We brought Vas back from The Online Actor, nobody breaks down auditions, industry waves, and self tape strategy like he does. And we hit on the standard of jealousy, comparison...with an email template for you. Most importantly: authenticity is actually booking more than “perfect” ever did.
what we cover:
● the truth about end of year auditions and why the landscape is shifting
● how to hear “there’s auditions” without immediately assuming you’re doing something wrong
● jealousy, comparison, and why literally all of us still go through it
● how Vas emailed his reps about roles he didn’t read for and what actors can learn from that
● the real way to do multiple takes (and why 10 percent different doesn’t cut it)
● authentic vs character-y acting in 2025 and what’s actually booking
● the Goldilocks method for self tapes
● why TM actors are suddenly taping wild, killer choices that stand out
● how to balance dynamic choices with your real essence
links:
actors panic over AI and cookies: post-holiday talk through the latest AI freakout and finally answer the question everyone DM’d us about (should you be buying your reps gifts this year or nah?)
we cover:
● the new AI update everyone spiraled about and why it’s not worth losing sleep
● real talk about rep relationships and how to know if you should even be gifting
● the gifts reps actually appreciate versus the ones they quietly donate
● why sometimes a handwritten note is more powerful than a pricey basket
● how to make your gift personal even if you barely know your rep
● the rep dinner email we drafted live and why it worked *(cause they already all responded)*
time codes:
00:00 catching up and the great nano banana AI panic
07:15 why actors reach for fear when auditions are slow
13:45 the CGI fire rant that accidentally proves our point
19:10 do reps really want holiday gifts or is this all a myth
23:30 real examples of gifts that actually landed
30:00 how to approach your reps with generosity without being weird
links:
Holidays as a working actor hit different. No one is looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with a side of getting-grilled-about “what you’ve been in.” This episode is your play book to protect your peace and navigate them regardless of what your holidays look like.
Wanna skip the chat? Fast forward the first 8 minutes.
Sam and Gab break down what it actually looks like to go home for the holidays (or not), how to handle weird family questions, setting boundaries, teachable (and not teachable) moments, and redefining non-actor moments ftw.
what we cover:
● what it’s like juggling auditions, puppies, and podcasting in November
● the freedom to not go home and why it doesn’t make you a bad person
● how actors can answer family questions without spiraling
● the difference between teaching someone about the biz vs just surviving the convo
● using your actual life wins when people ask “so what are you doing with acting”
● making your own traditions when travel is expensive or your mental health says no
● Sam’s squirrel rescue era and Gab’s “why don’t people understand child-free life” commentary
● boundaries, expectations, and showing up as the adult you actually are
links:
if you’ve ever wondered why certain shows hit your actor soul and others feel like emotional sandpaper, this one is for you.
what started as a polite conversation about twilight vs harry potter turned into a full deep dive on color grading, moodiness, emotional tolerance, childhood pets, and how all of that somehow ties back to being actors.
we cover:
● why some actors love moody, gray, rainy tv and others only want sunshine and color
● whether you actually need to watch everything to stay “in the know” as an actor
● how your first pet dying weirdly explains your adult emotional patterns
● sam holding a dying hamster like an oscar-bait monologue
● gab leaving a bunny half inside and half outside a sliding glass door
● tv vs movies, binging vs one-episode-a-night culture
● why grainy older films make sam feel nostalgic and gab feel personally attacked
● the way actors pick shows based on what might shoot next and where representation is happening
● voice notes, cleaning apps, and the real reason sam deletes her texts every 30 days
Links:
Take the free Actor Type Quiz
Join the waitlist for The Membership
Sam’s IG: @samvalentine
Gab’s IG: @gabriellebyndloss
want to tell us how your first pet died and what it says about you? please put it in the spotify comments so sam doesn’t cry in her dms.
Take the free Actor Type Quiz (like super 100% free)
We made our Actor Types: Dreamer, Drifter, Doubter, Developer, and Disruptor and today we're talking about how knowing where you are right now can actually move your career forward and save you time...unlike Sam who thought she was god's gift to LA or Gab who through sheer focus and will would get her a seris regular.
And Sam created a Canva Presentation to save Gab 45 min in a commercial self tape, why Gab is bummed at JenLaw, and why she wasn't on Degrassi (thank god).
We cover:
● The genius audition trick Sam made up using Canva slides
● How to figure out your Actor Type (and why it changes weekly)
● Why “waiting to be booked” isn’t a career strategy
● What each type needs to focus on next
● How Gab almost ended up on Degrassi with Drake
● Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Sheen, and why fame before readiness can wreck you
● Why not being political is still political
Links:
Join the waitlist for The Membership
Sam’s IG: @samvalentine
Gab’s IG: @gabriellebyndloss
11. Human Design for Actors: why you’re not lazy, you’re just wired differently
Ever wonder why some actors thrive on chaos while others burn out after two self-tapes? Sam (a Manifestor) and Gab (a Generator) break down how Human Design types show up in your acting career, your self-tape workflow, and your everyday energy.
From audition strategy to social life burnout, we unpack how understanding your design can change the way you work, rest, and recover.
We cover:
● The 5 Human Design types and how each one shows up in your acting life
● Why Sam needs a “light at the end of the tunnel” and Gab can’t stop working
● How to stop calling yourself “lazy” when your energy doesn’t look like everyone else’s
● Acting-specific tips and mantras for each design type
● How to protect your energy on set and in self-tapes
● A fiery debate about audition “buttons” you don’t want to miss
Also the most relatable rant about read receipts ever recorded (sincerely, Sam).
Links:
What happens when you stop waiting for someone to “pick” you and start making your own opportunities.
Sam went from not booking anything since 2021 to writing, producing, and starring in her own short film...and it completely shifted her mindset as an actor.
And we get real about the difference between playing at being an actor and actually being one, the myth of “I just want to act,” and why the cavalry isn’t coming.
We cover:
What Sam spent on her short film and what she's do differently
How to use your footage for reels and festivals
Why self-tape reels still work and when they stop
The difference between creating your own work and “pretending” to be on a show
How to find fulfillment when nothing’s booking
Why the new actor era is all about DIY
Links:
Sam's Patreon – bonus episodes and behind-the-scenes breakdowns of the short (plus 100+ more eps)
Headshot Class – get $50 off here only!
Rock Your Reels / Melissa Blue – the team that helped shoot my micro short
Cara Chute Rosenbaum – CD and coach who’s helping cut my new reel
Muse Box (Atlanta) – DIY studio for headshots and content creation
Eddie Liu on One Broke Actress Podcast – the episode we reference about rejection and resilience
Welcome to our very first guest, actor and coach Vas Saranga from The Online Actor! We talk about how coaching fits into an actor’s process, what it means to find your own approach to the work, and why acting class can feel so different once you know how to use it.
We cover:
• How to know when (and when not) to coach your auditions
• Why variables can change everything in your self-tapes
• What “process” actually means for intuitive actors
• How to take ownership of your auditions without burnout
• The new TM genre workshops and how they’re restoring actors’ confidence and creativity
If you’ve been feeling stuck, uninspired, or unsure what to work on between auditions, this one’s for you.
Chapters
00:00 – Flossing, stretching, and the ultimate accountability showdown
02:40 – Introducing Vas Saranga of The Online Actor
05:00 – How persistence built our collaboration
08:00 – Coaching vs self-directing your own auditions
10:30 – What makes Vas’s coaching approach different
13:00 – Defining “process” and why it looks different for every actor
16:00 – Intuitive acting and why most of us fall in the middle
18:00 – Acting across markets: LA, Atlanta, Canada
21:00 – The importance of variables and playing within a scene
27:00 – How to disrupt your own system and find fresh choices
31:00 – Why actors lose hope and how to get it back
33:00 – Building confidence and creativity through TM workshops
37:00 – What Vas is learning from coaching hundreds of actors
41:00 – Vas’s self-tape challenge for your next audition
43:20 – Where to find Vas and how to work with him
44:00 – Small victories, booking mindset, and next week’s teaser
We get wonderfully off track on purpose so skip the first 18 min if you just want to hear about actor-stuff.
There’s a humiliating music game for Sam, how Gab is going to spend some commercial income, and where Sam (and her *frugal*) husband land on money mindset.
Sam brought a real audition dilemma to the pod: do I tape as my true self, or try to guess what the casting director actually wants?
We also dive into the actor-AI panic sparked by the rise of Tilly the synthetic “actress,” and why Gab thinks it’s actually a good thing. We talk fear, job security, industry change, and why connection is the one thing AI can’t replicate.
Then we close it out with something ridiculous: a new game called “Guess That White Guy.” (lolz)
we get into:
when an audition role feels uncomfortably familiar
why vague character descriptions can mess with your head
how AI actors are showing us who’s in this for the long haul
the real reason actors have job security
a hilarious, unhinged game we may or may not regret
Join TM here (if we didn't scare you off).
Follow us here:
If you’ve ever stared at a character description and thought, “This is so not me,” or if you’ve spiraled mid-tape wondering if you’re good enough to book the room, this episode is for you.
What happens when your own brain hijacks your audition? Gab shares the mental spiral she went down prepping for a prestige TV role with a character described with words that pushed up against everything she’s worked to undo. And Sam helps her unpack what happened, how it showed up in the tape, and what actors can do when old programming creeps into the work.
