How Dacre Montgomery Landed Stranger Things (And The Brutal Truth About Talent) Ep2

INTRO: 00:00
Two unemployed actors. Two unemployed actors. Just between projects.

MAX: 00:13
Welcome back to two unemployed actors. I'm Max. I'm Sam.

SAM: 00:17
And uh another week. Yeah. We're back and we're bigger and better. Yeah. Oh, one of those things is true.

MAX: 00:24
Well that the the tech plug-in and and fancy button stuff on the software is taking a little bit less time each week. Yes. But not by much. And last show was fun too. Editing. No. I managed to have the cameras on uh dash camera mode. So they're recorded in three-minute increments. Oh yeah. So when I put all the files on, I had like a thousand friggin' video files to edit. I know it's not exciting for everyone, but that was exciting for me. So that's the first thing I mucked up. Second thing, you know, we're gonna have improved sound quality. Oh yeah and and uh it'll it'll sound better. Um, I promise. So what did you go to last week? What happened between last broadcasts? Tell us some exciting news.

SAM: 01:06
Well, I'm still unemployed. Okay. I mean, that's all that's because anyway. I mean, technically I'm I'm employed because of that musical, so I'm constantly working, but you know, not being paid necessarily yet.

MAX: 01:19
And as we know, you have to keep because if you don't, if you just wait for the phone to ring and then you go out and work all of a sudden and you haven't been practicing, you don't work fit.

SAM: 01:28
Exactly. And I've got but I've got two auditions coming up, so that's good. I've got one for a short film, one for a feature film. So this is a this feature film audition is gonna be good. Well, that sounds good. You know, I may I may become employed. Maybe we'll have to postpone this for four months.

MAX: 01:41
It's good. You can dial in from set. I'm sure they'll understand it's all about you.

SAM: 01:45
Oh yeah. I've jotted down some stuff to talk about. Have you? Yeah. I've like What's first on your list? Let's have a look. Oh wait, that's from last week. That's from last week. No, wait, no, no, I've got something. I gotta go here. Appearance versus talent. This industry, yes. Appearance is a big thing. Talent, yeah, but it's probably second, right? You know, if you look the part, you don't have to be as talented as as the guy who doesn't, right? The guy who didn't get it could be more talented than you, but if you look the talk, I think I think it just gives you more opportunities.

MAX: 02:17
If you if you are talented and you're there, well, first of all, you've got to fit the part, yeah. So, yeah. And then and then if you are talented, it probably unlocks more opportunities with the floor than than if you were looking for your mark and standing there and saying two and a half lines.

SAM: 02:31
Oh, definitely, yes, 100%. Like talented, having the talent definitely helps a lot. And you do need talent. Yes. Both is good, appear the appearance and talent, you know. But that's that's the funny thing, because someone less talented to you than you, and this has happened to me before, someone less talented than me got cut. But it's becoming name.

MAX: 02:52
It feels like you really want to name the name. That's up to you. Um, but I'll make sure it makes the cut. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um I remember I was I was uh final for a TVC, um, and um I missed out because I was a couple of inches, literally two inches shorter than the female one. So, you know, I don't know. Talent didn't really come to it. But uh yeah, apparently I'm a shortcut.

SAM: 03:16
Well, I think yeah, I think it comes down to that day. It comes down to you can have the talent, but if you lack the right look, you're not gonna get it. You can have the right look. If you've kind of got talent, you can still get it. Yeah. So it kind of doesn't work both ways, but that's the industry, I guess. It's deep. We're going deep here. This is two unemployed actors.

MAX: 03:34
Whereas all I got out of it was I need to wear heels or lifts in my shoes. Last week, I'll tell you something that happened to me.

SAM: 03:41
Yes.

MAX: 03:42
I please am a part of this program called Actors Anonymous, no. I'm a part of this program called Um Storyville. Because the union here in Australia, the MEAA runs um Storyville, which is a program where they bring actors into primary school, and we're talking kindergarten year one to make reading fun. So literally on my bookshelves, I've got a whole section for children's books, not because I'm creepy.

SAM: 04:09
Yeah.

MAX: 04:10
This is why. Because reading's gotta be fun. It doesn't come with a worksheet and tests and stuff because I'm not a teacher, clearly, as I demonstrate each week as I try and teach control baby stuff to some people. Yeah. It's like sit down and listen. No, it's yeah, that's that didn't work either. Yeah, make reading fun because sometimes these are children who maybe their parents don't speak English and they don't have access to these sorts of books at home, or you know, they don't have the money for books. It's a way to really make reading lots of fun. We're not talking like a full-on turn up in a costume and run a scene and do like a workshop type scenario, because that would just frighten the kids and be a bit creepy. Probably. You know, it's not like a scene. Especially if it were you in that costume. Yeah. But I have to say, I was really nervous. Like, I don't really get nervous for additions, like if I've actually remembered the lines and worked through it. It's not like be there in an hour sort of thing and haven't done anything. But I was really like, I'm thinking to myself, I'm about to walk into a room full of 35 critics who are not afraid to say exactly what they think. I'm getting worked up about it, and like we're talking kindergarten kids, right? And I'm frightened. And then I get an email from the organizer who said, Good luck, you know, have a great session, let us know how it goes. Uh might turn up to some stage, take some photos, be great to see how you go. Because the last guy didn't make it. So I'm just like, oh my god, what? Like, imagine turning up, there's a whole gang of children throwing shit at you because you don't know what you're doing, and you get fired from a volunteer job reading to children. That's that's shit. Like that's not good.

SAM: 05:53
That's not good.

MAX: 05:55
Would suck that that's like that doesn't discourage you from your dream. I mean, so that's so with that in mind, you know, and the whole glamorous world of an actor in mind, you know, here I am turning up to good old Plunkett Street primary, uh, nervous as all hell. Oh, the kids are so cute. There's like basically the teacher breaks them up into groups and some are doing Lego or painting. She's got a couple or does one-on-ones to make sure they're okay to do teaching stuff that teachers do. And then there's Story Corner, which Max sits in there's story corner, and there's nice little walls up, books. When I walk in, the kids are like, Hi Maxie, and because we're all, you know, cool we're mates. And uh, hi Maxie, and uh Max is here, you know, and it's great. And then I walk into the corner, I set up my little corner, I've got my books organized, everything. And I really worked hard too on on getting the right books for these kids, you know. Too many words, you know. Well, that's just too much work for everyone. They're trying to understand it, I'm trying to read and get through it all. And you know, that's hard work. I don't I don't like that. Yeah, so um it's supposed to be fun, right? And then last week when I left them, they're actually running to the story corner to get books, and they're sitting down with each other, going through books, and I'm like, oh, that's awesome. Yeah, that's really cool. Oh, nice. I've achieved that. And they asked me back for term two, which is another sign of success, a little page of honour. I now think it's like resume worthy.

SAM: 07:17
Oh, yeah.

MAX: 07:17
I could add that to my C resume. But I I do I I I think it's CB worthy now. I'm gonna actually put performances weekly story belt.

SAM: 07:26
Yeah.

MAX: 07:27
Could sound like some touring theatre group or something. Um so yeah, so I survived. Um I was so excited. But by the by halfway through, they're all eyes on, and we're going through the book, and it's and it's really cool. So like I feel like I've achieved something, which is good, and there are happier children at Plunkett Street because of my acting ability as much as my ability to turn up each week because saving the world one step of the time.

SAM: 07:50
With acting, yeah, yeah, yeah. I had uh I have had a couple auditions over the past week, and there was you do you like you know those emails?

MAX: 07:56
You've got a couple auditions last week, a couple auditions coming up.

SAM: 07:59
That sounds okay. That's bad. But once you if you don't get them, they're just auditions. And then you know. But you're practicing, and I guess you're a professional auditioner. The doors are opening. Yeah, yeah, of course. Four of them. Mm-hmm. And you know, you know those emails you get, you audition, and then you get an email that's like, ah, we loved you, it was great, you were so good, you're amazing, perfect for the role. But guess what? You didn't get it, sort of thing.

MAX: 08:19
At least they tell you.

SAM: 08:20
At least they tell you you get a response. Yeah, I mean, sometimes you don't get a response, so those are the worst.

MAX: 08:24
But I saw one casting director in an email talking about the end of the year wrapper, end of financial year wrap-up, and they saw something like 5,600 actors over the 12-month period.

SAM: 08:34
Well, and they emailed every single one of them. No, no, not an email. Yeah, well, I mean, this was a short film thing, and like they were like, Yeah, you were good, I'd love to work with you in the future, all this stuff, but we decided to go with someone with more experience with these roles.

MAX: 08:48
Everyone just wants to, you know, everything's tight, timelines are tight. Yeah. It's you know, they've got they want to have the confidence that someone's gonna turn up, and even if it's a student film, someone's gonna turn up and just because they've rent they've rented and booked the equipment, they've got the days sorted, they've had to get permissions from council, exactly all the usual sort of rigmarole because the bureaucracy doesn't care whether it's paid or not. So they've got to get all that stuff organized for the day, and it's all sorted for the day. And then if an actor doesn't turn up, I know they've got to make sure they're not quite as quick on their feet.

SAM: 09:20
Yeah, they gotta make sure you're committed. I can see it from both sides. You know what I also hate hearing? When people are like, Oh, you're an actor. You make sure you have a plan B. It's like ah f you. You know what I'm saying?

MAX: 09:32
I I actually said, Well, this is my plan B and plan C and A and this is my plan B when I didn't like corporate anymore. Well they did they walk away. Oh no, they asked me to get them a coffee. Not every actor in the Eastern Suburbs is a Bristol, okay?

SAM: 09:47
I know. So finished that musical short film that I was talking about last week. But they asked me to come back for this one.

MAX: 09:52
Which one? After afters one.

SAM: 09:53
Yeah, the afters one, exactly. Um, and but they asked me to come back for one more day of shooting. But like it was modern, so I wore what I usually wear and I was me kind of thing. Okay. But we did it in an actual cafe, so the cinematographer owned this cafe. Pretty much everyone could make their own coffees that morning. Because you usually have coffee runs, you know, the producer would go get you a coffee order, bring you some coffee. Everyone was just like at the machine making their own coffees and like, ah, classic, only only on a film set. Because everyone knew.

MAX: 10:21
I just started for a company that made coffee. My job was to try and get it more ranging in Woolworths. You know, it's super exciting for those of you having a micro sleep right now. But um, yeah, I got to learn about how to make coffee and what I learned was there are people that make coffee really well and people who don't.

SAM: 10:38
Yes.

MAX: 10:39
Um regardless of how much instruction you get. It just helped me recognise who made it really well, and I just timed my coffee breaks with them.

SAM: 10:47
Oh yeah.

MAX: 10:47
Perfect. Good coffee every time. I'm not lazy, efficient.

SAM: 10:51
Well, actually, you know what? This name this now, the name of our podcast would be a great name for a cafe.

MAX: 10:59
Two unemployed actors.

SAM: 10:60
Yeah, hell yeah.

MAX: 11:00
God, we'd be batting away the actors though. We'd have two as Brewster, we'd have three bumping at a table. So it'll be like just a group of unemployed actors.

SAM: 11:09
Yeah. No, you that's the that's the that's the freaking you know, standard.

MAX: 11:13
Let's call it unemployed actors cafe. Yeah, that's the stereotype.

SAM: 11:17
We only I hit the table after you ask me not to. There we go. Don't abuse the table. I get abused if I hit the table. Don't abuse me or the table, it's simple rules, but I've got two. I've broken both of those, haven't I? We only hire I have noticed. We only hire unemployed actors. We only serve to unemployed actors. Oh. So it's gonna it's a niche market.

MAX: 11:36
Unemployed actors can't afford lots of uh. Yeah, we'll probably get out of business. Especially in Sydney at the moment. It's like restaurant prices for bad service.

SAM: 11:44
Well, I saw something on Facebook the other day. It's like me saying uh I'm I'm really poor while holding a six dollar iced latte. Which is my life, pretty much. Yeah. And the choice the right choice.

MAX: 11:60
Yeah. So I had to do a self tape last week. Yes, and um I needed a reader. Let's get back to it. I'm so like I had to ask Emma and and it's kind of a double-edged sword. Because she's like, you know, with a musical theatre background, she knows when to talk and when not to.

SAM: 12:13
It's great.

MAX: 12:15
And uh the issue, the issue is I get two reactions. I get uh laughter or I get the frown.

SAM: 12:22
After you probably do the subtape.

MAX: 12:24
Laughter, uh, it's encouraging, especially if it is a comedy. Um but the frown throws me off just as much. But laughter, of course. I mean, I don't want to it's it's good, I can finesse the editing. But it's just freaky sometimes, you know. So like I have to sort of get my eye line and then I ask her to step aside. Oh my god. So I don't have to look at her and her reactions while I'm doing the scene to distract me from the the scene that's supposed to be that's supposed to be this amazing scene, obviously, that I'm auditioning for.

SAM: 12:52
Yeah, well, I used to do self-tapes with my mum, and like some of those scenes would be very awkward to do with your mum. Romantic scenes. Well, sometimes. It was really weird. I was just like, Mum, just don't look at just stare at this laptop screen. Or or I'll be ta Yeah, yeah, it was weird. But also because she's not she's not how does she feel about it? Oh, yeah, we've got another romantic scene, no worries, we'll do this. It's not multiple. It's not like I'm dodging all the other scenes like Mum, we've got another romantic scene. That's a bit weird, but like you know me. Yay! Yes, no, um she's not an actor, so I'll be taking moments of you know dramatic silence or dramatic pauses. Yeah. And she'll look at me and be like mouthing the lines, and it would take me out of character. I'm like, Mum, I know. Yeah, I know. Didn't you recognise my dramatic pause, Mum? Yeah, exactly. I'm like, Mom, we have to retake this. But it's my dramatic pause. Because you can't cut in a self-take a bunch of cuts, you know, cut it all together. Could you imagine?

MAX: 13:47
It's like a 30 second sort of they're watching it like, oh, this is at least like 15 edits in a 30-second saying.

SAM: 13:53
Yeah. Well, at the moment, so I'm because I have this other audition coming up for this feature film, I've asked um Jess to do it. My girlfriend Jess to do it with me, which is better because Is it a romantic one? It's a party scene and we're kind of. Yes, it would be. It's a it's we're playing 15-year-old sort of thing, and and we're in a party kind of uh drinking and all that stuff. But so far, so good. But yeah, but it's it's good because we have to then sing a little bit of a song uh You Are My Sunshine at the end as a joke, and we're kind of tipsy.

MAX: 14:25
Okay.

SAM: 14:26
So it works because I'm looking at her and we're both laughing, so it's really weird. She can sing too. It's not I don't think the character's meant to be able to sing. Drunk singing. Drunk singing, yeah. Yeah. I can't even drunk sing, do I?

MAX: 14:37
Yeah, yeah. I've got no voice for singing no matter what conditions are imposed upon me. It's all that stuff. We could both be drunk, it still wouldn't work.

SAM: 14:44
Can we copyright things? Can I say stranger things?

MAX: 14:47
You can say stranger things. We'll probably get an invoice for like a million dollars, but we can say it.

SAM: 14:50
Yeah.

MAX: 14:51
Are you watching it? Have you seen stranger things? I have. I liked the first step, the first series. That was really cool. The first step, yeah. Um because yeah, the first year, because uh it just took me back to the Okay, I remember the 80s. So and it was great fun, and I really enjoyed it. And it was kind of like those quirky sci-fi. No, I'm not, I like it. Oh shit. Okay, stop it. And um the second one was kind of a bit way out, but it was uh it was okay. So I was done. Yeah, just see what happens, you know.

SAM: 15:17
So you're up to date. Yeah, I'm up to date. Oh, sweet, yeah. No, because I started watching it, I kind of didn't get into it. I was kind of eh, okay. But yeah, anyway, I we're watching, and the guy, uh, what's his name? Billy, the brother, the abusive brother of Max. Do you know? So he's Aussie, we found out, which is awesome. It's awesome finding out that actors and stuff you love are Aussie because it gives you that hope. Like they can do it. But we were watching his audition tape for it, and it was the weirdest thing. Really? The weirdest thing. And he was like, he was shirtless in the opening of it, and he's like introduces himself shirtless in his American accent.

MAX: 15:52
So he walked in the room shirtless or no, this is so this is a self-tape.

SAM: 15:55
Sorry, self-tape.

MAX: 15:56
So he's doing a self-tape.

SAM: 15:58
Got a shirt shirtless, walks in and goes, hello on Decker Montgomery. So far, so good, yeah. Then cuts, and he's now in a shirt and does the scene like that.

MAX: 16:08
So basically he's just showing them in his garments.

SAM: 16:11
During every transition, because he had like two scenes to do, he'd like just dance and do weird stuff. And then I read about it. He wanted to make a splash with the directors, with the casting directors, because like they must get heaps of auditions all the time.

MAX: 16:24
He wanted to make sure they remembered him.

SAM: 16:26
Exactly. And he was so excited. Well, I mean it worked. It definitely worked because he was so excited. He did it the day he got the audition. He set everything up, called his mates over to do the read uh be the readers for him that night, just had fun with it, was so excited, just mucked around. He probably didn't think he was gonna get it.

MAX: 16:44
Like he wasn't it was it was good, but like with with self-dokes, you've got to know when to stop when you're overdoing it, over-rehearsing it. You don't want it to come out as right. Like you just, you know.

SAM: 16:54
Well, that's what I'm having a problem with right now because because I have this audition for this film and it's the cutoff date's in a month. Yep. And I'm like, okay, I could wait a bit, practice it a bit, but at the same time, I'll start overthinking it. And they don't want you to like I was thinking about it the other day, they don't want you to act. No.

MAX: 17:09
Because like they want to see you acting because that's not proper acting.

SAM: 17:12
But yeah, exactly. They want to see the character.

MAX: 17:15
It's weird, right? They want to see this character come to life. Well, yeah, exactly. Your take on it.

SAM: 17:20
Mo lots of actors audition and do the character the way that they think the casting directors want them to do, right? Right. You agree with me.

MAX: 17:27
But what the casting directors want you to do is do it how that, yeah, how do you think it worlds world and how does the character fit into that world?

SAM: 17:37
Yeah.

MAX: 17:37
What's the sometimes you'll only get the scene, you don't even know the story arc, you don't know what's going on. So you just look at that scene and go, well, this I think was what would have happened before, this is what's gonna happen next, and and you've got a little journey there, and you know, you've got a little world constructed for your character.

SAM: 17:53
And then you just do it your way.

MAX: 17:54
Bring it to life, yeah.

SAM: 17:55
Just your way. Don't try and there's only one you. And that's what they're looking for. They what you bring to all of you.

MAX: 18:03
Don't want that. No.

SAM: 18:04
They don't want that. And they can see that as well. So they just want you, see what you bring to it.

MAX: 18:09
So coming up this week, I've got uh some more voiceover stuff. And I know I touched on the the the glamour of voiceovers last week and how if you're in certain companies, you know, you'll get me as option one to fourteen. And uh you you know, you don't want to start adliving waffle on. People are ringing to get to someone, they don't want to have a journey made out of it because there's an unemployed actor who turning into a huge piece. Uh free showreel.

SAM: 18:32
Yeah.

MAX: 18:33
Exactly. Just cut to a photo, like my headshot and this audio of an IBR system.

SAM: 18:38
Oh my god. Give us a taste of one of your best voiceover work jobs. Oh, yeah. Do you have memory? Pluck that out of my ass. Jeez. Um not putting you on the spot or anything. Come on, we've rehearsed it. This is all scripted. No, do you Puerto Rican?

MAX: 18:52
Fuck God, no one needs to hear that. No one needs to suffer through that. Although when they watch Deadly Wit, oh god, I'm so embarrassed about Puerto Rican.

SAM: 18:59
I I still haven't looked that up yet, and I'm gonna try and look at it.

MAX: 19:02
Oh, don't I'm confident it'll hit the page.

SAM: 19:04
We'll post it on our page, guys. Keep a lookout for the our new video.

MAX: 19:08
Pivotal moment where she's introduced to the man she's gonna kill, and there's this bumbling Aussie trying to stumble through a scene speaking with a Puerto Rican accent. It's ridiculous. It the whole premise is ridiculous. At least you got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're not gonna get the same scripts Denero gets straight up, right? We have to work through the process. Oh my god. Unfortunately. Although if someone does want to reach out, exactly. Scripts come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them, some of them are okay. Like I'll ask, can I use this in my um demo? And I'll be like, yes, no, whatever. Because sometimes like doing corporate reads, I don't want everyone to know what they're talking about. And uh most of them are okay. It's fine. Yeah, you can use that in your in your demo, whether you get the job or not, which is great. And then even when I get the job, I'll then ask, can I use this and on my social? Yeah, yeah. Um like I did one for Noggin, which is the uh uh software company. But they said, Yeah, fine, alright. Happy with that. So I like to get that. And and thanks for asking is generally the next thing they say, which is good because I just want to make sure they're okay with me. Otherwise I might say, look, you know, it's about a a relaunch and we want it timed at this date and we don't want anything going out until blah blah blah, but after then fine.

SAM: 20:20
Yeah.

MAX: 20:21
So it's always good to double check uh because you would love the opportunity to work with them again, you know, just in case there's something in there that's super sensitive. So be careful in the corporate reads. And of course, when it's broadcast stuff, you've got to be careful what what one when you use. Generally in your demo is fine, like it's just for you to get other work. You're not like making money out of that particular moment, but you just wouldn't plaster library social until probably it's released or something. And then you can sort of tag it in. Yeah, no, it's just so weird. Like all the scripts you get, some of them are some of them are really good, some of them are really bad.

SAM: 20:53
Yeah.

MAX: 20:53
The hardest ones are um but well actually I thought the hardest ones would be the the translated ones where you know there's a company that's multinational. Here's the clip and it's in Italian and they want an English version. You get the script and it's all in this weird like clear it's English as a second language or third or fourth, you know. And uh it's not the right grammar, and it's trying to sometimes have to take a moment to work out exactly what point they're trying to land.

SAM: 21:17
So they shoved it in Google Translate things. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

MAX: 21:20
So I know which word should be emphasized, for example, um, or when to pause, you know. Um, which could change the whole meaning of the sentence. So it takes a often, and I'll give them some options. If I'm not sure, I'll be like, and this is what I should say, and then I'll say it again, and then I'll say it again, and then I'll get a few options on the file and edit really tightly. So it just comes at them. Um and then tell them that there's a few options. Then I press stop after the first one going, that sounded ridiculous. It was nothing like what I wrote in Google Translate. Social media's a big thing for me at the moment. I know that as actors, we've got this whole area now that we have to be in top on top of to manage our profile in the industry. Um because sometimes it comes down to like you're there, another guy's there. And he's got 50,000 followers on all of his social media, and you've got your mum and your dad.

SAM: 22:06
Yeah.

MAX: 22:06
And it's like not quite, you know. Sometimes if it's neck and neck, I'm sure they'll just lean towards someone who brings with them a ready-made audience.

SAM: 22:15
100%. I mean, like the social media aspect is is really important with promoting and and and all that. But yeah, promoting yourself as well, as well as projects. I'm for projects in.

MAX: 22:25
I mean, I didn't grow up with social media. Yeah, I mean, so I'm sort of having to learn all the bits and pieces.

SAM: 22:31
You didn't have that stuff, didn't you?

MAX: 22:33
That's not funny. And I think I think it's sort of practice now. Like I'll try and do an Instagram a day. Um, and that's kind of authentically me. Like, I'm not trying to be anything and hopefully it connects with people. It's like a few thousand, a couple thousand followers. So someone agrees. But just like, you know, just authentically me and what I'm working on, what I'm doing. Sort of an extension of this podcast, really. And and maybe Facebook one or two. Although I haven't problem with my professional Facebook with Max Belmonte, the actor. Um yeah. I I decided because now that I created this page for me, that I'll I'll promote it. And the world of social media marketing is just this whole other level of tech stuff that I am not over. It just like if I thought I was stupid when it came to social media 101, trying to promote and where and how and all that. I mean, the algorithms change every other month. So suddenly the advice you're getting from someone on YouTube is irrelevant. Anyway, I thought I'd give it a go. It was great. It cost me like that cost me two cents per like. I got like 1,500, 1800 likes. Like, wow, how did this happen? And I'm looking at it, going, well, 1,500 of them are from the Philippines. And I got two from Australia and one from the States. I'm like, okay, nothing wrong with that. It's great. Like, you know, there's a film industry in the Philippines, I'm sure. Uh I don't know of it, but I'm sure it's it's there. Uh, but what the hell did I do? Like, first of all, obviously I didn't just check, you know, Australia only, didn't sort of focus on the audience, right? It's like they've got to like movies and they've got to like actors and the usual basic stuff that I'm confident every other person does when they're promoting an acting page, but which again is probably not ideal. You've got to go really more granular.

SAM: 24:21
Yeah.

MAX: 24:21
But when I cast the net that wide, what I didn't realize was the algorithm's picking up who's biting.

SAM: 24:27
Yeah.

MAX: 24:28
And Philippines as a market like a lot of stuff, but the engagement isn't there. Okay. There's some learning for you. There you go. Um, because uh so for any brand or any whether you're a brand of an actor, lots of liking goes on, but not much else. Especially if you've got to sell something. If you're a brand that sells something, it's a smaller percentage of the amount of likes from the Philippines to purchase something.

SAM: 24:52
Yeah, okay.

MAX: 24:53
And the algorithm's just gone, well, everyone's picking up in the Philippines, so we'll target Philippines and target it again and again and not anywhere else. So I've got like a few thousand followers, which is great. Just I'm not most of them are from the Philippines, which is like shout out to all the followers of Max Belmonte, the actor from the Philippines.

SAM: 25:10
Yeah.

MAX: 25:10
Um listen to this podcast, give me a letter leg up there. But yeah, I mean, if I thought I was pretty average at social media marketing and taking selfies on Instagram and other usual stuff, I'm definitely out of my depth when it comes to promoting social media marketing. I know the basics, like don't buy likes, don't buy followers, that's like because you know, some guy, some analyst in a room with no windows is just gonna change a few numbers in the algorithm and it's just gonna recognize it and drop. I remember a few years ago, blogging was a huge thing, and everyone's taking photos of themselves for their blog or whatever. They actually said, they being Instagram, we're going to do an edit, we've got the algorithm in place to be able to strip back all the you know people who've purchased followers. And it was so fascinating to see some bloggers go from you know 120,000 down to like 60. Oh my god. Uh, and some dramatic drops you could see that were um a part of their their plan to to buy engagement, buy followers, buy likes, makes them look more popular, I suppose. It was a root shock for some, because it could be expensive, or plus your credibility. I mean, you know.

SAM: 26:19
Yeah, I've promoted I think once on my actual acting Facebook page.

MAX: 26:23
Um that's okay because the first thing that strikes two unemployed actors is it costs money to promote on social media, and they do change algorithms now, so it's it's harder to naturally organically come up in strangers' feeds, so you need to pay to be there.

SAM: 26:39
No, but it's good because I did it for a gig. I was um doing like a music gig down at a pub. Okay. And I promoted like an ad for that, so that was good, and I got some people down there, so it was good fun. Mostly my friends.

MAX: 26:50
Agents are fun. I'll tell you what just happened. You haven't got an agent though, right? Yeah, I'll tell you what just happened. Okay. Oh, you do have agents? Yeah. That's where you told me. Oh, no, no, not for voiceover work. I have an agent for acting. Okay, yes. Shout out to Archer Management. Shout out to Jess. Hi there, please check your emails. We've sent you an audition ticket through casting networks. Brilliant. Casting Networks. There we go. How do you like that? I I'm actually talking on a podcast about being an unemployed actor as a message comes in for an audition. Like just happened. Seriously, that just that just happened. Oh my god, look at that.

SAM: 27:25
How good is that?

MAX: 27:26
It's perfect. We could all just guess as to what that audition might be. Exactly. We'll tell you next week.

SAM: 27:31
Yeah, you'll have to or not. We'll see. We'll see.

MAX: 27:35
Can you do a Puerto Rican accent of an Irishman in Puerto Rico? Oh my god. An Irishman who's been in Puerto Rico for twenty years. Alright, thanks for spending time with us, being a part of us in our week of in-between projects. We'll see you again next Sunday.

SAM: 27:49
See you guys. To unemployed actor.