We were lucky to catch up with Jodie Bentley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jodie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I didn’t know it at the time, but I discovered the basis for my purpose when I was 10 years old.
Growing up, it was my coping mechanism to not be fully present to my life.
I had to be the emotional support of my parents and help take care of my sister, Laurie. Laurie was the older one and had cognitive disabilities – her mind will forever be 2 years old. To win my parents attention, I worked as hard as I could to get straight A’s and not rock the boat. Which I was very successful at. No matter what I did, I never got the attention I needed and longed for.
So in my own childhood, I shut down. It was too much to balance all their emotions, my sisters needs, and my own. So I removed myself from the equation. It was easier.
But my deep core values of integrity and belonging stem from my 10-year-old self yelling at the boys who’d make fun of Laurie playing in the front yard.
It was also at 10 years of age that I discovered acting. That feeling of being seen and heard was thrilling and more importantly, healing. I felt like I was home when I was on a stage.
All of that completely shaped who I am as a human.
It’s why I’m an actor. To fully express every part of my being that I was not allowed to do in my life which makes me feel joyful and alive and seen. As well as, to help others heal, to raise social consciousness, to allow people to relate, grow and recognize we are all connected.
It’s also why I’m a career coach for actors. To allow my fellow actors to be seen and heard for who they are and what they want. I believe all actors deserve to belong and find their place in this industry.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
First off, I’m a working actor & audiobook narrator with a musical theater background who’s worked for Netflix, Hulu, ABC, CBS, Apple TV and more.
No, my parents weren’t famous actors. Mom was a nurse and dad was an electrician. We were as lower-middle class as they come and far removed from the entertainment industry.
My BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, though a top tier acting program, did not prepare me for how to run my acting business and create longevity in my career. After struggling in NYC for about 8 years, I became tired of my career feeling like a roller coaster…so I taught myself all things business.
I read every freakin’ business book I could get my hands on. I started taking business principles that worked in the real-world regarding branding, marketing, and sales and morphed them for the creative career of an actor. That’s when I achieved success in my own acting career in NYC.
Then after about the 40th free coffee date where other actors had asked to ‘pick my brain’ on how I did what I did, I realized I had a skill set and a knowledge that most actors didn’t have. That’s how my first coaching business began in 2008.
Now, I help actors stuck in uncertainty and instability own their value and get the career they’ve always wanted… without wasting anymore time and money.
Since 2008, I’ve helped over 2300 actors in 17 countries.
I’ve taught workshops at SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, Comicon, and over 50+ colleges and training programs. I’ve been an adjunct professor and built the Business of Acting Programs at four universities and colleges. In 2022, I was named one of the Top 20 Coaches in Los Angeles by Influence Digest.
I pride myself on the fact that I understand my clients innately. I know what actors go through. I’m in the trenches with them daily. I’ve created systems to support actors in every area of the acting business.
Actors come to me for branding, that’s what I’m known for, and they stay for marketing, how to get an agent, goal strategy, networking and relationship building strategy and mindset work. All of that I’ve built into my signature membership The Actor’s Think Tank.
Speaking of branding, my business has gone through a re-brand this January and is now called Actor Insider.
As I’ve been side by side with my fellow actors watching the changes in our industry last year and during the pandemic, it got me thinking how often actors feel on the outside. I realized that what I teach is really taking your power back as an actor and moving you from outsider to insider. The re-brand felt right.
Coming up in March, I’m hosting a powerful free training called 5 Days to Book more & Hustle Less: How to go from outsider to in-demand in your acting career. Email us if you’d like to get on the list.
And over the pandemic, I created a software for actors called The Actor’s Office to help actors organize their actor life and build their careers faster. We have a free mini-course called Build Industry Relationships Like A Boss because I believe building relationships is the key to being remembered and booking the work you want.
On the acting front, I’m most excited about a feature film I’ve written as a vehicle for myself and I’m in the middle of re-writes on that. My team and I will start pitching soon. And I had a couple film projects premiere at festivals last year and we’re waiting to see about distribution.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? 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?
Hands down, the concept of branding and how to apply it to myself as an actor has been extremely impactful in my own acting career as well as my clients. I think people have pre-conceived notions about Branding that just don’t serve them. And many people in the acting industry talk about branding in a way that is limiting and hurtful so no wonder actors resist it.
For me, branding is one of the most liberating and expansive things an actor can do. It’s the foundation for everything. How the heck do you know how to market or package yourself if you don’t know your brand?! Once I learned that, embraced it and manifested it in my own career that’s when things took off. I see the same thing over and over with my clients who are new to the business or 20-year veterans. It’s vital to understand who you are in this industry because only then is it clear to others.
The second quality I’d have to say is being curious. It’s easy to become bitter and jaded in the acting industry. What has given me longevity and optimism in my acting career and as well as a business owner is curiosity. It’s so easy to create stories as to why you haven’t heard from your agent or why your auditions have dwindled, or you didn’t book the job. By being curious, you stay open to possibility, as well as the truth.
Curiosity keeps you out of a negative spiral and puts you in the driver’s seat of your career. And it feels way better than playing the blame game, i.e. blaming your agent, the industry, your acting coach, etc.
This is also curiosity about yourself and all the ways you self-sabotage, your excuses, what gets in your way. Managing one’s mindset is a necessary skill to have. Starting with curiosity will help you navigate those waters more easily and with grace.
Belief in oneself would be my 3rd quality. So many actors search for outside validation. I get it, of course you want positive feedback on who you are as an actor. And the reality is not everyone is going to like you or get you. Did you get or like everyone? Hell no! In fact, statistically speaking, 30% of the people in this world will not like you. If you let those 30% define who you are and what you cannot do, that would be a shame.
To develop a deep belief in who you are, your talent, your voice, your value I feel is vital. That’s what will keep you going. That’s what will create determination and persistence and drive – believing in yourself more than anyone else.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Oof. Overwhelm is real. Especially when you’re a multi-hyphenate. You know, for so long I would feel overwhelmed and ignore it and just push through. All that did was led to burnout or getting a cold or honestly, crying a lot. I think I used to pride myself on being overwhelmed and getting shit down regardless. I wore it like a badge of honor almost.
I’ve learned over the years that was just my ego. I liked to think I was superwoman. Now, I can recognize the overwhelm in my body when it first hits. It’s a tight pulsating in my chest and I can’t take a deep breath. I know when I feel that I need to do something. For me, that’s backing away from the computer or putting down the audition sides and going for a walk or having a dance party or calling a friend or chatting with my husband. Something to break that neural programming of – I’m overwhelmed!
I believe now that overwhelm is a choice. I can choose to be overwhelmed or in flow. I can choose struggle and tension or joy and ease. One trick I do is leaving more white space on my calendar than I think I need AND blocking out more time to do a project. It always takes more time than we think.
If overwhelm is setting in, I get to adjust my timelines or ask for help. That’s what I’ve realized are a lot of deadlines are self-imposed. Of course, if there’s an audition I must get in by a certain time, I get to adhere to that. But that just means I get to clear my schedule from other stuff. That everything is a movable feast.
Agility. That’s a skill all actors and business owners get to master. Being agile to what comes at you at any moment. In that, is curiosity and joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.actor-insider.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actorinsider/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theactorsworkspace
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiebentley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JodieBentleyOfficial
- Other: https://jodiebentley.com/ https://www.theactorsoffice.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jodiebentley/
Image Credits
David Muller, Albert Ortega
