New York Actors and Actresses: Listen Up!

There’s no business like show business, and you can hear all about the ins and outs of it via the new podcast “In the Podlight.”

Along with Emmy-winning filmmaker Chris Graves, the show is produced by hosts Grant Kretchik, an associate professor of acting and theater at Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts and Caroline Liem the Department Chair for BFA Acting and Film at Pace, and a veteran casting director who has worked with numerous studios and networks, including Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, Netflix, ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW.

They’re slated to tackle issues related to representation and diversity; artificial intelligence, union strikes, streaming platforms, the ever-evolving economics of entertainment, and the new challenges for performers and artists.

These two educators and industry insiders, with a combined 40+ years of experience in film, television, and theatre, have enjoyed an 11-year professional partnership where they help novice performers bridge the gap from academia into the industry by putting them in front of Hollywood gatekeepers.

Now, they’re expanding their audience so more can benefit from their unique vantage point as well as their connections to influential figures within the entertainment industry, such as Tony Award winner LaChanze (“The Color Purple,” “The Outsiders” “Kimberly Akimbo”); Jesse James Keitel (one of Vogue’s 15 Rising Stars of 2022) and playwright and screenwriter, Aurin Squire (“This is Us”) to name a select few.

What more will listeners get from the podcast beyond what they read in the trades or learn taking a class?

Grant Kretchik: The podcast doesn’t aim to train the actor. It’s a platform for entertainment industry professionals who’ve blazed the trail forward or who work for organizations that support artists. If you’re part of a group that’s been left out of the conversation for whatever reason, you’ll hear from people out there championing you. You’ll be inspired to stay the course and be uplifted to become the next generation of not just actors, but changemakers in the industry.

Caroline Liem: One of the reasons I became a casting director is because I wanted to open the door for those who didn’t have access. The joy of this podcast is the many backgrounds, voices, and journeys you’ll hear. Did they change their careers or adjust them in a way that there was growth and evolution? And how they all give back.

SM: Do entertainers need to embrace the business side of the industry as well as the creative?

CL: They go hand in hand.

GK: We’re in a space where performing artists need to be multi-hyphenates—actor/writer, actor/director/writer, actor/producer. There’s a new sense of responsibility that training institutions are embracing: students have to think like entrepreneurs and not just artists.

CL: Our students are coming to the industry with a shorthand; they are further ahead, which means [directors and producers] can hire them quicker.

SM: How does your podcast address this?

CL: It opens up the conversation for artists to understand how the industry works from professionals who are in it now.

SM: It seems that getting parts is so random which can make many want to or feel they need to give up.

GK: I can’t promise my actors that they’ll have a career if they just want to be in front of the camera or on stage. However, if they want to be in the business, I can reassure them that there are a ton of opportunities. There is a place for them. It’s the biggest business in the world. There are a lot of entertainment-adjacent jobs that make this whole big machine work. You have to decide if you want that place.

CL: You have to really stand in your own, believe in yourself and surround yourself with those who carry you forward and support your dreams—then you get work and decide, “Is this really for me or do I want to try something else?”

You have to be OK with saying, “I’m an actor and I went to college [for acting] and now I’m going into PR.” They feel like a bit of them has died but then they find that everything they learned they can use in their [non-performing] job and end up with their own PR company. There are so many great things that can happen.

SM: It seems like the business of entertainment has really expanded beyond being a singer/ dancer/actor. Those people are competing with reality TV stars and social media influencers. Can you speak to that?

CL: We get that question a lot in my industry. I’ve seen in my casting over the years everyone enters the room. How you get there can be really subjective but you still have to be able to deliver lines, know your marks, and be professional.

It truly is a business and I think trained actors understand that; they understand the rigor of a long day in a production and also hone their craft. The question for me is, “Do you want a quick star that burns bright for a moment, or do you want longevity?

And losing a part to a Nepo baby?

GK: It’s devastating when this comes up. But it’s not just about [familial connections]. This is an expensive business to stay in. It’s more about economics. If people benefit from generational wealth, they’re able to remain in the business and be a student of their art for many years and this isn’t to say that they don’t work hard. It’s often the people who don’t come from a background of resources that have to leave before they get a chance.

CL: You have to create your own visibility and your own professionalism. It may take a lot more work. You may feel that the collaborations are a little more challenging, but it’s entirely possible.

There’s a place for everyone.

SM: What’s your best piece of advice?

GK: Katy Perry said it in her Video Music Awards speech: “Go touch grass.” You have to have something else to care about beyond entertainment, beyond acting because when you do get to tell the stories you want to tell, that diversity of interests is only going to make you a better storyteller. You’ve got to have a life. It’s so important to have somewhere to go to feed your soul when you haven’t had a gig in so long or even an audition to lift your spirits.