Acting Lessons Learned with Tiwana Floyd

You know those friendships that you just can't live without, the ones you cherish as a respite from the chaos of Hollywood? My best friend Estie and I had one of those. But after Estie’s recent move to Oregon, I've been forced to confront the harsh realities of Hollywood friendships.

From the toxic to the genuinely beautiful, I'll take you on a deep exploration of the friendships I've come to appreciat...

Networking is the key to acting success. But what if it terrifies you? Listen to how I learned to redefine networking into community building by joining a mastermind group, training at The Second City and connecting with a rich range of Hollywood Individuals.

Also, take a trip down memory lane to my days as a hip-hop dancer in the 90s where my  shyness inhibited me from growing my dance career after performing in LL Cool J...

😵‍💫 Feeling the existential dread of Mercury Retrograde and the rising tide of AI? As I grapple with these immense shifts, I question the future of my acting career and the whole artistic community. #podcastproducer  #actor  #podcaster 

I walk you through my journey, comparing my experiences to the decline of Tony Romas and the seemingly parallel state of Hollywood today. I share my fears, sacrifices, and the looming pos...

Have you ever found yourself wondering why your agent's payment of your session fee or residuals is arriving late? Has it been happening more often than expected? Are agents facing financial setbacks due to commercial and television downgrades? It's natural to question whether agents are holding actors' monies until they collect big monthly payouts in interest.

Tiwana Floyd recounts a recent experience that ...

Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless loop of conflicting casting director advice, feeling overwhelmed, immobilized by which advice was the right direction to follow, not knowing what to ignore and what to keep? I've definitely suffered analysis paralysis of "what actors should and shouldn't do." And I was reminded that if you ask ten people for advice, you'll get eleven different answers. 
...

Picture this: An introvert, standing alone on the picket line at Amazon Studios, feeling the weight of ancestral history, and surrounded by a sea of people. It's a scenario that could have easily overwhelmed Tiwana Floyd. 

However, propelled by the spirit of ancestors and the compelling need to join the ranks of union members in solidarity, She found the strength to overcome her innate introversion. This empowering na...

Defending Creative Livelihood: The Fight Against AMPTP's Proposal and Understanding the Impact of a Hollywood Strike

Imagine a world where executives own the likeness of background performers for eternity without consent or compensation. This is the chilling future we could face if the AMPTP Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have their way. I'm TIwana Floyd, and during this episode, I'll sh...

It's essential for actors, like any professionals, to consider their career choices carefully. Accepting every job offer without assessing the value of the project can lead to potential issues, including burnout, wasted time and effort, and exposure to toxic environments. Tiwana Floyd's approach of asking herself 11 questions before accepting an acting job offer is a wise practice that can help actors make more informed d...

Tiwana Floyd shares a second experience terminating an agent. This time a print agent who wouldn't follow the funds. leaving Tiwana to figure out how to get paid for a job she booked. 

Acting Lessons Learned is Produced, Written, Recorded, Engineered and Edited by Tiwana Floyd
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A labor strike of any kind brings tremendous concerns about income. As the Writers Guild of  America nee WGA is in an ongoing dispute with the AMPTP, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with SAG-AFTRA requesting a strike authorization,  Tiwana Floyd is reminded of her first experience overcoming the adverse impact of the 2007 writers' strike, 2008 SAG stalemate the great recession of 2007-2009.

Sh...

At some point in every actor's career, the decision to Turn Pro becomes a crossroads we are faced to make a choice toward elevating our career. Somewhere in every performer's experience, there comes a moment of realization that where you are is no longer acceptable. Because if your vision is grand and you desire to level up you know changes have to be made. And those changes require and change.

Tiwana shares a pivotal time...

With success comes hardship also known as the messy middle. When we set out to achieve a goal things appear to be falling apart when actually they are coming together. 

When the Messy Middle strikes creatives it's difficult to recognize there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

In this episode, I share my most debilitating messy middle in the midst of a ten-year overnight success and the steps I took to clean up the mess.

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In this episode, Tiwana shares the red flags that caused her to pass on agent Lorraine Bradley who sat in a car for a video conference meeting with Tiwana, overshared inappropriate personal issues, and mistook Tiwana for a 65-year-old woman. 

Respectfully Decline is a three-part series where Tiwana shares the behavioral inadequacies of agents and managers that showed patterns of abnormalities in a meeting.

Tiwana ...

When "Seeking Representation" becomes a meeting with an agent reliving his golden years, lamenting the way things used to be. Tiwana experiences compassion for an agent who has fallen from grace. Accepting the writing on the wall, she chooses not to accept the offer to sign with the Past Tense Agent.  

Actors operate in a perpetual state of seeking the right agent to make them successful. And like every fairytale...

When it comes to representation, actors are continually searching for the right fit. Finding an ideal partner in an agent or manager takes time. Time that many actors are not willing to endure, and thus, they sign with reps who weren't a good fit from the start.

In this episode, Tiwana shares the red flags that caused her to Respectfully Decline two separate offers from managers at the same company. 

Evidence...

Tiwana Floyd shares four instances where she experienced being outgraded from  commercial. She delves into what she believes to be the cause of each out grade. How she felt when she received the news. And how she nurtures her mental health when outgrades happen. 

Acting Lessons Learned is Produced, Written, Recorded, Engineered and Edited by Tiwana Floyd
If you'd LIKE TO SUPPORT the show, here are 5 Simple ways to do so.

The commercial comeback is a term Tiwana created to describe the moment when an inactive commercial makes it's return to the airwaves, which is typically a wonderful miracle for an actor when they receive unexpected income.

Tiwana shares two instances where she experienced a commercial comeback, one that is currently airing for the 2022 Holiday season, the other an expired commercial contract that was renegotiated at ...

After finally becoming eligible to join SAG-AFTRA imposter syndrome leads Tiwana to believe she wasn't good enough just yet. She shares the  unethical non-union commercial that caused her to finally join the actors union, two years later and the instrumental players that helped to remind Tiwana of her value. 

Music "Mesmerizing" by Pixababy 15617

Acting Lessons Learned is Produced, Written, Recorded, Engineer...

Tiwana Floyd shares the experience of booking her first national commercial. Going form a bad audition, to the receiving residuals and finally the unexpected halt when the residual send because the commercial stops airing.

:: About Tiwana ::

Tiwana Floyd is a Los Angeles-based actor, improviser, writer, and content creator. Acting Lessons Learned is her love letter to her Actor Frens, to assist them in navigating...