Views From The Nest – Career Insights & Video Interviews for Actors and Creatives
Views From The Nest is a series of short video interviews designed for actors, performers and creatives at every stage of their career. Featuring a wide range of industry guests — including agents, actors, writers and directors — each episode provides practical advice, real-world insights and guidance to help you navigate and grow in the entertainment industry. Think of it as a 'podcast light' offering diverse perspectives and career tips from the UK and beyond.
Episode 18
A must-see for anyone looking to attend drama school or just starting out as an actor. Recent graduate Heather MacCallum talks about her experiences in drama school, the realities of life after graduation and the inspiration behind her 'Mum I Made It' blog.
"Because in that moment, I did feel like everyone was getting stuff and I felt like they were getting it so easy. They weren't, but that's how it felt. And it felt like everyone was getting all these auditions and having all these opportunities and being so active in the industry, and I wasn't. And they probably felt like that as well, and they probably also felt overwhelmed by things. Everyone does."
Episode 17
Casting Director Jo Stanhope talks in-depth about her route into the industry, the role of a casting director, the importance of casting to a production and where actors really need to focus to improve their casting opportunities.
"...this TV show that I'm doing at the moment, it's period. It's brutal. It's about the iron industry...we want to see real people...sometimes it's those little quirks..the way someone curls their lip, that little crooked tooth...the way their eyes just crease when they laugh...that's how we need Hannah to look."
Episode 16
Shea, a London based actors' agent, talks about how her love of creativity led her to being an agent, the importance of honest working relationships and how persistence can be key in the face of rejection. Shea reflects on the highs and lows of being an agent and some of the shared struggles with actors.
"No, we want to showcase that. That difference is what’s going to get you cast. In a world where AI can create anyone to look like anything, and where we can generate the perfect human on screen, why would we copy that in real life?"
Episode 15
Abbie Hills, Founder of Dazey Talent, talks openly about the lived experience of cerebral palsy in the entertainment industry, being disability led and diversity focused as an agent and how the industry can do better when it comes to talent with disabilities. Looking back on her career to date, Abbie reflects on what she might have done differently and where her agency is now heading.
"...we're still not really at the point where there are just roles and the character happens to be disabled. That's the switch. I think that is when we're going to have true equality and inclusivity...it's not just like, oh, this character is a wheelchair user and their whole narrative surrounds them being a wheelchair user. That's not what we want. We want a character that just so happens to be a wheelchair user."
Episode 14
Matthew Roberts - Director at Roberts & Day - talks about the need for every actor to think of themselves as a business and to stand out by celebrating the things that make them different. He also talks openly about the challenges working class actors face, the price of entry into the industry and how to develop your career on a budget.
"I think there's definitely still a barrier...people like Steven Graham and Ashley Waters, the work they're doing at the minute with 'Adolescence' and 'A Thousand Blows' is really good and I think more stuff like that is going to keep happening and keep coming. But there is definitely a block, especially within the theatre world - where unless you can afford the top level of accredited drama schools - then there's a barrier to entry."
Episode 13
Melanie Gayle, Founder of Melanie Gayle Talent, talks openly about starting an agency, an ever-changing entertainment industry, inclusivity, self-tape success and offers some insightful advice for actors at every level.
"Deliver your best. Some people deliver tapes I think just to hit it. But is it your best? If it's not your best, maybe don't do it, because when you send it to me or to a CD, that's what they're going to remember. So, you must always present your best work."
Episode 12
In this episode of Views From The Nest actor and model Les Awuah chats with Dwayne Brown, Founder of Headshots Matter, about just why headshots matter, how to find the right headshot photographer, how to prepare for your session much more...
"A good photographer will balance the technical, the physics, the emotional intelligence, and still have a certain amount of headspace to be looking for details and then to not be too stiff about the approach so that you can then emote. It's a tricky dance. It's not for the faint of heart, for sure."
Episode 11
In Conversation with:
Shawn Gann - Voice Over Artist and Actor, Texas USA
Nikki Dixon
Actor, Writer, Director and Local SAG-AFTRA President, Texas USA
Jordan Fraker - Headshot Photographer, Texas USA
Dwayne Brown - Founder Headshots Matter, Ottawa Canada
In this Episode Views From The Nest connects with the US and Canadian market to gain insights for actors from across the Atlantic. The group discuss a wide range of topics including how has Covid, the writers’ strike and other key events shaped the acting landscape in the US? The American Headshot - in a globalised world, do headshots in America differ from Europe significantly? And how is AI impacting the industry today?
