10 Talent interviews Acting Coach Jane Moffat

Welcome to the 10 Talent Blog/Vlog! A bit about myself… I am Sarah Matton, Founder and Director of 10 Talent Management. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the Co-Creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start a mini series blog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meant to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy!

This Blog is for every Actor who questions themselves, feels stagnant in their craft or is just interested in more training! I believe it always goes back to the training and putting in the work. I was lucky enough to interview Actor and Coach, Jane Moffat. I especially appreciated her tips on self tapes! 

YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JANE MOFFAT AND HER CLASSES AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG POST!

 

Jane Moffat has been a professional actor for 41 years and an acting teacher/coach for 25 years. She studied acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles and was fortunate to work with Lee Strasberg himself. She then went on to work and study at The Actors Studio in New York for four years. In 2008, Jane received a Chalmers grant to attend a Method Acting, Teaching and Directing workshop in Asolo, Italy to further refine her studies.
Jane is now based in Toronto where she continues to act and audition in the industry. “I love being able to bring back to the classroom what I do on set and to practice on set what I teach in the classroom!”
Jane’s approach to acting is influenced by Lee Strasberg’s Method and draws from other seminal teachers as well. “I focus on relaxation and emotional release in order to identify and act on impulse as well as some script analysis and imaginative work.”

1 | What do you notice most actors are lacking today?

I would say that would be trust in themselves. It’s not about actors today in particular though. Trust is something I believe we innately have but when we try something and we “fail” enough or if we are shamed or misinterpret formative feedback as a shaming, then we start to watch, control and second-guess our thoughts, feelings and impulses. We no longer trust that we and our choices can be truly great.

2 | Common mistake Actors make walking in the room?

In my opinion the biggest mistake is not believing the people in the room are rooting for you! They want you to be the one! Think about it: you’ve been chosen to audition for a particular role by the person holding the audition-the casting director. That means they think you are right for the role. So you’re on the courts! The people in the room hope it works for both you and them.

Sometimes we don’t give the best auditions in which case you get a few more chances to prove yourself capable. However, MOST OF THE TIME it has nothing to do with whether you nailed the audition or not. It comes down to whether you look enough like the lead to be cast as their sister or son or whether you have blonde hair or dark curly hair. In some cases you just remind the producer of their Ex. and until you no longer remind them of their Ex. they’ll never cast you.

3 | The importance of a demo reel

Huge. You must have one. Sometimes casting happens off a demo! Because we are in the digital age it is easier than ever to get or make material for a reel. If you’re looking for representation and out of five submissions yours is the only one lacking a demo, the other four actors have an advantage over you and as we know, acting is a very competitive business. They get seen, you don’t. .

4 | What are some tips for a good self-tape

1.  IF it’s a big shot at something pay for a coaching/self tape. I do this for folks all the time. It’s worth the money as you get a coach, reader and camera person all in one! On average, though I’d say you can do at home with your phone or tablet.
2.  If you’re doing at home you still need someone to shoot it and read for you. Your reader ideally should be someone who reads well-can connect a little bit and can get through a scene clean. Your reader should not be so loud that it distracts from your audition.
3.  If you are doing a lot of self tapes, go online and order a light with a stand and a tripod for your phone or tablet. It will immediately make your tape look more professional. Depending on the color of your walls you can also get a backdrop screen in mottled blue or gray like they have in casting studios.
4. Shoot your audition tight from just above the chest and leave just a little room up top above the head. We should be able to tell the color of your eyes! Film the rehearsal and then play it back to check the level of the performance. When you watch it is the tone right? Is it naturalistic? Is it compelling? Then you can make adjustments before you do takes.
5.  Know where the scene takes place and look around. You don’t have to eye lock the reader-it’s unnatural. I place an imaginary door on one side of the room and a window on the other and I find a place during scene to look at one or both. Different eye lines for different folks in the scene-make the reader the character you interact with the most and then choose where the others would be.

5 | How Do Actors learn their angles for film?

I’ve personally never been concerned with that. If you think you have a better side then you can try always to favor that side. The rest comes from experience. You start to become more aware of the camera (in a good way) and you do need that but in the beginning showing you are present and able to listen really well is more important. Rule of thumb is if you can’t see the camera it can’t see you.

6 | What are some things actors can do on their own to hone their skills?

Take class! Take technique class and scene study and on camera! My class is a combination. Also, read everything you can on acting and actors and technique and acting history-please! Watch films and great series-as a pro! You are watching to learn (and yes you can still eat popcorn ).

Everything you learn in class along with what you read and watch has to be implemented-constantly. Otherwise you won’t develop yourself and your artistry. .

7 | What courses do you offer that could be most beneficial for Film Actors?

I have an on camera scene study class Thursday night at 7 pm at Milestones casting. I also do a Method intensive occasionally. The next one will most likely be in October.

This class is a must if you find you watch yourself when you are performing, that you always feel the need to indicate feelings rather than actually be emotionally available and if you are chronically nervous in auditions or when performing.

7b | When?

The next On camera session starts October 3rd and folks can sign up anytime at https://janemoffat.org/

This class will fill up quickly as there are only 12 spots and a number of those who are in the current session will be signing up for the next one as well. So if you are interested I would suggest enrolling soon. I had a waiting list for September.

8 | What are your recommendations for Musical Theatre Actors who want to do commercial work?

Remember commercials are about look and personality. Look the part and have fun in the room. Don’t stress about lines. Learn them conversationally by doing out loud so you don’t surprise yourself when you open your mouth at the audition! If you blow a line nobody cares-it happens. They just want you to let it go and do another take. If it’s seen on camera only-no lines, then just go for it! But as though it were for real. .

9 | What advice would you give Actors who are up and coming?

Keep focused on the work. Nobody ever arrives. If you start thinking you don’t need to learn anymore, other people will pick up on that and it’s a big turn off. It will get in your way if you really want to be a fine actor ( and Human). .

10 | What advice would you give actors who you feel they have hit a plateau?

Question why that is? Get feedback on your work and auditions. You may have got yourself into a pattern and are not inspired.

