True Story: I was recently in SEPHORA lamenting that two of my favorite lipsticks had been discontinued without warning.
The sales associate was offhand and a tad blunt: Yeah, they probably didn’t sell well.
This is what I heard: Lipstick loser.
True Story: I was recently in SEPHORA lamenting that two of my favorite lipsticks had been discontinued without warning.
The sales associate was offhand and a tad blunt: Yeah, they probably didn’t sell well.
This is what I heard: Lipstick loser.
Yes, it’s time for my annual rant about The Academy’s Big Insult.
Despite the BAFTAs getting on board with a Casting category in 2019 there is still no Oscar for Best Casting even though the current president of the Academy’s Board of Governors is a Casting Director. David Rubin’s credits include
To make something one’s own is to take something and adapt it to oneself. Knowing how to do this is absolutely essential in the camera ready universe.
Whether you are auditioning for a project and reading the same script as everyone else or interviewing for a job and meeting all of
I wish I knew who came up with the brilliant notion of replacing the traditional New Year’s Resolution with one single word to focus on for the coming year. I’d like to thank them.
Your word is an organizing principle or theme, perhaps even your annual north star, instead of a
Gain insider knowledge and a competitive edge + connect with a fun, positive community of like-minded people. In this small, hands-on class you will receive real-time coaching and learn Skills, Strategy & Confidence.
Is hosting a travel show on your vision board???
I’d be enormously rich posting from my villa in Tangier if I had a $ or € for everyone who ever said to me they wanted to host a travel show.
Learn how Kathy McCabe turned the dream into reality and
I know I’m not the target demographic and you may be thinking, huh, Barb, I did not expect this reference, but I was genuinely excited when I read that Quest Love is executive-producing a documentary, Dilla Time – “part biography, part musicology, and part musical meditation” – adapted from
If you think overturning Roe v. Wade has nothing to do with you – or is an act worth celebrating – I invite you to read my story with an open heart.
I am a deeply private person. I have good friends who will read this and say I had no
Tsundoku is the Japanese word for all the books you buy but never read. This summer I am determined to make a dent in the pile of books I acquired in 2020 and 2021 but still haven’t read. It’s a little misleading that a solid chunk of the stack
Owning It means taking responsibility for your thoughts and actions.
Owning it in the camera ready world is essential to how you show up.
My dear friend, casting director – coach – actor – documentary filmmaker, Sean De Simone, joined me on my Camera Ready & Abel podcast to go deep with
I am not here to discuss the Smith-Rock contretemps that distracted from Questlove receiving his first Best Documentary Feature Oscar for the brilliant and emotionally powerful “Summer of Soul” – many far more qualified than me have weighed in – but just after we all watched it happen in
I was riveted watching Shonda Rhimes‘ Netflix series, Inventing Anna about “fake German heiress” Anna Delvey. I could not get enough of Julia Garner as Anna + it brings up all sorts of questions about “faking it” which Vivian Manning-Schaffel explores in this excellent piece for Shondaland, including a quote
Cue the Tony! Toni! Toné! It’s my bizaversary.
20 years.
It’s been super easy and smooth sailing the whole way.
Ha! If you believe that, may I interest you in my favorite bridge down the street?
Like Lisa Roth, founder of Rock-A-Bye Baby, I’m an accidental entrepreneur.
Some people will be wrong, and that’s okay – Lisa Kudrow on handling rejection
EVERYBODY asks me how to get on TV. Elizabeth Wagmeister – who didn’t have an agent or a reel when I cast her on Page Six TV – provideS the playbook you’ve been looking for in this
SPORTS ANCHOR/PRODUCER
The nation’s best sports section is making a major expansion into daily sports video. And we are seeking someone who can be the face of this new effort as well as contribute production, development and writing skills to our editorial vision.
I’m one of those people who couldn’t read during the pandemic. It was too hard to focus. I needed big print and pretty pictures. Translation: Netflix and Pinterest.
