Author: Leah Cevoli

Perception is an interesting thing.  As humans, we perceive things to be one way or another based on the information we gather through our five senses; what we see, what we hear, what we taste, touch and feel, therefore become the reinforcements to what we believe to be true. Perception is a very powerful thing – just look at advertisements, loaded with suggestions to delight your senses into believing – really believing – that an advertised product is the answer you’ve been looking for, or in more extreme cases in today’s world, the effect of news, memes, and social media…

“Don’t let the highs get to your head and the lows get to your heart” said actress Tammy Gillis in a recent interview right here on Ms. In the Biz, when asked if she had any advice for other actors. When I read that, it hit me.  She’s right, you know. Personally, I’ve been guilty of both of those things in the past. See, back when I was fresh off the “bus” and Hollywood was new to me, I had a string of successes quickly. Now, at the time it didn’t feel QUICK, but looking back now, I can acknowledge…

My first professional voice-over gig was in the winter of 2004.  It was also my first principal booking in a union project.  I was ecstatic.  It enabled me to join the union *and* I felt like I had achieved some sort of next level in my career.  Life was moving along.  I signed with a top Los Angeles voice agent.  An agency who had a booth and an engineer on-site full-time, where clients would come in daily (scheduled of course), to knock out their next round of auditions.  It was one of my favorite parts of any day.  An audition…

There’s a phrase in the entertainment business that you’re probably familiar with, the ole, “It’s all about who you know…” saying.   There’s a lot of truth in that statement, in and outside of the entertainment business.  How many times have you gotten a great deal on a car, a hotel, or even a better seat at a restaurant, theater or concert because of someone you know? In Hollywood, relationship building *and* maintaining those relationships is truly a major component to success.  The *maintaining* part is something that recently smacked me in the face.  I was under the impression that a…

It’s not every day you get a chance to see a SLAMDANCE Original film without flying to Utah, so I jumped at the chance to see Christina Kallas’ award-winning film, The Rainbow Experiment’s premiere at the Hollywood Arclight Cinemas.  Add in the fact that this film is produced by Ms. In The Biz’s own, Allison Vanore and I was eager to get that buttery popcorn and my butt in the seat. Prior to the film, the filmmakers had a small gathering in the lounge, and I had the chance to catch up with Allison, who before introducing me to Christina,…

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of TIME.  Not necessarily in terms of aging, but in terms of linear and non-linear time, and how it relates to life goals, my career, and my overall personal goals. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but I’ve found that the passing of time becomes very evident when there are children in your life.  I have ten young nieces and nephews, and many friends with young children. My oldest niece just turned ten, and it hit me that my life memories after the age of ten are very vivid.…

Unless today is your first day on the internet, you’ve probably come across a few crowdfunding campaigns, perhaps you’ve pledged to one, or maybe you’ve even participated in or run one yourself. Either way, I don’t think I need to remind you that it’s hard work, and yet I’m about to. See, I’ve managed somewhere around 75 successful campaigns and coached and consulted on hundreds more and I can pretty much spot a winner right off the bat.  Now, not everyone that I thought was a winner ended up winning, but for the most part they have.  I can also…

Today was an interesting day.  It started off just like any other weekday. In fact, I woke up feeling pretty darn happy.  I saw the Mister Roger’s Documentary last night and woke up this morning still reveling in what a marvelous television program that was, and what a kindhearted creative being that man was.   I was feeling inspired. I was up early enough, so I headed to one of my favorite morning Kundalini Yoga classes.  The class was great, I left feeling peaceful, abundant, and energized, and then I headed to get my car’s oil change. My car lease, which…

The word producer gets tossed around a lot in the film industry.  Often synonymous with the “person or persons who had a large role in making the movie happen.” But what exactly does a producer do? Speaking strictly in terms of independent film, a producer can earn that title in many ways.  A producer is usually one of the first team members a writer or director will seek out.  Assuming the producer is not also the writer and/or director, which is entirely possible.  In this scenario, let’s assume they aren’t.  The writer/director may be looking for a strong and well-connected,…

I’d like to start off by saying happy new year, and welcome back to all new content on Ms. In The Biz.  A lot has happened during this hiatus. Personally, professionally, and globally. As I write this, I am only a few short days away from turning 44.   I was born on the 4th and 4 happens to be my favorite number. Spiritually speaking, multiple 4s are said to mean that all is well, and your angels are confirming that you’re on the right path for your life’s work.   In numerology, a person with a life path of 4, is…

As I begin writing what could possibly be my last MITB blog ever (Official Announcement), I can’t help but reflect on the evolution of my life and career that I’ve shared here with this community. 3 years, 36 blogs written and a whole lot of growth. When MITB first began, I had just returned to LA after an extended hiatus on the east coast, and found myself re-entering the LA scene wiser, but in some ways more cautious.  I found myself containing the  risk-taker that resides in my soul, and focusing on the task at hand. Survive in LA. I…

In the fall of 2015 I went thru a great loss, my kitty-cat companion and best friend of 16 years passed away in my arms, rather unexpectedly after a treatment that was meant to improve his life. I grieved for many months, and by the end of 2015, I felt empty, but an emptiness with peace and determination. A determination that I needed to fight harder, work harder, and put even more effort into my career. Truth be told, the past few years, I’ve focused so much on my side business (crowdfunding), that I was accepting of the acting career…

As an actor, especially an actor in Los Angeles, there are literally thousands of options of which courses, classes, workshops, and seminars to attend. One must have an acting coach, and maybe even multiple acting coaches, for different scenarios from technique, to cold-reading, to on-camera, and the list goes on. Outside of an acting coach, there are dialect coaches, life coaches, red-carpet coaches (yes, these exist!), there are people who will help you pick out your best clothing color choices, your best headshots, your best makeup looks, and the list goes on and on and on. One area that I…

I just celebrated a birthday. I celebrated in a BIG WAY, and bought myself a vacation package to the Island of Kauai, the smallest and by most accounts the most spiritual of the Hawaiian Islands. This was a huge trip for me. Now, if you’ve followed my blogs for a while now, you may be thinking, how is this a huge trip for you Leah? You’ve been a nomadic gypsy for a few years now, you’ve toured with rock bands, and you’re always off on some road trip or another… how is this any different?! Well, I’ll tell you. This…