If a plateau is about not getting bigger roles or auditions for bigger roles than it has to do with your acting. You have come up against your limitations-which is exciting because you can “fix” that by working in a class or with a coach privately.

If the plateau is about not booking. Again, if you’re not booking small roles it’s most likely your acting. If you have recently moved up to supporting lead and lead auditions congrats! But here’s the thing-you may now have a booking ratio of 1 out of 30 instead of 1 out of 3 because everybody you’re competing against is just as good as you or better and some of them may be more established. So then it’s a matter of letting go of the audition immediately after and making sure you have other things in your life other than acting or you will lose your mind waiting for a booking. I speak from experience. I now meditate daily and do spiritual! and personal development in the morning. I also volunteer with an environmental action group. I do as much as I can that is outside of the acting world now in my life so that when I am not acting don’t feel like I cease to be.

https://janemoffat.org/

 

10 TALENT: Meal Prep

Hi everyone. My name is Sarah Matton and I’m an entrepreneur. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the co-creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start an mini series vlog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meat to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy.

YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW AT THE END OF THIS BLOG POST!

Today we’re talking about hair and makeup. This is part two of the prep series on makeup. And I wanted to talk with the best in the biz. She is so creative in all aspects of her life. She is generous and hilarious on and off the stage. And she is so busy and she has taken the time to chat with me so thank you so much and welcome Kristen Peace.

1 | Kristen did you go to school to learn everything you know about hair and makeup?

I didn’t. Not at all. For me I think being someone who was an artistic person. Someone who painted a lot, I’ve always understood colour and shape and stuff like that. So it’s something that’s just always fun for me.

2 | When you play roles like Ursula or Paulette from Legally Blonde, if you don’t get a makeup plot how do you know what colours to use and where do you get your inspiration from?

I’m actually someone who prefers not to have the makeup plot. I find when people who don’t know your face give you a plot, there have been times when I have looked at it and it has been wrong for me. It’s going to be wrong for me, wrong for my face, and you’re not going to be happy with it. I’ve been very lucky that I work with people who trust me. So that I can say hey, this is what want to do, I have drawn up a picture of it, this is what it’s going to look like and I can do some test shots for you tonight so you can see what it’s going to look like. Most the time I have people who are great and just trust that I will give them, the best products that I possibly can. Ursula being a cartoon, and being such a well-known cartoon, you want to be able to pull in aspects of that cartoon but at the same time you need your face to be seen. So knowing that I’m not going to be able to paint my whole body purple or grey, I need to be able to just then contour purple or grey around my face to make my face be seen bur just get an illusion that I am a different colour. So I painted just the points of my face. The contoured points of my face my hands, my collar purple, so you don’t have to do a full body so people can actually see your face. And Paulette, she’s just to me she was just so there. Paulette was who she was you know. I felt like I knew her so well. And she was that girl she was like “ya know she’s like I want to be really fancy, but I don’t know what fancy is. So I do know that purple and like green and like blue are like my favourite colours so I’m going to put them on my face. “

(Sarah) Amazing

(Kristen) So for her that was just her. She wants to be so beautiful, it’s just all too much. Too much!

3 | do you have a rule on lashes? Do you wear them for every show? Do you change the length depending on the character?

I find it does depend on the character; it does depend on the show. I would suggest for people to know the show that they’re in really well. If you’re someone who’s playing…you know I’m off the street for Come From Away, I walk in, I rub some of this off! Like I rub it off and go on stage. I would never ever put lashes on for something like that. I would never put lashes on for a play, unless I was playing some severely glamorous creature, which I’m not going to play. You know what I mean so I wouldn’t do that. But for things like Rock of Ages you wear lashes. You wear 80s you go big 80s makeup for that. For character roles, like Mrs. Meers, you know I had made sure I had very spiky spider lashes for that

(Sarah) And beautiful nails.

(Kristen) You have to decide what the lash is for the person and you have to decide the lash that is good for the face because sometimes some people put very heavy lashes on and it completely closes their eyes off and you’ve got to be able to see their eyes.

4 | What is your red lipstick that you wear?

I have it here! (laughter) I use L’Oreal Paris actually the “Blake Collection” if you can see.

(Sarah) Amazing thank you!

(Kristen) This one has a nice matte to it. It has a really good blue undertone, which is what I need. I need things that are darker thicker richer because I am very pale, so I need to counter balance that with a red lipstick that has a blue undertone. A red lipsick that had a yellow or orange undertone, something that was too pail, pinky, coral, I look very sick. I look sicky, so…

(Sarah) So know your undertones

(Kristen) You have to know what your undertone is and you have to know your undertone of your makeup as well.

5 | Is there anything else in that bag that you can’t live without for a show?

I’ve got a couple really good things. OK this…my go to foundation, You’ve got to get yourself some Kat Von D. Can you see it’s really shiny?

(Sarah) I’ve never seen that before.

(Kristen) It’s fantastic. Buy yourself a brush. You don’t have to go cocoa beans with brushes. Like people get these crazy brush kits, and then they don’t use them. They don’t use them! Get yourself a foundation brush, a blush brush, you don’t need much more than that. But the Kat von D foundation is so good for our business and it’s high coverage. So its something if you wanted to wear it day to day, if your someone who doesn’t like a lot of foundation, little bit of your moisturizer, your daily moisturizer, little bit of this mix it up on your face. Great. But for stage it’s high coverage, easy to colour and paint on top of and it’s also not going to melt off your face. You can’t sweat it off, it’s incredible.

(Sarah) And where do you buy it?

(Kristen) Sephora

(Sarah) Sephora. Perfect.

(Krsiten) Kat von D. Kat von D’s entire line is magic. Is great.

6 | Any advice you have for emerging performers for makeup?

Lay off of the contour and highlight. There is nothing wrong with your nose. There’s nothing wrong. I have never seen ay performer in any audition come in and I think “that nose.” I haven’t. Your nose is fine. Your nose is beautiful. Stop screwing around with your nose. I’m seeing everyone come in with these brown lines and white stripes. And that’s not what contour and highlight is for. It’s meant for still shots and its meant in specific lighting and its meant by people who really really, really know how to change the shape of your face for a still shot. It’s not meant for day to day, and it’s not meant for auditions and its not meant for stage. Because you can see it! It doesn’t matter how much you blend it, you can see it. And there’s nothing wrong with the shape of your face and there’s nothing wrong with your nose. You have a nice big full cheek, don’t try to contour in cheek bones, Why? You’ve got beautiful big full cheeks, live them.

