Arete Podcast #21: How to Make it in Hollywood with David Firestone

[00:00:38] All right, welcome everyone to this episode of the RTA Podcast. As always, I'm your host Jake and I'm joined this week by a very good but new friend of mine, David Firestone. How are you doing this afternoon, sir?

[00:00:51] I'm great, Jake. Thanks for having me on.

[00:00:54] The pleasure is all mine. So as you may know from the title, David is a, what is the technical term? Is it a talent agent or?

[00:01:05] I get called many names, but the official name is talent manager.

[00:01:11] Talent manager. Okay, so that's the, that's the guy that we always see in movies and TV that gets his 10% for getting the actor or model their, their gigs.

[00:01:19] Well, actually in LA, Los Angeles, there's two separations. There's a talent management group, which is, I'm part of talent management.

[00:01:27] And they usually, commission is a little bit higher because they're doing more work to help both the talent and all those things.

[00:01:33] And then the agent is the official, let's say booking person. So either term talent agent, they are monitored by SAG and they're 10% is their commission.

[00:01:48] So in California, New York is similar, but other states are more wide open.

[00:01:54] Gotcha. And you'll have to pardon my ignorance. It's one of the reasons I wanted to have you on.

[00:01:57] There's a lot of this stuff that kind of gets thrown around in just the zeitgeist, particularly in entertainment.

[00:02:03] I always get the sense that there's a lot of these jokes sort of that, you know, industry insiders and they're kind of for them, the, the winks and the nods for them that most of us should say, oh, that must be how it is.

[00:02:14] So you said you're more classified as a manager. So what, what is it that you do that say an agent wouldn't necessarily be responsible for?

[00:02:23] Oh boy, that's a tough question because what's happened over the years, there's been a delineation of how managers and agents were set up and now they have kind of moved together in many areas.

[00:02:37] But the officiant state of California, the talent agent is the booking part of the system.

[00:02:43] But now what's happened over the years in the submission game and the casting game, both agents can also, and managers can also submit.

[00:02:56] The difference is that agents are typically SAG franchised. They're, they're franchised by the Screen Actors Guild, SAG-AFTRA.

[00:03:05] And so they go through a process of becoming a franchise to them. And they also first have to go to the state to get a bond. So they pay a certain amount of money for a bond.

[00:03:15] And then they also, it used to be a stipulation to have an office and an administrator for an agent, but now it's been relaxed a little bit since COVID, right?

[00:03:24] Now on the management side of the house, to be able to do a little bit what agents do, which is submit talent, they have to go through the Talent Managers Association.

[00:03:33] If you look up online as TMA, Talent Managers Association, you'll see their website.

[00:03:39] And we're listed as one of their talent managers, Talent Managers Association.

[00:03:43] And they vet you, they take a look at you, make sure you're, you got all your, your act together, you know what you're doing, you're trained well, you know how to submit, how to manage.

[00:03:52] And you get a mentor, and they sign off on you. And then you're part of the Talent Managers Association.

[00:03:57] Obviously, there's dues involved in all those things. And then, then you go to breakdowns. And then they also vet you.

[00:04:03] So it's quite a vetting process here in Los Angeles. You go through to quite a few hoops to jump through that you don't anticipate when you first start this business.

[00:04:13] So it took us almost nine months to go through that process.

[00:04:16] It took us to get invented by the Talent Managers Association, it took us to get invented by Breakdowns, which is the organization, the big organization where most of the films, cast, go through to submit films and series.

[00:04:28] And then there's another group called Casting Network, which is more commercial type of submissions.

[00:04:33] So we submit on both those platforms, as do many agents.

[00:04:39] Gotcha. All right.

[00:04:40] So, and I, my management would be very displeased with me, because I have a very bad habit of introducing our sponsors at the top of the show.

[00:04:48] Today, this podcast is brought to you by The Road to Stardom with David Firestone and by our friends at Trophy Smack.

[00:04:54] We'll talk about both of those a little bit. Actually, we'll talk about yours right now.

[00:04:57] I guess that's a big reason why you're here.

[00:05:00] Tell the people out there.

[00:05:02] We've mentioned it a little bit in passing across the network, but it's best to get it right from the source.

[00:05:07] So what can viewers expect when they tune in to Road to Stardom with David Firestone?

[00:05:14] What we're attempting to do is tell the real story, what the ins and outs of Hollywood.

[00:05:19] You know, there's good, the bad, and the ugly in any situation, right?

[00:05:22] I love quoting Flannisiewicz films.

[00:05:24] But there's a lot of great things going on in Hollywood, a lot of awesome people at the same time that really can help shepherd you, mentor you in this business.

[00:05:32] So our goal is to help provide some of that mentorship, describe how the acting business works in a comfortable environment, talking with actors already established, new actors.

[00:05:46] We're going to be adding directors on soon and different types of individuals to that will come later on during our podcast sessions.

[00:05:54] And at the same time, some anecdotes about the business, hopefully some enjoyable behind-the-scenes conversations and anecdotes about what happens behind the business in a nice way.

[00:06:04] We don't want to throw anyone under the bus here and have fun doing it at the same time.

[00:06:09] Yeah, I will say, spoiler alert, I edit his podcast.

[00:06:14] So the first episode is out now, but as I'm editing it, I get to watch all the ones, at least the ones that I edit.

[00:06:20] So I'm watching this, I'm like, I already have a thousand questions.

[00:06:24] Because just like any other industry, once you get into it, there's a lot more than the surface level.

[00:06:31] And I'm only going to share some of those questions because some of them I know are going to be answered in the show.

[00:06:35] So you got to tune in for that.

[00:06:37] And you can check out Road to Stardom.

[00:06:39] It's the first link in the description on this video, but it's part of the RTA Podcast Pantheon.

[00:06:44] So you can find it on rtmedia.org, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, iHeartRadio.

[00:06:51] There's a lot of options out there.

[00:06:52] If you want to listen to it, you can easily find it.

[00:06:55] But I guess, and probably what the general YouTube audience wants to know is,

[00:07:01] let's say I'm a kid, if you will.

[00:07:04] I'm a young'un and I want to get my foot in the door in Hollywood.

[00:07:08] What's the best way to go about doing that, in your opinion?

[00:07:11] Because I know there's a lot of different ways, but in your opinion,

[00:07:14] what's the best way to really get your foot in the door?

[00:07:17] Well, before you even come to Hollywood, depending on where you're starting your career,

[00:07:23] whether you go into theater school, all the different New York Film Academy,

[00:07:27] the different great schools that are around the country that actors and also directors can go to,

[00:07:32] they can go to school for these disciplines also.

[00:07:35] It really depends on where you're at.

[00:07:37] But if you're talking about, let's take the acting role specifically,

[00:07:40] and say you did some theater work in high school, you're considering a career,

[00:07:44] you may take some postgraduate work or go to college for it.

[00:07:47] In that process, whether you go to film school or acting school for fine acting yourself,

[00:07:53] the best step is to go out there and get some in-camera experience.

[00:07:58] The theater is great.

[00:08:01] It's great to have that training when you're on stage and projecting you all those things,

[00:08:05] but sometimes it's a transition moving from the theater acting to film acting.

[00:08:12] It's a different craft, a little different way of doing things.

[00:08:15] It's still great to have that training because you learn how to talk

[00:08:18] and have very great diction in the theater field and learn how to interact with other theater actors

[00:08:25] and the audience where film is more controlled.

[00:08:28] You have a camera crew, you have other actors,

[00:08:31] and usually you have perhaps just a scene with another actor or you're in a room or a studio,

[00:08:35] or you have a bigger audience where you're on a bigger film set.

[00:08:40] But it's a very controlled environment compared to the theater experience.

[00:08:43] So that's something to study, you know, before you come to Hollywood, learn the differences,

[00:08:49] practice your craft.

[00:08:50] At the same time, get involved in student films.

[00:08:54] You know, go to your local community college, your local fine arts college.

[00:09:00] They're all doing student films.

[00:09:02] And there's a lot of local systems.

[00:09:06] I believe backstage is countrywide, so you can get on backstage,

[00:09:10] which is a system that a lot of students use to go on and get a little careful

[00:09:15] and watch what you're doing and make sure they're valid programs, valid films.

[00:09:19] But get some on-camera experience, even if it doesn't look that great in the beginning

[00:09:23] in terms of the results.

[00:09:25] It's a great way to learn the film business.

[00:09:28] It may be thinking of doing some things behind on the other side of the camera

[00:09:32] where you're behind the camera learning about production.

[00:09:35] Coming up to PA assistant.

[00:09:37] Learning how the production side.

[00:09:39] Because if you can understand both the production side of the business

[00:09:43] and the acting side of the business before you come to Hollywood,

[00:09:46] it's going to help you out a lot.

[00:09:48] I see a lot of actors that come here, and unfortunately,

[00:09:51] they haven't done any work producing or learning the back side of the other side of the camera.

[00:09:56] And that can be very helpful because then you understand the pressure

[00:09:59] that producers are under, that casting individuals are under

[00:10:02] to find that right talent.

[00:10:04] So it's very important to be punctual and be on time and do all those things.

[00:10:08] Sometimes actors don't always understand that process.

[00:10:11] So if you can learn that very early on, it's very helpful.

[00:10:14] I'll give you a really good example out of my own experience.

[00:10:17] When I first started the talent management business,

[00:10:19] I was an actor model when I was younger.

[00:10:22] I had to go back into the corporate world because of family responsibilities and did that for a number of years.

[00:10:27] And when I first started the talent management business 12 years ago,

[00:10:31] I was a little not fresh in what I was doing.

[00:10:34] So what I decided to do, even though I hadn't acted for a while on film,

[00:10:38] is to produce a film.

[00:10:40] So a bunch of our early talent that we had on board,

[00:10:44] one was a director, one was a screenwriter.

[00:10:46] We decided to produce their screenwriting on the film.

[00:10:50] And I did a little acting at that time.

[00:10:53] So that way it allowed me to produce a film,

[00:10:55] see what it was like to be the other side of the camera,

[00:10:58] directing side, the producing side, and also acting the film.

[00:11:00] So it gave me a really broad experience.

[00:11:02] It's very helpful for actors that come to Hollywood to understand that process.

[00:11:07] So those are important things.

[00:11:08] And when you get to Hollywood, you know, find a good team to work with.

[00:11:12] Those are some of the steps that you want to do before you even come here.

[00:11:17] Yeah.

[00:11:17] So to that, so just a couple of things.

[00:11:20] I don't, I can speak personally about the difficulty of finding actors

[00:11:24] and why it would be a fantastic idea to get involved with student films,

[00:11:27] particularly if you're not in California,

[00:11:29] I would imagine it's a good idea regardless,

[00:11:32] but I know you don't know this about me,

[00:11:34] but part of my schooling was actually a,

[00:11:38] it wasn't a film school,

[00:11:39] but it was a film and television program in an art school.

[00:11:43] And the hardest part, because I live in Indiana,

[00:11:47] the hardest part and why I dreaded those projects was because I knew I would need

[00:11:52] actors and I didn't know any actors.

[00:11:56] So you have to get your friends and your friends may not,

[00:11:59] as well as they may be intentioned.

[00:12:02] They're not actors,

[00:12:04] at least not all of them.

[00:12:05] You might look out and have a really good actor friend and ride their coattails to the top.

[00:12:08] I'm not one of those people.

[00:12:11] So I can speak to that.

[00:12:12] So yeah,

[00:12:13] even if it helps you,

[00:12:15] it helps the other people in the film program.

[00:12:17] Absolutely do that.

[00:12:19] And then going back to your first episode,

[00:12:21] personally,

[00:12:22] as someone who doesn't want to be an actor,

[00:12:24] but loves the entertainment industry and loves,

[00:12:26] really loves seeing people succeed.

[00:12:27] I thought Sean gave some fantastic advice in his interview that I had never thought about.

[00:12:34] And that was being versatile and being able to do numerous jobs on set.

[00:12:40] I know he has a background in race car driving,

[00:12:43] right?

[00:12:44] Yes.

[00:12:45] Yes.