"I don't want to sit at a desk my whole life, hammering out code and being middle management. Those are the things I did as a survival job. I was a database administrator coming up for a decade while I tried to make my way in this industry. I don't want AI to take away the thing that I strived for. Art, the expression of us being people, that should not be the thing we take away from ourselves."
Episode 10
Benjamin Dwyer, Global Director and Head Agent at North Artist Management, talks about a contemporary approach to running an agency, how clients are selected for representation, what to consider if you're trying to break into the US market as a performer and offers some advice for influencers looking to raise their profile.
"We as agents are glorified marketers. We work in marketing. We work in recruitment and marketing and the the product that we're marketing and the product that we're trying to get recruited is the performer that we are representing. And individuality for us is so important because we want to be providing the right people for casting directors and producers to to employ."
Episode 9
Tara, Dan, Alfie, Liam and Zak. Five new agents at North Artist Management talk about AI headshots, how performers can help their agent get them cast and how performers can develop their casting and brand.
"Be nice to everyone. You don't know who is in the room with you. Even if it's just an audition, you will audition with the same people. You will go to an audition in a year's time and someone will be sat on the panel that you auditioned with a year ago or someone that you worked with is now auditioning you for a job."
Episode 8
Liam Tiesteel, Director of LJT Talent Management, shares LJT's open book approach and how they select performers to represent, life working as a performer and an agent and - of course - some great advice for getting headshots.
"For us, what we're looking for in a client is individuality. Someone could be the most talented person that can be, you know, the highest kicks in the room or the best singer in the room. But if they're not an individual and they don't bring a personality, we can't work with that."
Episode 7
Sean Joseph Young is a hugely experienced actor, writer producer and director who has worked with Netflix, Disney, BBC, Microsoft and EA as well as household names like Mark Gatiss and Josie Lawrence. In this Episode he talks about his route into the industry, the value of ongoing learning and development, how mentorship can improve your chances of success and where he feels he's really been able to make a difference. He also talks about the importance of reputation and developing your personal brand.
"All the people who talk about what they want, who talk the talk and walk the walk, are worth listening to. The only way that you're going to come across as negative or bad is if you treat people wrongly. If you're nice, kind, but still ambitious, still driven, and you're not stepping on anyone's face to get what you want, then you deserve to be there."
Episode 6
Richard Leavey, an agent with Collective Agents, describes how a collective of agencies works, the advantages of a collective representing not just actors but creatives across the whole entertainment industry, the state of play in the industry today and how actors should approach their headshots.
"Own your insecurities. I knew that my biggest insecurity back then became my biggest selling point, my strength."
Episode 5
Lauren Shannon, Co-Director of agency Shannon & Bloom, talks about setting up an agency, working with children and nurturing young talent and provides some great advice for young, aspiring actors.
"I don't want to be catfished. I want to see how you look and your headshot has to be an impact to me. I don't want a flawless, airbrushed representation of you. I want those unique features, I want you to embrace what you look like and celebrate it."
Episode 4
Rosemary Bashford, Co-Director of agency Shannon & Bloom, talks about setting up an agency, advice for her younger self starting out in the industry and navigating tough times as an actor.
"I really wish that when I graduated I thought about being confident enough to communicate with my agent. I think that's just really important. I let myself feel small when I should have known what I wanted and who I was."
Episode 3
In this episode Alex, an actor and agent with 1984 Personal Management, talks about how co-operative agencies work, navigating the process as an actor and an agent,
the ideal actor/agent relationship and the importance of authenticity in headshots.
"I would say that if you're scared to message your agent, there might be an issue there. Because it should be someone who understands what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you want to be marketed for it..."
Episode 2
Fran, Director at Apex Management, talks about the importance of actors headshots, how to choose the right photographer for you and how to approach the industry today.
"Remember you are the artist and every room that you walk into you're going to give something to somebody there. I think that's the kind of positive attitude you have to have, to allow yourself to go through it and know that amazing things are going to come your way."
Episode 1
Gabe, Director at Apex Management, talks about the importance of headshots for actors and what makes a headshot stand out from the crowd. Apex focus on nurturing and supporting their talent and he covers both the role of an agent, well-being and why you need representation in the industry today.