Em Grosland — Artist as Advocate

Explicit content warning

12/31/18 • 59 min

On Em’s website is the statement “I am passionate about work that challenges audiences, shifts paradigms, and serves to increase empathy in our culture.“

In this conversation you’ll hear how representing the truth of our own humanity in all its nuances as artists we can create space for others to do the same. There are lots of fun stories here, including those about pixie dust and Meryl Streep. But the thing that has stuck with me from this conversation is the idea of the artist as advocate. I think the thing that separates artists from entertainers is that artists are sharing ideas that they believe in and ideas that need a voice.

As we move into the new year, I invite you to think about your own work as you listen to this episode. What are you going to be an advocate for this year?

In this episode:

Rabbit Hole - a play by David Lindsay-Abaire
Kate Bornstein
Shakina Nayfack
Emotional Creature - Eve Ensler
Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan
Tuacahn - check out this clip that gives you an idea of the setting for this amphitheatre
“I was singing Neverland one night and I saw a shooting star while I was singing. It doesn’t get any more magical than that. It’s badass.”
“If you are at an intersection of enough marginalised groups, it makes it very hard to have the freedom and support that you need to be an actor. You have to have a certain amount of privilege to pursue this career.”
Ricki and the Flash - film where Em played opposite Meryl Streep

See Em's postcard HERE

Follow:

Em Grosland website | instagram

On Em’s website is the statement “I am passionate about work that challenges audiences, shifts paradigms, and serves to increase empathy in our culture.“

As we move into the new year, I invite you to think about your own work as you listen to this episode. What are you going to be an advocate for this year?

In this episode:

Rabbit Hole - a play by David Lindsay-Abaire
Kate Bornstein
Shakina Nayfack
Emotional Creature - Eve Ensler
Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan
Tuacahn - check out this clip that gives you an idea of the setting for this amphitheatre
“I was singing Neverland one night and I saw a shooting star while I was singing. It doesn’t get any more magical than that. It’s badass.”
“If you are at an intersection of enough marginalised groups, it makes it very hard to have the freedom and support that you need to be an actor. You have to have a certain amount of privilege to pursue this career.”
Ricki and the Flash - film where Em played opposite Meryl Streep

See Em's postcard HERE

Follow:

Em Grosland website | instagram

Previous Episode

Michael McElroy — Connecting To Something Greater Than Yourself

Michael has appeared in the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park and on Broadway in Rent, The Wild Party, Big River, Next to Normal and Sunday in the Park with George.
In this episode we learn how Michael’s family introduced him to the power of Gospel music from an early age and how he wrote and produced his first musical when he was in high school. He explains what it was like moving to New York City as the city and the theatre community was being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic and how he and 11 friends founded the group that became Broadway Inspirational Voices in order to raise money for the services his friends and colleagues so desperately needed.

Michael talks about his training as an actor and how in his position at the New School on Broadway at NYU he seeks to replicate the best of the education he received and reimagine the rest. His education and outreach work is continued through the programs that Broadway Inspirational Voices fund and facilitate in public schools and in partnership with Ronald McDonald House.

We’re in the midst of the Holiday Season as this episode is released and as soon as you’ve finished listening to Michael’s story, I urge you to go to wherever you download or stream your music and listen to the choir’s wonderful recordings. Search Broadway Inspirational Voices and fill your home with joy, hope and love. Happy Holidays to you all.

Follow:
Broadway Inspirational Voices

Next Episode

Bonnie Gillespie — Success Leaves Clues

Bonnie built her business by demystifying the casting process and illuminating the business side of pursuing a creative career. Her most popular book is Self-Management for Actors, which has been named one of The Top Ten Best Books on Acting Ever Written.

In this conversation Bonnie describes the path that brought her LA (twice), and how her actor survival job grew into a career and business that has helped thousands of professional actors navigate their way through a notoriously competitive industry.

We unpack some of the key topics from Bonnie’s book Self-Management for Actors, including

Getting clear on your bullseye
Having a daily plan for how you’re going to run your business
Studying the success of those who’ve gone before you
Web presence
Launch at 85%

While much of this advice is given with actors in mind, the concepts are transferable, no matter where your focus lies. This advice will help you develop a clear strategy to move towards your own goals.

As a gift to Studio Time listeners, Bonnie has offered this free resource 11 Days of Free Upgrades to Your Acting Career.

In this episode we discuss:

Getting clear on your bullseye
“You teach the industry who you are by everything you say yes, and more importantly everything you say NO to.”
“A lot of times at the beginning everybody thinks they have to say yes to everything. So they end up not to creating a brand because of saying yes to things all over the dartboard and then they wonder why buyers don’t understand how to cast them.”
Having a daily plan for how you’re going to run your business
Studying the success of those who’ve gone before you
“Success leaves clues.”
Paying attention to someone who you could call a pace car is a really great way to have someone who is role modeling for you that it can be done. Then at any intersection where you say “No-one has ever done it this way that I want to do it,” I go “Great, now that’s where you’re going to make your own road.”
Web presence
“You don’t have to have a website, but you have to be google-able.”
"Content is the one way you can make sure you will always be found. If you’re putting enough content out there...if you’re an actor that has a web show that you want to put together and you consistently post to youtube each week, that becomes a DOMINATION that you have on the web that’s actually really beautiful."
Rock your headshot. Your headshot is your business card and number one piece of marketing material.
Your Actor or Artist Survival Job
Launch at 85%
"You’re never going to get things out into the world to find what they could be if you keep waiting for them to be perfect."
Self taping: not just for actors anymore.