[00:12:45] He loves race car driving.

[00:12:47] So it's great to be in that background.

[00:12:48] It allows him to do stunts on set.

[00:12:50] And it helps his career,

[00:12:52] gets him into the door when he wouldn't be able to otherwise,

[00:12:55] because of that stunt type experience.

[00:12:57] Not everyone has that,

[00:12:58] but you all have special skills,

[00:13:00] right?

[00:13:01] So that is singing or dancing or those types of things.

[00:13:05] A lot of the musicians do very well crossing over or singers crossing over into the acting

[00:13:11] business because they're in front of audiences every day and learn how to memorize lines.

[00:13:15] So they make a very good transition coming here to Hollywood because there are many roles where they look for a singer.

[00:13:21] And especially on the commercial side of the house,

[00:13:23] if you go watch commercials,

[00:13:25] I'm sure you have a lot of dancing going on.

[00:13:27] And some commercials,

[00:13:29] sometimes singing.

[00:13:30] So it's good to have that versatility that Sean was talking about.

[00:13:36] Absolutely.

[00:13:38] And we have talent,

[00:13:39] we know four or five or six languages.

[00:13:42] That's also very helpful.

[00:13:43] Yeah.

[00:13:44] I would imagine that gets you in the door just by virtue of that.

[00:13:47] And more than a few cases,

[00:13:49] you know,

[00:13:50] for example,

[00:13:51] Spanish,

[00:13:52] not being one,

[00:13:52] but for example,

[00:13:53] I know one of my,

[00:13:54] one of my top favorite films just that I love is Argo.

[00:13:57] So they needed,

[00:13:59] they needed about,

[00:14:00] I don't know,

[00:14:01] a dozen or so people that spoke Farsi.

[00:14:04] Right.

[00:14:05] So I would imagine Farsi,

[00:14:07] at least I know there are pockets everywhere.

[00:14:11] Right.

[00:14:11] But I imagine that's not as common as say Spanish would be in the United States.

[00:14:16] So you got to think,

[00:14:17] you got to think that a lot of those,

[00:14:19] at least a few of those actors got those parts in large part because they could speak Farsi.

[00:14:24] You also have to act.

[00:14:25] So I don't want to take anything away from them,

[00:14:27] but that's,

[00:14:28] that's a fantastic point.

[00:14:30] And then the other thing,

[00:14:31] which Sean didn't say this,

[00:14:32] but I kind of took it this way and it's great advice.

[00:14:35] Cause like I said,

[00:14:35] I'm all for people following their dreams,

[00:14:37] but sometimes not mentioning anyone specifically,

[00:14:41] but sometimes people's dreams are a little bit,

[00:14:43] not too big,

[00:14:44] but how do I say this?

[00:14:45] Like somebody,

[00:14:48] this fictional person might dream of becoming the next A-list actor.

[00:14:54] And that may not happen.

[00:14:55] That doesn't mean you can't have a wonderfully successful career in the entertainment industry.

[00:15:01] And Sean sort of touches on that in a way that I think a lot of people don't think about.

[00:15:06] So it's very encouraging.

[00:15:07] I would think to somebody that wants to get involved in motion pictures,

[00:15:10] especially if they just love it as an industry,

[00:15:14] it broadened it a lot,

[00:15:16] at least from my perspective.

[00:15:17] And like I said,

[00:15:18] I don't want to be an actor,

[00:15:19] but if I did,

[00:15:20] that would be very encouraging to me,

[00:15:22] especially in the beginning.

[00:15:24] The other thing,

[00:15:25] like this is,

[00:15:26] this sort of touches on the entertainment side of things,

[00:15:28] but I'm sure as a talent manager,

[00:15:31] you can speak to this.

[00:15:33] The perception that a lot of normal people like me have until they get a little bit wiser is that,

[00:15:39] you know,

[00:15:40] these extremely famous people that we all know,

[00:15:43] the A-listers seem to come out of nowhere and get famous overnight.

[00:15:49] And see,

[00:15:50] you're laughing.

[00:15:51] We know that's not the case.

[00:15:53] Oftentimes,

[00:15:55] would you say it's about 10,

[00:15:58] 12 years?

[00:16:00] Yeah.

[00:16:01] That's pretty typical.

[00:16:02] I mean,

[00:16:02] nothing doesn't happen.

[00:16:03] Anything's possible,

[00:16:04] right?

[00:16:05] But in most cases,

[00:16:07] they've been at it for a long time.

[00:16:09] Look at Zendaya.

[00:16:11] I mean,

[00:16:11] you think she came out of nowhere when she got onto the affordable.

[00:16:14] No,

[00:16:15] she was actually in the Disney world for many years as a youngster doing different TV shows,

[00:16:21] different things for Disney through her early years and then into teen years.

[00:16:25] And then all of a sudden,

[00:16:26] she's on Euphoria.

[00:16:27] Where did Zendaya come from?

[00:16:28] Well,

[00:16:28] she's been doing it for six or seven years prior to that.

[00:16:32] Same with many other actors,

[00:16:35] just like George Clooney.

[00:16:36] He was in a sitcom before he became that big star.

[00:16:41] He was working on ER.

[00:16:44] Before that,

[00:16:45] he was working,

[00:16:45] I believe,

[00:16:46] on one of the early Roseanne O'Donnell's show.

[00:16:49] He was on that show.

[00:16:50] He had long hair.

[00:16:51] No one really recognized or knew who he was.

[00:16:54] The true fans.

[00:16:55] Yeah.

[00:16:55] He came up to the ER show,

[00:16:58] and that gave him a lot of publicity through that series

[00:17:02] and then had the opportunity to go on and become Batman.

[00:17:07] That was his first big film role.

[00:17:09] That one time.

[00:17:10] And you think,

[00:17:11] where did Clooney come from?

[00:17:12] Well,

[00:17:13] he was in series for a while,

[00:17:14] so lots of people transition like that.

[00:17:17] Yeah.

[00:17:17] Hey,

[00:17:18] all the true fans remember that guest spot in the Golden Girls.

[00:17:22] Yeah,

[00:17:23] that's right.

[00:17:23] I think that is true.

[00:17:25] That's a head turner when you see that for the first time.

[00:17:28] Obviously,

[00:17:29] living post George Clooney.

[00:17:31] I always loved that,

[00:17:32] too.

[00:17:32] Going back,

[00:17:33] because I watch a lot of old TV and older movies,

[00:17:35] too,

[00:17:36] but usually well after the fact,

[00:17:38] obviously,

[00:17:39] most of them were on before I was born,

[00:17:41] or at least way too young to appreciate.

[00:17:43] And seeing people that are famous now,

[00:17:45] back then,

[00:17:47] it's wild.

[00:17:48] It's fun.

[00:17:48] It's a lot of fun.

[00:17:50] So other than...

[00:17:51] It's just like Bruce Willis,

[00:17:52] who got their start doing background work.

[00:17:55] That's also true.

[00:17:57] You can get typecast into that,

[00:17:59] but if you do a little bit of that,

[00:18:00] and there's nothing wrong with that,

[00:18:02] it doesn't pay the bills

[00:18:04] while you're here in Hollywood

[00:18:05] doing that kind of work.

[00:18:08] Yeah.

[00:18:08] And so another kind of more contemporary question I had,

[00:18:11] and this is just something I want to know personally.

[00:18:13] Definitely.

[00:18:13] I'm hearing a lot of people,

[00:18:14] you included,

[00:18:15] that are now,

[00:18:16] and I'm going to forget the term,

[00:18:18] it's self-tape auditions,

[00:18:20] right?

[00:18:20] That's becoming more and more of the norm.

[00:18:22] Can you explain to the audience

[00:18:24] sort of a more defined definition?

[00:18:27] Because,

[00:18:27] I mean,

[00:18:27] it's pretty self-explanatory,

[00:18:28] but how did that change?

[00:18:30] I know it probably changed during COVID,

[00:18:32] but what's the difference?

[00:18:33] And as a manager,

[00:18:34] do you think that's better or worse

[00:18:36] for the entertainment industry?

[00:18:39] It's a plus or minus for the industry,

[00:18:42] and it started before COVID.

[00:18:45] A few years before COVID,

[00:18:46] it was starting because

[00:18:47] former casting directors

[00:18:49] weren't using studios

[00:18:50] or having the budgets to use,

[00:18:53] to have a studio included in their budget

[00:18:54] to do casting,

[00:18:55] so it started moving towards self-tapes,

[00:18:58] and there's one big advantage for casting,

[00:19:02] and that is,

[00:19:03] you know,

[00:19:04] back in the day,

[00:19:06] when the actor in LA

[00:19:07] came into the casting office,

[00:19:09] they could only audition so many actors,

[00:19:13] and then when technology,

[00:19:15] you know,

[00:19:15] came to this advent of self-taping

[00:19:17] using a phone

[00:19:18] or using,

[00:19:18] doing Zoom or whatever

[00:19:20] on your computer,

[00:19:22] then it allowed casting

[00:19:24] to really look almost

[00:19:26] all around the world,

[00:19:28] even though most actors

[00:19:30] for a series are here in the U.S.,

[00:19:32] but they're coming from

[00:19:33] all around the world now

[00:19:34] because you can self-tape

[00:19:36] all across the country,

[00:19:37] and bring in actors

[00:19:38] because the casting,

[00:19:40] and you have to understand it,

[00:19:41] it makes a lot of sense

[00:19:42] from their perspective.

[00:19:43] They want to find the best actor

[00:19:44] for that role,

[00:19:45] whether it's what

[00:19:48] General Hospital likes to call

[00:19:49] under five roles,

[00:19:51] under five,

[00:19:52] which means under five lines,

[00:19:53] whether it's a reoccurring role

[00:19:56] or whether it's a top role,

[00:19:58] or the star roles.

[00:20:00] They want the best actor

[00:20:01] because they want to sell that show,

[00:20:02] so they want the best actor

[00:20:04] for that particular role.

[00:20:05] I was just on a session

[00:20:07] with one of the big casting directors,

[00:20:09] and they were talking about the numbers,

[00:20:10] and the reality is

[00:20:12] they look at three to four hundred actors

[00:20:15] for an under five role

[00:20:18] to audition,

[00:20:19] and there are two to four thousand actors

[00:20:22] which get submitted.

[00:20:23] So that's the kind of game

[00:20:24] that is going on here in Hollywood.

[00:20:27] The difficulty for actors,

[00:20:28] they don't have that ability

[00:20:30] or that chemistry

[00:20:31] that many times can happen.

[00:20:33] In a room,

[00:20:34] when you're in a room

[00:20:34] with casting,

[00:20:35] they will give you direction

[00:20:38] and give you changes.

[00:20:40] So that is kind of lost,

[00:20:42] unfortunately,

[00:20:43] and I don't think

[00:20:43] that's a good thing for the actors,

[00:20:45] but this is the world we're in now.

[00:20:48] Now, there is many times

[00:20:50] most casting submissions

[00:20:53] will allow an actor

[00:20:55] to do a Zoom session

[00:20:58] rather than a self-tape

[00:20:59] where you're taking your phone

[00:21:00] or whatever

[00:21:01] and you're taping yourself

[00:21:02] and then sending the tape in

[00:21:04] through their system.

[00:21:05] You're actually doing it live on Zoom.

[00:21:08] So that is one thing

[00:21:10] that's going on,

[00:21:11] which helps

[00:21:12] because that way

[00:21:13] casting sees you live,

[00:21:15] so to speak,

[00:21:16] and also they can give you adjustments.

[00:21:18] So that is available

[00:21:19] on many casting role opportunities.

[00:21:24] Not all,

[00:21:25] but many of them

[00:21:26] that used to be.

[00:21:28] Ironically,

[00:21:29] that's the theater side of the house.

[00:21:31] When I say theater,

[00:21:31] I'm talking about film,

[00:21:32] TV,

[00:21:33] cable,

[00:21:34] networks,

[00:21:35] streaming,

[00:21:36] commercials,

[00:21:37] that are actually doing

[00:21:38] more in-person editions

[00:21:39] than the theater side,

[00:21:40] which doesn't make sense,

[00:21:42] but that's what's going on.