(Sarah) Embrace your cheeks

(Kristen) Give me your big full chubby cheeks. I want it. That’s what people want. They want to see your face. Stop trying to change the shape of your face. Stop it. You’re beautiful the way you are. Stop it.

(Sarah) I think that is such good advice because it’s so popular right now to contour. You know social media there’s so many makeup artists so it’s all over.

(Kristen) It’s constant. It’s all over instagram. It’s fine. You want to do it for fun, you want to play with your face, you’re like “ I want to drag myself out.” Then one hundred percent do it. I love it. Like you have to do that, sometimes. That’s really fun. But when we’re talking about day-to-day and we’re talking about auditions and we’re talking about all that kind of stuff. Don’t. You don’t need it. And especially if you’re using it as some kind of tool to be like I need to change the way I look, I need to change the way I am. Because clearly I’m seeing on all this stuff on instagram and everywhere on Facebook that’s telling me there’s something wrong with my nose so I need to get rid of my nose and I don’t have clout cheek bones so I need to create…There’s nothing wrong with your face. Your face is beautiful it’s your package you were given to travel the world in. Use your package!

Top 10 Takeaways

#1 You don’t need school to be good at makeup.

#2 Know your character when choosing makeup.

#3 You need your face to be seen.

#4 Lashes depend on the show and the character.

#5 Know your skin’s undertone and the makeup undertone.

#6 Kat Von D is great foundation for stage

#7 Get yourself a blush brush and a foundation brush.

#8 There is nothing wrong with your nose!

#9 You don’t need contour for the stage.

#10 Use your package!

10 TALENT: Wig Prep

Welcome to the 10 Talent Blog/Vlog! A bit about myself… I am Sarah Matton, Founder and Director of 10 Talent Management. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the Co-Creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start a mini series vlog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meant to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy!

YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW AT THE END OF THIS BLOG POST!

Today we’re talking about wig prep with the lovely Katelyn Low. She’s a very good friend of mine. She’s done all the things, she builds costumes for Stratford, she builds costumes for set life and she is the best dresser you will ever get. So today Katelyn is going to show us how to do a wig prep!

Katelyn: This is a mesh band that you start with just to basically slick the hair back so you get can get a nice hard hair line.
And then usually I slide this back just so that you can see the hairline. Then the next step is to do pin curling. So to do that all you need are bobby pins, you can find them anywhere. And you take sections of your hair generally about one inch size hair piece like this, and if you wrap it around your fingers, I usually use two fingers and wrap it around, you can kind of twist it to form almost like a little rosette of hair like that. And I usually take your front pieces and attach them to the band so that your wig will actually have something to hold on to.

1 | Why do we pin curl?

We pin curl so your natural hair will stay as flat as possible when you are applying wigs on to your head.

2 | and is clean hair or dirty hair better for pincurls?

Generally speaking, to have dirtier hair is more helpful. Having clean hair of course is great but because your hair is conditioned it is very silky it will actually want to slide around under your wig a lot more so its better if it’s a bit dirty.

(Sarah) So my pin curls are going to be amazing pin curls.

(Katelyn) Yes, exactly!

3 | And do you like bobby pins or hair pins?

So when you’re pincurling, bobby pins, the ones I showed earlier, these guys, are a lot better to be making a pin curl with. They just hold things a lot easier. Hair pins are good for either styling usually, or if you are trying to hold your wig into place. We actually use other pins called geisha pins, which are very large versions of hairpins. And they’re very thick so if you’ve pin curled your hair correctly, you should only need four of those geisha pins to hold your wig in place. And I can tell you that once the wig goes on, you would just want to put those four pins right here just to anchor the front of the wig and then two back here where your nape is.

4 | My hair’s not that long because it doesn’t grow very fast, what if you have very very long hair?

If you have long hair, that’s ok you can still do this pin curling way to hair prep but there’s also other ways of wrapping your hair so you can still prep it for a wig to go on. There’s a version you can take almost dividing your hair into two sections, and then you separate it, twist the back and then you pull one side of your hair this way and the other side up. And you can flat pin it into place to try to keep the shape of the head.

(Sarah) I’ve seen some people French braid sometimes too.

(Katelyn) Yup! French braiding is also an option. It’s also pretty great because it also has something for the wig to pin it to as well. There are many different versions and everyone has their own choice in what they like to do. And of course sometimes after you’ve pin curled and you release your pin curls after a show or something like that, it will usually end up really nice and curly or if you’re going to opening or something like that or if you braid it will be crimped and so on and so fourth.

(Sarah) So do really good pin curls especially on opening is really good advice.

(Katelyn) Exactly. Yes Perfect. If you’re pinning for the first time it does usually take a while, so give yourself lots of time, and then as you get more experienced doing it, you will find ways of doing it a lot quicker.

5 | Is that you think your best advice for new pin curlers?

I’d say so.

(Sarah) Leave lots of time.

(Katelyn) Leave lots of time to do this for the first few times you do it.
It’s a lot harder to do it on yourself than it is with someone else is doing it.

(Sarah) Its very nice and relaxing.

(Katelyn) ok so this is kind of what a pin curled head looks like, and then once your done pin curling, we usually use another net or cap to cover all the curls so that they stay compacted and they don’t affect the wig that’s going on top. So in this case we usually just take something like a piece of fish net or nylon or something like that.

(Sarah) That is my beauty and the beast hair net.

(Katelyn) It’s a little used but that’s ok.

(Sarah) It’s vintage.

(Katelyn) So Sarah if I can get you to get your thumbs up for me, ya. Just stretch it right on top of the pincurls like that. And again just pull this up so it meets the hair line. And to hold something like that in place we use smaller pins just like this.

