The 98%

While people are saying the SAG-AFTRA vote is over, technically it's just suspended. The deal offered by the AMPTP and agreed upon by the actors union still needs to be voted on by members of SAG-AFTRA...and some are voting no, including previous podcast guest and strike captain Kylie Sparks, who featured in our special strike episode in July.  Hear Kylie break down some of the deal points that br...

It's the 98th episode of The 98%! And rules are being broken!! For the first time, The 98% is hosting someone from the other side...a 2 percenter!! Forget the usual format of interviewing familiar faces though, this is a relatable, validating discussion that might be exactly what you need in 98% life right now in the difficult landscape we find ourselves in. Many will remember today's guest Tony G...

In this two-part Halloween Special, Alexa and Katie enter the world of true crime, sharing cases with each other that also relate to being an actor, and life in the entertainment industry. Where better to uncover these sordid tales than Tinseltown itself: Hollywood..Where, behind the glitz and glam, lies a dark underworld of crime, prejudice and exploitation. In this episode, Alexa tells Katie abo...

Doing something a little different today, for the first ever Halloween special of The 98%! In this two-parter, Alexa and Katie enter the world of true crime, sharing cases that also relate to being an actor. Where better to uncover these sordid tales than Tinseltown itself: Hollywood..Where, behind the glitz and glam, lies a dark underworld of crime, prejudice and exploitation. In this episode, Ka...

Joining The 98% today is Erica Bream CSA; Casting Director, audition coach, career consultant, self-tape guru and champion of actors. As well as casting across TV and film, Erica provides accessible, helpful information online and has been working hard for many years to de-mystify the casting process for actors.  Erica and Alexa chat about auditioning, self taping, the changes happening in the ind...

Something a bit different for The 98% on this episode - with a practical aspect!  Guest Dana Middleton is an Alignment and Tapping Coach who helps creative peiple raise their vibrations and unlock their most actualized lives. She teaches her Affirmation Tapping Formula to create laser focus while releasing common blocks and patterns of sabotage that hold creatives back.  What is tapping? Well; dis...

Three jobbing actors turn on the mic. One of them loves dealing with tax..the other two looooathe it. What happens next? Tune into find out! Alexa, Katie and guest Pete Mooney talk all things "tax for beginners" and really break it down to empower actors and other creatives to feel in control and in-the-know about being taxed as a freelancer. Tax returns, expenses, claims, budgeting, the importanc...

In 2010 a new theatre producer hit the twitter scene. But this wasn't like any other producer, this was a persona and he was talking the talk. After swiftly gaining popularity for his tongue-in-cheek relatable showbiz musings, it was time for 'West End Producer' to walk the walk. Which he did..donning a mask, sticking a pillow down his trousers and adopting a voice that is now so synonymous with t...

A few months ago The Cut published an article 3 years in the making. Journalist Sara Jin Li spoke to 26 ex-students of acting studio Lonsdale Smith & Company, ran by "dogmatic leader slash guru" Michèle Lonsdale-Smith; who has been running acting classes in studios acros North America, and now Europe, for 20+ years. Actors described, in detail, cult-like abuse, mistreatment and bullying exhibited...

For so long conservatoire drama schools have been the only way to get invaluable training to set you up for the industry...but not anymore. IAmPro is just one of the alternative training offerings out there for actors and creatives who want to work in the entertainment industry. IAmPro trains talent digitally and gets them discovered, collaborating and networking, and offers personalised end-to-en...

"It's all corporate greed" July 2023 marks an historic time for the entertainment industry. For the first time in decades the actor union in the United States (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) have joined forces to strike after the expiration of their contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the AMPTP's refusal to engage in negotiations for fair p...

While The 98% mostly discusses everything about the real #actorslife aside from the actual art of acting…this episode is a slight gear change as Alexa talks to renowned acting teacher Terry Knickerbocker. In this down to earth, honest chat you can hear discussion on the importance of laying the foundations for working on your craft, why your goals should be more than just "be a working actor", wha...

