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Acting Career Coach – Betsy Capes, Capes Coaching

January 1, 2011 By Kipley 1 Comment

Betsy Capes founded Capes Coaching in April 2004 after six successful years casting and directing New York theatre. Her mission is simple but ambitious: to create a new type of actor in the entertainment industry, the Empowered and Fulfilled Actor. Betsy has led the Capes Coaching team in developing a new method of personalized coaching that helps actors take their careers to the next level. She has coached over 600 actors to creating successful careers in film, television, theatre, and beyond.

Interviewed by Joanna Parson

What is Capes Coaching?
We’re a career coaching center for actors and artists. There’s a wealth of resources in New York for building the acting craft, but very little when it comes to building an acting career. We focus on everything that supports the craft – bringing the passion and joy you have for your craft to how you run your business. Our team comes from all sides of the industry, and we work to bring our knowledge of how the business works to our coaching and classes. Our style is to match the career plan to the artist – that’s why we work one-on-one, so that their business plan matches who they are and their specific goals. We don’t believe in one foolproof answer for everyone.

Our readers come to Actorslife.com because they already think and/or know that they want to be an actor. So, why would an actor need a coach?
The same reason an athlete needs a coach – even the most talented person needs to be pushed, get challenged, stay accountable. Determining whether or not to pursue an acting career is one of many things that may come up in a coaching session. We’re here to help you make it through your career once you make that commitment. There are lots of decisions, ideas, and plans to make happen. We help you stay connected to what fulfills you as you move along your career path when difficult times come up – and they always do. No matter who you are, challenges are going to occur if you choose this business. We help actors confront and overcome their challenges so they can avoid burnout and stay fulfilled.

You offer both group classes and private coaching. What’s the difference? And what differentiates your classes from typical acting schools?
What’s innovative about Capes Coaching is that instead of starting this company with a roster of classes, we started with individual coaching and then developed small classes based on the needs of the actors. And then we tailored our classes to meet the needs of the industry, like giving actors audition skills that align with what casting directors need to see when they walk in the room.

Also, the community aspect can be a huge benefit when it comes to career issues like where to train or where to find auditions. But I should mention that none of our classes are about one casting director or other industry person telling you what you should do. They are all designed to help you develop your approach based on who you are and where your talents lie.

Super/Capes Casting casts for film, television and stage. What kind of projects do you cast? In casting, do you give preference to Capes Coaching clients?
We’ve been fortunate enough to set it up so we only take projects that are the right fit for Super/Capes Casting, that excite us. I started out as a casting director and it’s been amazing to return to casting after three years of working with actors as a coach.
Like all casting directors who also teach or do seminars around town, we certainly meet talented actors through our work as coaches, but we don’t give preference to Capes Coaching clients. We pull from a wide pool of actors that we meet through agents, showcases, and even events. We’re hired by our clients to solve a problem of a specific role and we use all our resources to do that. However, in-house, we make it very clear that Super/Capes Casting is a division of Capes Coaching and not the other way around – in fact, everyone who does coaching or a class here signs an agreement that says they understand that meeting us does not give them preferential treatment in casting.

Let’s do some role-playing—what would you say if someone said to you, “I think I want to be an actor, but I don’t know whether I’m good enough?”
Okay. I don’t know what “good enough” means to you, so we have to start by getting clear on that. So how would we know whether you’re good enough? Are you good enough because you get cast in something? Great! So have you been cast in something? Not yet… so what do you need to do to get cast? Audition – but for what? Are you ready to do that? What do you need to do to get ready? What does success in this business mean to you? And then we would start brainstorming, and get very specific so they would walk away with clarity on what they need to do to become good enough.

It’s all about determining what your standards are for success in this business. This is a very personal decision… We’re not about telling you if you’re good enough, we’re about helping you zoom into exactly what you want, why you want it, and how to get it.

How about this old chestnut: “I’ve really enjoyed being an actor for some years now, but it’s time to get paid! How do I be an actor and yet get a hold of my finances?”
Another opportunity to explore what’s really behind that statement: what does “getting a hold of finances” mean to you? What about getting paid is important to you? Is it the validation? The freedom? The actual money in your bank account that you need to see in order to stay in this business? To tell mom and dad? There are so many possibilities for getting in control of your finances that may tie into your acting, but don’t have to. We challenge you to think outside the box – what are ALL the possibilities for getting what you want, not just the first few that come to mind.

You used to write a hilarious blog on your web site, fake personality Factor Von Factor’s “How to be an Actor in New York“. It’s basically how to do everything wrong. Not to be negative, but what are the most common mistakes that you see actors making in their approach to their career?
Not being true to who they are. Being preoccupied with what they assume the rest of the industry wants from them. Lack of clarity on how to run their business with confidence. That’s why our motto is “talent is only half the equation” – you have to run your business in a way that puts your talent across in the best possible way in order to be successful.

Most actors come to us asking “what more can I do” – but 9 times out of 10 it’s not about what they’re doing, it’s HOW they’re doing it. And they’re too dramatic about it! Keep the drama on stage. You guys are so hard on yourselves! Actors beat themselves up, try to attack every goal at once, and don’t plan the path from here to there. We have a class called “The Path Class” that’s all about setting up a business plan for the next year of your career. Every actor who has gone through Path walks away not only with a plan, but with clarity, and that leads to confidence, a truer energy that’s not going to take away from what they are capable of as an artist. Now their talent is supported rather than strained.

I know that at Capes Coaching you’re as big a fan of self-starters as we are, and have encouraged many people to write their own shows, produce films, and write screenplays. Why?
No one will ever care as much about your career as you do. Our philosophy is to focus on what’s in your control. Other people’s projects are, to a degree, out of your control. Creating your own projects, at any level, has helped our clients reconnect to their creativity, their artistic voice, and helped them discover other skills sets they have. One of the beauties of being part of this business is that you can do more than one thing – we encourage them to strengthen those muscles if that’s the right fit for them.

Many of our readers are interested in many different aspects of the business—they would like to do TV, film, and television, but they also write, but they also dance, but they also fill-in-the-blank. Do you encourage people to find one or two niches and stay there? What’s your opinion on multi-threats?
We call this “multi-goal syndrome.” Definition: the burning desire to have it all without a tangible plan for how to go about getting it – and it’s contagious! You’ve got to have a good enough strategy that you’re not changing it every time you see someone else doing something different. Seriously! The only time you should be doing everything another actor is telling you to do is if you want the exact career they have, and have the exact resources, talent, and look they do. I believe the most important resource you have outside of yourself in this business is your network of contacts, including other actors, but you have to put your own talent first.

There seems to be some overlap in what you do and what actors imagine a wonderful manager might do, in terms of guiding a career. Can you address what the difference might be, aside from the fact that you don’t submit clients for projects?
Clients book sessions with us; we never take a percentage of anything earned. In fact, agents and managers regularly refer their clients to us.
We don’t fish for our clients. We teach them how to fish! We give you the tools to make the decisions that are right for you, but we don’t do it for you. Coaching should not be a relationship that lasts forever; you should use coaching as one of many resources to move you forward when you need it.

Do you give advice to your actors about headshots? What do you think is important in a headshot, and what are the first steps actors should take when planning to get new pictures?
We have a specific process for supporting actors through their headshot process from beginning to end, including selecting the photographer, what you want your headshots to say about you (type clarification), selecting headshots once they’ve been taken, and managing the feedback you get from other people.

The first step is to be clear on the purpose of the headshot. Research, research, research! I’ve seen people get burned spending tons of money on headshots because they weren’t clear about what they want. Getting headshots you love is more in your control than you think. Before you put down a lot of money, know what you want to get out of that investment. In fact, that’s how you should be approaching everything in your career.

You do audition preparation work with your actors. What are a few things every actor should do when they know they have an important audition coming up?
This is where we see actors getting in their own way the most. We have a whole workshop designed to identify and overcome what’s blocking them in auditioning. Auditioning is its own skill, and is not synonymous with your performance ability, but it can support it. Have a process that you can count on – this may be the most important thing an actor can do.

Do you help actors with their personal presentation? For example, are you gonna tell me to spend more than $5 on a haircut? How can actors learn to look their best without becoming crazy neurotics about appearances?
We definitely believe physical presentation is an important part of the actor’s arsenal – we even have an image consultant on staff as a resource for actors if they need support with their image beyond a coaching session. But it’s just one of several things the actor has to be on top of to present themselves well. Don’t obsess – be balanced in your approach to your career!

Does a person have to live in New York in order to take advantage of Capes Coaching? What advice would you give to someone in a smaller market—Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago, who wanted to ramp up the professional momentum in their career?
Absolutely not – we work with clients all over the map. Our coaches do sessions over the phone when they’re on tour, on location, or based in other cities, especially LA. We do the same work with clients regardless of where they are: working on their network, setting goals, building their resume. That’s the great thing – we don’t have to be in the same city to teach you a process for moving forward.

Like I mentioned before, after working on your craft and getting clear on your goals and strategy, your contact network is a great next step. Keep meeting people and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! And stay in contact – let them know how your career is growing, and be sure to ask them about what they’re doing too. People don’t forget someone with authentic, positive, generous energy.

Can you tell us some of the books and/or resources that have helped shape your philosophies?
We have a great book list on our website, and our clients keep telling us about new books that have helped them. And remember to think outside the box – anything can be a resource! Read plays to get new monologues. Read books about networking and communicating well. Get some books that inspire you, whatever that means to you. And don’t forget all the great stuff online – like ActorsLife.com! Search online for articles, podcasts, and forums – we also send out a monthly newsletter with career advice and tools.

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Actors Who Kick Ass: Seana Kofoed, writer/producer/star of “Donna’s Revenge”

September 16, 2010 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Donna’s Revenge: Confessions of An Ex-Contestant

Give us the quick set up… what is “Donna’s Revenge: Confessions of an Ex-Contestant” about?
It is a comedy about the aftermath of Reality TV fame, and what happens to one contestant when her fifteen minutes of fame are up.  It’s Celebrity Rehab meets The (British) Office.  The addiction is fame.

After being kicked off a popular reality show, Donna clings to living her life on camera, while serving six months probation and completing court-ordered therapy for a crime she’s not permitted to discuss.

What was the original spark that got this started? What are your goals for this project?

The character of Donna came from one of those Mad TV or SNL auditions five or six years ago.  You had to create 3 characters and go in with them – she was one of those, and I always loved playing her because she’s perpetually cheerful.  Even in the face of repeated humiliation and awkward events.

And I’d been writing scripts with roles I’d like to play – I’d written this short I wanted to shoot but we realized with all the car chases and cops and whatnot, that the costs would be prohibitive…so I began to focus on writing a webseries instead.

It was both a desire to shoot something with a role I loved playing, and to actually go through the process of budgeting, prepping, casting, and filming a show – those were the reasons behind beginning DONNA’S REVENGE.

It’s so satisfying in a business in which we have so little control, to actually GIVE yourself control by shooting a project of your own.  It’s a remarkable, wonderful feeling.  And with a webseries in particular, this is an area in which you can claim that artistic freedom, because the financial stakes are so much lower.

I also knew that I wanted to do it as properly as I could afford to – through SAG, with salaries, paying our crew, feeding people, and spending what it required (within our small budget) to keep it from looking like a cat video on YouTube.

Our hope with DONNA’S REVENGE is to find an audience that sees the series through to the end of Season One, for starters, as audience drop-off is one of the biggest hurdles in the world of the webseries. Until it’s on people’s Tivo queue, it’s a challenge to create that weekly must-see dynamic for something on the web.

Once your tv screen can be surfed, of course, much of that challenge will go away, but in the meantime – follow thru for audience is something we hope to master.  And growing our fan base to create an audience for either a Season Two of DONNA’S REVENGE, or a Season One of some other new exciting series produced for the web.

And the way, our best way to do that, is with views. Simple clicks and votes and feedback on the Donna’s Revenge FB page and the Babelgum FB page.  It seems odd, but that’s the only tool you have when presenting your next project to the web networks and the advertisers.

Your biggest asset is your audience.  Their feedback and their clicks.  So that is what we hope to cultivate.  A relationship with our audience.  Building their loyalty to watching our shows, both current and future ones!  What I would most love is for the web to become a viable, financially lucrative place for actors, writers, directors, and crew to work.  What a great feeling to give your peers and people you admire a job!  That’s truly the overarching goal.  To create more work for all.

Making a video series on this level requires persistence and a lot of support. How did the production team come together?
My long time manager (and long-time friend) Meghan Schumacher and I have always wanted to shoot something together.  I Exec produced, but she co-produced along with our other co and line producer, Jeff Peters. Meghan was wildly helpful in coaxing good actors on baord, is a great cheerleader, and is hugely important now as we work to expand the reach of the show.

And great director, Oliver Oertel, is also a long-time friend, he directed me in a play in Chicago probably 15 years ago (ahem, I mean, just a few short years ago…)  and he’s also been enormously helpful since we wrapped.  He ended up doing the bulk of the editing as well, which is a huuuuge task.  Several of us ended up wearing a number of hats throughout, you’re really asking people to give time and talent beyond what you’re able to pay them.  So, I spent most of my time just being really grateful.

We’ve all heard the stories about indie projects made for 49 cents. What was your approximate budget for Donna’s Revenge, and how did you keep costs down?
Ahhh 49 cents, I wish!  Add about 20k to that and you’re there.  I’m sure it can be done for less, and of course preferably for more! (assuming someone’s paying you to shoot it).  We did the webseries through SAG, and I’m very glad we did.  They were helpful and reachable, and it was not overwhelming at all.

I paid all the lead actors, including pension and health contributions.  The entire crew was paid, we had some insurance we needed to buy to cover the shoot, some location costs, food costs, camera rental, editing, etc.

Certainly no one was getting paid anywhere near what they’d be paid on a proper tv shoot, though, so you’re still being done a huge favor!  I find though, that if people like the material you’re asking them to play or be a part of, they’re happy to be on board.

Are you done shooting the episodes, or does the work continue? How many episodes are there?
There are eight episodes in Season One – we’re completely done shooting and editing – and now Babelgum is just rolling them out every Wednesday!

What is babelgum.com, and how did you come to be associated with them?
Babelgum is a free internet tv platform with a global reach.  They have a channels covering comedy, film, urban culture, art, design, music.  They pride themselves on having high quality visuals and high quality, interesting material.  It’s a cool, smart version of YouTube.

I came to know Amber J Lawson, their excellent VP of comedy, while doing another webseries there called VAMPED OUT, written by Jason Antoon and Kevin Pollack.  She’s a super smart, creative liaison and after having such a great experience with Babelgum during Vamped Out, it was an easy decision for us to bring DONNA’S REVENGE to them as well.

Overall, what has been the greatest challenge you’ve faced as the writer/producer/star of Donna’s Revenge?
I would say the edit.  Really and truly it is so time consuming, and even when you’re paying someone, you’re not paying the amount of money that would get them to edit 85 pages in three weeks.

So you have to be patient, which is hard – especially if you want a hand in the edit, to help with the timing, the minutiae of the cut, which I did.  Oliver (our director who then became our editor) and I worked very closely on the edit, back and forth, and it really is an enormous process.  He was tireless, and excellent, but it’s still a huge process.  My hat is off to editors.  I only wish they were free!

The shoot itself was a joy. Stressful on occasion, when you’re trying to get background actors at 6 o’clock the night before, but a complete and total joy.

You’ve been working consistently in theater, film, and television pretty much since  college. What is the best advice you can offer an actor coming out of college hoping to build a long-term acting career?
Multi-task!  With new media exploding in the way it is, and with the economy affecting the amount of traditional media work out there – it’s crucial to multi-task.  If you have any inclination to write, start now. Write yourself a movie, a webseries, a pilot.  If you have access to cameras and friends who will give their time, shoot something and then something else.

The web has leveled certain parts of the playing field, and if you shoot something cool that shows off your writing or your acting and stick it online – it’s just one more way to be seen by someone who could hire you down the road.

Multi-tasking is in addition to training, natch.  And doing plays, auditioning, taking classes and all that good stuff.  I would just add writing or shooting your own film, webseries, or pilot to that.  Lately I’ve been writing scipts with two roles for myself in them.  One major role and one supporting role, so if they need a massive star for the major role, I can still lay claim to the supporting one! :)

Also, just know there are peaks and valleys in our fair business, and if you’re planning to be in it for a long time – which i hope you are! –  you have to keep that in mind as you go.  The valleys never feel great, but you have to remember everyone has them, and your peaks are around, you just have to hang in there!   (As long as you still enjoy the work when you’re working.)

Easy to say, I know, harder to do – but just enjoy the day-to-day of it as best you can!

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Actor, Writer, Director – Alan Alda: Things I Overheard, M*A*S*H, The West Wing

August 29, 2010 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Alan Alda, things I overheard while talking to myselfAlan Alda played Hawkeye Pierce for eleven years in the television series M*A*S*H and he has acted in, written, and directed many feature films. He has starred often on Broadway, and his avid interest in science has led to his hosting PBS’s Scientific American Frontiers for eleven years. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005 and has been nominated for thirty-two Emmy Awards (winning five). His new book, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself was recently released by Random House Publishers. He is married to the children’s book author and photographer Arlene Alda. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

Interviewed by Kipley Wentz

In your previous book, you advised us never to have our dogs stuffed. As you read over a few decades’ worth of speeches for Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself, could you identify any recurring themes, or concerns that you’ve had throughout your life?

