Book The Room

In this episode, we’re joined by the hilarious and insightful Adam Capriolo who has been performing since grade school, dreaming of the stage from as early as first grade. Together, we dive into the ever-changing comedy landscape, reflecting on how the lack of funding for writers and shifting industry trends have impacted the genre we all miss so much. From starting out as an actor at 18 to landin...

Do you really need to know how to ski to land that Hallmark movie? Not necessarily! In this episode, we break down when special skills truly make a difference in booking a role. From leads in skiing-centric films (spoiler: it’s about your performance, not your slopes skills) to supporting roles in a gymnastics school scene where real ability is key, we’ll help you navigate how to market your talen...

In the room today, Suzanna and Jess talk all about getting kids into the business. Jess talks first hand how her nephew and niece got into acting and auditioning. Listen to hear tips and tricks and some insider info on how to get started and if you or your kids have the right personality for it

In this episode, we chat with Alba Gil, an amazing director and filmmaker whose journey is nothing short of inspiring. She shares how she moved to Canada from Mexico with a background in advertising and had to start from scratch in Montreal. From working as an assistant director to production manager to finally becoming a director, her story is all about resilience and determination. We talk about...

In the room today, Suzanna and Jess bring us up to speed on how their year went. From Suzanna signing with a new agent and diving deeper with her students to Jess' projects (Karate Kid, Plan B Season 3 and Prophet of Ecstasy). Suzanna expresses the importance of timing when it comes to signing with a new agent and even booking a role on a series. Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean i...

In the room today is Kenny Wong, an award-winning screen writer, actor and violinist. Kenny tells us about how he got into acting after a devastating diagnosis during his time at McGill University in the music performance program. He gets in to how he made that transition, the work he put in and the dedication he had to achieving his goals. Kenny also tells us how he turned his diagnosis in to a s...

Suzanna and Jess talk about the realities of working on big projects that sound exciting to "non-actors" vs. working on smaller indie projects that are more fulfilling. We get into talking to your family who doesn't quite understand how the industry works about your work as an actor and what they mean. Let's get in to it!

In the room today is Hannah Antaki, casting associate and director. She has worked with different casting directors in Toronto and she is here to debunk all of the myths of the Toronto casting process. HINT - we are the same! We get into everything from submissions to selections, from prep to wardrobe and from agents to networking. We also get to hear a bit about the latest project she's working o...

Suzanna and Jess get into different approaches to casting after having spoken to Toronto Casting Director, Hannah Antaki (episode out Nov. 23). We talk about the pros and cons of Zoom and self-tape auditions, reiterate that the auditions are auditions and NOT workshops and if you do decide to expand to Toronto, understand how competitive it is - but don't be deterred! Let's get into it! Su...

Suzanna and Jess talk about the stress and realities of being a day player on a series. We give you tips on how to prepare and ease the nerves a bit. We also preview Thursdays episode with the great Anik Matern, actor, coach, healer! Let's get into it! FOLLOW US YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@booktheroompodcast/videos⁠   Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/booktheroompodcast/⁠   Faceboo...

Suzanna and Jess talk about the realities of local casting and how it doesn't always go to locals! So if it doesn't go to locals, what's stopping YOU from auditioning for projects that are out of your city? Let's get into it. Suzanna and Jess talk about the realities of local casting and how it doesn't always go to locals! So if it doesn't go to locals, what's stopping...

Suzanna and Jess take a deeper look into networking and it's importance and how inter-connected everyone is. Jess chats a bit about her experience casting Plan B, what she feels we can work on and what is working well. Suzanna and Jess also share their predictions of whats to come over the next few months. Can you guess what it is? Let's get into it!

Suzanna and Jess talk about the importance of being aware of your physicalities in a scene. Are you aware of tiks you have? Suzanna gives tips on how to overcome them, and to take the down time to rehearse and become critical of those ticks

In the room today is Montreal's Talent Agent, Tania Giampetrone. She has been working with Reisler Talent for over 20 years...so she's seen A LOT and knows a thing or two! A recurring theme that came up was the partnership between an actor and agent. She bases her relationships on trust, honesty and respect and communication is #1. We get into how it's important to adapt to be successf...

Suzanna and Jess talk about the importance of growing and maintaining good relationships in the industry. We talk about what works and what doesn't and the difference between networking, the business of acting and PR. Can anything guarantee you the role? Let's get into it! LINKS Suzanna's online course: https://www.udemy.com/course/on-camera-acting-with-suzanna-lenir/?couponCode=BACKTO...

In the room today are actors and sought-after writing duo; Erica Deutschman and Katy Breier! We discuss their start into acting; the real struggle of taking a bus to and from Toronto for in person auditions (before self-tapes), living in a house full of actors and the cost of booking as a local. We then get into how they've become so successful as a writing duo, selling 11 scripts, how they be...

Suzanna and Jess preface this weeks later episode with Erica and Katy. They are actresses and a sought-after writing duo. When they recount their journey, all seems to be quite easy and flowy but we are here to recount some of their struggles that we spoke about after recording! Not everything is as easy as it seems, there is no such thing as an overnight success and things take time, and experien...

In the room today is Holly Gauthier-Frankel who is an actor, singer, burlesque dancer and award-winning voice actor and director working in this industry for 30 years! Holly is a brave artist who has self-funded and self-generated so many projects. She's taken the leap and taken lots of risks, pushed through insecurities throughout her entire career. She has diversified, and is very candid wit...

Suzanna and Jess talk about their own experience with imposter syndrome and how they overcame it.

In the room today is one of Canada's most renowned voice directors and actors, Richard M. Dumont. He has director over 500 projects; from top rated video games such as Avatar and Assassin's Creed Origins, to hit animation shows such as Miramax's, "Little Twins" and Gwen Stefani's "KuuKuu Harajuku". We learn about his past and how he got into this industry. What...

In the room today, Suzanna and Jess discuss some big points that this weeks guest, Richard M. Dumont brings up. We dive into being optimistic, seeing opportunity everywhere and that it's OK to self-promote! Let's get into it :)

In our season 2 premiere episode, Suzanna and Jess recap their summers and things they are currently working on. We also get into the elephant in the room...the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) strikes. We discuss what the strikes are about, the realities of how it affects us, what we can do and what to expect. Suzanna's Online On-Camera Acting Class: https://www.ud...

Suzanna and Jess are wrapping it up for the holiday season. We will be back in the New Year with more episodes! Today we discuss the lack of funding for Canadian television and films, how reliant we are on the US to boost our industry and self-tape burn out. We discuss our goals for the podcast, our careers and personal growth. Let's get into it!

In the room today is acting coach and actor, Anik Matern. We discuss her early years as an actor from murder mysteries, to life in France to running the very successful Dynamic Theatre Factory (DTF). We get into her style of teaching which is a beautiful combination of improv and her spiritual beliefs. Anik also tells us about her latest experience on set as an acting coach and how to balance work...

In the room today is actor and director, Carlo Mestroni! Carlo shares his stories of his early beginnings in the arts, how he returned after 10 years in the medical field and how he structured his acting career like a business. We get into balancing his work for his family and himself. He explains the importance of analyzing the energy and anxiety you give to a discipline and what is the return on...