We also cover:
Why your “essence” matters and how we’re still working through ours
The myth of playing “the right type” vs. playing what’s real
How breakdown words can bring up deep actor conditioning
Gab’s self-tape process when she’s in her head (and what she changes)
Sam’s love of closing loops and watching every audition Gab does
Also...skin suits, childhood videos, Altered Carbon, audition rejections, and how different our acting styles and self-concepts actually are....yea.
Doors to the Membership are currently open! Get in while you can!
Get on the 3-Day Momentum Challenge asap!
Actors love to call something a “slow season.”...we think that term might be the problem. We talk about how the industry has changed in both LA and Atlanta, how our auditions have evolved, and why we’re not sitting around waiting to be handed opportunities anymore.
We cover:
What’s actually filming right now and why it feels so quiet
Why your audition log might be more helpful than you think
The identity crisis of being an actor without auditions
When “series regular” became the holy grail and if it even still makes sense
How we each handle long stretches without bookings
We also share the behind-the-scenes of Sam being put on hold for a recurring role while at a Canadian lesbian wedding and the chaos that followed. And we break down why being a “local hire” is so much more than a line on a resume.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right and still not seeing results, we made this one for you. We also talk about our $5 three-day actor challenge and why we built it to help you stop spiraling and start taking your next right step.
And you can take the Actor Next Move Quiz here!
should we buy land in new mexico?
Sam and Gabrielle are tired. Like, commercial bootcamp, actor quiz building, free Zoom session hosting tired. But the chaos doesn’t stop there. In this episode, they spiral productively about acting markets, money mindset, dog adoption, and whether two working actors (plus their husbands) should co-buy property in New Mexico.
You’ll hear:
Why Sam almost moved to Atlanta in 2020—and why she doesn’t need to now
Gabrielle’s pitch to buy land and tiny-home it with podcast studio vibes
The real fear Sam has around “adult” things like owning property
What actor income really looks like—and why it’s not as limiting as you think
Big thoughts on doing the thing… and having nothing change
take the FREE actor quiz by commenting Next Move on this post!
Join us for FREE monthly LIVE calls!
follow us: @samvalentine + @gabriellebynloss
check out The Membership
Shape-shifting with our own demons… that’s the part of the acting process nobody teaches you.
Sam and Gabrielle crack open a deeply honest convo about the invisible pressure actors feel to always be “put together”...on tape, online, in class, and even in friendships. What starts with a rant about method acting backlash turns into a vulnerable deep-dive on self-worth, preparation, and the stories we tell ourselves behind the scenes.
in this episode we talk about:
why social media clips are never the full story. and why that triggers people
the difference between feeling “behind” vs actually being behind
Gab’s upcoming acting workshop and her fear of being perceived as unprepared
Sam’s inner narrative of needing to be more “interesting”
the old actor mindsets we default to… and how to gently fight them
what “doing the work” actually looks like between auditions
creating safety in community instead of pressure to perform
redefining our standards of readiness and showing up with grace
next week:
We’re talking what we’re watching...and why we’re scouting real estate in New Mexico 👀
we are BACK, this time recording from opposite coasts — sam in oregon, gab in florida — and proving that actor brain never takes a vacation.
in this episode we talk about christmas movie auditions on the beach and the awkward reality of watching the person who booked “your” role. plus: road trip meltdowns, sorority house confessions, why method acting feels outdated, and what we’re watching right now (weapons, hostage, untamed, f1 to name a FEW)
what you’ll hear in this episode:
christmas movie self tapes and the great camera movement debate
using clue cards, photos, and props for auditions
the question every actor hates: “what’s your method?”
why method acting feels out of touch with today’s industry
movie and tv recs we're dabbling in
follow sam @samvalentine and gab @gabriellebyndloss, and subscribe cause it tells us we should keep going!!!
sam and gabrielle kick off the very first episode of working actor life by pulling back the curtain on what it’s really like to be working actors. about viral audition tapes (yes, the bathroom floor one), when to break the so-called rules, and the mental gymnastics of watching someone else book “your” role.
plus: why sam felt ready to part ways with the name one broke actress, why gab is obsessed with camera pans, and the shocking reason we’re both kind of in love with an ai voice.
what you’ll hear in this episode:
starting this podcast on a whim (very on brand)
breaking self tape “rules” and the bathroom floor debate
audition heartbreak, comparison, and who else was “almost” cast
the great pan vs button showdown
what we’re watching right now (hunting wives, weapons, companion, ballard)
fake “insta friends” and why we all do it
follow sam @samvalentine + gab @gabriellebyndloss for more!