Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” -Meister Eckhart No matter what success you’ve enjoyed in the past, no matter your reputation, no matter your past awards, reviews and accomplishments, the next project you do will feel like you’re starting all over again. Or to use a filmmaking term, you’re “back to one.”Continue reading “Back To One”

Not gonna lie…it always feels great to be asked, to be picked. It’s validation. Know what feels even better? To not need any validation and pick yourself.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” “What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 “Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.” -― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy HavingContinue reading “Midlife Crisis?”

“To hell with circumstance, I create opportunities.” -Bruce Lee. “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.” -Sun-Tzu, The Art Of War For producing (and most things in life), mindset is everything. It’s whyContinue reading “The Producing Mindset”

“(Great) material is your currency.” -Brian Grazer What’s the first thing most actors do once they gain some clout in the industry? They form a production company. Why? So they can use that clout to find great material and manifest it for themselves and others. Because they know that’s the game. It’s the whole enchilada.Continue reading “Start Your Production Company”

Playwrights… What’s the play you’d write if after you finished–rather than sending it off to various theatre companies across the country, hoping against hope they’d read it and pick it for their upcoming season–if instead, this were the last play you ever wrote AND you were on the hook to produce it yourself? Go. WriteContinue reading “What’s The Play?”

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” -Michelangelo The below parable is from author, psychotherapist and Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello. I highly recommend his book, The Way To Love. This parable isContinue reading “Eagle Or Chicken?”

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” -Maya Angelou “Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.” -Corita Kent Acting requires ACTION. What is your action? What do you want from the other person? So much so that you’d “die” ifContinue reading “Wrong Action?”

Flashback. 1986. A great song and video from the phenomenal Ms. Jackson! Warning: If you do click the link and watch, be prepared for the song to be stuck in your head all day. Great song aside, “what have you done for me lately?” is not the best way to think of people. It’s shortContinue reading “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

A great question to ask yourself… “What am I the best in the world at?” Or if need be, modify to… “What could I be the best in the world at?” Put real thought into the answer. Think of all your skills and interests. Think how they may combine and intersect with one another. GetContinue reading “Best In The World?”