How To Tap Into Talent - Acting and Talent Coach: Lorenzo Patane - Actor and Coach

SPEAKER_01 0:04

This is the Beyond the Story Podcast, a show that goes way beyond the story. Subestima. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. In the building. What's up, buddy? I would say long time to see, but that would be a total lie. That would be a lie. We did a podcast, Swaparoonie. I was at your lovely place. I I had to go to Miami Beach on Saturday night. Right, right, right. There was plenty of parking, it was plenty of parking available, which never happens on Miami Beach. So uh it was pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

It was a sign by the universe that you were just invited. Yeah, that it was meant to be that you come over to the studio. That it's you know, part of our destiny since we crossed our path. It's like there is this like very strange and weird, like uh beautiful energy between us that I really, really appreciate. This is like I I feel like we're coming from a very similar, passionate, kind of you know, determined place where we want to do something, we want to go with somewhere, we want to manipulate stuff, right? Yeah, we we love what we do, and we have that passion and probably also a little bit of talent. And so therefore we crossed path. Uh the Coach MC studio was uh more than you know, honored to have you for a YouTube episode. Great to be there, dude. For the talks and acting show. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

We uh you know, this is all at this is all a testament of uh networking. Yep. When you're willing to get out and get in the right rooms, we're talking about this before the interview. When you're willing to get in the right rooms, then um things happen, things start to shift and change.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

So uh I saw this guy at the aficionado bar. He had this panel, he was rocking the stage, and I thought, like, wow, I was like, I'm I'm someone who I can call myself uh uh uh you know somebody with uh you know a certain stage experience. I've been on stage for for many, many years of my life. But he rather he captures your attention, he's charismatic, he he knows how to handle the stage, and I was deeply impressed that we had this networking night, and then he was always you know, you know, with one group and then with the other group, and then all of a sudden I just saw him exiting the room, the bar, and I thought, no, it's impossible. I have to talk to this guy. And then uh yeah, we we we hooked onto each other. It's uh it's beautiful because this is the process of networking, like really waiting also for your moment, kind of showing up, you know, throwing in your business card, saying, Hey, I got this mission, I got an agenda, but I also uh but also I'm a curious person. You got this mission. Maybe we can cross path, maybe we can cross-pollute each other, maybe we can kind of cross-infect our communities with our virus, with our culture, and let them see what we are all about. And so we did.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

So, so what's your story? I mean, you got you and your wife have a pretty interesting story. Um lovely Italian folks, uh, very from the from from from the country of Italy, and you can tell when they meet you and you greet you and they kiss you twice, and the whole at least the females. Yeah, and uh tell you the best authentic Miami Italian spot you can possibly go to. Right away. So let's back up a little bit for context and let our listener, yeah, let our listeners uh understand a little bit more about your backstory.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

It's crazy. Actually, uh today, like 2023, it was pretty much on the day, right? Exactly like 18 years ago. 20 years ago, exactly on pretty much on this day where everything kind of changed in my life. I thought like I have to do, I have to do something. I mean, and so I decided to enroll in drama school. I went to, you know, to to the acting classes, then I became a real actor in Germany. Uh the show I was participating in kind of blew up, it was a huge success. And then, of course, I crash landed because I couldn't handle the success. And then I I was again like broke. So, from broke to star to again broke, I found my wife and we started a company 10 years ago. I went back to Germany to make some money to then you know apply for the green card, and here we are. And so, life is all about like meeting the right people, making the right choices, but also the bad choices, and to realize that we're bad, yeah, and then kind of really stand up again. And so, and so after those six last years where we applied, where we were in the process for the green card, we thought of let's go to the United States, let's express there our talent, our passion for for acting, for art, because we have this acting studio now for 10 years that changed our life, that kind of happened overnight as a as you may call it a coincidence, but it wasn't, of course, right? It wasn't that time when we were like still struggling in our life, still searching for our mission, that we kind of found this acting studio that uh that changed uh the course of our destiny. And then we thought, like, okay, we have to compete with the best. Where are the best? The understates, where are they? And LA. So we we went for this option, and then all of a sudden we discovered Miami and we discovered the life here, the culture here, and we thought this could be a strategic choice. Coming over to Miami where things are about to explode, are about to happen, where the culture isn't as structured, as saturated, like it is in LA, like it is in Chicago, like it is in New York, where you have entertainment, structured studios, companies, you know, shows all over the week. No, it's it's more about to blossom up and you know, kind of strategically place ourselves, our company, and all the knowledge that we've gathered here, and we work with this new shoot, right? And so that's why we got into the networking, and that's why we're having this beautiful opportunity to on the on the 20th, no, on the 22nd, it's uh it's this incredible networking event that we're that we're you know kind of bringing together for the artists and for you know you know the creative people over here.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

