In this video, Jennifer Marsala (Anna on “Lie to Me” and Allie on “Memphis Beat” and star of countless TV commercials) shares her advice for booking more commercial acting work.

Tip #1) Be the reason that your best friends love you. So often, we actors are told to “be ourselves” or “be a regular person” but we’re all constantly changing based on our mood and conditions. Here, Jennifer suggests to find the qualities you have around your best friends and inject them into the audition

Tip #2) Make it your own. Use a “button”- a verbal or non-verbal (look, expression) reaction to the last moment in the scene. This also makes sure that you remain in the imaginary circumstance of the commercial until the director yells “cut.”

Tip #3) Don’t take it too seriously. While we all want the job, but ultimately, commercial auditions often boil down to eating a cracker in a chair. Relax, it’s just a commercial.

Amir Talai is one of the busiest working actors in Hollywood. Here, he shares 4 useful tips for booking the comedy job. Watch the video for much more detail but here are the tips in a nutshell:

Tip #1 – Be Normal.

Don’t walk into an audition room like a person who needs something. Instead, consider how a plumber walks into a house to make an estimate on a repair. The plumber doesn’t stumble, stutter and plead for the job and he doesn’t take it personally if he doesn’t get the job. Instead, he shows you how he would fix the problem his way, and if he gets the job then great, and if he doesn’t get the job- that’s okay because there are other drains to fix. Be Normal.

Tip #2 – Be Yourself and make it your own.

Instead of second-guessing what the casting people want, do the part your way. Even if you don’t get the part, the audition will have left the casting person with a clear impression of what you do well and make it easier for them to call you back in the future.
Also, be bold enough to prepare a couple of “improvised” moments to add to the audition, and, if appropriate, use those “buttons” since that is what you will likely be doing on set when you book the job.

Tip #3 – To book more commercials, watch commercials.

Become aware of the kinds of commercials that are on TV right now. Become familiar with the ever-changing tone, humor, and style of contemporary commercial ads. For example, consider the different kinds of “office” commercials (the office where people love their job, the office where people hate their job, the office where people are good at their jobs, bad at their jobs, etc.) This increased awareness of tone will help you to anticipate, predict, and adjust to your audition, increasing you ability to book the role.

Tip #4 Have Fun.

Amir seems to look at his auditions as an enjoyable way to get work, meet people and show the world what he does well. As actors, we spend more time auditioning than we do on-set, so it makes sense to enjoy the ride and have fun.

For more tips on auditioning please check out our other videos and Gerry’s site http://standupcomedyclass.com. Thank you!

Everyone is afraid of being heckled. Fear no more! Master Talent Teacher Gerry Katzman gives you a time-tested formula for staying ahead of even the nastiest crowd.

INTRO:

Before I teach you my 4-step How-to-Handle-Hecklers process, I have to share some bad news:

You are not being heckled.

Drink that in, because most of the time it’s true.

People have a lot going on when they come to see a performer. They have to find their seats, they have to find their friends, they have to order drinks, and they have to impress the person that they’re on a date with. Believe it or not, you’re not that important to their evening.

I’s hard to believe, but most of the time when an audience member says something when you’re on-stage they are either a) wanting to be part of the fun or b) dealing with something (a lost credit card, a straggling friend..) that has nothing to do with you.

So reacting to every little thing that is going on in the performance environment as a challenge or an insult is a huge mistake. Doing so will only alienate a the audience.

Try dropping the word “heckler” from your vocabulary and replacing it with “unplanned occurrence.” Because for the most part, that’s what’s happening. Whether it’s a blender being turned on, people talking, or an ambulance going by, 90% of what’s happening in your performance environment is not negatively directed against you.

The sooner you learn this- the sooner you will be able to truly play off of an audience, have fun with what they’re giving you, and be able to identify and handle hecklers.

As soon as you’re ready to accept that 90% of what is happening in your performance environment is not negatively directed against you then we can begin to discuss a proven 4-step strategy for handling hecklers.

The 4 steps are:

IGNORE
ACKNOWLEDGE
DIRECT
SHUT DOWN

Let’s go over them:

1) IGNORE. If most of what you’re being given in a performance environment is NOT negatively directed at you then try to ignore it. Ignore any nuisance twice and it will probably go away. This also has the advantage that if a person continues talking after you have ignored them twice, the audience will see that you’ve been patient with them and will be on your side when you handle them as a heckler.

2) ACKNOWLEDGE. If someone is clamoring for your attention- let them know that you see and hear them. A simple phrase like “got it” will make many attention-seekers calm down and stop interrupting.

[Side note: “Crowd work,” is what we call it when a comedian or speaker strays away from his material and begins “playing off” the crowd, often asking questions or making comments about people and the room itself. Always feel free to do crowd work. It is often one of the funniest things that a performer can do- the audience realizes that the comedy is being created specifically for them and they are doubly appreciative. However, if you don’t want to engage the crowd with crowd work, you can simply stick to these 4 steps.

