Nerves Blog Posts
Can Meditation Improve Your Daily Life?
In this busy, multitasking world, it’s healthy to unplug and reset your mind every once in awhile. One way to do this is to set aside a few minutes a day to meditate. Meditation is a mental tool you can… Read More
How Meditation Can Help Your Acting Career
When we hear the word meditation, certain images come to mind. For some, it’s that annoying neighbor chanting om at the top of their lungs. Sure, it’s easy to joke about these eccentrics. But there’s a reason the practice has… Read More
Tony Award Winner Rachel Bay Jones on Her Struggles with Authenticity
Rachel Bay Jones is known for the complexity and authenticity she brings to her roles in theater. But being an authentic personality was not something that came easy for the actress and singer; indeed, she only learned to fully embrace… Read More
Social Awkwardness as an Asset
Not knowing what to say or fidgeting during conversations, experiencing goofy mishaps when all eyes are on you, perhaps having an odd fashion sense, laughing nervously when answering questions…sound familiar? If so, you might be socially awkward. As remarkably skilled… Read More
Before-and-After Photo Encourages Others to Embrace Their Bodies
We’re all used to the conventional before-and-after body image photographs depicting a heavier version of a person for the before and a slimmed-down version representing the after. Well, Body-Image Activist, Taryn Brumfitt has a different take on such comparison photos…. Read More

Whole Body Auditioning
During a recent meeting with some casting and film director friends about what actors needed to do to book work, two words were repeated again and again: Embodied and personal. It is no longer enough to play your idea… Read More
Awkward Auditions
The uplifting musical love story La La Land pulled in seven Golden Globe nominations earlier this week. The film is up for consideration for best picture, best director, and best actor and actress awards for its stars Ryan Gosling and… Read More
A Man in Pursuit of Rejection
Rejection is something that all people experience in any number of ways throughout life. But if you’re an actor, it’s essentially a way of life. For example, repeatedly waiting in groups of 60 actors and knowing that perhaps just a… Read More
The Healing Power of Acting
Sometimes the process of acting goes beyond being more than an exploration, passion, or career goal. And it, in fact, has the power to transform its participants’ lives in a healing manner. Take Michael Shannon, for example. Shannon is known… Read More
Casting Director David Rubin Reveals What He Looks for in Talent
In this PBS interview, Casting Director and Academy Governor David Rubin shares insights into how he makes casting decisions. Rubin’s casting resume includes a long impressive list of box office hits including Gravity, Men in Black, Hairspray, and The English… Read More

We all need affirmation! (part 3)
In parts one and two of ‘We All Need Affirmation!’ we discussed the power of positive affirmations and a number of exercises of changing negative thoughts to positive ones combating those lingering, counter-productive thoughts. In this final installment, are two exercises on building self-confidence and… Read More

We all need affirmation (part 2)
In part one of ‘We All Need Affirmation!’ we discussed the power of positive affirmations and the exercise of changing negative thoughts to positive ones. Next is an exercise on how to counter those negative ideas and thoughts that can… Read More
Adam Scott Talks About Audition Room Nerves
Adam Scott’s career has grown consistently yet somewhat sporadically over the course of many years. But since portraying characters like the ultra-confident, jerky Derek Huff in Step Brothers as well as the brilliant but socially awkward Ben Wyatt in Parks and… Read More

The Acting Center Helps Actors Trust Their Instincts
One of the top-rated acting schools in Los Angeles is The Acting Center. It’s touted as “a new acting and improv school based on a rediscovered technique buried for the last 80 years.” Founded in 2006, the center’s television, film,… Read More

Jimmy Fallon’s Advice: “It’s Good to Be Scared”
For aspiring comedians, the thought of bombing in front of an audience can be enough to stop them from pursuing their dreams altogether. In this web exclusive of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy gives advice to comedians beginning their journey… Read More