(Katelyn) You kind of grab a piece of the nylon like that with the pin, and then you tuck it underneath all of the prep so that everything stays under. And again I don’t use too many of these, just enough for it to stay in place do about 4 or 5. And sometimes there’s an open area here at the top depending on the cap so you just kind of fold it closed. And there you have it A wig prep!

(Sarah) Ta-da! Thanks Katelyn! Now we all know how to wig prep.

Top 10 Takeaways

# 1 “Dirty” Hair is better for a wig prep.

#2 Give yourself lots of time when starting to pin curl.

#3 Start with a mesh band.

#4 Slide it just over the hairline.

#5 Divide Hair into 1-2 sections to make a rosette shape.

#6 Use bobby pins for pin curls.

#7 The better your pin curls, the better your hair looks after.

#8 Cover the pin curls with a nylon cap that holds everything together.

#9 Use hairpins to secure wig cap, which will keep pin curls in place.

#10 You only need 4 geisha pins to hold a wig on (take care of your geisha pins!)

10 TALENT: Meal Prep

Welcome to the 10 Talent Blog/Vlog! A bit about myself… I am Sarah Matton, Founder and Director of 10 Talent Management. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the Co-Creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start a mini series vlog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meant to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy!

YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW AT THE END OF THIS BLOG POST!

Today we’re talking about meal prep and I’m so lucky because today we have Greg Pember. Greg and I have done multiple shows together and I think he’s the perfect candidate to talk about meal prep because not only does he represent health and balance in his life but he also commutes to most of his shows so that takes extra time and meal prep. So thank you so much Greg!

1 | Are you as good when you’re not on contract?

I try to keep my dietary restrictions pretty consistent whether I’m in a show or whether I’m not. It’s honestly just easier that way.

1b | How intense is your diet? Do you have a cheat day or do you feel you have to work out more…If there’s a cookie in the green room do you always eat it?

Oh, I’ll have the cookie. (laughter) Ya, I would identify as a pescatarian. So mainly I have a vegetarian diet and I’ll eat fish once in a while. And actually what I’ve been trying to do over the last couple months is this thing called intermittent fasting. And what that looks like is you limit the hours of digestion for your body throughout the day so I try to not eat before one o’clock or two pm. And then from 2pm on until to when I fall asleep, I just eat as much as I want. And the idea is that when your body is not busy digesting food, it’s able to take care of other things that it wouldn’t be able to so such as your immune system. And it’s suppose to help bring you more energy so I’m trying it out and it’s working out really well

2| Have you always been good in the kitchen and meal prep or did you have to learn as you go?

I’ve always loved cooking ever since I graduated college back in 2010. So because I’ve always liked to cook, it’s really helpful because then it’s not a chore for me to meal prep. I mean some days it is but I always try to do most of my prep on the day off, which is typically Monday. So usually Mondays consist of grocery shopping, and cooking at least one or two pretty substantial meals.

3 | You do contracts out in Calgary sometimes. Do you find it harder and are you as diligent on doing proper meal prep?

Ya, I find it takes a little bit more planning. When you’re staying at someone else’s house, it’s not your kitchen right? So you don’t really know what kind of tools they have. You know for me I use a lot of garlic in my cooking and I have to make sure I have the garlic there. So it just takes a little bit more planning, but I would say that I’m actually quite good at you know being pretty diligent about prepping my meals rather than going out and spending money every day.

(Sarah) Ya, I’m not as good when billeting out because I don’t have all my spices and I never take all my spices with me.

(Greg) Well that’s the thing right! Especially if you’re going to Calgary, you’re flying out there right, you’re not going to bring your stuff (your go to stuff). So ya, you kind of have to get a bit creative, but it’s still doable. Very doable.

4 | Speaking of your meal prep and how it takes longer, what are your go to meals?

Well I like to do stuff that is hearty and filling. But also very nutritious. So I like to do stuff like chilies. I like to do curries. I like to do fried rice. So rice dishes are definitely a go to for me because they are filling, easy to make and you can put whatever you want in them right. And so I like to do that, I like to cook…I do a lot of cooking with lentils, with chickpeas, so stews are great for that. Curries are great for that. I make this really good bolognaise sauce. But instead of meat, it’s lentils. So it still has that kind of texture to it, and really high in protein. So it’s just about finding that balance. It takes time and it takes listening to your body right? My motto is eat when you feel like eating, and what your body’s asking to eat right. So when you’re listening to that, you’ll know if you’re getting enough protein or not because you’ll feel it. Your energy will shift. But, for vegetarians, there’s tons of options. A lot with tofu. I cook a lot with chickpeas, with beans, lentils, and then I’ll have fish now and then too.

5 | Where do you get your recipes?

Well, a lot of them were kind of handed down to me from family members and then from my boyfriend Scott, he’s a fantastic cook too so we kind of share recipes. But I’ve gotten recipes from friends, I’ve recipes from you! (laughter) I have recipes from other people. Because I like to be pretty creative in the kitchen, I’ll usually look up a recipe and then just kind of do it in my own way. Modify.

(Sarah) Depending on what you have in your kitchen?

(Greg) Exactly and depending on what I like you know?
(Sarah) If I have three ingredients in my fridge, I will put those three ingredients into pinterest and see what meals come up.

(Greg) You look at the fridge and think “oh I can’t make anything,” but then you actually can because you just need to get a little creative.

6 | What are your go to snacks in rehearsal? We have a long day 10-6, what are your snacks?

I like to eat hard-boiled eggs. They’re really easy to make, and you can make a ton of them at once. You just keep them in the fridge. They’re high in protein, high in calories so they give you lots of energy. Easy to transport. So that’s one of my go tos. Nuts are great too. I like to make smoothies. I like to do anything with hummus. Veggies and hummus, crackers and hummus. Ya I would say Costco is a great place to get a ton of groceries for a good amount of money. You know?

7 | Speaking of, because I always like to talk about money, how much do you think you spend on groceries a week to eat healthy and properly?

Well I would say that between my partner Scott and I, we probably spend anywhere between $100 and $140 together a week. At most we’ll be spending $70 each a week.

(Sarah) That’s actually not too bad because I probably do $100 by myself if I’m being honest.

(Greg) Yup. And where very lucky because we eat the exact same kinds of foods. So we just get a lot of what we love. Like, we’ll walk away with 5 flats of eggs. (Laughter) because we know we go through them. Right?

We definitely treat ourselves too. We usually go out for dinner maybe like once every two weeks. And I’ll usually go out for lunch when I’m in a show, I’ll go out for lunch once a week as a treat.

8 | If somebody wants to start eating healthy or prepping for rehearsals or shows, what are your recommendations for something that’s easy/not too difficult for someone who doesn’t know their way around the kitchen?

I really love making fried rice. Because you get to make the sauce however you want. It’s rice base, so you just cook the rice on it’s own and then you fry whatever veggies you want all in a pan. Mix it together, add whatever sauce you want. I do a really simple sauce that’s delicious and easy. It’s just peanut butter, soy sauce and hot sauce. You just mix it pup and pour it in, so you’re getting lots of protein as well. I think that fried rice is my favourite go to because you can make a ton of it at once, and fill it with whatever veggies. I put tofu in it, I put nuts in it so it’s hearty, healthy and it gives me lots of energy.

9 | any advice you’d give to someone who wants to eat healthy or someone who wants to start thinking of taking care of themselves to maintain being in a show?

Greg: Ya for sure. Well I think first and for most, hydration is huge. I think it’s really really important. I think that we forget as performers how much we’re sweating, and I think that any way we can replenish our electrolytes, replenish our hydration its so important for our energy levels and to stay health . Especially in the cold months, like today it’s minus fifteen outside.
My advice for someone who is just starting to cook on their own and prep meals is I would say to find that one or two recipes that you really love to make, like food that you really love to eat and that’s easy for you to make so those are your go to so that after maybe doing them for maybe a couple weeks you don’t have to look at a recipe any more so it’s second nature its not as much planning its just second nature and you can just do it. You have to make sure that you love it too. You love the food and you love the taste of it.

(Sarah) I used to do lunch competitions with Judy Kovacs, we would see who brought the best lunch, it would inspire us

(Greg) I remember that

(Sarah) And also you inspire the other person, you’re like oh, that’s really good I’m going to try that!

(Greg) Ya!

(Sarah) It’s kind of good if more people in your cast are on the same page, because it kind of keeps you inspired. I know Kayla James taught me about a grapefruit with cinnamon

(Greg) mmm ya, anything you can get excited about is key because you don’t want it to seem like a chore and sometimes it will be, but it can be really fun it can be really fun and you get to get creative and put your health first at the same time.

10 | Are you really good at drinking water?

Greg: Yup! I drink a lot of water. One of my tricks is the first thing I do when I wake up is I chug a big glass of water before I have coffee before I have anything. Just chug a big glass of water.

(Sarah) That’s a great idea that we can all probably implement into a morning routine.

(Greg) when in doubt, drink more water.

Top 10 Takeaways

# 1 Stay consistent with eating habits.

#2 Prep on your day off so you are set for the week.

#3 Make things like chillies and curries: Filling! Easy! Healthy! Cheap! Large amounts!

#4 Pay attention to what your body needs to keep energy levels up.

#5 Share recipes with friends! #GetCreative

#6 Eat snacks rich in protein such as hard boiled eggs and nuts.

#7 Stay on budget while eating healthy.

#8 Try Greg’s fried rice recipe with an easy sauce such as hot sauce, peanut butter and soya sauce)

#9 Drink Water.

#10 Get excited and inspired about cooking!

10 TALENT: The Side Hustle

Welcome to the 10 Talent Blog/Vlog! A bit about myself… I am Sarah Matton, Founder and Director of 10 Talent Management. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the Co-Creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start a mini series vlog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meant to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy!

YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG POST!

Today we’re talking about finances and the side hustle! I love talking about finances and I think it’s important for artists to talk about money, because we don’t have a lot of security in this business so it just means we need to plan ahead. Today we’re talking to a very dear friend of mine. We’ve worked together, lived together, some say we like to win together. This girl has worked consistently in this business and has also been able to hold down a mortgage in Toronto, so thank you so much and welcome Judy Kovacs. So quickly just to define side hustle is any sideline form of income or gigging that we do other than our main job that we have to bring in money.

1 | Have you always had a side hustle ?

Once I had 7 jobs! I am remember.

1a | What are some of the jobs that you’ve had?

OK, well aside from theatre, a focus of mine has always been to bartend as well, to teach, I remember I tried Arbonne once, I mean it didn’t work for me, but I tried it. I’ve become a project manager for a Bespoke company, so that’s like suits and shirts, I also worked at a temp agency in offices, well QBC! So teaching on the side, commercials, you know try to get voice over demos, there’s always something.

2 | What are some advantages that you’ve found having a side hustle?

Well aside form just making extra money, I mean obviously that’s the key thing, but also having a side hustle’s technically a part time job. And I feel like being an actor, it’s part time. Even if you’re working at the Stratford festival and you’re there nine months of the year, there’s no guarantee you get a Christmas gig, it could be conflicting. There’s also no guarantee you’ll be back next year so I still think of that as a part time job. Even being in a feature film, you’re going to film for how long and then what are you going to do? And so aside from just making money, what do you want when you have your free time? I mean everyone wants a vacation, but after being on vacation for so long, you want to be social. I feel like half of my friends are people I either went to school with or people I who I’ve worked with. That could be people I went to on camera classes with, people I went to Sheridan college with, or people I’ve done musical theatre or on film or bartend or anything, even your Arbonne ladies, you know and I feel like, you know for instance that didn’t work for me, but it’s a perfect example of building relationships with new people and I think that, even though that’s not necessarily going to have an income potential at the moment, our generation is all about bartering. And I feel like you know, maybe right now I’m working at a restaurant. Great. My friends come in, I’m going to treat you, you’re going to have something comped. You know so you’re going to win that way. I’m friends with you, I’m going to get chances to teach more. You know what I mean? So I think that every relationship you build, not only helps you socially…and sometimes the theatre bubble can be a bubble so you’re going to expand your knowledge, and as an actor that’s also important. So you’re making money, you’re making friends, you’re creating new relationships to barter with, you’re learning new experiences, You’re becoming a better actor…like Great! (Laughter)

3 | Can you see any disadvantages for having a side hustle?

Yes. You have to be really good at scheduling. Also a lot of people, especially young, you do have to eventually make a name for yourself. But I think young people tend to not say directly what they want. For example if you want to teach at night and you want to work at a restaurant, then you have to say I want to work lunches, because this is my gig and that’s my priority and in the day I can work as well. I think that as long as you’re scheduling and being clear with what you want in your career or in all your individual little gigs. It can help.

(Sarah) That’s great. And also, it’s important to know what you want right. I believe we can have whatever we want but we have to have a list and know what’s at the top because if you’re getting caught up in a restaurant schedule and you’re going to miss an audition because you’re afraid of missing a lunch shift, than obviously that’s going to impact your professional career or your main priority, if that is your priority.

(Judy) And I also think like, when I was 18 for instance, I picked the hottest nightclub the hottest spot in Toronto. I didn’t really know what I’m doing but I want to work here because I want to make money and I want to be somewhere where its going to be fun and I’m going to be proud of. So then I kind of just walked in and convinced the manager to hire me, and form there I kind of convinced him that theatre was really important to me. And so he was willing to work with me and I feel like building relationships with your managers is also really important.

4 | Do you do budgeting? Do you have a budget? Do you follow a budget?

I do have a spreadsheet that I call my monthly expenses. And so in that it’s maintenance fees, mortgage, property tax. That’s another thing. And I’m sure people do this who own houses but to not get your property tax bill and be like OH I owe property tax. No. You want to get it in your monthly expenses and divide it by 12 or whatever works for you. So I like to do things by month, so cell phone bill, all those little things. And then I like to have a separate account for what I call “bills” for all those things. So I will transfer money in as I go along, and then have my other account for spending.

(Sarah) I think it’s just important to know what your fixed expenses are because they come out every single month or week or whatever and know what your variable expenses are, and they can fluctuate and you can move those around but guaranteed, you have to pay your mortgage, you have to pay your tax bill, you have to pay your utility bill. So you have to know what those numbers are and if they fluctuate, know how much you need if you need to have a buffer. Also have a buffer.

5 | I know you’re very good with your tax receipts. Could you tell me what you do about your tax receipts?

When I start a new contract and I get my first paycheck of the week. I always email my agent right away, because with equity, it’s not just 10%, there’s a specific equity calculator. And I ask my agent to tell me how much I owe per week. So right off the bat I get my paycheck I have it in the bank and then from there I take whatever I owe my agent +HST out the same day I get it. And I move it into my “agenct” account. These accounts are just savings accounts’. They don’t cost you anything as long as you do all your transfers online. And it’s free! Then I take my HST out and I put it in the HST account. Then I personally take 10% of my paycheck out and I put it into my income tax account. And then right off the bat, half my paycheck’s gone (Laughter). But, at least I know what is mine and what’s not. Because I hate having money and thinking “oh do I owe someone money?” etc…Same with Quick Ball Change. If I teach, right away, HST, income tax and agency fee is goes into that account as well. So that’s done, also for my monthly expenses, it says exactly how much I’ve spent on what. And sometimes in when I’m in theatre I rent my place out as income, so that also means that things that I buy for my home can also be a write off. So that’s good. So those two things. I know exactly my income and exactly my spending. When it’s around tax time, so right now. I start getting Ts, I call them the T’s. T whatever. So whenever I get that, I have a file folder and its for that year and I don’t know what it is but that’s why we have an accountant. Thank God. But aside from that, everything I get in the mail goes into that folder. And Oh, I scan everything as well. So what happens then is I put everything into a program called neat receipt. I’m sure there’s different versions of this program as well but its really nice because I scan all my receipts and it will ask me the date, the wherever I bought the item, the category it goes into and then whatever business category it goes into. And my accountant has you know, all the separate, meals and entertainment, meals on engagement, all those separate things, and I will organize it by that. I will put all of those receipts in each section and then all the other receipts I will still keep. So at the end of the year by scanning everything and filling out all these little things, which take a while but I try to do it by month so I do it at the end of every month. What I can then do is click and create a PDF file that says “dressing room supplies” and it will show me exactly how much I have purchased for that category. So not only does it save me so much time at tax time, it also saves me time at my accountant’s. My accountant is literally like “You’re the most organized person,” and charges me $200.00 because he can do my taxes so quickly. So ya that’s why I like that program. Because of the PDF spreadsheets it can show me how much money I spend on coffee, or at Starbucks, or coffee in general you know? So Ya.

6 | RRSPs. Do you have them?

I do. I have them through doing theatre gigs. We automatically get our dues, our insurance, and our RRSPS’ taken off our paycheck. I haven’t touched my RRSPs since I started doing theatre, however I don’t’ contribute into my RRSPs because I own my condo and I feel like if I have extra money, I put that money down onto my mortgage. It’s going to benefit me more than RRSP’s so it kind of depends on what situation you’re in.

Personally I believe that real estate is one of the best ways to make money. And I never bought a bitcoin, so I’m not part of that. I have some mutual funds and I’ve watched them progress over maybe 10 years, I still feel that real estate is better. So if you don’t have a home yet, then yes, I would consider putting money into your RRSP’s, because then you can take that money and but your first home with it.

(Sarah) Ya, there’s a first time home buyers plan you can use up to $25,000 of your RRSP’s and take them out without any penalty and put it towards your first home. So that’s a very good point.

(Judy) Another suggestion that I have with regards to taking money off their paycheck, I mean to each their own, but personally I opt out of having my income tax taken off my paycheck because I could put that money into say a mutual fund or whatever for the year and then pay it back at the end of the year.

(Sarah) I do the same thing, I take a certain amount, it goes into my tax/agency savings account all in one ball and then that money sits there because it’s my money, and I’m going to hang onto it as long as possible.

(Judy) Don’t let the government have interest.

7 | In terms of savings, do you put a certain amount away for savings? By percentage or dollar amount?

