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In this episode of Slate It Till You Make It, host Catherine Donnelly sits down with her best friend Jesse Hsu — actor, foodie influencer, photographer — for an honest conversation about navigating the ever-evolving landscape of a creative career.

Having experienced the entertainment industry from both sides of the audition room, Jesse shares his unique perspective on working in casting, the serendipitous circumstances that led to his theatrical representation, and the value of consistent costar training in developing his craft.

The conversation also explores the realities of building a sustainable acting career, including navigating rejection, managing expectations, and maintaining momentum when opportunities aren't coming as quickly as hoped. Catherine and Jesse dig into the difference between stagnation and rest, the importance of cultivating creative outlets outside of acting, and how to keep your cup full without tying your entire sense of fulfillment to professional success.

Whether you're questioning your career trajectory, looking for ways to stay creatively inspired, or trying to find the balance between pushing forward and giving yourself permission to pause, this episode offers an honest look at the mindset, perspective, and resilience required to build a lasting career in the entertainment industry.

• What working behind the scenes can teach actors about the audition process

• The unexpected path to securing theatrical representation

• The value of consistent costar training and continued education

• Navigating rejection and managing expectations in an unpredictable industry

• Recognizing the difference between stagnation and much-needed rest

• Maintaining creative fulfillment outside of acting

• Balancing multiple creative passions while building a sustainable career

• Redefining progress beyond callbacks, bookings, and external validation

ACTING FOLIO

AUDITIONAL

JESSE HSU

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Are you putting in the work but still wondering why your acting career isn't moving forward? Are your materials actually helping you get hired? And how do you know whether you need a new strategy, better materials, or a mindset shift?

In this episode of Slate It Till You Make It, host, Catherine Donnelly, interviews actor and acting career consultant Jen DiBella to break down the business side of building a sustainable acting career. After moving to Los Angeles from New York without representation, Jen landed her first five television network credits—including a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy and appearances on 9-1-1 and Station 19—through her own networking. Now in her sixth year as a career consultant, she's helped hundreds of actors sign with representation.

We get into what actually moves the needle, how to make your materials work for you, what reps are looking for, and how to stop spending time and money on things that aren't moving your career forward. Jen shares her perspective on networking, branding, strategic outreach, and the difference between being busy and being intentional about your next steps.

We also dig into the mindset challenges that come with this industry: navigating rejection, staying motivated when you're not booking, avoiding comparison, and learning to pursue your goals without tying your self-worth to the outcome.

Whether you're trying to sign with your first agent, level up your existing career, or figure out why you've hit a plateau, this episode will help you think more strategically about your next move.

If you're ready to stop guessing and start making more intentional moves, this episode is for you.

Connect with Jen:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdactingconsultant/

Website & Consulting: https://www.jenniferlaurendibella.com/consulting

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What happens when you decide to pursue a dream that requires you to start over? And how do you keep your self-worth intact when you're constantly putting yourself out there, facing rejection, and waiting to be chosen?

In this episode of Slate It Till You Make It, I'm joined by Ranela Kaligithi, a South Asian and Filipina actor, coach, therapist, and content creator, for an honest conversation about navigating the emotional side of an acting career. We dive into the challenges of pivoting into a new career after establishing yourself in another field, embracing the discomfort of being a beginner, and learning to separate your identity from your achievements.

Whether you're starting over, feeling behind, questioning your path, or struggling to stay grounded in the uncertainty of this industry, this episode is a reminder that you can want something deeply without allowing it to define you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Navigating identity shifts and having the courage to start over

• Embracing the discomfort of being a beginner again

• Balancing ambition with mental health and self-worth

• Separating external validation from your identity as an artist

• Applying the principles of detachment in dating and auditions

• Handling rejection without letting it define your potential

• Building a fulfilling life while pursuing a big career

• Learning to trust yourself before the industry gives you a reason to

Because you can be ambitious, want the job, and work relentlessly toward your dreams without abandoning yourself in the process.

Connect with Ranela:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithranela/

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Joy Lofton is back on Slate It Till You Make It! You may remember Joy from Season 1, where we talked about her journey and career in the commercial world. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, go give it a listen — but this time, we’re skipping the origin story and getting straight into the WORK.

