Empowered Artist Collective Podcast - for actors, singers, dancers, writers, creators and performers cover art

Empowered Artist Collective Podcast - for actors, singers, dancers, writers, creators and performers

Empowered Artist Collective Podcast - for actors, singers, dancers, writers, creators and performers

Written by: Empowered Artist Collective
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Are you a performing artist looking for more stability? Have you struggled to feel seen and valued? Are you frustrated by the gatekeeping and industry’s emphasis on scarcity to keep you small? Join our community of women and non-binary artists seeking a thriving and sustainable career in the arts. Every week, host Jennifer Apple asks hard questions, sits with open-ended answers (or perhaps no answers at all!), shares resources, and expands the dialogue around the aspects of our industry that no one is talking about. Whether you are an actor, singer, dancer, performer, writer, director, creator, theater and tv/film lover... Curiosity is the only requirement! If you believe that being an artist is about more than just the jobs you book, think this industry needs change, and want to get a look behind the curtain: The Empowered Artist Collective Podcast is for you! Jennifer Apple is an Actor, Acting Coach, Writer, and Dog Lover who is in pursuit of honesty, vulnerability, and empathy so that we can truly see ourselves and each other to break down barriers and reveal the raw, real humanity that connects us all. She empowers performing artists to embody themselves fully and truthfully so that they can elevate their craft, pursue their careers with integrity, and discover their inner confidence and self-worth. Let’s be in community together. Let’s support one another. Let’s make this journey a little less isolating and a whole lot more inclusive. IG: @EmpoweredArtistCollective // TikTok: @EmpowerArtistCollective // www.EmpoweredArtistCollective.com Host: Jennifer Apple // @JenniferApple_ // JenniferApple.net Head of Production & Editor: Nayara Alexis // @NayaraAlexis Podcast Music Composer: Aimee Lefkowicz // @Aimee.IsabellaCopyright 2022 All rights reserved. Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • 141. Inside the Mind of a Showrunner with Sonja Warfield

    141. Inside the Mind of a Showrunner with Sonja Warfield
    Oct 20 2026
    What happens when you stop treating your career like a straight line and start trusting where your artistry actually takes you? This week, Jennifer sits down with writer, producer, and "The Gilded Age" co-showrunner and executive producer, Sonja Warfield, to talk about a creative career that has spanned comedy, drama, development, and showrunning. Sonja shares how improv led her to writing, the path to her first television writing job on "Will & Grace," what a showrunner actually does, and why so much of building a lasting career comes down to developing your voice and staying open to where it leads. They also get candid about the projects that never get made, prioritizing life outside of the work, separating your identity from your job title, and learning not to attach yourself to outcomes. With takeaways about kindness, flexibility, and embracing the pivot, this episode is a reminder that there is no color-by-numbers version of an artistic career and sometimes the unexpected path is the whole point. Sonja Warfield is a television writer/producer and author whose credits include her work on the Emmy Award-winning NBC sitcom Will & Grace as well as BET’s hit comedy The Game. Currently, she’s the Emmy-nominated Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner for the HBO’s highly awarded drama, The Gilded Age. Over the course of her 20+ year career, Sonja’s also earned credits from a diverse range of television shows including Disney Channel’s popular Liv and Maddie; BET’s Zoe Ever After, which featured pop star Brandy; the animated series She-Ra for Dreamworks/Netflix, where she also penned an original song; and the ABC comedy Jake in Progress. She’s developed and written pilots/projects for ABC, NBC, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Lifetime, Universal TV, Sony Pictures Television and HBO. She is currently adapting the novel, The Davenports, in partnership with Susan Fales-Hill for Alloy Entertainment, WBTV and Amazon Prime, which they will Executive Produce.In addition to television and film, Ms. Warfield is author of the entertaining, empowering and inspiring book Get Your Butt Off My Couch (And Your Hand Outta My Wallet), a woman’s guide to getting rid of her deadbeat husband, boyfriend or boo-thing. Sonja and her book have been featured on numerous radio and television programs including The Dr. Phil Show. Ms. Warfield has a B.A. in Cinema/Television-Critical Studies from the University of Southern California where she has taught television writing. She is represented by Anonymous Content. Download the FREE Monologue Selection Toolkit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net/freebie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want to coach with Jennifer? ⁠Schedule a session here! Learn more about Jennifer Apple: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jennifer Apple’s IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JenniferApple_ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC IG:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpoweredArtistCollective ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpowerArtistCollective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/⁠ Sign up for our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/newslettersignup⁠ Check Out Our Merch:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://empoweredartistcollective.threadless.com⁠ Any thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EmpoweredArtistCollective@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • 140. Casting Director Mini-Series: Making an Impression That Lasts with Gayle Keller