[00:21:45] You'll see that more often

[00:21:47] than you have in the past,

[00:21:48] which is kind of crazy.

[00:21:49] They still do a lot of self-tape,

[00:21:51] but they do offer

[00:21:52] more in-person editions,

[00:21:53] which is kind of surprising.

[00:21:54] I'm not sure why

[00:21:55] that is exactly,

[00:21:56] but that's what's going on

[00:21:58] in Crazy Hollywood.

[00:21:59] Yeah,

[00:22:00] it's a mystery.

[00:22:00] So this is about to be

[00:22:02] probably the hardest-hitting question

[00:22:04] I'm going to have for you.

[00:22:05] Okay.

[00:22:07] It's not that bad.

[00:22:08] But this is the common misperception,

[00:22:11] or I don't even know

[00:22:12] if it's a misperception,

[00:22:13] it's a common perception,

[00:22:14] usually from the haters out there,

[00:22:16] but I think you're the perfect person

[00:22:19] to ask this question to.

[00:22:20] So we've all heard the cliche,

[00:22:22] it's not what you know

[00:22:24] or how good you are,

[00:22:25] it's who you know.

[00:22:27] Well, it's both.

[00:22:28] It's both, okay.

[00:22:30] It's both.

[00:22:30] Because I was going to ask you,

[00:22:32] I was going to ask you,

[00:22:32] how true is that statement?

[00:22:34] It's true to a point.

[00:22:36] I mean, it obviously helps

[00:22:37] to know the producer of a film

[00:22:39] and you can give them a call

[00:22:40] and say,

[00:22:40] hey, I got so-and-so,

[00:22:42] what do you think?

[00:22:42] But you also have to have talent

[00:22:45] because any major film,

[00:22:48] any large series,

[00:22:50] and I'm excluding short films

[00:22:52] and small independent films,

[00:22:54] which are more just

[00:22:55] in getting their film out there

[00:22:57] so people get to know them

[00:22:58] versus making money off of it.

[00:22:59] But obviously,

[00:23:00] the bigger studios

[00:23:01] and the series and Netflix

[00:23:02] and the streaming platforms

[00:23:03] and Amazon

[00:23:04] like to make money off

[00:23:05] what they're putting up

[00:23:06] on their platform.

[00:23:07] And Amazon's gotten much,

[00:23:08] let's say,

[00:23:10] pickier than they have

[00:23:10] in the past

[00:23:11] with their film

[00:23:12] that they've allowed

[00:23:13] to have on their platform.

[00:23:14] So you got to have the talent.

[00:23:17] You need to have both.

[00:23:19] There's no question,

[00:23:20] I know it's happened,

[00:23:21] I'm sure it has happened,

[00:23:22] but we're actors

[00:23:22] that bought themselves

[00:23:23] into a big film.

[00:23:25] But they might appear

[00:23:26] once or twice,

[00:23:27] but then they're gone.

[00:23:29] It won't be a lasting career.

[00:23:31] I'm not saying

[00:23:31] it doesn't happen,

[00:23:33] but it's not the way

[00:23:36] to sustain a career

[00:23:37] in Hollywood.

[00:23:38] The way to sustain

[00:23:40] a career in Hollywood

[00:23:41] is to perfect your craft,

[00:23:43] be excellent

[00:23:44] at everything you do,

[00:23:45] and then over time,

[00:23:47] as you build your resume

[00:23:48] and get in front of casting,

[00:23:50] that role,

[00:23:51] right role will come along

[00:23:52] that could take you

[00:23:54] to the next level.

[00:23:55] There are no guarantees

[00:23:56] in anything you do in life,

[00:23:57] right?

[00:23:59] With, you know,

[00:24:00] high risk comes high reward,

[00:24:01] but also can be

[00:24:03] hit the bottom

[00:24:04] with some actors

[00:24:05] that happens to them,

[00:24:06] right?

[00:24:07] So it's not an easy business.

[00:24:09] Well, no.

[00:24:10] And then,

[00:24:10] so the other thing too,

[00:24:12] and I will go ahead

[00:24:13] and let you know

[00:24:13] that this question

[00:24:14] is going to sound weird

[00:24:15] when I say this,

[00:24:16] but I'm not one of the people

[00:24:17] that believes this,

[00:24:18] but this is, again,

[00:24:19] a common criticism

[00:24:20] of, say,

[00:24:20] Hollywood A-listers,

[00:24:21] and professional athletes

[00:24:23] are usually the biggest,

[00:24:24] you know,

[00:24:25] victim of this perception,

[00:24:26] is that,

[00:24:27] I'm sure you've heard it

[00:24:29] a million times,

[00:24:29] like,

[00:24:29] I don't understand

[00:24:31] why they're paid so much.

[00:24:33] Yeah.

[00:24:35] And it's hard.

[00:24:37] That is hard

[00:24:38] for even people

[00:24:39] like me in the business

[00:24:40] to accept sometimes

[00:24:41] because if,

[00:24:43] the reality is

[00:24:44] if you look at

[00:24:44] some of the really

[00:24:46] A-list actors,

[00:24:47] they're getting paid

[00:24:48] millions of dollars

[00:24:49] and then the

[00:24:51] strong supporting cast

[00:24:53] is getting paid

[00:24:54] an eighth of that,

[00:24:56] male or female.

[00:24:58] So,

[00:24:58] that is

[00:25:00] true in many

[00:25:01] high-risk,

[00:25:03] high-profile professions.

[00:25:05] And one of the reasons

[00:25:06] is because

[00:25:09] these studio films,

[00:25:11] they need to make money.

[00:25:13] They got to sell their film.

[00:25:15] So,

[00:25:15] to sell that film,

[00:25:17] they need someone

[00:25:18] that's recognizable

[00:25:19] worldwide.

[00:25:21] And there are

[00:25:22] only so many

[00:25:23] of those actors

[00:25:24] that are out there.

[00:25:25] We know who they are.

[00:25:27] We see them on TV.

[00:25:27] We see them in the films.

[00:25:29] We see them

[00:25:30] in red carpet events.

[00:25:32] But again,

[00:25:32] what you have to keep in mind

[00:25:34] is they worked

[00:25:35] their way there.

[00:25:35] They,

[00:25:36] they,

[00:25:36] they didn't sit

[00:25:38] on their hands

[00:25:38] and do nothing.

[00:25:39] I mentioned George Clooney

[00:25:40] before.

[00:25:41] He worked his butt off

[00:25:42] doing episodic work

[00:25:43] before he got

[00:25:44] into the film business.

[00:25:46] And just like Zendaya

[00:25:47] worked a lot

[00:25:47] as a teenager,

[00:25:48] as a kid,

[00:25:49] doing work

[00:25:50] that other children

[00:25:51] may not have wanted

[00:25:52] to do that

[00:25:52] or made that commitment

[00:25:53] or that sacrifice

[00:25:54] because you could argue

[00:25:56] she lost a lot

[00:25:56] of her childhood

[00:25:57] doing that,

[00:25:58] right?

[00:25:59] So,

[00:25:59] because when you're on set,

[00:26:00] you're on set for hours.

[00:26:01] You have a tutor on set.

[00:26:03] You're not in a classroom.

[00:26:04] You're doing that stuff.

[00:26:05] Right.

[00:26:05] So,

[00:26:05] they've all made sacrifices

[00:26:08] to do the things

[00:26:09] they had to do

[00:26:10] to get there.

[00:26:10] I'm not saying

[00:26:12] just because you do that

[00:26:13] you're guaranteed

[00:26:14] anything.

[00:26:15] There's no guarantees,

[00:26:17] but your percentages

[00:26:18] are much higher.

[00:26:20] Just like

[00:26:22] the great

[00:26:24] football players.

[00:26:25] They've been playing

[00:26:25] football since

[00:26:26] peewee level football,

[00:26:28] right?

[00:26:28] Yeah.

[00:26:29] Yeah.

[00:26:30] It's sort of.

[00:26:30] It's sort of young.

[00:26:31] They kept playing

[00:26:32] and playing

[00:26:32] and cracking

[00:26:33] their crap,

[00:26:34] working harder

[00:26:34] so they could get

[00:26:36] to the top

[00:26:37] of the heap,

[00:26:38] so to speak.

[00:26:39] So,

[00:26:39] it's frustrating

[00:26:40] on this end

[00:26:41] because you feel like,

[00:26:43] God,

[00:26:43] how are you going

[00:26:44] to get there?

[00:26:44] How are you going

[00:26:45] to climb that mountain?

[00:26:46] Well,

[00:26:46] it's step by step.

[00:26:47] Yeah.

[00:26:47] Step by step.

[00:26:48] Yeah.

[00:26:49] That sort of goes back

[00:26:50] to the overnight

[00:26:50] success sentiment.

[00:26:52] It's like,

[00:26:52] you illustrated

[00:26:52] perfectly with the

[00:26:53] football players.

[00:26:54] It's like,

[00:26:56] nobody gets

[00:26:57] to the NFL

[00:26:58] that started playing

[00:26:59] football

[00:27:00] their junior year

[00:27:01] in high school.

[00:27:03] That's just not.

[00:27:04] It happens,

[00:27:05] but it's unusual.

[00:27:06] Okay,

[00:27:06] yeah.

[00:27:07] So,

[00:27:07] that's certainly

[00:27:07] not the norm.

[00:27:08] I was going to say,

[00:27:09] yeah,

[00:27:09] maybe that's probably

[00:27:10] not a true statement.

[00:27:11] Rudy,

[00:27:11] Rudy,

[00:27:12] Rudy,

[00:27:12] he came off there.

[00:27:14] He didn't go

[00:27:14] to the NFL.

[00:27:15] He used to play

[00:27:15] football at least

[00:27:16] in high school.

[00:27:17] Yeah,

[00:27:17] yeah,

[00:27:17] yeah,

[00:27:18] Fair enough.

[00:27:18] Fair enough.

[00:27:19] So,

[00:27:20] actually,

[00:27:20] I changed my mind.

[00:27:21] This is the hardest

[00:27:21] hitting question

[00:27:22] and this one might

[00:27:24] actually get you some

[00:27:25] heat if you're

[00:27:26] not careful.

[00:27:29] What's the best movie

[00:27:29] ever made?

[00:27:31] Oh,

[00:27:31] come on now.

[00:27:32] That's just not.

[00:27:33] That's not acceptable.

[00:27:35] I have several best movies

[00:27:37] never made.

[00:27:38] If you can amend that

[00:27:40] to what my

[00:27:43] favorite movie is,

[00:27:44] that's also one of

[00:27:45] the best made movies.

[00:27:46] That's what I'm getting at.

[00:27:47] What's your favorite movie?

[00:27:48] I can tell you that

[00:27:49] and it's going to go back

[00:27:50] a minute because

[00:27:51] I'll admit I'm a horror,

[00:27:53] a little bit of a horror freak.

[00:27:54] Not,

[00:27:54] not slasher,

[00:27:55] but a horror freak.

[00:27:57] And I,

[00:27:57] I love Alfred Hitchcock

[00:27:58] as a director.

[00:27:59] I thought the birds

[00:28:00] was just,

[00:28:01] for that time period

[00:28:02] when that film was shot

[00:28:04] and the special effects

[00:28:06] that he had

[00:28:06] with the birds

[00:28:07] and everything else,

[00:28:08] that,

[00:28:08] that was just incredible.

[00:28:11] Because I,

[00:28:11] I watched that

[00:28:12] when I was a kid.

[00:28:13] Scared the heck out of me.

[00:28:14] I'm doing my age one.

[00:28:15] Scared the heck out of me.

[00:28:16] It was a rerun.

[00:28:18] But,

[00:28:18] um,

[00:28:19] I still,

[00:28:20] it's still to this day

[00:28:21] that film

[00:28:22] stands the test of time.

[00:28:24] Many of Alfred Hitchcock's films

[00:28:26] do stand the test of time.

[00:28:28] I'm going to sneak

[00:28:28] another one in.

[00:28:30] Jaws,

[00:28:30] Steven Spielberg.

[00:28:32] And that is

[00:28:33] another one of my,

[00:28:34] I don't know if I can call it

[00:28:36] my favorite,

[00:28:36] but I think one of the best films

[00:28:37] ever made

[00:28:38] considering the amount of

[00:28:41] special effects

[00:28:42] that it looks so real

[00:28:43] and so

[00:28:45] not fake.

[00:28:46] That,

[00:28:47] he's just an incredible director.

[00:28:49] Incredible director.

[00:28:50] Oh,

[00:28:50] oh yeah,

[00:28:51] oh yeah.

[00:28:51] But no,

[00:28:52] your,

[00:28:52] your answer to the birds

[00:28:53] actually both,

[00:28:55] uh,

[00:28:56] it surprises me a little bit

[00:28:57] because the birds

[00:28:58] is an often

[00:28:59] overlooked

[00:29:00] or sort of

[00:29:01] purposefully derided

[00:29:02] Hitchcock show.

[00:29:04] I know,

[00:29:04] for some reason

[00:29:04] I don't know why.

[00:29:05] Well,

[00:29:05] I'm convinced that people

[00:29:07] that,

[00:29:07] you know,

[00:29:08] talk trash about it

[00:29:09] have actually never seen it

[00:29:10] because it's a terrifying movie.

[00:29:12] It is.

[00:29:13] It's so well done

[00:29:14] and,

[00:29:15] uh,

[00:29:16] I'm not sure

[00:29:16] what their issues

[00:29:17] would be with it,

[00:29:18] but.

[00:29:19] Well,

[00:29:20] again,

[00:29:20] I don't,

[00:29:21] I don't think people

[00:29:22] have seen it

[00:29:22] because I don't know

[00:29:24] how you can have

[00:29:24] a negative opinion

[00:29:25] of it,

[00:29:25] even if it's not

[00:29:26] your favorite.

[00:29:27] I don't really know

[00:29:27] how you can have

[00:29:28] a negative opinion

[00:29:29] of it if you've

[00:29:30] seen the movie.

[00:29:32] And it may have been

[00:29:33] because I still have

[00:29:34] memories of a child

[00:29:35] and that's why

[00:29:35] I was so impacted

[00:29:38] that,

[00:29:39] uh,

[00:29:39] I still have

[00:29:41] uh,

[00:29:41] that thought about

[00:29:42] that particular film

[00:29:43] because,

[00:29:44] I mean,

[00:29:45] it's crazy

[00:29:46] how they did

[00:29:46] the special effects.

[00:29:47] Maybe some people

[00:29:48] were worried about

[00:29:48] what happened

[00:29:49] to the birds

[00:29:49] and some of them

[00:29:50] didn't end up

[00:29:51] very well,

[00:29:52] but I don't know

[00:29:52] if that's what's

[00:29:53] going on.

[00:29:53] but I understand

[00:29:55] that part,

[00:29:55] but I've never

[00:29:56] heard,

[00:29:57] I've never heard

[00:29:58] that from anybody.

[00:29:59] So,

[00:30:01] yeah,

[00:30:02] yeah,

[00:30:02] maybe,

[00:30:03] maybe.

[00:30:04] Okay,

[00:30:04] I don't think,

[00:30:04] I don't think,

[00:30:05] I don't think

[00:30:05] you'll get,

[00:30:06] I don't think

[00:30:06] you'll get any,

[00:30:07] any,

[00:30:07] any hate off of that.

[00:30:08] I don't,

[00:30:09] I don't think so.

[00:30:10] And I mean,

[00:30:11] the worst thing

[00:30:11] somebody can say

[00:30:12] about Jaws

[00:30:13] is they can say

[00:30:13] this,

[00:30:14] they can say

[00:30:15] that some of the

[00:30:15] special effects

[00:30:16] are dated.

[00:30:17] I,

[00:30:17] I disagree.

[00:30:18] I'm a big

[00:30:18] practical effects

[00:30:19] guy.

[00:30:19] I'd much rather

[00:30:20] see,

[00:30:21] um,

[00:30:21] mechanical shark

[00:30:22] that might be

[00:30:23] just a bit

[00:30:24] janky as opposed

[00:30:25] to a bad looking

[00:30:26] CGI one.

[00:30:27] That's just me.

[00:30:28] That's just me.

[00:30:30] Um,

[00:30:31] what?

[00:30:32] Oh my God.

[00:30:33] It's that harkens

[00:30:35] back to an,

[00:30:36] uh,

[00:30:36] an era of

[00:30:37] filmmaking where I

[00:30:40] don't know exactly

[00:30:40] what changed.

[00:30:41] Cause again,

[00:30:42] I'm not an industry

[00:30:43] insider and I,

[00:30:45] I wouldn't be able

[00:30:46] to point to a

[00:30:46] specific shift,

[00:30:47] but this is a movie

[00:30:49] where on the surface

[00:30:51] it's about these guys

[00:30:52] trying to get this

[00:30:53] shark,

[00:30:53] but it's,

[00:30:54] it's not that at all.

[00:30:55] There's so much more

[00:30:56] to it.

[00:30:57] Even the,

[00:30:58] even the side

[00:30:59] characters are layered

[00:31:00] and nuanced and

[00:31:01] they're given a

[00:31:03] 110%.

[00:31:03] Nobody's phoning it

[00:31:05] in.

[00:31:05] Yeah.

[00:31:06] It's everything is

[00:31:07] just the camaraderie.

[00:31:08] It's everything about

[00:31:09] the film.

[00:31:09] I really,

[00:31:10] it's the family part

[00:31:12] scenes that we got

[00:31:14] Richard Dreyfuss is

[00:31:15] credible.

[00:31:16] And so with many of

[00:31:17] the other actors in

[00:31:17] that film were just

[00:31:18] amazing.

[00:31:19] Yes.

[00:31:20] It's a fantastic film

[00:31:22] that stand again.

[00:31:23] It was a genre that

[00:31:24] changed filming.

[00:31:26] As did Alfred

[00:31:27] Hitchcock's films.

[00:31:28] Had a great impact.

[00:31:30] Now,

[00:31:30] obviously there's gone

[00:31:30] with the wind.

[00:31:31] And,

[00:31:31] you know,

[00:31:32] but that's,

[00:31:33] that's kind of like,

[00:31:34] okay,

[00:31:35] it's a great film,

[00:31:36] but it's,

[00:31:36] it's not something

[00:31:38] that changed the

[00:31:39] film world.

[00:31:39] I mean,

[00:31:40] it was great for

[00:31:41] its time,

[00:31:42] but,

[00:31:42] uh,

[00:31:43] I just think

[00:31:44] there are other

[00:31:44] films now that

[00:31:45] really had an

[00:31:45] impact.

[00:31:46] And of course,

[00:31:47] you could talk

[00:31:48] about the

[00:31:48] Exorcist.

[00:31:51] So this will get,

[00:31:52] so this will get

[00:31:53] me hate.

[00:31:54] Yeah.

[00:31:55] Yeah.

[00:31:55] This will get me

[00:31:56] hate.

[00:31:56] Now,

[00:31:57] the Exorcist is,

[00:31:58] the Exorcist is one

[00:32:00] of those movies where

[00:32:00] I totally understand.

[00:32:02] I totally understand

[00:32:03] how it was terrifying

[00:32:04] when it came out.

[00:32:06] Um,

[00:32:06] today,

[00:32:07] I said this more

[00:32:08] than once today,

[00:32:08] I can watch that,

[00:32:10] that entire movie and

[00:32:11] the opening scene of

[00:32:12] Scary Movie 2,

[00:32:13] and they're essentially

[00:32:14] the same thing to me.

[00:32:16] Yeah.

[00:32:17] Yeah.

[00:32:17] They're just,

[00:32:17] they're kind of like

[00:32:18] something to laugh at.

[00:32:20] Anymore,

[00:32:21] but I definitely respect

[00:32:22] the Exorcist and what

[00:32:23] it did.

[00:32:24] It's just over the

[00:32:25] passage of time,

[00:32:26] it just,

[00:32:27] it just doesn't hold

[00:32:28] up as well as it did.

[00:32:29] And that's,

[00:32:30] eh,

[00:32:31] I'm not going to say

[00:32:31] it's a shame because

[00:32:32] that sounds like it

[00:32:33] blames them.

[00:32:34] And you can't blame

[00:32:36] people making films

[00:32:37] in the seventies for

[00:32:38] things not holding up.

[00:32:39] They were working

[00:32:40] with what they had.

[00:32:41] So you can't,

[00:32:41] right.

[00:32:41] It's like people that

[00:32:43] make fun of Star Trek

[00:32:44] for the janky special

[00:32:44] effects.

[00:32:45] It was 1966.

[00:32:46] What do you want

[00:32:47] from?

[00:32:47] Right.

[00:32:47] Exactly.

[00:32:48] That time period,

[00:32:50] it was pretty incredible.

[00:32:51] I mean,

[00:32:52] and,

[00:32:54] you know,

[00:32:55] they had,

[00:32:56] they had oxygen

[00:32:58] tanks in the theaters.

[00:33:01] Oh,

[00:33:01] during the Exorcist,

[00:33:02] yeah.

[00:33:03] For Exorcist,

[00:33:04] they had portable,

[00:33:05] people were passing

[00:33:06] out in the theater.

[00:33:07] They needed oxygen.

[00:33:09] It's not what's going

[00:33:10] on.

[00:33:11] There's nothing,

[00:33:11] there was nothing

[00:33:12] like that before.

[00:33:14] Yeah.

[00:33:15] So we got to this story.

[00:33:17] I hope you don't get

[00:33:17] much hate mail.

[00:33:18] Nah,

[00:33:19] if,

[00:33:20] if anybody will,

[00:33:20] it'll be me.

[00:33:21] Cause I'm the one

[00:33:21] that naysays the Exorcist.

[00:33:23] I still,

[00:33:23] don't get me wrong.

[00:33:24] I still,

[00:33:24] it's still absolutely

[00:33:26] worth seeing.

[00:33:27] It's just comparatively

[00:33:29] speaking,

[00:33:29] it doesn't hold up as well,

[00:33:30] but it's like

[00:33:31] gone with the wind,

[00:33:32] gone with the wind

[00:33:33] is worth seeing,

[00:33:33] but it doesn't really

[00:33:34] hold up.

[00:33:35] Cause the,

[00:33:35] the whole,

[00:33:37] that whole thing

[00:33:37] is not,

[00:33:38] it's not that way

[00:33:39] anymore.

[00:33:39] Right.

[00:33:39] But,

[00:33:40] um,

[00:33:41] the same with the Exorcist,

[00:33:42] but it still is a classic

[00:33:44] horror film.

[00:33:46] And what I like about it

[00:33:47] is the underlaying

[00:33:48] aspect of it,

[00:33:50] where it just scares

[00:33:50] the heck out of it.

[00:33:51] with nothing really even

[00:33:52] going on.

[00:33:53] Yeah.

[00:33:53] Cause it's just incredible

[00:33:54] actors and great

[00:33:56] filmographers

[00:33:57] on that,

[00:33:57] on that set.

[00:34:00] Yeah.

[00:34:00] And it's,

[00:34:01] and it's iconic.

[00:34:01] You can't argue with that,

[00:34:02] but this is the part where

[00:34:03] I'm going to let you

[00:34:04] plug yourself a little bit.

[00:34:06] So your agency,

[00:34:07] your,

[00:34:07] your management company,

[00:34:08] Firestone Talent,

[00:34:10] what separates

[00:34:11] Firestone Talent

[00:34:12] and why should a

[00:34:13] prospective actor

[00:34:14] or entertain,

[00:34:15] cause you'd work with

[00:34:15] models and you said

[00:34:16] you're starting with

[00:34:17] directors too,

[00:34:18] correct?

[00:34:18] I got that right.

[00:34:20] Well,

[00:34:21] we almost started

[00:34:21] with actors.

[00:34:22] Yeah.

[00:34:23] Okay.

[00:34:23] Oh,

[00:34:23] myself.