That's great, man. It um that was long, man. I'm sorry. No, you're good. You're good. You're the guest, you're supposed to be talking. So it works out okay. Um it means I'm doing my job. Uh so yeah, if you're local to Miami and you're here on this uh Friday, September 22nd, Little Havana. I'll uh put a link to the event in the show notes on here. And if you're following us both on socials, um you you can see the details for that uh too. Yeah, Miami is definitely an evolving market. I think what's really started to dominate the space, you know, and I use this word very, very loosely with talent, is you know, the influencer space, which has just blown up because of social media. But my my thought process has uh thought process has been and always will be, but there's still a lot of uh re retooling that needs to be done in the influencer space because the the true um uh idea and strategy of a influencer is to say, you know, I like this widget because it does this for my life or it did this for my and I and I truly believe in it, and that relates off on to screen. I think there's far too many you know content being swapped for a check versus where it's at, and you know, with what AI is is starting to do and will continue to do, I think, in my prediction, will radically disrupt Hollywood as we know it.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

So the thing is this, um and that's also the the beauty of of acting and of our culture. I mean, you are such a great entertainer. Why are you such a great entertainer? Why it is so enjoyable to watch you like entertain and being on stage? Why is it so great? How how do you really impact your audience? What do you think? Is it your what your word handling? Is it your your energy? Is it your eyes, your your mimic game? What is it? It's actually your non-verbal communication, it's actually what you don't actively say, it's the the energy, the subtext that you transmit. And that nonverbal, tribal, animal, primordial, juicy stuff can't be replicated by AI.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

You don't think that so here's the and this is a wild prediction, put my uh tinfoil hat on for a minute. Wouldn't it make more sense for a movie production company to go to, we'll use Tom Hanks as an example and say, Tom, you know, we can replicate your entire persona and how you speak, how you show up and how you would act through the AR persona we create. Can we just license that and you just stay home? Yeah, they could do that.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Technically, they could do that. So that's what I think and this is also a problem. This is also why actors are on strike. It's like, wait a second, right? You can just replicate at infinitum, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Our pictures, our images, our, you know, but like doing it in a in a regulated environment where it is, you know, because you have a, you know, you've you've licensed your likeness, uh, you don't have to work so hard. I think that's some somebody we had this conversation not a couple couple months ago, a couple weeks ago, uh, about this. And I'm like, I don't even want to think about this. But yeah, I think that is reality. But then we also look at, you know, it's a shit show right now with this.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Like, why why do you why why do you think they are sending robot uh robots into an NFL game to watch an NFK? Why do you think they do that? I I was asking myself the same question. And I I tell you what it is. Robots, they are there to capture and collect information about nonverbal communication whenever people are enthusiastic, whenever they are angry, whenever they're upset. Because what AI is not capable of doing is to replicate that nonverbal, primordial, visceral communication. What makes us humans so great is that we can transmit envy with just the look.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Could you imagine getting to the SoFi stadium to watch the Miami Dolphins and two robots are sitting in front of you?

SPEAKER_00 9:56

What right? They're just there to collect the subconscious, subliminal communication because a robot can replicate that. So to answer your question, you gather all the material that you want on Tom Hanks, every tiny fragment, every shrapnel that he've ever produced, you collect that and you put that in a very super high-powered, super you know, computer. Even that computer won't be able to replicate non-verbal communication on such a level that it hits you subconsciously, primordially, and viscerally, so that you are moved, so that you are touched, so that you get horny and aroused by it, so that you blush, so that you reflect, so that you get upset.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

I know the studio gets people off fired up there. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

