S5E17 - "Some of the most 'successful' actors I know are 'unknown'"

For so long conservatoire drama schools have been the only way to get invaluable training to set you up for the industry...but not anymore. IAmPro is just one of the alternative training offerings out there for actors and creatives who want to work in the entertainment industry. IAmPro trains talent digitally and gets them discovered, collaborating and networking, and offers personalised end-to-end learning which prepares people for the future creative industry. Their mission is to democratise the historically archaic systems which have driven multi-layers of inequality within our industry. Today's guest is Ben Brooks, co founder and director of production at IAmPro. Ben himself started off in-front of the camera as an actor and then studied Musical Theatre before deciding to work behind the camera in television production, which he has done for the last 15 years. He is also and agent and director of acting agency iAP Talent Group.  Ben tells us about his journey from being an actor as a youngster to working behind the camera, and eventually co-founding an alternative to the standard actor training to make it more accessible for all creatives to explore multiple avenues within the entertainment business. We chat about nepotism within the industry (and his own experience of having a famous actress as a sister!), going from working in front of the camera to behind the camera in production, how and why IAmPro started, the perception of success, thoughts on casting director workshops, as well as brilliant advice from an agent's point of view as director of an actor agency! Make sure you listen all the way through to hear an exclusive DISCOUNT for listeners of The 98% for all the amazing things IAmPro has to offer! Follow IAmPro online @iampro Learn more about IAmPro and join here https://iampro.com . Follow us on twitter/instagram at @the98percentpod for relatable #actorslife content, tips and advice for actors, and news about our new series. . If you've benefitted from and enjoyed the podcast and want to give a little back, we have a ko-fi where every penny thrown in our hat goes straight into contributing towards the costs of running the podcast and creating helpful content online for actors. Every little helps and is so appreciated! https://ko-fi.com/the98percent  . This episode was recorded on Squadcast - the virtual podcast recording site. Find out more here https://squadcast.fm  . Want to connect with other actors around the world, be coached, see castings, read in for self tapes or earn money reading for others? You can do all this and more at https://www.weaudition.com with 25% off your monthly subscription with the discount code 9825!