I mean ideally I would like to do that; I live by myself in Toronto and have a condo so my savings is my condo. My goal is to always save and out money away and grow my bank account, but it fluctuates with vet bills or whatever. That being said, when the dog has a thing it’s good to have that money set aside.

8 | Do you have any advice for students who are merging into this performing world?.

Well I feel like the majority of the auditions are in Toronto, so you I feel like you need to live here. It’s expensive though. So I don’t know, maybe you have a roommate; maybe you try working at a restaurant. I mean it’s not that difficult if you’ve never done it before. And the great thing about working at a restaurant is you will make so much money and you will consistently have your days off so you can consistently audition. And when you need to leave you just leave. You don’t need to take anything home with you, there’s not stress, you’re not coming home stressed. You don’t need to worry about table number 5, you know. Whatever just leave it and then you can go do your gig, an then 9 times out of 10 you can come back, I meant hopefully. Knock on wood.

9 | You have a rule. What’s your rule?

OK. (haha). My rule is I try not to leave my house unless I’m making $100.00 or more. So that’s the goal. What I do is every time I get a paycheck for one week for doing theatre, every week at a restaurant, whatever I do I log it, how I was mentioning. From there I can also, with the program numbers, I can adjust certain things so in the column I can say the average I make per hour that week. So you can also figure out, because time you can never get your time back. So you need to figure out what job gives you the most income so your time is of value. So if its not of value you need to brush that aside. So I was looking at certain things, and I also danced at Bar Mitzvahs. And I said listen, on Saturdays I make more money teaching or I make more money at bar then for you dancing Bar Mitzvahs. So that being said, “if you want to pay me “X” amount of money,” because I’m looking at my numbers, on Saturday I will show up for you. The same with the bespoke boss, I said if you pay me that much I will be there. So you need to calculate your own worth as well. So I don’t know that’s fun to do.

(Sarah) That’s amazing. I think it’s important that you do know your worth because you need to know your worth. You need to know where your time is best spent. And it’s not always about money. Definitely not, we’re obviously in the performing world. We’re definitely doing what we love first and foremost but we have to pay our bills. And I think you can have what you want as a performer. You don’t need to be a starving artist. I hate that idea that we’re starving artists. I want to be a thriving artist. On the flip side of that is if you have an opportunity to make $90.00 and you’re right out of school, take the $90.00, you know until you build your experience and your resume, get whatever you can. Until you get to that point where you’re at where you need to go to get what done.

(Judy) Because that $90.00 isn’t only money, it’s also a new connection. Opportunities are going to grow from there. So it’s like double whammy. (boom)

Top 10 Takeaways

#1 Get a Side Hustle.

#2 Build relationships with your side hustle managers so they can support your
professional career.

#3 Side hustling can open a door to new friends, connections, income and
bartering.

#4 Stay organized and keep things in your calendar

#5 BUDGET! Know your fixed expenses so you know how much to bring in.

#6 Separate accounts can keep you organized for your various expenses.

#7 TAXES! Keep all your receipts and keep them organized. #neatreceipt

#8 Know what expenses you can write off as a performer (talk to your accountant
today).

#9 Contributing to RRSPS can help you save for your future or contribute to your
first downpayment on a house.

#10 Time is money. Know your worth.

10 TALENT: HST FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED

Welcome to the 10 Talent Blog/Vlog! A bit about myself… I am Sarah Matton, Founder and Director of 10 Talent Management. Over the past decade I have worked professionally in the field of musical theatre. I’m also the Co-Creator of the only temp agency for dance teachers in Canada, Quick Ball Change. I’ve been inspired to start a mini series vlog to share my knowledge as well as speak to those who work professionally in the industry. This is just meant to be an informal chat so we can hopefully all learn something and I hope you enjoy!

YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG POST!

Today we’re talking about taxes and HST!
I love talking about money, I’ve read a lot of finance books but I’m not an expert. I just like to geek out on financial information. It’s important to talk about HST because people don’t know about it so lets talk about it.

1 | Lets talk about it! What is an HST number?

Harmonized sales tax is a combo of GST & PST so in Ontario we’ve grouped them together and now it’s 13% tax that we pay on goods services and provincial sales tax all combined together. The whole HST thing is basically how much do I collect? How much do I pay out? And the difference of that number is what I owe the government or the government owes me. That’s essentially what HST is.

1a | And it’s different in other provinces right?

It is. So this is Ontario so these are the rules in Ontario, but every province has their own rules. Like Calgary is 5%, and some are worse than us, some are 15%! So we should be grateful?

2 | Who needs an HST number?

OK. So if you are a business, most businesses have them and if you’re self-employed that can apply to you because you are your own business. If we’re self-employed, you are your own business. So you may need an HST number as well.

3 | When do you register for an HST number?

When you are self-employed and you make over $30,000.00 a year. You need to have an HST number. You have to have one. If you don’t make over $30,000.00 a year you don’t need one. You can, there’s some benefits of having one. You can still register whenever you want but once you hit $30,000.00 you have to worry about it, and the onus is on you to know that.

4 | Right. If you make less than $30,000.00 a year, then to register for an HST number would just be pro active?

Honestly, I think it depends on your accountant. Some accountants are like “don’t worry about it,” it’s more drama for them, to do their taxes. You can write off HST so if you buy a MAC lipstick for $20.00, and then it’s $22.60. Then at the end of the year, all the $2.60, all the makeup that we buy, we can put that against the HST that we collect.

So if you have an HST number, you have to collect HST on everything that you bring in. OK so if I register for HST, every performing job, teaching job, judging, workshops, gigging it, any gigging that we do we have to collect HST. So if I make $100/night for a gig, I have to invoice for $113.00 (HST on top of that). If you’re employed and you work at Starbucks on your side gig you’re an employee, you don’t worry about that. It’s only on all the jobs that you find or that your agent finds for you, and side self contracted work; you have to charge HST on top of that.

5 | How do you register for your HST number?

It’s not difficult, just go to the CRA website, you can register for an HST number or register your business. Or you can just call in. I just called in and gave them my information and then they mailed something to me.

6 | So what do you do with the HST you collect? Do you spend it?

