We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Gatpo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.
Michelle , we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
For my self-care, I like to take a holistic approach. I found that taking care of my mind, body, soul, spirit creates a synergy with my health and wellness. For instance, with:
-my mind, I enjoy cognitive activities like reading and listening to self-help podcasts.
-my body, I balance exercise with recovery. Some days I do Pilates, others I do yoga and/or foam roll
-my soul, I treat myself to a face mask and book or watching a show. Or, even just treating myself to a croissant or chocolate.
-my spirit, I pray and praise God for such a beautiful and blessed life.
Doing all of this self-care has had a positive effectiveness towards myself and others. I observed to have more levity and optimism. And, I love it because I noticed that I take joy in complimenting others. Even acts of kindness feels fulfilling! Specifically with my acting journey, I have had new actors reach out with questions about acting. I would spend about an hour or more chatting about the industry. People have told me to start charging people for these “coaching sessions.” But, I am more than happy to help others, especially with things I love to do as well.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
What you do?
Hello! I am a commercial actor and lifestyle model. I usually play or model as a young mother, wife, best friend, or fitness woman. On top of being the talent, I self-manage. It can get a little stressful managing, but I would rather take care of the logistics that have to go through an agent. However, I would not mind having a TV/Film agent:)
What you feel is most exciting or special about it?
I feel like the most exciting part about acting is being on set! Especially seeing what they have for crafty haha.
Anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc.?
My brand as an actor is a attainable, healthy, active, ethnically ambiguous actor and lifestyle model.
Backstory- I typically use my Instagram as my portfolio, and I noticed I posted a lot of modeling photos compared to acting related content. So, I realized that my brand became that of an ethnically ambiguous editorial yet attainable model. After seeing how that affected my image as an actor, I started to focus more on what I really want to exude.
If relevant, please also tell our readers about anything new (events, product/service launches, expansion, etc)
I am currently transitioning more into dramatic and comedic narrative roles. So, if there are great theatrical agents and managers looking for someone like me, I am ecstatic to meet with you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey?
-Communicative: be an effective listener; fair negotiator; respectful speaker
-Professional: be objective; understanding; honest
-Resilient: be patient; giving myself grace
What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My original plan was to pursue TV/Film; but overtime, I did not realize that I was building a commercial acting resume. If I can tell myself five years ago what to focus on, it would definitely be to work on my theatrical craft. But, to give myself some grace, commercial acting helped me to be confident and natural on camera.
Other advice I give new actors:
-Have either at least $10k, and/or stable job, and take acting classes
-Take acting classes in Meisner, Stanislavski, and Improvisation
-Obtain professional headshots (you can always find trade-for-print (TFP) work to get great quality headshots)
-Daily acting-relating exercise: reading a script; watching shows/film with characters you are going for; watching interviews and behind-the-scenes
-Daily exercise, even if it is a 30-min walk
-Self-submit to Casting Networks; Actors Access; Backstage
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking for a theatrical agent and/or manager to represent me for TV and Film. My acting profile can be found here: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/0add06a0-03c2-11eb-95bd-0291f623b406. There are self-tapes of roles I booked; and I am still waiting for the final drafts of the films. Feel free to reach out via email: [email protected]. Thank you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/0add06a0-03c2-11eb-95bd-0291f623b406
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle.gatpo/
Image Credits
Jessi Martinez
Muhammed Almoslim
The North Face
Jonny Monasterio
Louis Chung
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
