for a character before filming even starts, and why the chaos of production schedules can mess with your head even when things are going well.linksthe membership: https://themembership.co/sam's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/gab's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/chapters00:00 - intro and this episode's theme: new levels, new devils00:02 - sam's breakdown week: the series regular audition and feeling like you skipped a step00:13 - sam's process for actually moving through hard emotions00:16 - gab's different emotional wiring and the idea of finding your baseline00:24 - gab's guest star booking: prep costs and the corey gamestop story00:27 - unpredictable shooting schedules and the social side of being on set00:29 - finding relief and joy in the middle of the chaos00:30 - playing the game you're in, plus tm wait list info

Gab is officially booked and busy, and this episode kicks off with it! We reflect on what it felt like to sit in that uncertainty before the news came through. We also discuss why it is so hard for Sam to celebrate her own wins the way she celebrates everyone else's. Gab pushes back on the instinct to shrink big moments and makes the case for taking up space, even when it feels uncomfortable or undeserved.Links:TM — https://themembership.co/Sam IG — https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab IG — https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/Chapters:00:00 Intro and celebrating Gab's booking02:00 Podcast moving to an every other week format04:00 Supporting each other through busy seasons09:00 Sam's short film premiere and red carpet13:00 Why celebrating yourself is so hard19:00 The real financial cost of making a short film23:00 Sam's history of self promotion, from camp bracelets to audition business cards31:00 Comparing their two red carpet experiences33:00 Wrap up and what's next

stevon lewis, a licensed therapist who specializes in imposter syndrome is HERE! he works with a lot of high achieving people, including actors, who feel like frauds no matter how much success they rack up.we get into:why hitting a new level in your career resets the clock instead of curing the imposter feelingshow to build confidence off data instead of feelingsgab's flip side of imposter syndrome, being told to shrink herself so she doesn't come off as cocky. how actors can tell the difference between nerves and a real lack of confidence in a room.Links:Southern California Counseling Center www.sccc-la.orgTherapy for Black Girls https://therapyforblackgirls.com/Timecodes:01:00 — how stevon found his way into imposter syndrome work04:00 — why success doesn't cure imposter syndrome, it resets the clock07:00 — imposter syndrome disguised as motivation and hustle09:00 — where to start when you've had success but still feel stuck12:00 — SCCC and finding a therapist wherever you live17:00 — gab's flip side, being told to shrink so she's not seen as cocky23:00 — building confidence with zero credits yet, plus the shaq free throw analogy28:00 — stevon's own story, wonderland ave and choosing to be himself37:00 — taking up space while still reading the room, plus wrap up

gab is on network test for a series (yes there's a nudity rider, yes there's a lawyer, yes we break down a lot of it, and YES spoiler alert she booked RIGHT after we finished this pod)sam just spent four days on avail hold for two commercials shooting in two different states at the same time.so let's talk about the in between. what do you actually do with your body and your brain when you don't know if you booked.Links: TM https://themembership.co/ Sam IG https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/ Gab IG https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/Timecodes: 00:00 — cold open, gab doesn't subscribe to her own podcast 04:00 — why sam can't live share the way gab does 05:00 — gab's elevator pitch, callback to network test to lawyer to nudity rider 12:00 — sam's story, two commercials on hold in two different states 17:00 — "booking the room" 22:00 — protecting your peace vs letting yourself feel it 26:00 — how to strengthen the waiting muscle, sam's booking song and gab's workouts 29:00 — why a co-star hold deserves the same respect as a series hold 32:00 — nudity riders, intimacy riders, and wikifeet 35:00 — wrap up

back from our little podcast break (which, tbh we recorded right before we left, so nothing actually changed). this week we're catching up: from rewatching old audition tapes to see who booked the roles we didn't, noticing how often "open ethnicity" breakdowns still end up going to white actresses, the pitt's wild filming schedule, the ick we sometimes feel around actors overselling their credits in their bios, and whether that reaction says more about us than about them. links:themembership.co@samvalentine@gabriellebyndlosschapters:01:00 – what's actually filming right now (rj decker, will trent, the pit, criminal minds)04:00 – rewatching old audition tapes and who booked instead06:00 – open ethnicity breakdowns and the industry backslide since 202014:00 – the pitt's unusual filming schedule and self-submitting for emmys16:00 – the dunkin' commercial that got away19:00 – how the podcast became a trust-building tool for their brand22:00 – why talking about acting off the clock feels different in LA vs elsewhere29:00 – bosch, legacy roles, and feeling defined by your biggest credit32:00 – picking up cues, feedback for future episodes36:00 – the instagram bio debate: overselling credits vs owning your wins44:00 – the dm pet peeve: asking for a full career plan for a five day trip

Why we're stepping away from the podcast for the month of July, and why we think you should be looking at your own schedule for what can come off your plate right now. Gab just took a full week off and we break down what that actually looked like (from nighttime resets to finally catching up on sleep debt) and what happens when you let yourself really disengage instead of half-assing a break...if you feel called out, hello!We also get into the industry side of stepping away: why booking out doesn't mean you're not dedicated to your career, + why agents actually respect it. Links:TM joinThe Headshot ClassSam IGGab IGChapters:00:00 Welcome back, and why we're taking July off from the podcast01:00 The industry slowdown and why this time of year hits different02:00 What you can let go of in these last few weeks before August04:00 What Gab's week off actually looked like06:00 Building a nighttime wind down routine09:00 Why disengaging has to be structured (and why that's okay)10:00 The steamboat mentality and why one person can't carry everything11:00 Booking out without the guilt13:00 Old school rep mentality vs how the industry actually works now14:00 Headshot Class wrap up and what's next with summer school inside the membership15:00 Sneak peek at what's coming: acting on camera skills, callbacks, and more