Before he owned Hollywood's number one, cutting-edge self-tape and demo reel facility, ​Hot Shots Self Taping​, Jonathan Stanley danced for tips. A true rags-to-riches story, full of grit and drama, he clawed his way out of Detroit and into Hollywood by making a semi-autobiographical film about his lean years, and then putting his hard-fought lessons in marketing to the task by piggybacking on the success of Magic Mike to sellout multiple theaters in Las Vegas and make a splash...

As a business owner, his continual rise, after three full years of losing money has been amazing to witness. What started as putting actors on tape in a broom closet in 2014 has evolved into a full-blown mini-studio where he shoots short films, creates demo reels for actors from around the world on his self-built sets of a gas station, a private plane, a bar, a jail cell, interrogation room, you name it, he shoots it. His Instagram feed is fully engaged and his classes are fully packed.

But all of it is in service of his 10,000 NOs journey: a sideline business built to accompany and support his acting career that now out-earns even successful actors. He is the embodiment of our philosophy to stop waiting and start creating. His stories are colorful and raw, his gratitude is infectious, and his story will both inspire and entertain you.

If you’re an actor, writer or filmmaker and you think you’d benefit from being part of conversations like this every week with a group of fellow artists, consider joining our Working Actors Community. Find out more by CLICKING HERE.

And remember: “failure” is just opportunity in disguise. You can flip the script to make your setbacks serve you.

SHOW LINKS:

10,000 NOs: THE BOOK

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BECOME A MEMBER OF THE WORKING ACTORS COMMUNITY

“It’s all the same source. And the source in everything that you do, whether you’re taking a photograph or you’re playing music or you’re acting... is you. It’s all you.”

I sat down with friend and fellow actor, Yul Vazquez , this summer, and he blew me away on multiple levels...

Not only does he have awesome stories from the seemingly endless amounts of elite films, TV shows and plays he's done over the past decades, but I got to ask him about the fact that he's also an accomplished musician, painter and photographer. With incredible charm and simplicity, he beautifully articulates some philosophies that I've been trying to grasp since this podcast began...

So, yes, you'll hear personal stories about Philip Seymour Hoffman , Sam Rockwell , Ben Stiller , and many others, but what will really inspire you is this: if, like me, you are drawn to more than just one art form or possess both artistic and entrepreneurial interests, Yul empowers you to trust that your talent and perspective in multiple fields is not a conflict. It's something to embrace and celebrate.

And he just lays it all out in such a plain-spoken, cool-as-shit way that you can't help but love him for his honesty, vulnerability and wisdom that he's picked up along his journey. He made me laugh a lot, but he also reminded me that I wasn't wrong when I titled this podcast 10,000 NOs. Here are his words about the crazy journey of a life in show business, "if not the most important of all is, how much can you withstand? What are you made of? What's your mettle? Because if you crumble, you're done."

If you’re an actor, writer or filmmaker and you think you’d benefit from being part of conversations like this every week with a group of fellow artists, consider joining our Working Actors Community. Find out more by CLICKING HERE.

And remember: “failure” is just opportunity in disguise. You can flip the script to make your setbacks serve you.

SHOW LINKS:

10,000 NOs: THE BOOK

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR (WEEKLY) NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW MATT ON SOCIAL

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE WORKING ACTORS COMMUNITY

Today's guest, ​David H. Lawrence XVII​, is a prime example of someone who decided to control his own destiny while still pursuing his dream, by combining his experience in technology with his love of storytelling to serve others by giving them tools and a path to success.

His combo of service and entrepreneurial prowess is the special sauce many performers seek: how to have staying power in show business without riding such a scary rollercoaster. His extremely successful ​VO Heroes​, ACX Masterclass, and Narrate Your Own Book courses and communities have helped thousands of artists make a living from home.

Lately, it seems like everyone, not just actors, is working harder and harder for less and less reward...

Between AI and diminishing opportunities, not being resourceful enough to create additional revenue streams no longer seems like an option if you want to get ahead, or even just have some certainty. Watch or listen to this conversation if you want inspiration to make it happen for yourself.