Author: Alana Jackler

Anxiety. Some consider it a prerequisite for creating great art. According to psychiatrist and author Rollo May, “real creativity is not possible without anxiety.” Lucky me. Blame it on my New York upbringing, my Jewish heritage, or attending a pressure inducing prep school, anxiety has always been a part of my life. Add in the stress of pursuing a career in entertainment business, often filled with doubt and uncertainty, and it can feel like a recipe for a perpetual panic attack. Ellen Sandler, screenwriter and co-executive producer for the show Everyone Loves Raymond, says that when you’re working in television…

In 2007 someone told me they were making a webseries. My response was… “a what?” (cue the crickets). These days my facebook feed is flooded with Kickstarter campaigns for webseries, and I get why. Producing a series for the web has the potential to bring exposure, build a fanbase, and possibly get your show picked up by HBO! Well… As digital creator and pioneer Kathleen Grace, Chief Creative Officer at New Form Digital and former Head of Creative Development at the YouTube Space LA says, “sure, some shows have made the move like High Maintenance. But let’s not kid ourselves…

There’s an article circulating around the internet, and if you’re an actor you’ve probably seen it: “Talent Agents Say Instagram Followers Are More Important than Acting Talent”. It’s a title meant to provoke, and based on the comments, it worked: “That’s disgusting!” “What kind of business would hire based on how popular you appear to be?” “Can you imagine applying for a job as a waiter and having the restaurant tell you to bring in all the customers.” “I quit!” I won’t debate the merits of the article. It’s been done. The piece is bait clicky, antagonistic, and apparently the…