Director Jason Winer stops by the bungalow and discusses starting out in improv, his overall deal with 20th Century Fox, actor networking, and more!

Jason's IMDb and Instagram @jasonwiner.

00:00 - Introduction.
01:58 - Jason slates his name.
02:10 - Directing a pregnant Julie Bowen in the Modern Family pilot.
04:32 - Dealing with unexpected situations as a director.
09:25 - The lack of new comedy television.
11:24 - Starting out in improv comedy at iO Chicago.
15:10 - Studying performance at Northwestern.
17:16 - Surviving in LA as an actor partly via selling MTV the show The Blame Game.
20:15 - Transitioning from in front of the camera to behind it.
28:50 - Working with or against perfectionism.
32:25 - How does improv background effect directing.
35:00 - Getting a meeting about Modern Family.
37:40 - Editing improvised scenes.
40:27 - Jason's overall deal with 20th Century Fox.
44:49 - Eric Andre needs to act more.
45:43 - How involved is Jason in casting.
51:00 - Finding new talent on crews like producers, casting, costume, etc.
54:44 - The prep a director does for an episode.
1:00:08 - Who took a chance on Jason.
1:01:26 - Keeping up relationships with directors and actor networking.

The full video and pics -- boxangeles.com/331

Support Box Angeles (and access the audio archives) on Patreon.

Follow Box Angeles on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Casting director Jeff Greenberg stops by the bungalow and discusses how he got started in casting, how many people he auditioned for the leads of Modern Family, his opinions on self tapes, and more!

Jeff's IMDb and Instagram @jeffgreenbergcd.

00:00 - Introduction.
01:59 - Jeff slates his name.
04:53 - Did David Hyde Pierce crash the Frasier audition?
10:50 - The greatness of the show Frasier.
12:30 - Does Jeff watch the shows he casts.
15:28 - How Jeff shifted from acting to casting in the 80s.
19:56 - Getting the big break to cast Cheers in season 5.
24:18 - Working alone for Jeff's whole career.
27:02 - Ty Burrel being the hardest person to cast in Modern Family.
32:21 - Do notes from networks upset Jeff.
33:03 - How many people did Jeff read for the leads in Modern Family.
38:55 - The number Jeff auditions for leads verses submissions and salary involvement.
42:24 - Giving feedback to actors that you continually bring in to test.
44:28 - Does Jeff keep track of analytics in general.
49:23 - What does casting value the most in a new actor.
52:30 - Jeff's lists and stacks.
54:24 - Self tapes versus in-person auditions.
1:00:10 - Who took a chance on Jeff.

The full video and pics -- boxangeles.com/330

Support Box Angeles (and access the audio archives) on Patreon.

Follow Box Angeles on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Acting teacher Lesly Kahn stops by the bungalow and discusses her approach to acting, how she can be perceived as intimidating, working on a scene with Mike, and more!

Lesly's IMDb and Instagram @leslykahn.

00:00 - Introduction.
01:49 - Lesly slates her name.
04:57 - Access to the breakdowns and asking for things.
07:53 - The business of acting class.
12:49 - Lesly's coaching tree.
14:50 - Starting out as an actor with multiple degrees and not knowing how to act.
17:10 - The key to acting is thinking.
21:00 - Working on a recent scene Mike auditioned for.
34:15 - Does Lesly view herself as a polarizing person.
38:00 - Coaching sessions for both self tape an in-person with Lesly.
49:25 - How actors should approach casting directors.
1:00:05 - Pretty faces that work that can't act.
1:02:42 - Lesly is not a fan of testimonials.
1:05:26 - Who took a chance on Lesly.
1:06:45 - We revisit the scene we worked on earlier.

The full video and pics -- boxangeles.com/329

Support Box Angeles (and access the audio archives) on Patreon.

Follow Box Angeles on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.