WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.019 Tell me about your vision. So, well, my vision 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:08.699 is all about creation and taking action and really 00:00:08.699 --> 00:00:13.740 helping others transform their life by, you know, 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:16.100 transcending self -doubt and overcoming self 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:20.000 -sabotage. So, and that's why I wrote my book, 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:24.079 you know, in the past year, last year, and kind 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:27.859 of out to help promote that. That makes sense. 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:30.940 That makes sense. So self -sabotage being one 00:00:30.940 --> 00:00:32.840 of those key components. I saw that you work 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:38.659 with actors, professionals. Tell me about where 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:40.679 your vision came from and a little bit behind 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:42.159 the scenes of how you got to where you're at. 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:46.240 Sure. Well, yeah, I primarily work with actors 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:50.500 as an agent. So my function is to try to find 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:53.929 them jobs on a day -to -day basis. in film, TV, 00:00:53.969 --> 00:00:55.890 theater, commercial print and voiceover, and 00:00:55.890 --> 00:00:58.390 represent their best interests, help with negotiated 00:00:58.390 --> 00:01:02.429 contracts, with any other stuff that's needed 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:05.450 for their career success. And I started doing 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:10.170 this in the mid -2000s, 2004, 2005, which is 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:14.209 when I launched my company. And I always had 00:01:14.209 --> 00:01:16.370 an interest in the performing arts. I was in 00:01:16.370 --> 00:01:19.349 the drama club in high school. During my undergraduate 00:01:19.349 --> 00:01:22.180 career, I took some... undergraduate classes 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.939 in theater and acting and really enjoyed it the 00:01:25.939 --> 00:01:30.500 process so when I started working in New York 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:33.120 City I was working with after 9 -11 working with 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:36.540 different organizations both professional and 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:40.000 on a volunteer basis so I started working with 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:42.640 actors and acting guilds in the city and I really 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.019 reignited my interest in it so I started off 00:01:46.019 --> 00:01:48.530 as a performer realized that that wasn't necessarily 00:01:48.530 --> 00:01:51.469 in my vision my vision was more supporting and 00:01:51.469 --> 00:01:54.650 advocating and working more behind the scenes 00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:58.430 and that's where i felt more at home i love actors 00:01:58.430 --> 00:02:01.909 but i really like working behind the scenes rather 00:02:01.909 --> 00:02:05.629 than in front of the camera so my vision transformed 00:02:05.629 --> 00:02:08.210 from being an actor to someone who supports and 00:02:08.210 --> 00:02:12.590 advocates for actors and that's where that started 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:17.860 so and then i became interested in psychology. 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:22.039 I was always interested in the human mind. And 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:25.419 then I said, might as well go for my doctorate. 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:29.539 And I was able to combine the two of them because 00:02:29.539 --> 00:02:33.439 my doctoral dissertation was on self -defeating 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.300 or self -sabotaging behavior in performing artists. 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:43.699 Wow. That is fascinating. So I'm going to go 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:48.110 out on a limb here. I wanted to land an acting 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:50.009 gig or have an opportunity. You're the guy to 00:02:50.009 --> 00:02:54.129 call. Yeah. Well, that would be, I would help 00:02:54.129 --> 00:02:57.409 you with that. Or at least point you in a direction. 00:02:57.849 --> 00:03:01.530 Because I, in order for me to work with an actor, 00:03:01.650 --> 00:03:03.870 I mean, the vision is great. But I would also 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:08.169 need the skill set and the packaging that would 00:03:08.169 --> 00:03:11.659 be needed. Absolutely. People wanted to get into 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:14.000 that. Do you have like a guide or a process? 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:16.039 Is there a pre -filtering application, something 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:18.719 like that? Well, there's pre -filtering because 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:23.080 I can only work with experienced actors that 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:26.020 have training and then have some traction already. 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:29.180 So professional -based, they're doing this, not 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:31.400 necessarily as a hobby. And that's great. I'm 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:34.599 not knocking anybody who wants to go into acting 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:38.430 as a hobby. as a weekend thing and as something 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:41.370 to do, that's great. But I only work with actors 00:03:41.370 --> 00:03:44.590 that are doing this as a career, as a full -time 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:49.349 focus. Thank you. And so what they do is they 00:03:49.349 --> 00:03:55.469 fill out that form. They include all their links, 00:03:55.509 --> 00:04:00.830 their portfolios. And then we take a look at 00:04:00.830 --> 00:04:02.669 them. I look at all of them. I look at every 00:04:02.669 --> 00:04:07.400 one of them. you know, that come in. And if it's 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:09.939 something that I like, then I'll move on to the 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:14.740 meeting format. If not, you know, what I often 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:18.100 tell actors, they can often submit, you know, 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:21.240 once every six months. So if I don't call them 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:27.259 right away, they can then, you know, resubmit 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:29.220 in six months. And then we'll take it from there. 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:31.519 And so the website kind of goes through what 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:34.620 we do. So it's, you know, the different projects 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:37.160 we book. It gives you a sample. It's not every 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:39.660 project we book, but it's kind of like a small 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:43.079 snapshot of what we book. Why do leaders hide 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:45.959 from funding their visions? Why do you think 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:50.360 that is? That's a very, very complex question. 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:52.300 It could be a whole variety of reasons behind 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:56.019 that. So fear, I would say maybe the one thing, 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.389 that fear, imposter syndrome. Maybe they feel 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:02.449 their vision is unrealistic or that the original 00:05:02.449 --> 00:05:06.470 is shot down. Or they're not fully yet committed 00:05:06.470 --> 00:05:11.250 to it fully. And that may need to work through 00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:14.430 that. Really, really good ideas. And I'm going 00:05:14.430 --> 00:05:15.949 to work into the next thing because I think you're 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:19.509 about to lean right into it. And that is then 00:05:19.509 --> 00:05:22.709 how do leaders lean into it? You've done that. 