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

In Napolean Hill's book Think and Grow Rich, he describes Mastermind Groups as: “A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.” Mastermind Groups are a valuable form of peer-to-peer mentorship, uniting you with your colleagues in an effort to grow and build your business. What better way to share the importance of Mastermind Groups than by sharing with you a discussion with my own?

Twice a month, I get together with 4 intelligent, savvy, badass female podcast hosts:

Abby Zufelt is a digital marketing and social media strategist. She is also the Host of Working Girl Talk podcast.

Anna Keenan is the Regional Marketing and Philanthropic Manager at Kendra Scott and Host of the Self Made Sister Podcast.

Christine O' Donnell is an Emmy Nominated Journalist, Founder of Bright Sighted Podcasting, and Host of the Podcast Coaching with Christine podcast.

Megan Accardo is a former CAA Executive turned Business Coach and Host of Power Your Purpose podcast.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The importance of Mastermind Groups

• Creative Marketing Tips to build audience for Podcasts: Pinterest, Tik Toks, Clubhouse

• Acquiring Interns for our Business

• My awesome Clubhouse story

• Clubhouse Best Practices

• How to grow your brand by leveraging your expertise

• Naming your podcasts

• Finding the Best Guests and what do you look for (How to Book yourself on Podcasts)

• Being a Speaker at various Podcasting Events like Podcast Movement

Michelle was a Guest on Megan's Podcast recently! Network Like a Pro: Make Connections & Move your Career Forward with Michelle Mille‪r‬

Anna Keenan's Instagram

Megan Accardo's Instagram

Abby Zufelt's Instagram

Christine O'Donnell's Instagram

If you like this episode, check out Bonus Episode 3 on How to get a Mentor

Host:

Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller

Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM

Mentors on the Mic Facebook page

Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle

Ben Giroux is an Actor, Director, and Producer best known for his role as The Toddler on Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger and Danger Force. He is also known for voicing Mikey Munroe in the animated series Bunsen is a Beast on Nickelodeon. His other TV credits include Psych, NCIS, Bones, Sam & Cat, Hart of Dixie, FML, and The Big Show Show. His success carries off screen where he has amassed over 4.5 million followers on TikTok and over 100k on Instagram. In this episode we talk about: How he traveled across the country in the final months of his enrollment at the University of Southern California to audition for a Farrelly Brothers pilot on Fox. Being one half of a comedy hip-hop duo and creating a viral music video that landed him on the Billboard Top 100 charts Performing with the Backstreet Boys and other celebrities How TikTok has impacted his acting and creativity His transition from actor to director and how he believes the way he runs his sets has contributed to his success Becoming a writer and pitching projects in the industry Resources: Website: https://bengiroux.com/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Giroux IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1575638/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengiroux/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bengirouxtv?lang=en Message Ben on Instagram to ask about his rates for Voiceover Coaching. Learn from the best! If you like this episode, check out Episode 2.1 to hear Beau Black's story, Emmy nominated Musician, Producer, VO Actor, and voice behind many Disney shows. Host: Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM Mentors on the Mic Facebook page Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle

Linda Mendoza is an Emmy nominated, Comedy Director Extraordinaire. Her credits are extensive, directing episodes of Scrubs, Gilmore Girls, The Mindy Project, The Good Place, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Ugly Betty, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grownish, The Chris Rock Show, Girlfriends, The Bernie Mac Show, The Tick, Liv & Maddie, 30 Rock, and many, many more. She has also been the go to Director for many Comedy specials including Tiffany Haddish (Black Mitzvah and 6 episodes of They Ready), Katherine Ryan, Wanda Sykes, Jamie Fox's Laffapalooza, Caroline Rhea, and various Mark Twain Prize specials (Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Bill Cosby, Carl Reiner, and George Carlin). She has been nominated for 2 DGA Awards, a Primetime Emmy, a NAACP Award, and an ALMA Award (which she won).

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why she gave up $8k a month to work on SNL

• How Bernie Mac helped her transition into Narrative

• Her new TV Special, Yearly Departed, starring Tiffany Haddish, Sarah Silverman, Rachel Brosnahan, Natasha Leggero (Hosted by Phoebe Robinson) Comedy special features eulogies for the year 2020 with a line-up of all-women comedians discussing everything from casual sex to beige Band-Aids and everything in between that we've "lost" in 2020. - Premiering on Amazon Prime Video on December 30th, 2020

• Her first directing experience

• Her Comedy special 'pet peeves'

• Often being told that she was the first female director that a show has ever had

• Her Mentors, including Bruce Gowers (famous for Bohemian Rhapsody Music video)

• BTS on various Mark Twain Specials and Comedy Specials

• What makes her the best at what she does

• How a Mexican girl from Detroit, who everyone thought was Chinese, made it as a TV director

Resources:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Mendoza

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579318/

Yearly Departed: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13321268/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adetroitmendoza/?hl=en

Recommendation: If you like this Episode, check out Episode 1.17 to TV Director Jason Ensler (currently directing HULU's Love, Victor).

Host:

Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller

Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM

Mentors on the Mic Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic

Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle

Here is a Highlight Reel with advice from top DIRECTORS of Season 1 including Stan Brooks, Kristin Hanggi, Linda Mendoza, and Jason Ensler.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How one future Director stood out working in the Mailroom

• How one Director made the jump into Narrative Television

• How to transition from Producer to Director

• Are you waiting for permission to Create? How one director realized that she could just do it

• Using the available resources around you to create your work

• What you need to sacrifice for your career

• What Quincy Jones told one Director that might help you

Episode 1 - Stan Brooks - From the Mailroom to Hollywood Producer & Director

Episode 21 - Linda Mendoza - From page to Comedy TV/Film Director of Scrubs, The Good Place, Blackish, and more

Episode 9 - Kristin Hanggi - From playing pretend to Film, TV, & Tony Nominated Director of Rock of Ages

Episode 16 - Jason Ensler - From PSAs to Executive Producer/Director of HULU's "Love Victor" and other Top TV shows

Host:

Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller

Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM

Mentors on the Mic Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic

Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle

Mark A. Altman is a television and motion picture writer/producer/director who is currently the Showrunner/Executive Producer of the CW series, Pandora which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television worldwide and streams exclusively on Amazon Prime in the United States. Previously he served as Co-Executive Producer of The Librarians (TNT), Agent X (TNT), Castle (ABC), Necessary Roughness (USA) among others. In addition, Altman has sold numerous pilots and produced the $30 million film adaptation of the bestselling video game, DOA: Dead Or Alive, which was released by Dimension Films. His first motion picture was the award winning, Free Enterprise, starring William Shatner and Eric McCormack, which he wrote and produced and for which he won the WGA Award for Best New Writer at the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival prior to its theatrical release.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The terrific story about convincing William Shatner to be in his film and why he never recommends writing a film for an actor

• How he got Eric McCormick to do his film just after he shot the Will & Grace pilot which hadn’t been picked up yet

• Transitioning to the writers room of the TV show Castle and overlapping a year with our other Mentor, David Grae

• What does it mean to write for a budget and why that’s every line producer’s dream

• Having to choose between the final season of The Librarians and holding off on the possibility of doing his own show

• The conception of his show Pandora on CW and creating an incredible sizzle reel and bible to pitch it

• Making the choice to stop filming due to COVID

• Advice to actors from a Showrunner

Book Recommendations for Actors: Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris

2 Books he Wrote:

The 50 Year Mission: The Complete Uncensored History of Star Trek

Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars

IMDB Wikipedia Linkedin Twitter Instagram

Host:

Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller

Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic

Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle