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.
Search yourself like a casting director
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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 good balance of personal and professional stuff there, it can tell me—and the person I'm sending them to—a lot very quickly. What do they look like right now? What are they working on? What does their work look like? What are they like? What are they interested in? It can give you a sense of the person and the actor in a way that Actors Access, IMDb, and even a personal website sometimes don't. So I'll often send someone an actor's Instagram and email address. From there, if they're interested, they'll search. They might find IMDbPro. A website. More footage. And if they want your Actors Access, they can ask the referrer for it — so have that custom link ready. And if I were twenty years younger, I might be starting with TikTok instead. Which leads to something worth asking: If someone is interested in you, are you making it easy for them to become more interested? Today's Practical TaskSearch yourself the way someone might after getting a referral. Take 5 minutes to look at: Instagram/TikTok → IMDbPro → your website → Actors Access You could probably find twenty things to change. Don't. Pick the one thing that would make the biggest difference in how you're presenting yourself right now. Then set a timer for another 5 minutes and start working on it. Don't finish it. Ten minutes. See you soon, Lucas p.s. my materials are far from spotless. I'm on this ride with you. Ways to Work Together🎥 Scene Lab — NYC 💻 Audition Lab — Zoom 📱 Private Coaching & Self-Tapes 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, 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...
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...