By the way, if you do decide to do crowd work- don’t give the microphone to an audience member. Your volume is a source of power that you don’t want to have to ask anyone to give back.

3) DIRECT. If a person in your crowd is still talking- you must communicate what you want them to do. The simple gesture shown in the video (a modified version of the “shhhhh” symbol (without being as weak as the normal “shhhhh” request)) can disarm someone and make it clear that you request silence.

4) SHUT DOWN. After you direct the person, if they are still presenting a barrier to your performance then you can engage them, play with them, and do anything you want to try to get them to give you the space you need to perform- but if they won’t stop, then the following script will turn the audience against your heckler. I don’t recommend using this unless you absolutely need to.

Look at the audience and say:

“I want to do a show, but I can’t do it if he keeps talking. Do you guys want to see a show?” (Audience will probably reply “Yeah!” When they do, look at the heckler to make sure that he understands that you control the audience and say) “Good.”

This build of tension and release on the heckler is brutal and has been known to humiliate even the most obstinate audience member.

You now have a game-plan for what to do when an audience starts to get out of control. Remember, most of the time you are not being heckled. If you want to engage your audience, do or simply ignore, acknowledge, direct and shut down. You can use the video at MasterTalentTeachers.com to practice.

Here it is in a nutshell: almost every time you make someone laugh- you are surprising them. You are causing their mind to make a different association than it normally would. And the reward for playing this trick on their brain, for momentarily confusing their mind, is laughter.

In this article, I’m going to show you some easy ways of making people laugh, while teaching some basic comedy theory.

Remember, when you’re trying to make someone laugh, you’re trying surprise them. Typically, you are looking for the most unlikely thing to do or say.

Let’s imagine that you are hanging out with a few co-workers. One of them is talking about how difficult potty-training her son has been. When someone in the group asks how old the woman’s son is, you say: “Forty eight.”

You will get laughs. Let’s explore why: The minute the woman started talking about potty-training her son, an image was created in everyone’s mind. That image included the assumption that her son is a child. As comedians, we shatter the assumption. In this case, by changing the age of the child, in their minds, at the last minute. When the mind gets tricked this way, the feeling of disorientation results in a laugh. So a good joke usually does two things: It sets up assumptions and it shatters them. This is often referred to as the “set up” and “punchline.” In standup, it is often called the “premise” and the “act out.” [See my other videos to learn how to do this in a standup environment.]

Let’s look at another useful tool for getting someone to laugh. It is called the “list of three.”

Recently, I was describing my lifestyle to someone and I said to her “you know, I’m a pretty healthy guy- I do yoga.. meditation.. methamphetamine.”

She laughed because the pattern that I was setting up for her (yoga… meditation…) lulled her mind into knowing what I was going to say next. Even if she wasn’t consciously filling in the next word in the series, bio-chemically, her brain “knew” the feeling of the next kind of word I was going to say. Her body and mind were ready to “feel” words like “vegan cooking,” “macrobiotic dining,” or “playing the sitar.” But when I said “methamphetamine” the shock to her nervous system resulted in a laugh.

We set up an assumption and shattered it. And the way we did it could not have been easier. In fact, the minute you watch this video or read this article, you will be able to do it. To make a list of three joke, you will set up a pattern by choosing two similar things/people/books/etc. and one that is different from the first two.

For example:

“I like to read the classic philosophers: Aristophenes, Moliere, Charlie Sheen..”

“In order for me to be interested in a girl, she has to have intelligence.. depth of soul.. a really hot profile picture.”

So to get started, think of two people at work or at school that you love and one that you hate. Go up to someone who knows you well and say: I think that my favorite teachers would have to be Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr C. ( (love, love, hate). Think of two activities that you love and one that you hate. Two celebrities that you find talented and one that you despise. As you experiment with your “list-of-threes” you will notice how important the “set up” is as well as the contrast in your “punchlines.” Charlie Sheen and methamphetamine will “shatter” the patterns of “philosopher” and “healthy lifestyle” much more effectively than “Richard Simmons” and “Red Wine.” Learning how to set up patterns and choose explosive “shattering” images for your punchlines is all part of your comedy journey and the experimentation is a lot of fun.

Now that you know the basic secret of comedy (their are a few more hidden in the video at http://MasterTalentTeachers.com and at my site http://standupcomedyclass.com), enjoy the process of panning for comedy gold. Every time you make someone laugh, write it down (cellphones and notebooks are good for this). Begin to notice the unique way that you make people laugh, as well as the patterns that begin to emerge as you notice your own specific methods for shattering people’s mental expectations.

The world will always be in need of good comedy. As you’ll find in my other videos and articles- if you combine the truth of your life with the technique of “shattering the pattern,” you will be on your way to making a difference by educating people, and having a successful career that will entertain millions. All it takes is a little experimentation, some thinking, and the guts to make ‘em laugh. Good luck. -Gerry Katzman