[00:34:24] Oh,

[00:34:24] I was a model and

[00:34:25] that's not necessarily

[00:34:28] what we're looking for.

[00:34:29] We do a model is very

[00:34:30] good for commercials

[00:34:30] because they have

[00:34:31] certain different looks

[00:34:32] that commercials are

[00:34:33] looking for.

[00:34:34] But our focus for the

[00:34:35] mechanic has always

[00:34:36] been actors.

[00:34:37] We have some really

[00:34:38] great screenwriters

[00:34:39] and also directors.

[00:34:41] Now,

[00:34:41] most of the directors

[00:34:42] we have on now

[00:34:43] are also our actors

[00:34:44] who also started to

[00:34:45] direct.

[00:34:47] And,

[00:34:47] uh,

[00:34:48] we,

[00:34:48] uh,

[00:34:49] so right now

[00:34:50] we don't really

[00:34:51] represent just

[00:34:52] directors because

[00:34:53] we have our hands

[00:34:54] full with actors.

[00:34:56] So I think

[00:34:56] the,

[00:34:57] our standout is that

[00:34:58] we really care about

[00:34:59] our actors and

[00:35:00] we really help

[00:35:02] mentor them

[00:35:02] with their craft

[00:35:04] and train them.

[00:35:05] We provide

[00:35:06] coaching.

[00:35:08] So we provide

[00:35:09] our own list of

[00:35:10] headshot people

[00:35:11] to go to that

[00:35:13] are separate from

[00:35:14] Firestone Town

[00:35:14] but do great

[00:35:15] headshots.

[00:35:16] Reels,

[00:35:16] we also have

[00:35:17] people who help

[00:35:18] with reels.

[00:35:19] So we provide,

[00:35:21] I hate to use

[00:35:21] the word full

[00:35:22] service.

[00:35:22] There's nothing

[00:35:23] like a full

[00:35:23] service situation

[00:35:24] but we,

[00:35:25] because we can't,

[00:35:26] it's impossible

[00:35:26] one management

[00:35:27] firm cannot do

[00:35:28] that but

[00:35:29] we believe in

[00:35:30] it's a team

[00:35:30] effort.

[00:35:31] Everyone has

[00:35:31] to chip in

[00:35:32] and be supportive

[00:35:33] and move forward

[00:35:35] with things.

[00:35:37] So at this

[00:35:38] point,

[00:35:39] because before I

[00:35:40] let you plug

[00:35:40] yourself much

[00:35:41] more,

[00:35:41] I want to make

[00:35:42] sure that you're,

[00:35:42] are you looking

[00:35:43] for more talent

[00:35:45] to represent

[00:35:45] or are you

[00:35:46] pretty?

[00:35:47] Yeah, I was

[00:35:48] trying to avoid

[00:35:49] that.

[00:35:51] I didn't want to

[00:35:51] say no

[00:35:53] because we,

[00:35:54] but we're always

[00:35:55] looking and the

[00:35:56] reason I say that

[00:35:56] is because we,

[00:35:58] we have a,

[00:35:59] we do have quite

[00:35:59] a few talent

[00:36:00] now but we're

[00:36:01] always looking

[00:36:02] for different

[00:36:03] looks,

[00:36:05] different types

[00:36:06] of actors

[00:36:06] because you

[00:36:07] never know,

[00:36:08] we might find

[00:36:08] that one special

[00:36:09] person that

[00:36:10] could make a

[00:36:11] difference for us.

[00:36:12] So hit us up,

[00:36:15] say hello,

[00:36:15] be happy to,

[00:36:16] regardless of

[00:36:17] whether you're

[00:36:17] right for

[00:36:18] Firestone talent,

[00:36:19] we're always

[00:36:19] happy to talk

[00:36:20] to someone and

[00:36:21] lead them on a

[00:36:22] different path

[00:36:23] if it's not

[00:36:23] right for us.

[00:36:24] So yes,

[00:36:25] we are always

[00:36:26] looking,

[00:36:26] keeping our eye

[00:36:27] out for talent,

[00:36:28] great talent.

[00:36:29] The one thing I

[00:36:30] will say is we

[00:36:30] focus a lot more

[00:36:31] now on those

[00:36:32] talents that have

[00:36:33] credits already

[00:36:35] versus

[00:36:35] developmental

[00:36:36] talent because

[00:36:36] we have

[00:36:38] several of those

[00:36:39] already but

[00:36:40] again,

[00:36:41] if you're

[00:36:42] young and

[00:36:42] you're looking

[00:36:43] for some

[00:36:45] help getting

[00:36:45] into the

[00:36:45] business,

[00:36:46] we're still

[00:36:46] your team.

[00:36:47] It's just a

[00:36:47] matter of the

[00:36:48] right look,

[00:36:49] the right

[00:36:49] situation,

[00:36:51] all those

[00:36:51] things we

[00:36:53] have to

[00:36:53] evaluate early

[00:36:56] on to see if

[00:36:57] it makes sense.

[00:36:58] Does that

[00:36:59] sound like a

[00:37:00] good answer?

[00:37:00] Absolutely,

[00:37:01] because the

[00:37:02] sort of the

[00:37:02] goal with this

[00:37:04] particular podcast

[00:37:05] that we're

[00:37:05] doing right

[00:37:05] now is

[00:37:07] if somebody's

[00:37:08] aspiring to

[00:37:09] be an actor

[00:37:10] or an actress,

[00:37:11] what tools do

[00:37:12] they need?

[00:37:12] What steps can

[00:37:12] they take?

[00:37:13] First step you

[00:37:13] should really

[00:37:14] do after you're

[00:37:15] done watching

[00:37:15] this one,

[00:37:15] of course,

[00:37:16] is go and

[00:37:17] subscribe and

[00:37:18] watch Road to

[00:37:19] Stardom and

[00:37:20] you'll get a lot

[00:37:22] of tips and

[00:37:23] advice and it's

[00:37:24] all free.

[00:37:24] You'll get to

[00:37:25] know David a

[00:37:26] little bit

[00:37:26] better and

[00:37:27] like he said,

[00:37:27] get some credits.

[00:37:28] So those two

[00:37:29] things you can

[00:37:29] start doing

[00:37:30] right out of

[00:37:30] the gate.

[00:37:31] That's right.

[00:37:32] Now that being

[00:37:33] said, this is

[00:37:33] more of a,

[00:37:34] because the other

[00:37:35] thing about the

[00:37:35] RRT podcast,

[00:37:36] I don't know,

[00:37:37] are you familiar

[00:37:37] with the word

[00:37:37] RRT at all?

[00:37:40] I think I've

[00:37:40] heard it.

[00:37:41] I'm not totally

[00:37:42] familiar with it.

[00:37:43] So RRT doesn't

[00:37:44] have a literal

[00:37:45] translation into

[00:37:46] English, but

[00:37:47] essentially, and

[00:37:48] at least it has

[00:37:48] a lot of

[00:37:49] definitions too,

[00:37:50] but the definition

[00:37:50] I like and the

[00:37:52] reason I named

[00:37:52] my company this is

[00:37:53] because RRT is

[00:37:55] an ancient Greek

[00:37:57] virtue in

[00:37:58] which it's

[00:37:59] the virtue of

[00:38:00] being excellent

[00:38:01] at everything you

[00:38:03] do.

[00:38:03] I'm sorry, you

[00:38:04] did tell me that.

[00:38:05] You did tell me

[00:38:06] that once.

[00:38:06] I'm so sorry.

[00:38:07] Oh yeah, I

[00:38:07] think that was

[00:38:07] on Toontalk.

[00:38:10] I'm so sorry.

[00:38:11] Oh no, you're

[00:38:12] fine.

[00:38:12] I'm remiss for

[00:38:13] not remembering

[00:38:14] that.

[00:38:14] It's for the

[00:38:15] viewers as well.

[00:38:16] That's a great

[00:38:16] name.

[00:38:17] I love that.

[00:38:17] Okay.

[00:38:26] It means to be

[00:38:27] the best, whatever

[00:38:28] it is you're

[00:38:29] doing, you be

[00:38:30] the best that

[00:38:31] you can possibly

[00:38:32] do.

[00:38:32] Because for

[00:38:33] example, I'm

[00:38:35] not a runner, but

[00:38:36] if I chose to

[00:38:36] run a marathon,

[00:38:39] my RRT in that

[00:38:40] moment would be

[00:38:41] to run the best

[00:38:42] marathon I

[00:38:43] possibly can.

[00:38:44] I'm probably not

[00:38:45] going to win, but

[00:38:46] you know, it's

[00:38:48] better to try and

[00:38:49] do your best than

[00:38:50] not do it at all.

[00:38:51] But that being

[00:38:52] said, there are

[00:38:54] people out there

[00:38:54] who may be

[00:38:55] hesitant to

[00:38:56] try their hand

[00:38:58] at acting because

[00:38:59] they may feel

[00:39:00] that they don't

[00:39:01] fit the mold, so

[00:39:02] to speak.

[00:39:05] And what

[00:39:06] advice would you

[00:39:07] give those

[00:39:08] people if

[00:39:08] they're passionate

[00:39:10] and love it, but

[00:39:11] they're just a

[00:39:11] little scared that

[00:39:12] they might not

[00:39:13] fit the mold, so

[00:39:14] to speak?

[00:39:16] You know, all

[00:39:17] I can say is

[00:39:18] follow your heart.

[00:39:19] What is your

[00:39:19] heart telling you

[00:39:20] to do?

[00:39:20] Don't worry

[00:39:21] about what

[00:39:23] you don't

[00:39:24] restrict

[00:39:25] yourself.

[00:39:27] Even I have

[00:39:27] actors who

[00:39:28] get them

[00:39:29] on auditions,

[00:39:30] like, why

[00:39:30] do you think

[00:39:31] you can't do

[00:39:32] that?

[00:39:32] What are you

[00:39:32] talking about?

[00:39:34] You're an

[00:39:34] actor.

[00:39:35] Stretch

[00:39:36] yourself.

[00:39:38] Step up and

[00:39:39] just give it

[00:39:39] your best shot.

[00:39:40] If you fall

[00:39:40] short, it's

[00:39:41] not the end

[00:39:41] of the world.

[00:39:42] You have a

[00:39:42] new experience

[00:39:44] now that you

[00:39:44] can be part

[00:39:46] of you, part

[00:39:47] of your

[00:39:47] personality that

[00:39:48] you can use

[00:39:48] for other

[00:39:49] areas of your

[00:39:50] life, even

[00:39:51] if it doesn't

[00:39:52] work out exactly

[00:39:53] the way you'd

[00:39:53] like it to.

[00:39:55] Yeah, and

[00:39:55] there's a ton

[00:39:57] of stories of

[00:39:58] people, even

[00:39:58] Hollywood, maybe

[00:40:00] not A-listers, but

[00:40:01] names in Hollywood,

[00:40:02] names that you

[00:40:03] would recognize.

[00:40:04] People that

[00:40:04] audition for one

[00:40:05] part, and then

[00:40:06] they don't get

[00:40:07] that part, but

[00:40:07] they get offered

[00:40:08] another one, and

[00:40:08] it turns into a

[00:40:09] career-defining

[00:40:10] moment.

[00:40:11] Are you the

[00:40:12] manager?

[00:40:13] You're becoming

[00:40:14] the manager.

[00:40:15] Which,

[00:40:15] she just

[00:40:17] has a

[00:40:17] position here,

[00:40:18] because I

[00:40:24] actually audition

[00:40:25] a talent, and

[00:40:26] if they see

[00:40:26] something in that

[00:40:27] talent, they'll

[00:40:27] put them on a

[00:40:27] check, they'll

[00:40:28] put them on the

[00:40:28] list, and they

[00:40:29] see a role that

[00:40:30] they think may be

[00:40:30] a better fit,

[00:40:31] because they don't

[00:40:31] really know until

[00:40:32] they see the

[00:40:32] tape whether it's

[00:40:33] the right fit,

[00:40:34] because we all

[00:40:34] have different

[00:40:35] personalities, and

[00:40:36] for that particular

[00:40:36] role, it just may

[00:40:37] not be their

[00:40:38] right fit for it,

[00:40:38] whether it's the

[00:40:40] type of personality,

[00:40:41] the look, the

[00:40:43] interface with other

[00:40:44] actors, or what

[00:40:45] they want to see, so

[00:40:48] I think that's an

[00:40:50] excellent point.

