677 Leslie Odom Jr: The Art of Booking Gigs

Aug 8, 2018

Leslie Odom Jr., celebrated for his role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, shares insights from his artistic journey. He reveals how a mentor helped him shift his mindset to respect the industry and prepare rigorously for auditions. Leslie discusses the fears associated with failure and how he learned to advocate for himself while overcoming numerous challenges. He emphasizes the importance of dreaming big and maintaining passion in both career and family life, offering listeners profound life lessons on perseverance and self-discovery.

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ADVICE

Stop Waiting For The Phone To Ring

Do stop waiting for the phone to ring and proactively create work opportunities.
Leslie took a beginner commercial acting class, started playing lunch gigs and immediately booked steady work for six years.

ANECDOTE

Commercial Class Rebooted His Career

Taking Stuart's commercial class reignited Leslie's career: within two classes he started booking national commercials.
He hadn't taken an acting class in nearly a decade before enrolling in the beginner commercial course.

INSIGHT

Respect The Industry's Scale

Respect the industry you're auditioning for and learn its scale and expectations.
Stuart taught that national ad campaigns spend $50–100 million, so actors must research brands and show up as business partners.

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"YOU HAVE TO TRY BEFORE YOU CAN QUIT."
When Leslie started, his only dream was to be in Rent. When he made it, he was left to find a new dream. He struggled for a long time not finding any work.
One day his eyes were opened by a mentor as to what he was doing wrong. He wasn’t respecting his industry.
He had to show the universe what he wanted. He started taking beginner acting classes, and really researching every brand, role, producer, writer, etc before going out for an audition.
The moment he made this mind shift, the universe responded and he was booked non stop for six years.
Amazing.
You really need to learn from his wisdom on this one.
So, learn how to combat your fear of failure, mentally prepare for huge opportunity, and how to be an advocate for yourself, on Episode 677.
Some Questions I Ask:
There was a time you thought you’d end your acting career, is that right? (8:22)
What do you think is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentors? (10:59)
Were you proactively calling people at the time? (20:43)
What did you see when you watched your audition playback? (28:32)
How do you show up with the same passion and drive when you have so much to lose? (30:06)
What did you say to yourself right before the mic turned on? (34:23)
What was your dream growing up? (40:02)
What happens if we dream too small? (42:33)
How long did you think before you made your decision not to take the money? (48:04)
How did you keep your belief? (53:43)
In This Episode You Will Learn:
The importance of mentors (9:39)
What made Leslie take action (17:06)
Why you need to respect your industry (24:26)
How he lost his fire in his twenties (29:46)
What Leslie says to himself before a big performance like the Super Bowl (31:34)
How you can be a stronger advocate for yourself (36:53)
How Leslies deals with finding a new dream (41:38)
Leslie’s struggle between Hamilton and a big TV deal (44:54)
Why it’s good to be the worst in your class (52:34)
The song Leslie most loves to sing (54:43)

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