Don’t spend it! It’s not your money. You’re basically a piggy bank for the government. So what I like to do, is I have a separate account. And all the HST I collect form my performing, and from my teaching goes into that. OK. And then at the end of the year, when I do my taxes, the government is like “give me my money back.” And you are accountable for that money; you’re kind of just a piggy bank for it.

…OK, so there are bonuses in a sense of when you have an HST number. Lets say for example I collect $3000.00 in HST from all the performing gigs. But I’m buying MAC lipsticks, I’m buying shows, I’m taking dance classes I’m doing lessons. All the HST on all the things that work towards my business, lets say I’ve paid out $2000.00. At the end of the year, I only have to pay them a thousand dollars.

So there are even some instances, don’t get too excited but you would get money back. Let’s say I collect $2000.00 and I pay out $3000.00

6b |  You would get a thousand dollars back?

I would. But it almost never happens. I think it’s called an influx tax credit, but it almost never happens so keep all your money in one bank account. Put it in the highest interest savings fund that you can. So you get a couple…literally a couple dollars at the end of the year.

7 |  Let’s talk about write-offs and expenses

so the good news is whether you have an HST number or you don’t, because we are self-employed we can write off a lot of things. So our dance classes, the agency commission we pay our agents, you can write it off, and makeup…

7a | Dues, right?

Dues! Absolutely dues. Office supplies, like if you have an office in your home, then you can write off things like that. Gifts, Opening night gifts. You give the Artistic Director a fancy bottle of wine. Thank you please hire me again (laughter)

The only thing is, some accountants get a little picky with it because actors like to drink. So how do you know you didn’t buy yourself that wine? So some accountants like to say please get them a gift card. And then you can kind of prove this was a gift card for this specific …and I’m picky, I write on the receipt, gift for so and so on opening.

8 | Keeping track of all of this stuff. Tell me how you do it, because I’m sure some people have many different ways of doing it.

Yes you have to keep track. So the first thing, I have some props today.

The first thing is if you’re travelling and you have a car, and you’re paying all this gas and car maintenance, you can write it off, but you have to keep very specific track as to where you’re going.

Yeah exactly like $40 bucks I filled the tank, but did you go just to work and home? No.

You have to be picky.

So this is what I do. This is my logbook. I’m getting ready for 2018 because we’re in December right now. And I always have the date, the location, the reason/ the why, and how many kilometers. So I know when I go from my house to the theatre. There and back is 50km. So at the end of the week I know, I doc it. When I do contracts I usually do it at the end of the week because I know exactly how many kilometers. But when I go to a one off teaching job, I usually do it that night. This lives in my car, I fold it up and I put it at the side of my car. I stay very accurate, because they can ask for that and you need it.

My second way is my receipts so like I said you have to be so picky with your receipts. Actually, prop number two.

Prop number two!

OK you’re going to have to forgive me because it’s December! This is so full right now.

Whoa!

Boom! So these are all the things. In the front I have: taxes stuff, so any receipts, like my HST slips.

The official receipts form the god above.

Yes. That’s right. That’s my preset, boom it goes in here. I also have: office supplies, RRSP contributions, gifts, medical, ACTRA or Equity Dues, Parking or 407, Car repair, music and materials for dance teaching, makeup, clothes, food on contract, normal food, eating out on contract.

Yeah, and then I have gas, dogs, because dogs are the most expensive things in my life. And then the biggest one is “me.” So like things I cant write off. And I also like to have a “me column” and keep that, for like LCBO when I do buy myself booze I can prove “no no, this booze was for somebody else, this booze was for me in my “me” column.

9 |  I was going to say, do you also need to keep that stuff?

I keep both so I can counter balance and I also want to check out, like “how much did I spend on going out for dinner this year?”

It’s a lot.

It’s a lot usually.

You don’t want to add it up but then you do and it’s like a self-check.

Right. It’s smart

So all these receipts I write little notes, especially going out for coffee, or anything like that, I write out whom I went out for coffee with. It’s like my second thing. So then, at the end of the year, January 1st! If you’re like me…too far

How dare you.

I go through all the things, and then I make myself pretty, and then I add them up and then I put them in an envelope like “Gas”! And I usually put the total on the back and that’s my gas. And then I usually go through every single thing, I usually binge watch a couple Netflix series.

Classic!

And then I get to watch TV, all the stuff is done, and then when I have all my stuff pretty in a little box for my accountant.
They tell you you’re on the hook for up to 6 years.

Wow.

You have to keep it for 6 years and people don’t necessarily.

They don’t do that

They don’t know or they just think like frig, I have no space for this, but it’s like get a file folder. Honestly, file folder, $50.00 on Kijiji.

Thank you Kijiji.

10 | Explain how and when to pay your HST

You do your taxes at the end of the year. My accountant is Doug. He’s fabulous. He tells me how much tax I owe and how much HST I owe. You’ll get those little remittance slips in the mail, you bring them into the bank and it will say you owe $2000.00 and you can pay it that way or I like to do it online. I like to go online, and you click, you sign in, your business log in, and then it sync’s right to your online banking, and you can pay it right off the bat. Also if you’re paying a lot more, I think the number is $3000.00, if you’re paying back more than $3000.00, the government can say, ok you’re paying us quarterly. So in which case you have to call the government, and say, “I need more of the remittance slips, and the onus is on you to pay four times a year. It’s again; it’s all like what you pay out and what you can expense. So moral of the story, is make sure you are buying things that are good for you and your business.

Right

Because it’s not only going to make you better as your own businessperson, but it’s going to make you owe less.

Top 10 Takeaways

#1  If you are making over 30,000.00 per year you need an HST number

#2  If you are making less, you can still register but talk to your accountant first.

#3  If you have an HST number you must collect HST on all self employed work.

#4  For an HST number over the phone call the Canada Revenue Agency at 1800-959-5525

#5  Keep HST in a separate account like a high interest savings account.

#6  Keep track of receipts and write down on the receipts what the purchase was made for.

#7  Keep all receipts in an organized file folder so tax season is easy.

#8  You are responsible for keeping receipts for up to 6 years!

#9  Pay HST online or through your bank

#10  For more information visit https:// www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/gsthst.html