    140. Casting Director Mini-Series: Making an Impression That Lasts with Gayle Keller
    Oct 13 2026
    What makes a casting director remember you? This week, Jennifer sits down with casting director, Gayle Keller, whose nearly 30-year career in TV and film has given her a front-row seat to what makes an actor stand out. Gayle gets super specific about what she’s watching for in an audition, what makes a self-tape work, why truthfulness and instinct matter more than getting every choice “right,” and how an audition that doesn’t lead to the job can still lead to years of being called back. They also dig into the relationship between actors and casting directors, how Gayle discovers new talent, why she still sees theater as one of the most powerful ways to get on someone’s radar, and what actors can do to stay in a casting director’s orbit. Because, as Gayle reminds us, while actors are trying to find casting directors, casting directors are trying to find you, too. An independent New York casting director who has worked the past 25 years casting television and film. Some recent film credits include - The Comeback King ( release date Feb. 2017) The Mastermind, Poetic License, Showing Up (2024 winner of the Independent Spirit award for Casting), Certain Women, The Big Sick, Hustlers ( Artios nomination for Comedy Feature Casting), First Cow, The King of Staten Island, The Bubble, Problemista, Please Don’t Destroy and Babes.Some tv credits include - Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Bored ToDeath, Louie (nominated for two Emmys), Inside Amy Schumer, At Home With Amy Sedaris, Crashing, What We Do In The Shadows (nominated for Emmy and won Artios for Best TV Comedy series), Betty, Flatbush Misdemeanors, Life & Beth, Big Door Prize, Fantasmas and The Chair Company and Big Mistakes. A proud member of CSA, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and Local 817. Download the FREE Monologue Selection Toolkit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net/freebie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want to coach with Jennifer? ⁠Schedule a session here! Learn more about Jennifer Apple: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jennifer Apple’s IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JenniferApple_ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC IG:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpoweredArtistCollective ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpowerArtistCollective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/⁠ Sign up for our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/newslettersignup⁠ Check Out Our Merch:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://empoweredartistcollective.threadless.com⁠ Any thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EmpoweredArtistCollective@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 139. Playwright Mini-Series: The Stories Only You Can Write with Joceyln Bioh

    139. Playwright Mini-Series: The Stories Only You Can Write with Joceyln Bioh
    Oct 6 2026
    What if becoming the writer you’re meant to be starts with letting go of the writer you think you’re supposed to be? As part of our Playwrights Mini-Series, playwright and performer Jocelyn Bioh gets wonderfully real about finding her comedic voice, walking away from writing when it wasn’t working, and eventually returning to it on her own terms. She takes us inside a process that is far less romantic than it is disciplined: writing plays in the hours before restaurant shifts, outlining before she sits down, working quickly when time is limited, and rewriting School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play 36 times before finding its ending. We talk about not being precious with your words, knowing when to cut what you love, following the ideas that won’t leave you alone, and protecting the time and space original work actually requires. It’s a conversation about trusting your voice, staying flexible about what an artistic life can look like, and remembering that sometimes the work that changes everything begins when you finally give yourself permission to write like yourself. ___________________________________________________ Jocelyn Bioh is an award-winning, Tony Award-nominated Ghanaian-American writer/performer from New York City. Her most recent work for the theater, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (MTC), premiered on Broadway in 2023 and earned five Tony nominations, including Best Play, along with nominations from the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle. The play launched a multi-city U.S. tour in 2024 and made its UK debut at the Lyric Hammersmith Theater in London in March of 2026. Bioh’s other written pieces include Merry Wives (Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, PBS Great Performances and HBO’s Reopening Night); Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theater); and the multi-award-winning School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, originally produced at MCC Theater in 2017-18, which has gone on to have over 75 regional productions and premiered in the UK in 2023 and is due to have its long awaited Broadway debut in the Fall of 2026 directed by 2 time Tony nominee Whitney White. Named one of Variety’s 2024 “Screenwriters to Watch,” TV credits include “Russian Doll,” Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” (Netflix), “Tiny Beautiful Things” (Hulu), “The Acolyte” (Disney+), and she is writing the live-action film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Once on This Island for Disney. Awards: Creative Capital Award Recipient (2026), Horton Foote Prize (2024), Dramatist Guild Hull-Warriner Prize (2024 and 2018), Steinberg Playwright Award (2020), Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation (2022), Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award (2018) Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play (2018), Tow Foundation Playwriting Fellow (2017). ___________________________________________________________ Download the FREE Monologue Selection Toolkit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net/freebie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want to coach with Jennifer? ⁠Schedule a session here! Learn more about Jennifer Apple: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.jenniferapple.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jennifer Apple’s IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JenniferApple_ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC IG:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpoweredArtistCollective ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EAC TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @EmpowerArtistCollective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/⁠ Sign up for our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.empoweredartistcollective.com/newslettersignup⁠ Check Out Our Merch:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://empoweredartistcollective.threadless.com⁠ Any thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EmpoweredArtistCollective@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    58 mins
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