That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

BONUS EPISODE with Casting Director Jennifer Cooper. A true peak into one of the biggest television casting directors. Currently casting over five major network television series. Casting over 500 episodic shows, Jen knows a two or thing about a good audition or a bad audition. Acting is what got her in the game, casting is what won her heart over. Jen casts for talent and truly spends the time building a partnership with the actor, producer and director. This is the unforgettable journey into Jennifer Cooper's rise in shaping and pushing the boundaries on the revolutionary medium of Television.

Erin Cahill’s acting career launched in 2001 when she was cast as Jen, the Pink Ranger in the series POWER RANGERS: TIME FORCE. Since then, she has starred in regular and recurring roles on ABC's RED WIDOW, TNT's SAVING GRACE and FOX's FREERIDE. She has over 30 guest-star credits including ANGEL FROM HELL, BONES, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, SLEEPY HOLLOW, BODY OF PROOF, CHUCK, LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES, THE MENTALIST, MONK, CSI: NY, SUPERNATURAL and GREY'S ANATOMY. Erin has starred in numerous leading roles in studio features such as Netflix's THE WATCHER, Hallmark's SLEIGH BELLS RING, the second and third installments of Disney's BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA franchise and SONY's BOOGEYMAN 3. She has also starred in the independent films, IT SNOWS ALL THE TIME, WINGMAN INC., and this year's CUT TO THE CHASE for which she won Best Supporting Actress at The Northeast Film Festival. Erin is also an ardent philanthropist, and contributes her time and resources to many worthy causes. Her current passion project is raising funds with her husband to build schools for underprivileged children in Nepal and Malawi in affiliation with the prestigious buildOn Organization. Currently Erin recurs on this season of Freeform's STITCHERS and has three features slated for summer release, including Sony's animated RESIDENT EVIL VENDETTA.  

THIS IS US made America sit up in their seats and pay attention to the man behind the immediate heart throb of Toby, Chris Sullivan.  He first gained attention for his portrayal of Tom Cleary on the Cinemax drama THE KNICK.   He played Benny Hammond in STRANGER THINGS and Taserface in GUARDIAN OF GALAXY VOL. 2.  It may appear that Chris had an easy ride to the dense career track he is on, but he has been putting in the work for over 17 years.  Graduation from Loyal Marymont University left him transformed from a Tennis pro turned actor and climbing the ladder to seek representation.   A self-proclaimed perfectionist and dedicated artist with no backup plan, listen in to see how he landed his agent several years after graduation, how he made $5000 stretch for almost a year living in Los Angeles, how Broadway prepared him for a role of a lifetime on the Cinemax show THE KNICK and how every part since The KNICK can all be traced back to that character. Chris is currently starring on the hit NBC show THIS IS US and is the lead singer of the band SULLY AND THE BENEVOLENT FOLK.

From nuanced and honest portrayals of fatherhood-gone-wild across the eighth season of Showtime's EMMY® Award-nominated series SHAMELESS to palpable intensity on the likes of SONS OF ANARCHY, Steve Howey reflects a classic masculinity on-screen equally steeped in humor and heart. That timeless leading man spark and quiet strength remain signatures of the acclaimed actor, writer, producer, and entrepreneur.  Achieving a basketball scholarship to junior college in Colorado, he played two seasons before pursuing his calling as an actor. He would go from SOMETHING BORROWED alongside Kate Hudson, Jon Krasinski, and Jennifer Goodwin to BRIDE WARS where he re-teamed with Hudson, Anne Hathaway, and Chris Pratt to SUPERCROSS, LOSING CONTROL, UNLEASHED, IN YOUR EYES, and SEE YOU IN VALHALLA. Steve currently can be seen in all 8 seasons of the critically acclaimed show SHAMELESS on Showtime and the anticipated film MAKING BABIES.

Alexa PenaVega has been paid as a professional actor since the tender age of 4 years old when she shared the screen with the infamous Burt Reynolds in the television series EVENING SHADE.  Alexa went on to steadily work in amazing films like TWISTER, NINE MONTHS, MACHETE KILLS, SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR and several other noteworthy cinematic masterpieces.  Her work in SPY KIDS made her a worldwide success and secured her role as CARMEN CORTEZ in the sequels Spy Kids 2, 3 and 4.  But it's her insatiable likability and respectful work ethic that makes her a constant hire and on the list of many studios.  Here she gives insight to the best ways to approach auditioning and being on set that enhances your chances for success. Alexa currently can be seen on her YouTube Channel Lex Loves Los and Hallmark Channel's ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS.  Alexa is producing two new projects with her husband, Carlos PenaVega and IM Global.

