Mentors on the Mic
Introduce yourself.
I am an Actress and Host of Mentors on the Mic podcast. My credits include Homeland (SHOWTIME), Blue Bloods (CBS), One Bad Choice (MTV), and the feature film Winter's Tale. I have also been in Commercials and Off Broadway. In addition to hosting my podcast, I also teach Communications skills including Public Speaking, Storytelling, On Camera Presence, and Interview training.
There is not just one way to follow your dreams. Find a Mentor. Be a Mentor.
- Michelle Miller
Share an experience that has shaped who you are today.
In May 2020, amid all of the fear and anxiety of the pandemic, I distracted myself with the question "what have I always wanted to do but never felt like I had time for?" The one word answer came to me quickly: "podcast." I had helped a couple of Mentors create their podcast a year or so before, but never felt like I had an idea or platform to create one of my own. I started with asking a friend in the podcast space, Jackie Collier, for her advice and she was kind enough to send me a book called So You Want to Start a Podcast by Kristen Meinzer. I spoke to another friend about a virtual event I had recently created for my alma mater, Brandeis University. He helped me formulate my idea for the podcast, a place where I could interview mentors in the industry, specifically focusing on what I was curious about: how did these Mentors start and move up to where they are today. I asked Jackie to be one of the first guests on the podcast, along with the guests in that original Brandeis panel. I joined podcast communities through facebook and one kind podcast host taught me how to edit my audio over zoom. I realized that when there is a desire and one person you could turn to for help, it creates a chain reaction of support and resources. My podcast wouldn't be here without the support of all of these people, without all of those Mentors who agreed to come on. Inadvertently, I had started tapping into this community that I didn't even know I had. I try to remember this idea whenever a new intimidating desire sprouts or things feel overwhelming.
Tell us about your podcast audience.
My audience is comprised of people in their 20s and 30s who want to start in the industry or wish to move up. They expect to hear wisdom and advice from different people in the industry. I have a lot of actors, writers, and producers who are not sure how to start or get ahead. This podcast allows them to find a Mentor that they could look up to and learn from. Some people aren't sure what roles even exist in the industry. Mentors on the Mic podcast not only share stories and advice, but people learn from the Mentor's mistakes and failures. Some of the Mentors will even help out some listeners by reading their scripts and providing feedbacks, discussing internships and how to get ahead, and/or help them pitch bigger industry executives.
What makes your podcast unique?
I am an Actress and Host of Mentors on the Mic podcast. I interview incredible people in the Entertainment industry about how they started and how they moved up. My guests include Showrunner and Co-Creator Marta Kauffman (Friends, Grace & Frankie), Actor/Director Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Writers, Producers, Agents, and more. I also create bonus episodes that help those in the industry with practical skills and tips. The community I am building is a mixture of Mentors and Mentees who want to help each other get ahead.
Bonus Episode LIVE from the RED CARPET of the New York Women in Film and Television Muse Awards.
First ever red carpet interviews with:
– Tantoo Cardinal (04:41)
– Michele Stephenson (05:31)
– Raney Aronson-Rath (07:40)
– Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago (09:32)
– Alex Borstein (11:00)
– Pat Swinney Kaufman (14:31)
– Kyra Sedgwick (16:55)
– Latasha Gillespie (18:30)
Bios:
Tantoo Cardinal is an award-winning actress of Indigenous descent, who was most recently on screen with Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s newest feature, Killers of the Flower Moon, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 and hit theatres worldwide in October 2023.
Filmmaker, artist and author, Michèle Stephenson. Her feature documentary, American Promise, was nominated for three Emmys and won the Jury Prize at Sundance. Her work, Stateless, was nominated for a Canadian Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.
Raney Aronson-Rath is the editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE, PBS’ flagship investigative journalism series, produced at GBH in Boston. Under her leadership, FRONTLINE has evolved into a multi-platform organization,expanded its reporting capacity, and won every major award in broadcast journalism. She won the Erin Roth Award for Excellence in Journalism at the Muse Awards.
Sybil Reymundo-Santiago is a Board Member at NYWIFT and the Executive Director of the SoHo International Film Festival.
Alex Borstein most recently completed the fifth and final season of THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL where she can be seen starring as ‘Susie Myerson’ for which she has won two Emmy Awards and was nominated again this year for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress’. Alex is well-known for her role as ‘Lois’ on FAMILY GUY for which she won an Emmy Award and was previously nominated for her writing/producing work on the series. She won the ”Made in NY” Award.
Kyra Sedgwick is an award-winning actress, producer and director, whose role in the critically acclaimed series The Closer earned her both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. She was last seen in season two of the smash hit Amazon series The Summer I Turned Pretty. Sedgwick recently directed the feature film Space Oddity, starring Kyle Allen and Alexandra Shipp, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Sedgwick also directed an episode of HBO’s upcoming The Girls on the Bus.
Latasha Gillespie is the Head of Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) for Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video and Freevee. Under her leadership, Amazon MGM Studios created the entertainment industry’s first Inclusion Policy and Playbook, and standardized DEIA into its greenlight process.
Special thanks to Annika Horne for helping me on the red carpet, Rob Peter Paul of the Art of Kindness podcast for resources and tips, NYWIFT, and the team at Falco Ink.
Photo Credit: Starpix
Caption: NAME at New York Women In Film & Television (NYWIFT) 44th Annual Muse Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street.
Resources:
- Check out my earlier episode with NYWIFT called: What is NYWIFT and how can it be a resource for you?
- ”Made in NY” of the Office of Media and Entertainment
- More info on New York Women in Film and Television
Host:
Instagram: @MentorsontheMic@MichelleSimoneMiller
Twitter: @MentorsontheMic@MichelleSimoneM
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic
Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com and www.mentorsonthemic.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michelle-miller4/support
Vinnie Potestivo, Editor-in-Chief of
I Have A Podcast®