Joy brings a uniquely valuable perspective to commercial actors: she’s not only a successful commercial actor herself, she’s also a session director who has been on the other side of the camera watching auditions move from first calls to callbacks to selects.

In this episode, we’re getting technical. We break down what casting is actually watching in the first few seconds of an audition, how to make “sell lines” feel natural, the importance of pace, timing, eyelines and reactions, how to create meaningful variation between takes, and what actors can do to make their self-tapes stronger.

Plus, Joy shares what she wishes every commercial actor knew from the other side of the camera and how actors can identify the specific skills they actually need to train.

If you want to stop guessing and start getting more intentional about your commercial auditions, this episode is for you.

Connect with Joy + Audition Lab LA:

🎬 Audition Lab LA: auditionlabla.com
📸 Audition Lab LA on Instagram: @auditionlabla
🌬️ Joy Lofton on Instagram: @takeabreathjoy

As someone who’s booked over 50 national commercials and has spent the last decade deep in the trenches of commercial casting, it’s taken me a long time to learn one thing:
you are almost never the reason you don’t get a callback.

Most of the time it has nothing to do with you, your talent, or your tape.
It’s the chaos behind the curtain — the brand, the agency, the director, the client’s cousin, the storyboard artist, the budget, the weather, Mercury retrograde… all of it.

So today, I’m breaking down the 25 reasons you didn’t get a callback — even though your tape was absolute fire.

In this episode, host Catherine Donnelly sits down with Beth Fraser (Elizabeth Nicole Fraser), an actor and former broadcast journalist whose career spans commercials, television, and film. Originally from Douglas, Georgia, Beth grew up in Sarasota, Florida, and earned her degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida before beginning her on-camera career as a model for the Home Shopping Network in Tampa.

After moving to Los Angeles, Beth met her husband, filmmaker Johnny Fraser, in 2008, and together they have a daughter, Ondine. Her sister, Brinson, is a storyboard artist on the hit animated series Family Guy.

Beth has appeared in numerous national commercials—including a four-year run as the spokesperson for Nasacort—and in award-winning long-form projects for Apple. Her television and film credits include 9-1-1, Loot, and Baby Daddy. She also stars in the short film Code Red, currently making its way through the 2025–26 festival circuit, including a recent selection at the San Diego International Film Festival.

In this conversation, Catherine and Beth dive into the art of being a great co-star, the importance of having an opinion in the room, being strategic about casting workshops, and how to bring authenticity and confidence to every audition—from commercials to spokesperson roles.

@iambethfraser@slateitpod

In this episode, Catherine Donnelly unpacks the major shift at Casting Networks — namely, the new paid subscription model for all U.S.-based agents and managers, beginning January 1, 2026. We walk through exactly what the new tiered fees are, why Casting Networks says it’s doing this, and how actors who depend on CN for commercial auditions should plug the gaps. (Source: Casting Networks Support, “Talent Representatives: What Should I Know About the New Subscription Model”)

Then we zoom out and take a look at the big picture: how private equity ownership is impacting casting tech. In July 2022, RedBird Capital Partners, along with StepStone Group, acquired a majority stake in Talent Systems — the parent company behind Casting Networks, Casting Frontier, Spotlight, and more. (Source: Business Wire / RedBird press release, 2022)

Throughout the episode, we stay grounded in what you can do now: talking to your reps, updating your profiles, saving your media, and keeping your eyes open for alternate platforms like Casting.com. This is a moment of disruption — but also of opportunity for actors who stay informed.

In this episode of Slate It Till You Make It, host Catherine Donnelly sits down with recurring guest John Fulton, a multi-talented comedian, musician, and actor, to discuss his top ten commercial booking tips.

From his early days as a basketball team captain in Topsfield, MA, to DJing a jazz show at the University of Rhode Island, and eventually hosting Must Love Cats on Animal Planet, John’s career has seen plenty of twists and turns. Now, he's thriving in the world of commercials and TV, and is a member of the comedy band Camp Friends, who just released their new album “Seriously?”

John Fulton

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