Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodie Bentley.
Hi Jodie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
So how does a 10-year-old, straight-A student and defacto babysitter for my cognitively disabled older sister become an actor?
I felt a deep need to escape. To be someone else. When I discovered acting, I fell in love. It was the only place where I felt I truly belonged. Acting became my safe place and it allowed me to be me. I knew acting was the way to tell the stories within me.
No, my parents were not famous actors. Mom was a nurse, and dad was an electrician. We were as lower-middle class as they come and far removed from the entertainment industry.
No, my BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, though a top-tier acting program, did not prepare me for how to run my acting business successfully.
After graduating, I floundered for 8 years trying to piece my acting career together. My results were ok… but random and rare.
I knew there had to be a better way, so I decided to teach myself all things business. I read everything I could get my hands on in terms of branding, marketing, sales, networking, you name it!
After about six months of self-education and creating systems and frameworks (did I mention I was a Type-A Virgo), I launched my new plan.
Six months after that, I landed my first agent in NYC, booked my first Off-Broadway contract, got to join Actor’s Equity, sang on an original cast recording with famous composer Stephen Schwartz, and booked 8 commercials in one year. And my career has only grown from there with multiple theater gigs, commercials, and having projects with Netflix, Hulu, ABC, CBS, Apple TV, TIFF, Cannes & more.
All that happened because I took branding and business principles that work in the real world and morphed them for the creative mind.
Business skills and systems were my missing link as an actor. It was these same systems that helped me rebuild my acting career after my breast cancer diagnosis. After my recovery, within weeks I landed a new theatrical agent at a huge agency and was auditioning at a higher level than I ever did before. I booked more work that year than I ever had.
I knew I could help other actors get over their limiting beliefs, overwhelm and fear of business with the systems I created.
In 2008, I created the first-ever branding system for actors. I wrote a book, built Business of Acting courses at multiple universities, and guest lectured all over the country.
All of that has culminated today into my company, Actor Insider, where I’ve helped over 2300 actors in 17 countries get the acting career they want.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a young actor pursuing acting while temping and being a hostess in NYC, I thought about quitting acting a bunch of times. It was DEFINITELY not a smooth road. I worked day and night to make ends meet. I kept booking non-paying acting gigs or jobs paying $350/week. It was not the career I envisioned or the life I wanted to live.
Overall, I would say the biggest struggle for me was mindset.
I mentioned I grew up with a sister with cognitive disabilities – her mind will forever be 2 years old. Laurie was the older one, and I was the bossy one.
She completely shaped who I am as a human: my deep core values of integrity and belonging stem from my 8-year-old self-yelling at the boys who’d make fun of her playing in the front yard.
Even though belonging was and is my core value, I never felt like I belonged. I always felt like I was on the outside looking in like there was an invisible wall to get into the entertainment industry, and I couldn’t cross it.
That held me back for a really long time. It still can if I’m not intentionally conscious of it.
That belief of not belonging made me feel lost. I kept working hard, but not at the things that would really move the needle on my career. I made the acting business much harder than it had to be because of the lack mentality I’d learned growing up.
That’s why today, I believe all actors deserve to belong and find their place in this industry. I’m called to be a coach to support other artists through that and to eliminate all the excuses as to ‘why not.’
I see it in the actors in my programs; they get tripped up on two things: mindset and branding.
We’ve been impressed with Actor Insider, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For over 15 years, I‘ve helped actors get the acting career you want.
In a business where uncertainty and rejection can be daunting, my goal is to be a source of hope and practical, tangible, proven advice.
Actors come to me for branding, that’s what I’m known for. And they stay for marketing, how to get an agent, goal strategy, networking and relationship building strategy, and mindset work.
I’ve taught workshops at SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, Comicon, and over 50+ colleges and training programs. I’ve been an adjunct professor and built the Business of Acting Programs at four universities and colleges. In 2022, I was named one of the Top 20 Coaches in Los Angeles by Influence Digest.
I pride myself on the fact that I understand my clients innately. I know what actors go through. I am a working actor. I’m in the trenches with them daily. I’ve created systems to support actors in every area of the acting business.
I believe that holistic business skills, strategy, and systems are NON-NEGOTIABLE for your acting business. Not only do I give my clients strategy and business fundamentals to really move the needle, but support them in limiting beliefs and self-sabotage in their careers and their life.
My signature membership is The Actor’s Think Tank, which moves actors from outsider to in-demand in a year or less.
I also created software for actors called The Actor’s Office, which is an intuitive, all-in-one management tool to track your auditions and relationships to build your career faster.
To start, I recommend going to my website and taking our free 10-question quiz to discover your acting biz superpower and get your personalized career strategy!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Oooh, that’s a good one. You know, I don’t believe one quality leads to success. I think it’s a combination thereof. For example, I could say my work ethic. I know I can outwork anyone. But if all I did was work, I’d get burnt out. Especially for artists, I think that work/life balance is vital. Knowing when to rest and replenish your well and creativity.
If I had to say one characteristic, I think it would be how independent I am.
As a business owner, I can come up with an idea and execute it. I problem-solve, I find creative solutions, I’m resourceful, I’m self-sufficient, and I don’t need permission. That has taken me very far. Now that I have a team of people working for me, I had to learn how to delegate and manage and not do it all on my own.
As an actor, that independent quality is useful because so much rehearsal, especially for TV/Film, is done on your own. I can do an audition in 3 takes and choose the best one easily to send into casting. My independence makes me very resilient, so I don’t need outside validation to keep going.
I think for any creative entrepreneur, which all actors are, leaning into that quality of being independent will serve your longevity in the business.
You just get to keep going, the industry will catch up.
Pricing:
- The Actor’s Think Tank – $97/month
- The Actor’s Office – $17/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.actor-insider.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actorinsider https://www.instagram.com/jodiebentley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theactorsworkspace
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiebentley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JodieBentleyOfficial
- Other: www.jodiebentley.com, www.theactorsoffice.com
Image Credits
Andrew Russell
Albert Ortega
David Muller
