Think Bigger Coaching

Think Bigger Coaching Think Bigger Coaching is Life + Career Coaching for Actors and other Creatives!

09/10/2026

Stop worrying about your SELF-TAPE SETUP and start focusing on preparing the SCENE.

Be honest. How much time have you spent worrying about your background, your lighting, what you’re wearing, whether something in the frame is distracting...all the stuff around the acting?

I’m not saying none of that matters.

But at some point, we have to get back to the ACTING.

Know the words. Know the relationships. Understand what’s happening in the scene. Look at ALL the material casting gave you because there may be information in there that helps you understand why this scene matters.

That’s the stuff you can control.

TV Director Mary Lou Belli talks about exactly this and what she’s actually looking for from actors in their auditions.

And she’s not alone. I sat down with Mary Lou Belli and Jody Margolin Hahn to talk about self-tapes, being on set, taking direction, getting notes, and what they see in the actors who keep working.

Comment DIRECTOR and I’ll send you the episode with BOTH directors.

09/10/2026

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴…⁣
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But first, How good are you at throwing away the choices you prepared? ⁣
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Seriously. Are you able to pivot? Or is there a tiny part of you going, “But, I liked what I was doing.” HA! ⁣
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Let me know in the comments. ⁣
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𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗦: 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀. 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿.⁣
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He comes up to me after a take and says, “Great take, DaJuan. We got that one. Now, do something different.”⁣
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The sheer PANIC in my body.⁣
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Something different?! But...but...this is the way I booked the scene in the callback. Doing it THIS way.⁣
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I took a deep breath and reminded myself: This is what you do, DaJuan. You’re not married to this one take. This is what you’ve spent years in class and on set learning how to do. Listen. React. Just BE.⁣
You got this.⁣
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And what I learned in that moment, because I had NEVER been asked to do that on another set, was to trust myself.⁣
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All the work was still there. All the confidence I had built as an actor was still there. I didn’t lose any of it just because I let go of the choice.⁣
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Don’t be married to one way of doing things. Things change. Different directors want different things.⁣
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Make your choices. Do the work.⁣
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And then be willing to throw it away.⁣
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TV Director Jody Margolin Hahn talks about exactly this.⁣
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𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲.⁣

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09/09/2026

Want an edge in your auditions?

Stop making the words the most important thing.

Tell me your thoughts in the comment section.

Yes. Learn your lines. Be prepared. PLEASE be prepared.

But I think sometimes we get so focused on “getting it right” that we forget to actually react. To listen. To make choices. To know where the scene turns.

Because two actors can know every single word and give two completely different auditions.

And THAT’S where the acting is.

TV Director Mary Lou Belli breaks down what she’s actually looking for from actors in an audition.

Comment DIRECTOR and I’ll send you the full episode.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀?⁣⁣And falls apart when you DON’T get one?⁣⁣Be honest. Let me k...
09/09/2026

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀?⁣
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And falls apart when you DON’T get one?⁣
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Be honest. Let me know in the comments.⁣
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We have to stop being so addicted to notes.⁣
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Yes, our art is collaborative. Yes, we have to be able to take direction and make adjustments. But I think we’ve gotten so worried about “getting it right” so we can book the job, keep the job, prove we belong there...that sometimes we forget to trust the work we already did.⁣
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A note is not a grade.⁣
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And no note doesn’t mean you failed the test.⁣
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I talked to veteran TV directors Jody Margolin Hahn and Mary Lou Belli about what it REALLY means when they give an actor a note...and when they don’t.⁣
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𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲.⁣
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09/06/2026

Recurring roles CAN change your life.

Just might not be how you expect. Eden Lee

09/01/2026

Same voice. Same movements. Same improvised lines. Different face. Oof!

Ashley BeLoat says she discovered another version of her vertical drama where the lead actors appeared to have been replaced with AI-generated people.

She says she wasn’t told or asked. Thank goodness a viewer found it.

This isn’t hypothetical anymore it’s happening.

What would you do if this happened to your performance?

Comment ASHLEY and I’ll send you the full episode.

Clips shown for commentary and comparison.

08/31/2026

They replaced her with AI.⁣
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But kept her voice, her movements, and even the lines she improvised.⁣

What do you think?
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Comment 𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗬 and I’ll send you the full episode.⁣
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Actor Ashley BeLoat told me how she discovered it, what actors need to ask before signing, and the hard truth about protecting our performances.⁣ Especially in the Verticals/Micro-Drama space.
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They replaced her face with AI.⁣⁣But kept her voice, her movements, and even the lines she improvised.⁣⁣Comment 𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗬 a...
08/30/2026

They replaced her face with AI.⁣
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But kept her voice, her movements, and even the lines she improvised.⁣
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Comment 𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗬 and I’ll send you the full episode.⁣
⁣
Actor Ashley BeLoat told me how she discovered it, what actors need to ask before signing, and the hard truth about protecting our performances.⁣ Especially in the Verticals/Micro-Drama space.
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08/27/2026

Did you know this???

Have you taken casting up on virtual auditions???

Let me know below.

Prepare to be sicka me!!

Also, this information was stated by casting directors LIVE at a SAG Foundation interview. It might not be all CDs.

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