Hyper, irreverent, and just downright fabulous, ANT (spelled in caps) has  steadily climbed the comedy hill to become one of the most successful comedians of our time. A regular guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Tyra Banks show, ANT is the only comedian to appear on all five seasons of NBC’s hit series Last Comic Standing. He is recognized as the host VH1’s  Celebrity Fit Club and in the LOGO series, “U.S. of ANT.”  ANT ventured out of his comfort zone, appearing in  “Celebri-Cadabra.” a competition show featuring magic and celebrities. His hit stand-up DVD, “ANT: America’s Ready” and comedy CD “Follow my ass!” have sold tens of thousands of copies and are available in stores nationwide and online at every CD/DVD retailer including amazon.com.  ANT’s daily video blog, “The ANT Colony,” has taken the web by storm. Ant can currently be seen on various stages across the world and heard on his hit podcast, SECOND CHANCES.

Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Marianna Palka is a passionate actress and humanist filmmaker. Marianna can be seen as Reggie in Netflix’s new original series "GLOW", which follows the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles. At the age of 17, Marianna moved to New York from Scotland to study at David Mamet and William H. Macy’s Atlantic Theater Company. From there, she amassed numerous roles in theater, film and television. Marianna made her first journey to Sundance with her film GOOD DICK in 2008, starring Jason Ritter and herself. She returned in 2010 as a Sloan juror. Marianna can be seen in Peter Mullan’s 2011 BAFTA award winning film NEDS and in the lead role in director Jeremiah Jones independent film RESTIVE, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Austin Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress and Best Feature Film at the 2012 Charlotte Film Festival. She appeared in two short films which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; SPOONFUL by director Jenee LaMarque and Bryce Dallas Howard’s second film WHEN YOU FIND ME, executive produced by Ron Howard for the Canon sponsored Project Imagina8tion. She returned to Sundance again in 2014 with the short documentary THE LION’S MOUTH OPENS. Marianna recently returned from yet another stint at Sundance after premiering a film which she wrote and starred in, BITCH; a surreal, manic, funny, absurd, tragic, and painful depiction of family life about a woman who takes on the identity of a wild dog. BITCH had its international premiere at Sundance London this June. She is currently directing EGG, starring Alysia Reiner, Christina Hendricks and Anna Camp. On the small screen, Marianna’s work includes HBO’s "Girls", "Derek and Simon", and Comedy Central’s "Drunk History".

Alysia is best known for her role as Natalie "Fig" Figueroa, the tough as nails assistant warden everyone loves to hate on NETFLIX's hit series ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. Alysia won a SAG award as part of the amazing ensemble cast, and you can see her in all 5 binge-worthy seasons. She is currently in production on Season 6 of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and recently launched her very own eco-friendly fashion label, Livari. Alysia recently wrapped production as both a producer and star of motherhood dark comedy EGG, starring with Christina Hendricks and Anna Camp. You can also catch her as Sunny in F/X's critical hit and Peadbody Award winning BETTER THINGS, brought to you by the inimitable Louie CK and Pamela Adlon. And don't forget to look for her in recent/upcoming episodes of YOUNGER, BROAD CITY and ODD MOM OUT. Alysia may be all over your streaming shows and on your TV, but she couldn't get an agent for years and self-submitted and taped for the break role in the Oscar nominated film SIDEWAYS. Listen in to hear her daily practice for being a creative person and how she is mentoring the next generation of female storytellers.

  Monique Coleman was raised by a single Mom with the intention of being the best you and putting your effort in what is inside you that makes you shine.  There was never an emphasis on the best headshot, the best hair, or the best clothes only the best YOU.  Monique scored several critically acclaimed films as a youngster and was awarded the Young Artist Award in 1998.  But it is her purpose, goal setting and achieving that blew away her competitors in the first year in Los Angeles.  She understands branding and marketing, but ultimately the power of intention to manifest booking six shows immediately upon arriving.  What will surprise you is that her first audition for the film that would make her worldwide famous (High School Musical) is what made her "quit" the business and retreat to Chicago.  Listen in to hear how Monique dealt with fame and transitioned her platform into reaching the youth of our nation.   Monique is currently plays Katina Howard on the Verizon Go90 show Guidance and is producing to two new shows, Queen Bess and Desegregated.

Carlos PenaVega is known for his singing and acting on the hit Nickelodeon show BIG TIME RUSH but now his fans get to experience him on a daily basis through his hit show Lex Loves Los on YouTube. With a growing desire to make his own content, Carlos began documenting behind the scenes footage while traveling the world to sold out concerts. This skill came in handy and made him think outside the box for developing his brand. Carlos shares the long road to booking the job that changed his life, to the survival skills of staying afloat in this business to single handedly changing the course of his life when he moved to Hawaii. Carlos is currently plays Diego on the new CW show Life Sentence and is producing to two new shows with his wife Alexa PenaVega for IM Global.