[00:40:52] Yeah, no, absolutely,

[00:40:54] and I don't mean to

[00:40:56] disparage, because I'm

[00:40:57] going to use her as

[00:40:58] an example, and I'm

[00:40:59] not saying anybody's

[00:41:00] ugly, you know, don't

[00:41:02] hate me for this, but

[00:41:03] it's a great example

[00:41:04] because she's had an

[00:41:05] exceptional career,

[00:41:06] and she's one of

[00:41:07] many, so you have

[00:41:08] like your people,

[00:41:10] like Kathy Bates,

[00:41:11] for example, who

[00:41:11] don't fit the

[00:41:12] typical, you know,

[00:41:14] female A-lister lead

[00:41:16] mold that people

[00:41:17] perceive to be there,

[00:41:18] however, Kathy Bates

[00:41:20] has been in a ton

[00:41:21] of movies, and

[00:41:22] she kills it, she

[00:41:24] kills it, everything

[00:41:26] I've ever seen her

[00:41:26] in, yeah, everything,

[00:41:28] everything I've seen

[00:41:29] her in, she just

[00:41:30] nails it, and it's

[00:41:33] more common than you

[00:41:33] think, another one I

[00:41:34] can think of is,

[00:41:35] say, you know, Steve

[00:41:35] Buscemi, who, again,

[00:41:37] doesn't fit the

[00:41:38] typical mold of what

[00:41:39] you would consider

[00:41:40] like a Hollywood

[00:41:41] A-list actor, but

[00:41:42] he's got a lot of

[00:41:43] credits, and I

[00:41:45] don't recall ever

[00:41:46] seeing him in a

[00:41:47] role where I felt

[00:41:48] that he wasn't a

[00:41:49] good fit at all,

[00:41:51] he's got it.

[00:41:52] No, it's very true,

[00:41:52] just look at Joe

[00:41:53] Buscemi, who would

[00:41:54] have thought, right,

[00:41:56] that he was acting

[00:41:56] and discovered in New

[00:41:57] York as a waiter,

[00:41:58] and he was acting

[00:41:59] again before he

[00:42:00] started acting,

[00:42:00] before he got on

[00:42:01] the big, you know,

[00:42:02] Goodfellas, he was

[00:42:03] also an actor for

[00:42:05] years, people don't

[00:42:06] really, they think

[00:42:06] he was discovered as a

[00:42:07] waiter, no, he was

[00:42:08] acting before that, so.

[00:42:10] But, um, we

[00:42:11] didn't come out of

[00:42:12] nowhere.

[00:42:12] Little, little, little

[00:42:13] secret there.

[00:42:14] I'm sure the story of

[00:42:16] the discovered waiter

[00:42:17] reads better, but

[00:42:18] yeah.

[00:42:19] It does.

[00:42:20] I may get hate

[00:42:21] me on that one, but

[00:42:22] maybe it's true.

[00:42:24] It, it, it, it might

[00:42:25] be, it might be.

[00:42:26] Um, let me ask you

[00:42:28] this, though, going a

[00:42:29] bit lighter side, a

[00:42:30] little bit more fun.

[00:42:31] Are there any movies

[00:42:32] coming out that you're

[00:42:33] really excited for?

[00:42:36] That I'm really

[00:42:37] excited for, um,

[00:42:41] currently?

[00:42:43] Well, the ones, I was

[00:42:44] kind of, you know,

[00:42:47] Megalopolis, I

[00:42:48] wasn't, there's a lot

[00:42:49] of kind of mixed

[00:42:51] press about

[00:42:52] Megalopolis.

[00:42:52] I wanted to, I

[00:42:53] don't know if it's

[00:42:54] still playing.

[00:42:55] I wanted to go see

[00:42:55] it, but I haven't

[00:42:56] seen, so it's good

[00:42:57] because it's probably

[00:42:58] going to be one of the

[00:42:58] last big films that

[00:42:59] that great director,

[00:43:01] you know, completed,

[00:43:03] completes.

[00:43:04] But I want to go see

[00:43:05] that one.

[00:43:05] If it's still a

[00:43:06] player, when it comes

[00:43:07] onto a streaming

[00:43:08] platform of some kind,

[00:43:09] that's what I was

[00:43:10] really interested in

[00:43:11] seeing.

[00:43:12] In terms of what

[00:43:13] else is happening

[00:43:14] right now, um,

[00:43:19] gosh, that's a good

[00:43:20] question.

[00:43:21] What's out right

[00:43:22] now?

[00:43:23] I know, it's, it's,

[00:43:24] it's funny.

[00:43:25] The only reason I ask

[00:43:26] it coming to mind is

[00:43:27] because our art.

[00:43:27] question.

[00:43:28] I'm struggling because

[00:43:28] I'm so into talent

[00:43:29] and sometimes I forget

[00:43:31] what's even playing

[00:43:32] right now.

[00:43:33] Isn't it strange

[00:43:34] that we live in an

[00:43:35] era where all that

[00:43:36] information is easier

[00:43:37] than it's ever been to

[00:43:38] get?

[00:43:38] And yet, like when

[00:43:39] somebody asks you,

[00:43:40] you're like, well,

[00:43:41] wait, what's, it's,

[00:43:43] it's very rare in the

[00:43:44] past, I'd say three or

[00:43:45] four years that other

[00:43:47] than just worldwide

[00:43:49] phenomenons like

[00:43:49] Spider-Man, No Way

[00:43:50] Home, the,

[00:43:51] those kinds of giant

[00:43:52] ones where somebody

[00:43:53] asked me like, oh

[00:43:54] yeah, what, what are

[00:43:54] you excited to go see?

[00:43:55] And I'm just, most of

[00:43:56] the time I'm like, oh,

[00:43:57] what's playing?

[00:43:58] I don't, I'd have to

[00:43:59] look, I'd have to

[00:44:01] look.

[00:44:01] I'll admit that some

[00:44:02] of the films that are

[00:44:03] out right now aren't

[00:44:04] really my, I mean, it's

[00:44:05] like Venom's out right

[00:44:06] now.

[00:44:07] It's not really my cup

[00:44:07] of tea and nothing

[00:44:08] wrong with the film.

[00:44:09] I'm sure, but I'm more

[00:44:11] of a old school kind of

[00:44:12] film type guy.

[00:44:13] And I, I know this

[00:44:14] people's aware I

[00:44:15] mentioned him again, he's

[00:44:16] working on a new project

[00:44:17] kind of a hard, not a

[00:44:19] hard, but some kind of

[00:44:19] sci-fi type thing he's

[00:44:20] working on.

[00:44:21] Oh, okay.

[00:44:22] Talk about that, but

[00:44:22] that's way early

[00:44:23] pre-production.

[00:44:25] So, uh, I, I'm a little

[00:44:28] stuck a little bit in the

[00:44:29] time zone sometimes

[00:44:30] myself because of the

[00:44:31] era that I was really

[00:44:32] watching films a lot.

[00:44:34] And I do watch, I try to

[00:44:36] find time on Amazon to

[00:44:37] watch.

[00:44:38] There's so many choices on

[00:44:39] Amazon Prime and on

[00:44:40] Netflix to watch in my

[00:44:42] quiet time.

[00:44:43] But when you're a

[00:44:44] manager, you're so busy

[00:44:45] just, you know, so many

[00:44:47] great new shows that

[00:44:48] like Outpost and Apple

[00:44:50] TV has so many different

[00:44:52] shows out that you

[00:44:54] lose track of the names

[00:44:55] because you're always

[00:44:56] looking at submissions

[00:44:57] and the names of these

[00:44:58] new shows.

[00:44:59] And I got it.

[00:44:59] Like trying to remember

[00:45:00] all those names, I'd

[00:45:02] have to go to breakdowns

[00:45:03] and look at the names.

[00:45:04] Oh yeah, that show.

[00:45:04] Yeah.

[00:45:05] And I'm curious about

[00:45:06] Wolves, you know, that's

[00:45:08] on Apple Plus.

[00:45:09] Don't have Apple Plus

[00:45:11] right now.

[00:45:11] I should get that.

[00:45:12] I wonder how the

[00:45:14] whole Clooney, uh, you

[00:45:16] know, thing with, uh,

[00:45:17] Brad Pitt one, how

[00:45:18] that came down.

[00:45:19] So those two always do

[00:45:21] great together.

[00:45:23] So I didn't want you

[00:45:24] answer the question

[00:45:25] very well.

[00:45:26] Oh no, you did.

[00:45:26] You did.

[00:45:27] Um, the reason I bring

[00:45:28] that up and I, of

[00:45:29] course I'm forgetting

[00:45:29] the name, um, our, our

[00:45:31] mutual friend, our

[00:45:32] good friend, Max, um, he

[00:45:34] had, he had recommended

[00:45:35] that I go and see the

[00:45:37] movie city of dreams.

[00:45:39] And I did, but I was in

[00:45:42] the theater and I saw a

[00:45:43] trailer.

[00:45:43] Kate Winslet is starring

[00:45:44] in a new, uh, uh,

[00:45:47] biopic set in the second

[00:45:48] world war.

[00:45:49] And it, it, I'm really

[00:45:50] ashamed right now because

[00:45:51] it's the name of the

[00:45:53] photographer.

[00:45:53] That's the title of the

[00:45:54] film.

[00:45:54] And I know who the

[00:45:55] photographer is and I'm

[00:45:57] sitting there by the time

[00:45:58] the movie, and don't get

[00:45:59] me wrong.

[00:45:59] City of dreams is a great

[00:46:00] movie, but I'm more

[00:46:02] excited to watch the Kate

[00:46:04] Winslet movie because

[00:46:07] because some of the

[00:46:09] shots, some of those,

[00:46:10] yeah, some of the

[00:46:11] photographs they replicate,

[00:46:12] um, in that film or

[00:46:14] iconic photographs that I've

[00:46:16] seen in history books.

[00:46:19] And Kate Winslet, in my

[00:46:22] humble opinion, um, even

[00:46:24] though she's a big name,

[00:46:26] I still think she's

[00:46:27] underrated as an actress.

[00:46:28] Yeah, she's a great

[00:46:29] actress.

[00:46:30] I mean, just phenomenal.

[00:46:32] I just, I'm glad you

[00:46:33] brought that up because

[00:46:33] there's a new documentary

[00:46:34] and I'm having trouble

[00:46:35] struggling, but I think

[00:46:36] it's going to the film

[00:46:37] festival circuit first.

[00:46:38] AFI is this week.

[00:46:40] American Film Institute

[00:46:41] is, as they're thinking

[00:46:42] of the Chinese theater

[00:46:44] through the 27th, they

[00:46:46] want a great film to

[00:46:47] show up and, uh, there's

[00:46:49] a docu-series of, uh,

[00:46:50] John Williams, the, uh,

[00:46:52] great composer and

[00:46:54] Spielberg was there.

[00:46:55] And I think he was

[00:46:55] involved in the project

[00:46:56] as was, uh, I think

[00:46:59] Ron Howard was involved

[00:47:00] in another great

[00:47:02] director who directed

[00:47:03] the docu-series, a

[00:47:04] documentary.

[00:47:05] But I'm not sure if it

[00:47:08] were explained first.

[00:47:09] I think it's going through

[00:47:11] the festival circuit.

[00:47:12] I'm not sure, but that

[00:47:14] sounds like a very

[00:47:15] interesting film.

[00:47:15] You can see.

[00:47:17] And of course, you

[00:47:19] know, we're also, we

[00:47:19] also produce films or

[00:47:21] not Firestone talent,

[00:47:22] but Firestone films,

[00:47:24] but it's films that we

[00:47:24] have a co-production

[00:47:26] with a director.

[00:47:28] We just wrapped up last

[00:47:30] year.

