We were lucky to catch up with Dan Shaked recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dan, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
A big part of how I overcome imposter syndrome is by sort of doing exposure therapy on myself throughout my career. I think everyone can relate to imposter syndrome at some point in their life or career. So I thought to myself, if everyone has experienced this, and there are still people that are successful, there has got to be either a way out of that feeling or some trap door somewhere. I just need to find that door. After reflecting on how I navigate my career, I realized that I am doing something therapist would call IN VIVO exposure therapy. If I have anxiety or fear of something, instead of fleeing the situation, I will purposely throw myself into the situation and feel all the feelings I have, until whatever I am experiencing dissipates. I’ve almost addicted to that feeling because it is so beneficial and freeing. Maybe I nuts, but the more mysterious, unpredictable or unknown a situation is, the more I am attracted to experiencing it. That’s when I grow the most. For some people, striking up a conversation at the gate in the airport, or sending my acting reel to a stranger is terrifying. For me, I get excited about what the chances are for something special or out of the ordinary to happen in those circumstances. More often than not, the act of doing the opposite of what you initially feel and thrusting yourself into that situation is invigorating to me. They even can be career changing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Acting. I studied with the legendary Lola Cohen at The Lee Strasberg Film/Theatre Institute. I also was lucky to have the chance to study at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
At the end of college, I realized that no one will want my career more than I do for myself, so I would buy a few pizzas and would spend my weekends sending out the little acting experience and work I had to anybody that would see me. It was a real test in resilience. Could I handle people finding it strange that I was contacting them out of the blue, even though for me, I was a fan of their work and they didn’t know me? It became exciting. I started making connections with people from all around the world. I said, to myself, no matter what happens, at the least, maybe I’ll make some new acquaintances along the way. And in the best case scenario, maybe these people will vaguely remember my name years down the road but never remember where they heard my name if we ever encountered each other. This approach proved better than I ever hoped.
After replying to a craigslist ad or some notice that I don’t even remember where it was posted, I auditioned for a play that would premiere in NYC’s La MaMA etc. experimental theatre. This play received funding from the Romanian council, which we then went on to Europe to tour. I remember going to internet cafes in between shows and hustling to find roles and projects that I identified with.
Back then, I was still sending hard copies of my infformation. I think I sent him a package from Bucharest. I received an audition that next week from a wonderful casting director named Todd Thaler for when I return from Europe. I ended up getting the part. Richard Masur played my father and the film was accepted to the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.
It felt like nobody would see me for roles in NY if I didn’t have an agent. That’s when I decided to think outside the box even more. There are artists everywhere in the world, so why not check out options outside of the city? While I co-produced a play at PS122 in NY, I started mailing my work to smaller regional areas. Why not? I recieved a phone call from Angela Peri at Boston Casting. She was working on a TV show. I took an overnight bus up to Boston, and by 10am I was in her office. She was mostly seeing extras, so i didn’t get my hopes up. I read for her, and she said “where did you come from? How don’t I know you”? I told her I live in NY but have exhausted my options for work there, so I thought I’d try my luck elsewhere. The rest is history and I landed a role on the ABC show Body of Proof, and subsequently for the ABC Shonda Rhimes pilot Gilded Lily’s with Blythe Danner. We filmed in New England then a few days in LA on the Queen Mary. When I flew to LA, I wasn’t sure when the next time i’d have the chance to be on west coast…so i extended my trip and I did what I call monkey barring. Meet as many people and experience as many situations as possible. Send your stuff to people because people don’t know you exist until you show them you exist. That landed me a small role on the movie JOBS opposite Ashton Kutcher.
I decided to go wherever the work is. I wanted to live by the seat of my pants. I then landed a role opposite Broad City’s Ilana Glazer in the feature film How to Follow Strangers directed by Chioke Nassor, a role opposite Jane Seymour in the film MISTRUST. I never gave up my love for theatre. I wanted to give equal attention to all three mediums, Film, TV and Theatre. They all fulfill different sides of me and different muscles that are equally important. A notable theatre project that I loved work on is playing Kathleen Turner’s son in Peter Kennedy’s play FAMILY GAME NIGHT which we performed for’s Provincetown Theatre’s 2021 Gala to raise money for the company after Covid.
Most recently, I’ve loved collaborating with director/writers/producer and actress Jaclyn Bethany on her films UNDER THE LANTERN LIT SKY, HIGHWAY ONE (Santa Barbara Film Festival) and THE INVISIBLE GIRL which just made it to Amazon Prime UK. Jaclyn is the typer of artist that I will continue to grow and collaborate with forever. She has given me the chance to shine that very few directors have.
Until today, I still operate the same way. I sometimes feel like the biggest smallest deal no one has ever heard of.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Sensing the room, understanding someones vibe and sizing a situation is up is definitely a quality that has carried me through situations. Being adaptable and flexible and knowing your audience is key to making progress with people. I try to understand where that person was, where that person came from and where they are going. I think people appreciate that, and I am always interesting in comprehending an individuals story. After you understand that, then, and only then, do I introduce myself to a situation. I like to put a person’s situation first before I bring up mine.
Being nuanced is another quality i think is important. I have a hard time with black and white, all or nothing thinking. It’s not helpful and I feel like I miss out on a lot of opportunities and knowledge if I go down that rabbit hole. The world is so complicated and layered, very few things are extreme. Having a nuanced mindset that can include opposite ideas at the same time and embracing that duality has helped my growth as a person.
The knowledge that the world is smaller than we think has also played a big role in my life. As an actor, we sometimes forget that there is work, life and opportunities outside of where we literally live. Just because I live in NY or LA, doesn’t mean I can’t meet other creatives outside of my city. In fact, most of my work has been from reverse engineering situations. First leave the city and make amazing art with people who are passionate about their work, and then bring that product back to the big cities. A lot of the time, people have even better quality equipment, resources and drive than those living in the big cities. Also, at the end of the day, we are all going to the same film festivals at some point, where that is in Tokyo, Austin or Toronto.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
I love working with directors, writers and producers that have a project, but are open to collaborating to the point that the role or the work is open to going in a direction that they initially didn’t imagine it would. I often think that because we are all so idiosyncratic people, there is no way that I can be exactly what they imagined a role to be if they haven’t met me. And once they meet me, I hope they can utilize my special sauce and infuse that magic into the project that will make it truly unique. I appreciate creatives that take a chance on me. There is something about going with your gut and following your instincts and not being afraid to see what will happen, that I really admire about the people that have given me opportunities just because they felt like it was right. And they can’t even explain why made that choice. Looking back, they might even not understand how they did what they did. That’s where the magic comes from, for me. The more rigid a situation is, the harder it is to shine.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danshaked.com
- Instagram: @DanShaked
- Facebook: Dan Shaked
- Linkedin: Dan Shaked
- Twitter: @DanShaked
Image Credits
Getty Images Zack Dezon