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:24.430 You've leaned into your vision. You've dedicated 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:27.230 your life to this. So how can we inspire more 00:05:27.230 --> 00:05:30.920 people? to lean into funding their visions? So 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:34.500 one thing that I often will do as an exercise 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:38.399 is I'll ask people what they want. So what is 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:41.079 your dream? What is the absolute dream for you? 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:43.300 And then they'll say it and they'll say, why 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.860 is that important to you? And then, you know, 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:49.519 they would tell me what is important. And then 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.240 I would say, okay, now why is that? And I'll 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:57.209 just keep asking why. He says, all right, keep 00:05:57.209 --> 00:05:58.769 going. I've just never heard anybody else say 00:05:58.769 --> 00:06:00.610 it before. That's exactly the direction I go 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:03.810 with this, too. So I'm so excited. Well, it's 00:06:03.810 --> 00:06:05.769 important because that's the only way you're 00:06:05.769 --> 00:06:07.889 going to find your vision is to know your why. 00:06:08.509 --> 00:06:12.589 And it's more than just like when somebody says, 00:06:12.689 --> 00:06:14.550 I want to be a coach to help people. There's 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:16.910 a little bit more than that. I mean, yeah, as 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:19.449 a coach, you're helping people. But what, why? 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:23.790 And that is something to tap into. And you might 00:06:23.790 --> 00:06:27.600 even, someone may even make. discoveries on their 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:29.860 own when that like well i didn't even think of 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:34.759 it that way yeah it happens all the time i'm 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:36.060 telling you like these are the conversations 00:06:36.060 --> 00:06:39.939 i have with people on a regular basis and more 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:43.100 and more that i meet with it is so common that 00:06:43.100 --> 00:06:45.879 people are moved to tears and it is so common 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:47.680 that people have these discoveries we're like 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:51.060 why I actually never really knew where my why 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:54.180 came from or what did that look like. So I love 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:56.860 that you're tying that into this. And I'm going 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:59.480 to use that right here. This is our common question 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.980 we ask people. So Albert, what's the story behind 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:08.040 your why? That's a really good question. And 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:14.220 so on one level, it's to connect people because 00:07:14.220 --> 00:07:20.920 at the end of the day, I would love to see people 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.420 help each other out because at the same level, 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:25.319 I'd like to be helped and I also want to help 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:28.060 other people. And that gives my life meaning. 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:33.160 I want to leave a legacy for those behind me. 00:07:33.779 --> 00:07:37.079 And even after, it's going to sound existential, 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:41.860 but even after I leave the planet, I would love 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:45.579 to have some sort of contribution. And that's 00:07:45.579 --> 00:07:48.360 the biggest reason why I... I wrote the book 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:52.019 and why I'm putting my message out there on different 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:58.319 stages and channels so that my message can live 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:01.199 on. Tell me about this book too. What's the name 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:03.060 of the book? When can we get it or where can 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:05.300 we get it? I want to hear all about it. It's 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:07.480 Rise Above the Script, Confronting Self -Doubt 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.100 and Mastering Self -Sabotage for Performing Artists. 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:14.079 It's available on Amazon. You can get it as a 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:17.750 paperback, an e -book or audio book. It's a major 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:22.449 audio book platform, Spotify, Audible. And it's 00:08:22.449 --> 00:08:24.970 about, even though I wrote it for a performing 00:08:24.970 --> 00:08:27.569 artist, and that was in mind, who I had in mind, 00:08:27.670 --> 00:08:31.649 because I worked with actors. So it was a problem 00:08:31.649 --> 00:08:33.990 that I was facing when I first started as an 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:36.909 agent, was I was seeing some of the actors self 00:08:36.909 --> 00:08:42.450 -sabotaging and really falling into traps of 00:08:42.450 --> 00:08:48.090 not finding work. So they were not showing up 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:51.649 for auditions. They were, you know, not being 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:54.330 prepared as they should be. And so I wanted to 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:56.490 know what exactly is happening. What is the disconnect? 00:08:56.649 --> 00:09:00.549 So I did that from a doctoral dissertation. So 00:09:00.549 --> 00:09:03.269 defeating behavior actors. And so I decided to 00:09:03.269 --> 00:09:06.169 turn it into a book. Now, the truth behind it 00:09:06.169 --> 00:09:07.990 is that there's something in there for anybody, 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:12.539 not just for actors. So I wrote a lot. you know, 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:16.740 strategies and research and all of that for the 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.679 general population so that somebody can get something 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:22.799 out of the book, even if you're not a performing 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:25.399 artist. And by the way, you're actually always 00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:28.039 performing, whether you want to look at it or 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:31.399 not, in some aspect, whether it's a teacher, 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:36.159 a presenter, a speaker, a salesperson, a teacher, 00:09:36.299 --> 00:09:39.600 you're performing. So we're all, in a sense, 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:41.789 performing artists. Thank you for being here 00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:43.669 today. I'm really happy that you tuned in to 00:09:43.669 --> 00:09:46.129 Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing 00:09:46.129 --> 00:09:49.169 your reactions as these episodes continue to 00:09:49.169 --> 00:09:50.870 move forward. This is going to get more and more 00:09:50.870 --> 00:09:53.210 fun. We'll have more and more engagement as well. 00:09:53.230 --> 00:09:55.210 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 00:09:55.269 --> 00:09:57.330 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 00:09:57.610 --> 00:10:00.250 Have an excellent time building out your vision 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:01.610 and becoming a vision pro yourself.