[00:47:31] Actors are just like us.

[00:47:33] It's a docu-film shot

[00:47:36] at the iconic Cafe Roma

[00:47:37] in Beverly Hills, which

[00:47:39] unfortunately is in

[00:47:40] close this year.

[00:47:42] but that's like been

[00:47:44] around for a number of

[00:47:45] years.

[00:47:45] And so that's just

[00:47:46] alone.

[00:47:46] And a bunch of people

[00:47:48] used to hang out there

[00:47:49] a lot.

[00:47:50] I don't know,

[00:47:50] Schwarzenegger.

[00:47:51] So it's a very iconic

[00:47:52] spot.

[00:47:53] We filmed in the front

[00:47:53] of the private

[00:47:54] diner.

[00:47:54] It's a great film about

[00:47:56] actors just talking

[00:47:57] over, over, over,

[00:47:59] over a meal.

[00:48:00] And we're in the process

[00:48:01] of getting that out in

[00:48:03] the film circuit and

[00:48:05] also looking at

[00:48:05] potentially selling the

[00:48:06] film.

[00:48:07] So hopefully people get

[00:48:07] a chance to see that.

[00:48:09] I know I would like to.

[00:48:11] And that's a little

[00:48:11] better.

[00:48:12] Go watch it.

[00:48:13] Absolutely.

[00:48:14] No.

[00:48:16] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:48:17] I'm glad you mentioned

[00:48:18] that because our dear

[00:48:19] friend Max did not

[00:48:21] inform me that Firestone

[00:48:24] films existed.

[00:48:25] I know I should have

[00:48:26] mentioned that earlier.

[00:48:27] That's a misnomer on

[00:48:30] me.

[00:48:31] But, you know, we

[00:48:32] talk, our bread and

[00:48:34] butter is a talent

[00:48:35] business, obviously.

[00:48:36] But we also have

[00:48:37] Firestone Films and

[00:48:38] Entertainment Group

[00:48:39] where we produce

[00:48:40] mainly short films.

[00:48:41] But David Firestone

[00:48:43] himself has been a

[00:48:46] producer.

[00:48:46] And that is the

[00:48:49] production side of my

[00:48:50] hat, producer side of

[00:48:51] my hat, which we also

[00:48:51] work on, which allows

[00:48:52] us to bring actors in

[00:48:53] their own films and

[00:48:55] co-productions.

[00:48:55] We co-produce with

[00:48:57] a company called

[00:48:58] Mindatorium.com, which

[00:49:00] was a different name

[00:49:01] but it was called, of

[00:49:02] all things, Dirt

[00:49:03] Merchant Films.

[00:49:04] Now it's moved to

[00:49:05] Mindatorium.com.

[00:49:07] Don't ask me why.

[00:49:08] It's a long story.

[00:49:10] But we had over 30 of

[00:49:11] our actors in their

[00:49:12] films.

[00:49:14] And a lot of our

[00:49:14] younger actors and

[00:49:15] some of our union

[00:49:17] actors.

[00:49:18] So we always are

[00:49:19] continually, that's

[00:49:20] another thing to

[00:49:23] tout our horn, so

[00:49:24] to speak, is that

[00:49:24] besides the talent

[00:49:25] side, we also, I

[00:49:27] also, I, Firestone

[00:49:29] film, producer David

[00:49:30] Firestone, we also

[00:49:31] produce films that we

[00:49:32] always try to get our

[00:49:33] talent into, depending

[00:49:36] on what type of film

[00:49:37] it is and what the

[00:49:38] character is for the

[00:49:39] role.

[00:49:39] So that's an advantage

[00:49:40] that not other, not

[00:49:42] all management firms

[00:49:42] do.

[00:49:43] Now some do, some of

[00:49:44] the bigger ones do, but

[00:49:46] some don't.

[00:49:48] Yeah.

[00:49:49] And then you, you've

[00:49:49] brought up SAG-AFTRA a

[00:49:51] couple of times for

[00:49:52] anyone watching who may

[00:49:53] not know, could you

[00:49:54] give a brief, because

[00:49:55] it's a union, but could

[00:49:56] you give a brief

[00:49:57] explanation of what that

[00:49:59] is and why is it

[00:50:00] important for an actor?

[00:50:03] Well, Screen Actors

[00:50:04] Guild, it combined with

[00:50:06] the theater, another

[00:50:07] theater, a TV type

[00:50:09] group called AFTRA,

[00:50:10] and now there's called

[00:50:11] SAG-AFTRA, they've

[00:50:12] combined, God, I think

[00:50:13] almost 10, maybe 10

[00:50:15] years ago now, maybe

[00:50:16] longer, and they're

[00:50:18] the union for the

[00:50:19] actors.

[00:50:20] So to get into the

[00:50:22] big films, the SAG

[00:50:24] films, the studio

[00:50:25] films that you see on

[00:50:25] TV like Venom, the

[00:50:27] majority of those

[00:50:28] actors, except for the

[00:50:29] background actors and

[00:50:30] some of the smaller

[00:50:30] supporting roles are

[00:50:31] union actors, SAG-AFTRA

[00:50:33] actors, because they

[00:50:34] work with the studios,

[00:50:36] SAG works with the

[00:50:37] studios to make sure

[00:50:38] they're following the

[00:50:38] guidelines, they help

[00:50:39] protect the actor, they

[00:50:41] have health insurance

[00:50:42] programs, all those

[00:50:43] things, and, you

[00:50:45] know, protection for

[00:50:45] actors when they're on

[00:50:46] set, you know, their

[00:50:48] pay scales, all those

[00:50:49] things are negotiated

[00:50:50] by SAG with the

[00:50:52] studios, with the

[00:50:53] AMPT, American Movie

[00:50:55] and Television Producing

[00:50:57] Group, AMPTP, and

[00:50:59] that's when they had all

[00:51:00] those negotiations

[00:51:00] earlier this year over

[00:51:03] pay scale and AI

[00:51:04] infringement and those

[00:51:05] things.

[00:51:06] So they're the group

[00:51:07] that you eventually

[00:51:08] want to become part

[00:51:10] of once you become a

[00:51:12] more established

[00:51:12] actor.

[00:51:13] And I know there are

[00:51:15] many processes in

[00:51:16] which you can do

[00:51:17] this, but generally

[00:51:18] speaking, how does

[00:51:19] one normally become a

[00:51:22] member of the Screen

[00:51:23] Actors Guild?

[00:51:24] There's really only two

[00:51:25] ways.

[00:51:27] The most common way is

[00:51:29] vouchers.

[00:51:31] There used to be a

[00:51:32] piece of paper, but

[00:51:33] now it's electronically

[00:51:34] done.

[00:51:36] And they are given to

[00:51:37] actors on set, usually

[00:51:40] background actors who

[00:51:42] are on set and they

[00:51:43] need to become SAG to

[00:51:44] be able to perform in

[00:51:45] that particular

[00:51:45] background role where

[00:51:47] they have so many SAG

[00:51:49] vouchers they have to

[00:51:50] give out or available.

[00:51:52] It's a tricky system,

[00:51:54] so I don't want to

[00:51:55] mislead you.

[00:51:56] I don't know all the

[00:51:56] ins and outs of the

[00:51:57] voucher system.

[00:51:58] SAG could give you a

[00:51:59] better read on how that

[00:52:01] voucher system works,

[00:52:02] except that they're

[00:52:02] electronically given out

[00:52:04] by the payroll company

[00:52:05] when you get paid and

[00:52:06] you get a voucher.

[00:52:08] And they have non-union

[00:52:09] vouchers and they have

[00:52:10] SAG vouchers.

[00:52:11] So the SAG vouchers,

[00:52:11] you have to get three

[00:52:12] of those, and that

[00:52:13] proves that you are

[00:52:14] in a union set and you

[00:52:15] worked as a union actor

[00:52:16] for that particular

[00:52:17] show.

[00:52:19] And so you need three

[00:52:20] of those, then you

[00:52:20] qualify to sign up for

[00:52:23] SAG.

[00:52:24] There's a due, there's

[00:52:25] dues.

[00:52:26] The nice thing about

[00:52:27] SAG is they have

[00:52:27] payment programs, so

[00:52:28] you can not have to pay

[00:52:30] that full amount when

[00:52:31] you first join.

[00:52:32] There's a, you can

[00:52:33] work out based on

[00:52:34] what your availability

[00:52:35] is to, your finances

[00:52:37] are to pay on a

[00:52:37] monthly basis.

[00:52:38] But you come SAG

[00:52:39] right away once you

[00:52:40] start paying.

[00:52:41] The only other way,

[00:52:43] yeah, the only other

[00:52:44] way is, is the Taft

[00:52:46] Hartley Act, which is

[00:52:48] a law which went into

[00:52:50] effect quite a few years

[00:52:52] ago.

[00:52:52] It kind of was a way

[00:52:53] to get around, quickly

[00:52:55] get around the union

[00:52:55] really quickly if you

[00:52:56] had to have that

[00:52:56] particular person.

[00:52:57] right?

[00:52:58] And so, it's, and we

[00:53:03] just had that situation

[00:53:04] very recently where an

[00:53:05] actress from another

[00:53:06] country, she's here

[00:53:08] now, she has a work

[00:53:09] visa, excuse me, and

[00:53:13] she's non-union and

[00:53:15] didn't have vouchers.

[00:53:18] And they really loved

[00:53:19] her take because you

[00:53:21] can audition on union

[00:53:23] shows as a non-union

[00:53:24] actor because they want

[00:53:24] to find that best

[00:53:25] actor.

[00:53:27] So, it was a

[00:53:27] co-star role, maybe

[00:53:29] four or five lines on a

[00:53:32] new series coming up.

[00:53:35] I can't talk about it,

[00:53:37] I'm under NDAs, but it's

[00:53:38] a new hot series that

[00:53:39] will be released soon and

[00:53:40] I can't, I'm going to

[00:53:41] get, I'm going to

[00:53:42] slap it by talking

[00:53:42] about it.

[00:53:42] I was just going to say,

[00:53:43] I'm not sure how much

[00:53:44] you can talk about it,

[00:53:45] but yeah.

[00:53:46] I'm not messing

[00:53:47] any names here.

[00:53:48] That's when you have to

[00:53:49] go, it's like, it's a

[00:53:50] person who's doing a

[00:53:51] thing that, yeah.

[00:53:52] Well, I was going to

[00:53:53] mention casting

[00:53:54] for instance, but then

[00:53:55] let me give it away, so

[00:53:56] I'm not even going to do

[00:53:56] that, but.

[00:53:57] Ooh, so, okay, okay.

[00:53:58] Look out for that,

[00:53:59] everyone.

[00:54:05] They needed her, they

[00:54:06] went through all the

[00:54:07] paperwork for the, to

[00:54:08] clear on the work visa

[00:54:10] part, which you already

[00:54:11] had, and they tapped

[00:54:14] Hartley Duran.

[00:54:16] So that immediately

[00:54:17] made her in one day

[00:54:18] SAG eligible.

[00:54:21] Now, just to give people

[00:54:23] out there listening some

[00:54:24] perspective, over 12

[00:54:27] years, that's happened

[00:54:32] twice under Firestone

[00:54:33] Talent Man.

[00:54:34] Yeah.

[00:54:35] So basically, don't

[00:54:36] get your hopes up on,

[00:54:39] you know, it's rare.

[00:54:41] Don't get your hopes,

[00:54:41] I'm sorry, I'm moving

[00:54:42] through it.

[00:54:43] Don't get your hopes up.

[00:54:44] Yeah.

[00:54:45] It sure comes good.

[00:54:47] But.

[00:54:49] The good thing is your

[00:54:50] background looks like

[00:54:52] it's coming in.

[00:54:52] It does happen.

[00:54:53] It does happen.

[00:54:54] In fact, when we did our,

[00:54:56] I mentioned we did a

[00:54:56] film when we first

[00:54:57] started Firestone Talent.

[00:54:59] You can do it also by

[00:55:00] producing a film.

[00:55:02] And we produced a short

[00:55:03] film at that time.