And yet, books were my favorite form of retail therapy, so I have quite the stack vying for my attention now that I
I get stuck in The Shoulds all the time – should be thinner, richer, more successful, blah, blah, blah – and write about it from time to time in my newsletter, blog and Facebook community…and dedicated an episode of my Camera Ready & Abel podcast to it.
My dear friend Vivian
It was wonderful, well-deserved and long overdue when it was announced May 12, 2021 that Tina Turner was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Today I am inducting Tina Turner into the Manifesters Hall of Fame.
Icon is an overused word but let’s face it, if you
SEEKING: EXPERIENCED HOST with DESIGN/BUILD SKILLS for fun, puzzle-based challenge show (think: The Floor is Lava meets Craftopia meets Escape Room).
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Series shoots up to 3 months Q1-Q2 2021 in Atlanta, GA area (transportation and housing provided). Non-union.
Living from one Blursday to the next these past several months, summer snuck up on me this year.
I am grateful to a childhood friend for tagging me in a Facebook Favorite Books Challenge to spur me to action and listify my Summer Reading List 2020.
Similar to the FB Challenge, I
Nationally syndicated Daytime Talk Show based in NYC is seeking an experienced audience warm up to bring the energy + hype!
This is the official Part Two of How To Gain Career Traction With Two Easy Actions: Commit to your career like you commit to your exercise!
I can’t tell you how many time this has played out in my Television Hosting classes. I ask my students how often do you
This is the official Part Two of How To Gain Career Traction With Two Easy Actions: Commit to your career like you commit to your exercise!
I can’t tell you how many time this has played out in my Television Hosting classes. I ask my students how often do you
Don’t take yes for an answer is fabulous advice when you stop and think about it. Many accomplished people say it was hearing no that motivated them to work harder and achieve their greatness.
I’m a big believer in positive psychology, the yes and ethos of improv comedy and embracing life
Are you watching John Krasinski’s Some Good News? It’s taken YouTube and the world by storm since it launched a little over a month ago (2.21M subscribers/50 million+ views and counting.)
I’m waiting for Episode 6 to drop as I type. If you haven’t checked it out yet I don’t want
The sudden surge in video conferencing due to working from home has put a spotlight on what’s been true for a long time: Everyone must be camera-ready.
Even if you have never thought about being on-camera (Me? Television?) you were probably on camera before #WFH without realizing it.
Twitter at its best is a wonderful universe. An exchange of ideas for like-minded travelers and lovers of words. Good lighting not required. It’s keeping me company during the long isolating days and nights of the coronavirus, never more so than this week’s 5 Perfect Films, 5 Friends challenge that
But I believe in signs. They are everywhere if we are open to seeing them. I don’t always see them. Sometimes I’m caught up in my own mischegoss.
Yesterday though, day 32 of working from home, I was walking down my Brooklyn block to get some fresh air and my bi-weekly
I love checklists. In my previous How to Zoom Like a Star post I shared tips on best practices around the mechanics of communicating via the many video platforms like Zoom, Skype, Bluejeans, Google Hangouts etc.
I’m optimistic there’s a light at the end of this long tunnel and have added three new virtual TV Hosting/Media Training classes. This is the perfect time to work on skills, stay focused on your big picture and feel good by doing good: 20% of the class fee is
Zoom Gloom is real. It shows up when that dread one feels for yet another video conference call translates into low, dud spud energy and bad camera angles.
The first thing to do is get in the habit of checking in with yourself because as Gabby Bernstein says, your vibes speaking
What a year last week was! I hope you are doing well and practicing self-care and social distancing. Now that my family is settled and adjusting to the new normal, I am beginning to look outward again. I was having virtual cocktails last night with a teacher-friend and giving them
People ask me all the time: What do I need to do to crush my TV appearance.
And I tell everybody the same thing – no matter if they are promoting a book, a tv show, their recipes or relationship advice – The number one way to slay your TV appearance
One of my 2019 goals was to walk the length of Broadway in Manhattan and I had a massive AHA! on my way to completing this: