Lucas Van Engen is an NYC-based acting coach who helps actors master on-camera auditions and self-tape techniques with clarity and confidence. Through personalized coaching and supportive community-building, he empowers actors to book more roles and grow their careers from anywhere.
Look around
|
Oh man, and then there's "networking." Networking can feel transactional. Like every conversation is secretly about getting something. The relationships that have mattered most in my career didn't start that way. And they definitely didn't come from going to mixers where I was shoulder to shoulder with casting directors who knew exactly why I was there. Years ago, one of my acting coaches used to say the same thing on repeat. "Look around. All of your connections are in this room." Every time he said it, I thought, No they're not. They're actors. We need casting directors in here. We need producers. Directors. And... Those actors started making films. Some got into Tribeca. Some got into SXSW. Some started writing. Some started producing. We've shared agents and managers. We've shared auditions and contacts. We've hired each other. We've created together. More importantly, some of them have become my closest friends. That's something I never saw coming. When I think about the people who've had the biggest impact on my career, very few of them entered my life because I was "networking." Most of them entered my life because we were just doing the work together. These days, if someone pops into my head, I don't overthink it. I'll send a text. Or even pick up the phone. "It's been too long. What's going on?" That's it. Sometimes the conversation lasts thirty seconds. Sometimes it turns into coffee. Sometimes it turns into a project we're creating together. Sometimes it's just nice to catch up with an old friend. If the only time we reach out is when we need something, people can feel it. But if we stay connected because we genuinely care about the people we've met along the way, something else happens. We build a creative community instead of a contact list. That's been one of the greatest gifts of this profession for me. The people. Today's Practical TaskSet a timer for ten minutes. Reach out to one person you haven't spoken to in a while. No pitch. No favor. No agenda. Just reconnect. You never know what conversation you've been putting off. Estimated time: 10 minutes See you soon, Lucas Ways to Work Together🎥 In-Person Scene Lab (NYC) Mondays • August 3, 10 & 17 3-week training cycle • $210 💻 Audition Lab (Zoom) Fridays • August 7 & 14 2-week cycle • $125 📱 Self-Tape Coaching Need to tape this week? Book a private Zoom session. Open Studio Acting, NYC |
Open Studio Acting
Lucas Van Engen is an NYC-based acting coach who helps actors master on-camera auditions and self-tape techniques with clarity and confidence. Through personalized coaching and supportive community-building, he empowers actors to book more roles and grow their careers from anywhere.
Hi Reader, It’s been a minute since I sent one of these. I started this series a while back asking: What can I actually do for myself as an actor? Then the end of the summer got busy with auditions and work, and the series went dormant for a bit. So, let's get back to it. People occasionally come to me for help casting their projects. And when I think an actor might be right, I've noticed I have a pretty consistent way of presenting them. Usually, I start with their Instagram. If there's a...
Hi Reader, I started a series earlier this summer about what we can actually do for ourselves as actors. Then I got a little quiet. Fortunately, the reason was a good one: the end of the summer got very busy. In just the last several weeks, actors I’ve been working with: Booked and shot a major streaming series, working directly with a major director. Two actors booked the same episode of a miniseries. Had a Tony Award winner attach to a feature they’re creating, with the announcement...
I've heard Dax Shepard say some version of this for years: "I compare myself to me six months ago." Every time I hear him say it, I think the same thing. I wish I had that kind of confidence. It's such a simple idea. And yet, my brain doesn't naturally work that way. Like a lot of actors, I compare myself to the person who just booked the role. Or the actor whose IMDb suddenly exploded. Or the friend who's having a great year. It's almost automatic. Comparing myself to me six months ago? That...