Ep. 16 BGB Acting Teacher Steven Braun on Meisner, Feminism and Finding Your Zen

I wish I could be zen.  I wish I could find a way to reach deep down inside my soul and find some calm to pull from whenever I need it, especially when it comes to my acting career.  LA-based actor and acting coach Steve Braun can do this. BGB Studio co-founder Steve Braun Actually one of the first things I noticed about him when he was my acting teacher was just how calm he was. He embraced the silence, a rare gift that actors too often forget to do. And he gave his students insightful tools to learn more about themselves while discovering their character. It was a really great class where I met some wonderful people and let myself go a little bit. Which if you know me is not an easy thing for me to do. I enjoyed his class so much at Bramon Garcia Braun Studio. So I wanted to see if he’d let me pick his brain about where he gets his zen, how it can be helpful for actors, and why he stopped pursuing his showbiz career and started helping others pursue theirs. He said yes! Steve and June (aka June Bug) Steve has been an actor for a long time (Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, The Immortals, The Trip) before he co-founded the BGB Studio with casting director Risa Bramon Garcia (the BG in BGB!) In this episode he explains why he left the grind behind and found fulfillment in helping actors “do the work.”  He also talks about how becoming a father has changed his perspective in some ways, and not in others.  I got to express my frustration with the Meisner technique (I really don’t get it) and sound like a complete jerk while pronouncing the word Buddhist. Steve’s wife Amber Borycki and their daughter June But my favorite part was sharing common experiences with another parent.  Steve and his wife Amber have an adorable girl name June who he hopes to raise with feminist leanings, but not be a dick about it.  I love it when parents are passionate but stay grounded. It keeps the world interesting! For more information on Steve and how you can take classes at BGB Studio, go to their website. And if you just want a little inspiration in your acting career listen to the BGB podcast, and check out their Facebook page.