An episode years in the making and one The 98% is SO excited to share. A first-of-its-kind chat where an Assistant Director for TV and film shares all the insight an actor could possibly need for working on set. This is like a crash course in everything they don't teach you at drama school..but what you should know! In this insightful, informative episode 2nd A.D Erin Morris-Large shares the ins a...

*Content Note/Trigger Warning: This episode contains conversation around mental illness and eating disorders. Please take care while listening.* Grab a cuppa and settle in for a feature film length episode! We feel so privileged to platform stories on The 98% that are not usually heard in #actorslife circles, and today's episode is a really special one of that nature. Alexa and guest Em Holdaway c...

Get ready for an energised, uplifting and empowering episode with today's guest Brian Patacca!  Brian helps actors get what they want without all the struggle. Known as "The Representation Whisperer" for helping over 500 actors find representation through his popular online courses and entertaining podcast, Brian teaches actors how to market themselves authentically and use gratitude to open doors...

From wanting to be an actor but being told she was "ruining it for everyone else" with her struggle to learn lines to building a retreat for actors to make a safe learning space, today's guest Steph Upsall has one mission: to revolutionize how we train ourselves as actors and making sure we are being our best selves as a human first and an actor second. Steph's company "Both Feet" offers actor tra...

As tradition, the 10th episode of the season sees just Alexa and Katie chinwagging about the real #actorslife. In this 90 min episode you'll hear discussions around reevaluating what "success" looks like as an actor, where Katie has been, the importance of boundries and self validation, actor-podcaster frustrations in an industry that only celebrates the 2%, a worrying new Hollywood trend, lessons...

If you've ever felt exhausted by how much acting means to you, or overwhelmed by the desperation of wanting to be a working actor when it seems so far out of reach, then this is an episode you're sure to relate to. Today's guest is actor, empowerment coach and breathwork facilitator Jeannie Scott who, after years of regularly facing actor burnout and living in a state of desperation and anxiety, d...

We've all seen child actors in tv, film and theatre...but there are whole processes, jobs and a lot of work that goes into making sure kids working professionally in the entertainment industry are kept safe and are handled accordingly. Our guest for this episode is Arlene De Cruz who works to safeguard children all the way from casting through to wrap. She runs professional training for chaperones...

Unless you have experience of one yourself, many people don't know much about co-operative agencies, we sure didn't! The first co-op agency started in the UK in 1974 and since then many thrive in the industry. An actors' co-operative agency operates similarly to a conventional agency but is managed by the actors themselves and each member dedicates a certain amount of time to working as an agent f...

The first casting director episode of Series 5! Amy Jackson is a freelance casting director with vast prior experience as a casting assistant and associate. In this episode you'll hear Amy's journey from actor to award-nominated casting director, as well as advice for actors in auditions/self tapes/showcases, the importance of the CDG, how to reach out to casting, why we should be calling for cast...

"If an acting coach has to touch you to make you a better actor, then they're a bad f*cking coach." When today's guest, Nikki, was a young new actor in Toronto she went for a private coaching session with an actor, coach and union member who, in the course of the session, assualted her under the guise of coaching her to 'loosen up'. When Nikki recieved no help from her union, or anywhere else, she...

Since the release of the new mini-series From Learning To Earning A Story Of Mistreatment In The Acting Industry, The 98% has recieved more emails and messages detailing people's damaging experiences during actor training and in the industry. In this episode Alexa and Katie be giving them a voice, anonymously, to show that abuse of power, of which actors are regularly the victims, is not an isolat...

In this part of The 98%'s mini-series about mistreatment of actors, Katie and Alexa speak to powerhouse, advocate and trailblazer Helen Raw who has made it her mission, despite devastating pushback, to make changes in our industry to protect actors and be a support system for those who have nowhere to go with their experiences of all forms of abuse. You may have heard of Helen, or seen her online,...

In the second episode of this mini series highlighting mistreatment in the arts, The 98% is re-releasing an episode from 2021 of people's stories of abuse in the industry. While the guests for this mini series cannot share the accounts they have been made privy to, we felt it important to provide context and accounts that show how widespread these issues are in our industry and give examples of wh...