In the first book I looked back over my life and saw it as the story of a boy who was trying to learn how to live spontaneously, both as an actor and as a person. That was what not “stuffing the dog” meant to me: I realized early on that I couldn’t rigidly hold things in place in a world of constant change. It was better to live moment to moment — on stage or off. In the second book I was trying to figure out the meaning of my life – what would give me a lasting sense of satisfaction? And things I learned on the stage, like the importance of knowing my action, listening – and staying in the now – gave me ways to find that meaning.


It seems that following your curiosity has been a wise choice. In your opinion, what role has your curiosity played in your success as an artist?

I think curiosity can be a form of creativity. What would this be like if you turned it on its head? What if the ending came first? What if you started with this apparently irrelevant image? Curiosity leads to experimentation and play. I can’t imagine being an artist without loving that kind of play.


While self-deprecating, you also seem like a very self-assured person. Did you ever struggle with insecurities before you were a well-established artist? Do you still?

You have to be pretty sure of yourself to say something self-deprecating, because there’s always the danger people will agree with you. I think most people have insecurities when they start out, and I had to gain confidence through experience. But, now, I consciously put myself in insecure positions. I scare myself whenever I can. When I read a script and wonder how I could possibly play this part, that’s when I know I’ll have a chance to be original in it. If I thought, “I know how to do this,” I’d probably do it the way I’d done something else, or the way I’d seen someone else do it. I’m starting out on new territory and I like the adventure. But it does scare me.

In your opinion, which of your qualities have led to success in a field where so many give up in frustration?

I really don’t know. Maybe these things have helped:

-I don’t easily give up. I worry less about rejection and concentrate on surviving.

-I’m flexible. I decided a while ago to work hard at getting what I want, and then to want what I actually get.

-I keep score my way. Being famous and staying famous doesn’t have anywhere near the appeal for me that getting better at my work does. I can be just as happy working in a 400 seat house as in front of millions if the work is good.

-I make the most of every opportunity I get. I find people who can teach me how to get better.

-And maybe most important – the element without which none of the above means much: I’ve been very lucky.

Many aspiring actors equate wealth and fame with success. As someone who has achieved not just wealth and fame, but has also built an amazing body of work, had a loving family, and just generally squeezed a whole lot of juice from life… how do you evaluate success?

It’s hard to put this in one sentence, especially because I took me a whole book to answer this question, but I guess the short answer is to be aware of my life as it happens, however it happens to turn out. Success or not, if I don’t notice my life, what good is it?

For aspiring actors, do you have any thoughts on what goals may lead to a productive and “successful” career?

Love getting better more than you love getting praise. Know what you believe in and try to stick to it.

You grew up surrounded by strippers and comedians. I can’t speak for what you may have learned from strippers, but you are very funny. Is comedy something one can learn, or is one of those “you’ve got it or you don’t” things?

Steve Allen used to make a distinction between performers who said funny things and those who said things funny. Saying things funny may be a special gift.

Listening to you recount the story of this book at Book Expo America, you clearly held the audience captivated. What is the thrill of communication for you? Why do you think you strive so hard to understand and explain what you’ve learned?

I think that just talking with other people – about anything – is part of the fun of being human. Trying to say something that’s meaningful and that maybe hits home in some way is a kind of serious fun. I think writers are all trying to put into words something that pretty much can’t be put into words. For a writer who’s also an actor, it’s fun to do it out loud.

You’ve both served in the Army and, as a well-known artist, protested the build up of nuclear arms. What would you advise an artist who is concerned about the “global war on terror” and wishes to do something? In your opinion, what is the role of the artist in a time of war?

I think writers, like the rest of us, have to follow their conscience. When I was young, I marched in the street. I don’t march anymore and I don’t talk in public about politics. I try to concentrate on making a contribution through my work. But, that doesn’t mean I try to promote political ideas with my work. For me, propaganda is bad art. I don’t even like writing that has a message of some kind. For me, in peace or war, the best work we can do is to help our audience feel a shared sense of humanity through our writing. Not through a message or precept, but through a moving experience.

Is there anything you wish you’d said along the way that you haven’t?

I don’t think so. I talk a lot.

You were recently nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy, and you published a best selling book, all in the same year. How do you sustain that level of activity, and what do you have planned for the near future?

Like a lot of people who keep busy, I actually think of myself as a little lazy. When I think that way, I try to remember that probably nothing I do amounts to wasted time – as long as I notice it while it’s happening. Everything leads to something else and the humblest things lead to the most interesting things, if I follow my curiosity. I’m curious to see what my future will come up with next.


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