[00:55:05] Now, the numbers have

[00:55:06] changed since then.

[00:55:07] At that time, we could

[00:55:08] produce a film for a

[00:55:09] minimum of $5,000 of

[00:55:11] SAG new media.

[00:55:13] And we were able to

[00:55:14] tap everybody in with

[00:55:16] at least a union actor

[00:55:17] on set.

[00:55:18] You had to have at least

[00:55:19] one union actor.

[00:55:20] Those numbers have

[00:55:20] changed since then.

[00:55:21] I think that the rate is

[00:55:23] larger now.

[00:55:25] And all those things in

[00:55:26] terms of the production

[00:55:27] budget.

[00:55:28] But that's what we did.

[00:55:30] So I'm actually SAG

[00:55:32] eligible.

[00:55:32] I never become SAG.

[00:55:34] Because I'm a manager.

[00:55:36] I don't need to be SAG.

[00:55:37] Right.

[00:55:38] Right.

[00:55:41] Trying to think.

[00:55:43] I know you answered most

[00:55:44] of my personal questions,

[00:55:45] but I want to leave a little

[00:55:46] bit for the people that

[00:55:47] watch Road to Stardom.

[00:55:49] But I do want to let

[00:55:50] everybody...

[00:55:51] Yeah, yeah.

[00:55:51] We give it all away for

[00:55:52] free.

[00:55:53] We're pushers, though.

[00:55:54] We got to give them a

[00:55:55] taste, but we can't give

[00:55:55] it all away for free.

[00:55:56] But I do want to let

[00:55:58] everybody know about our

[00:55:59] other sponsor of today's

[00:56:00] podcast, our good friends

[00:56:01] at Trophy Smack.

[00:56:03] And I also want to take

[00:56:04] this opportunity to let

[00:56:06] everybody know, if you

[00:56:07] know, you know, the

[00:56:09] Artie Awards are coming

[00:56:10] up.

[00:56:11] And our friends at

[00:56:11] Trophy Smack provide all

[00:56:12] of the trophies and the

[00:56:15] championship belt for

[00:56:16] podcast of the year.

[00:56:18] So we thank our

[00:56:19] friends very much for

[00:56:20] that.

[00:56:20] And everyone on the

[00:56:22] network is eligible for

[00:56:23] podcast of the year.

[00:56:25] So that means you too,

[00:56:26] David.

[00:56:26] All right.

[00:56:27] You're eligible.

[00:56:28] And everybody...

[00:56:29] I want that trophy

[00:56:30] more.

[00:56:30] Yeah.

[00:56:31] Everybody who wins...

[00:56:33] I shouldn't say

[00:56:33] everybody.

[00:56:34] Anyone who wins

[00:56:34] podcast of the year

[00:56:35] gets a custom-made belt

[00:56:37] from Trophy Smack.

[00:56:38] Several color schemes,

[00:56:39] but you don't have to

[00:56:40] win an Artie Award to

[00:56:41] get them.

[00:56:41] You can visit our good

[00:56:42] friends at Trophy Smack.

[00:56:43] Second link in the

[00:56:44] description and get any

[00:56:45] of their custom

[00:56:46] championship belts made,

[00:56:47] custom printing, tons of

[00:56:49] color options.

[00:56:50] But also you can get

[00:56:51] some more fun.

[00:56:52] Like their biggest

[00:56:52] seller, believe it or

[00:56:53] not, is their loser belt

[00:56:54] for their fantasy football

[00:56:55] leagues.

[00:56:57] But custom trophies and

[00:56:58] rings and all that good

[00:56:59] stuff.

[00:57:00] So visit our friends at

[00:57:01] Trophy Smack.

[00:57:02] But I will let everyone

[00:57:03] know, David, you're

[00:57:04] actually going to be

[00:57:04] eligible for a few

[00:57:05] awards this year.

[00:57:08] Everybody's eligible for

[00:57:09] podcast of the year.

[00:57:10] But since you debuted

[00:57:11] this year, you'll also be

[00:57:12] eligible for best new

[00:57:13] podcast.

[00:57:14] podcast.

[00:57:15] And since you have

[00:57:15] interviews, you'll also

[00:57:17] be able to nominate an

[00:57:18] episode for best guests

[00:57:20] and then to the general

[00:57:21] ones like best episode.

[00:57:22] There's a lot of awards to

[00:57:23] go around.

[00:57:24] Wow.

[00:57:25] Absolutely.

[00:57:25] There's more information

[00:57:27] coming out from that.

[00:57:28] That's exciting.

[00:57:29] And I know you have to

[00:57:31] leave very soon.

[00:57:32] But my last question for

[00:57:34] you is, is there any

[00:57:36] other wisdom, advice,

[00:57:39] guidance, anecdotes that

[00:57:41] you want to leave for

[00:57:41] anyone who, you know, has

[00:57:44] has the dream of going

[00:57:46] to Hollywood and, you

[00:57:47] know, working as an actor

[00:57:48] or talent?

[00:57:51] Oh, boy.

[00:57:54] I would say follow your

[00:57:56] heart.

[00:57:57] Do your diligence.

[00:57:58] Start working now.

[00:57:59] Start reading everything

[00:58:00] again.

[00:58:01] Everything about films.

[00:58:02] Watch films.

[00:58:03] Read about acting.

[00:58:04] Do everything you get

[00:58:04] your hands on.

[00:58:05] And it's going to take a

[00:58:08] while.

[00:58:08] It's going to take a lot

[00:58:09] of steps.

[00:58:10] But the key is to never

[00:58:12] quit, never give up.

[00:58:14] Because so many people

[00:58:15] are so close, some come

[00:58:16] so close.

[00:58:17] And then that last step,

[00:58:18] they quit for whatever

[00:58:20] reason.

[00:58:21] Don't give up.

[00:58:23] It may take a while, but

[00:58:24] keep going.

[00:58:26] And have fun.

[00:58:27] Enjoy the process.

[00:58:28] Enjoy the process on the

[00:58:30] way there.

[00:58:30] Because it can go really

[00:58:32] fast.

[00:58:33] So enjoy the process.

[00:58:34] I just saw, I saw a meme

[00:58:36] just the other day, and I

[00:58:37] know it's an older one, but

[00:58:38] it was the first time I'd

[00:58:39] seen it.

[00:58:40] And it's a drawing of this

[00:58:42] miner who's got a pickaxe

[00:58:43] and everything, and this

[00:58:45] long series of tunnels with

[00:58:46] nothing.

[00:58:47] And then there's like an inch

[00:58:49] of dirt right in front of a

[00:58:51] ton of diamonds.

[00:58:53] And the guy with the pickaxe

[00:58:54] had just turned around and

[00:58:56] slouched away looking all

[00:58:57] sad.

[00:58:58] And that, that's so true.

[00:59:00] You just got to keep doing

[00:59:01] it.

[00:59:01] Because I think anyone who's

[00:59:04] ever succeeded at anything

[00:59:05] will probably tell you for

[00:59:07] the most part that if they'd

[00:59:10] quit when it got hard, there's

[00:59:12] no way they would have ever

[00:59:13] gotten to where they were.

[00:59:16] That's right.

[00:59:16] And you never know who you

[00:59:17] might meet along the way that

[00:59:18] will help you.

[00:59:19] So always go out there and

[00:59:20] meet people, talk to people.

[00:59:22] Don't be afraid to speak up.

[00:59:24] And just like our great friend

[00:59:27] Max, I met Max at a dirt

[00:59:32] merchant film screening in

[00:59:35] Venice Beach.

[00:59:37] And it's supposed to be a,

[00:59:38] this is a funny story.

[00:59:39] I'll make it real quickly.

[00:59:40] It's supposed to be a white

[00:59:41] party.

[00:59:42] Now if you don't think about

[00:59:42] David Firestone, David

[00:59:43] Firestone does not wear white.

[00:59:45] Okay.

[00:59:46] Maybe a white shirt, but

[00:59:47] that's about as far as

[00:59:50] and everyone, I went there in

[00:59:51] my black attire and it was a

[00:59:53] spring day.

[00:59:55] Not Malibu.

[00:59:56] I think I said it's Manhattan.

[00:59:57] It was a Manhattan beach or

[00:59:58] somewhere over there.

[01:00:00] And I was the only guy there

[01:00:01] in just dark out.

[01:00:04] But it worked.

[01:00:05] And I met Max and here we

[01:00:06] are.

[01:00:07] Here I am sitting in a

[01:00:09] podcast room kind of with

[01:00:12] Jake.

[01:00:13] And I never would have

[01:00:14] thought in a million years

[01:00:16] meeting Max several years

[01:00:18] ago that this is what will

[01:00:19] be going on.

[01:00:21] Life has a lot of twists and

[01:00:23] turns.

[01:00:23] So you also have to be willing

[01:00:24] to change and go with the

[01:00:26] flow.

[01:00:27] And some other opportunity

[01:00:28] which you love just as much

[01:00:29] as acting can hit you in the

[01:00:30] face and say, oh boy, I

[01:00:31] really love that actually more

[01:00:32] than acting.

[01:00:33] I love making films.

[01:00:34] I love I love I actually

[01:00:36] love being a producer.

[01:00:37] So just keep at it and the

[01:00:39] path will take you as it

[01:00:40] does.

[01:00:41] And God willing, and as the

[01:00:43] universe guides you, you bet

[01:00:45] it.

[01:00:47] Well, that advice is too good to

[01:00:49] not end on.

[01:00:50] So like I said, I know you've

[01:00:51] got you're a busy guy.

[01:00:52] You've got things to do.

[01:00:53] So thank you very much for

[01:00:54] your time.

[01:00:55] I very much appreciate it.

[01:00:56] I hope everybody who watches

[01:00:58] this appreciates it.

[01:00:59] I do want to however create a

[01:01:00] little bit more work for you

[01:01:02] if you'll indulge me.

[01:01:03] So anyone that's got a

[01:01:06] problem for it, because

[01:01:06] obviously if you're watching

[01:01:07] this after the live stream,

[01:01:09] you might have some questions.

[01:01:10] Anyone that's got a question

[01:01:11] for David, leave it in the

[01:01:13] comments.

[01:01:14] I will get it to him and he

[01:01:16] will answer it on Road to

[01:01:18] Stardom podcast.

[01:01:20] Eventually.

[01:01:20] Oh my God.

[01:01:21] I don't want to give you like a

[01:01:22] list of 20.

[01:01:25] But yeah, of course I will do

[01:01:27] that.

[01:01:27] Maybe.

[01:01:29] No, I will.

[01:01:29] If they're good questions.

[01:01:30] They got to be good.

[01:01:31] Thank you so much for the

[01:01:33] time, Jake.

[01:01:33] It was wonderful.

[01:01:34] I'm hoping to help people that

[01:01:36] are out there listening because

[01:01:37] I know what it's like when

[01:01:39] you're young and you're whatever

[01:01:41] age you're at and you're

[01:01:42] trying to make choices about

[01:01:44] your career, your life.

[01:01:45] It's it's good to watch

[01:01:46] different people's opinions.

[01:01:48] Hopefully the information was

[01:01:49] helpful.

[01:01:51] It was certainly interesting

[01:01:53] for me.

[01:01:54] And that's at the end of the

[01:01:55] day, that's all that matters

[01:01:56] for this podcast.

[01:01:57] This is very much my personal,

[01:01:59] my fun podcast where I talk to

[01:02:01] people that I want to talk to

[01:02:02] and ask questions that I want to

[01:02:03] ask.

[01:02:04] And if people find it engaging,

[01:02:06] great.

[01:02:06] If not, I get something out of

[01:02:07] it.

[01:02:08] So it's a win for me.

[01:02:09] So.

[01:02:09] Right.

[01:02:10] Well, David, thank you very

[01:02:12] much.

[01:02:12] And everyone will see you next

[01:02:13] month on the RTA podcast.

[01:02:15] And don't forget to check out

[01:02:16] Road to Stardom with David

[01:02:18] Firestone over on our

[01:02:19] sister, sister channel,

[01:02:21] Pantheon podcast.