I'm sorry. So uh that's my job. I'm sorry, I'm very passionate about it.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah, you can't tame that. Let that like my sister says, let that music play. Yeah. Let that music. Yeah, yeah, let that be careful. So I'm not, I'm not I have always come from the school of thought that uh AI is and always will be a tool. Now, there is a lot of downside for what is to come with AI as part of, but as many predicted threats with AI have have come up, there's always a solution. Of course. Somebody's always I I watched a video the other day about you know deep fake videos are a big thing. Panic mode button, man.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

It's the next panic mode button.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

But I also think that there's going to be somebody who creates a solution that's gonna be able to filter out panic about this, buy this, panic about that. Right, I got all that, but I'm saying about like let's just use deep fake videos for an example, which is a real thing. For those of you not clear on what a deep fake video is, basically taking your persona and having it look like you and sound like you and have say something that you didn't actually say, which is terrifying. It is now, wouldn't somebody just create a solution to be able to screen for those? You know what I mean? So let's talk about Coach MC. You guys started this company 10 years ago, you work with actors, talent, speakers. Um But everybody who practices the craft cool. So break that down for me. What's it look like to to work with you guys and what do you help people work through and accomplish?

SPEAKER_00 12:04

It's a beautiful process, and um it's something that you could you could say it's somehow transformative. So we usually have 10 sessions, 900 minutes, where we break down the fundamentals of great communication, great art, great, great expression, great performance. And what we kind of you know try to to share, like what I try to share with my coachings, is really the the ability to to give people power through art, like to thrive emotionally, rationally, spiritually, psychologically through art, to get better with themselves, right? But it's not a psychology session, it's not a therapy, it's not a rehab, but definitely getting better with yourself also means getting better with your art. And so kind of helping both to kind of you know get to your success.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

So do people come to you when they're terrified of speaking?

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Yes. Yeah, public speaking, monologues, pitching something, selling something, architects, real estate agents sometimes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Okay. Yeah, because that's very common because of people's fear of of public speaking being in front of a camera on a on a microphone. You and I live for it, but most people do not. Uh what give me some examples of some stuff you do to walk people through when they show up and they're like, I want to do this, but I'm terrified and I don't know how.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

Sure. I mean, usually it starts with the word. But it's it's so banal and mundane, and and it might sound like common knowledge, but nowadays people are so bombarded by media, by by by by commercials, by advertising, by music, by lights, by colors, by you know, by so many factors that people can really focus on what they are saying, on the word itself. So kind of extrapolating what the word means and to give those people, you know, the sense of a rhythm to that word, to start igniting that word. So it it transforms, it transforms the word that they need to say, the script that they need to say, more in energy, more into a rhythm, more into like But what about if they can't get the words together and then I'm gonna sound like crap, look like crap, but I want to get this done.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

How do I what what would it what when you're encouraging someone and like and kind of speaking truth into their life? Right. Like what because I I know what I do. I I just ask people who's missing out because you're sitting here and you know paralyzed by fear.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Yeah, I always say that. I mean, is like mastering your craft is hard. Becoming rich is hard. Becoming successful with your craft and then also becoming rich is is super hard. But staying poor, staying is hard too. It's it's really hard to do that. Choose your heart, right? Right. And what is your heart? What is it that you want to do with your time? What is it that you want to do with your passion? Do you want to invest in analyzing yourself and getting in tune like with with your talents, with your strengths, with understanding where you're coming from and what what is it that you like uh ultimately to tell? What is your message? And if you want to work on that, you're gonna get better at that for sure. You're gonna get more self-esteem out of that, you're gonna get a purpose for what you do. And so that is hard too, but it makes so much more sense, it's so much more fun, and it gives you so much more insight and therefore also power. And yes, I mean, you know, I've coming from I'm I'm coming from the acting standpoint, of course. Like I motivate people to kind of get out of their comfort zone, to move their body, to warm up properly, to understand that this is a system, and you need to warm up the system, you need to give the system structure, and you need to give the system some tools to follow in order to work. Otherwise, it's you know it's it's not working. Yeah, acting is a lot different from you know speaking or comedy or it's really like but it's letting the audience allowing the audience to fill in the emotional gaps. Yeah, you are just demonstrating something and they're filling up, they are projecting on you. You are the emotional surface that they're projecting on, and they're projecting on you their thoughts, their ideas, their backgrounds, their emotions. And so they fill in the blanks, they fill in the spots. Don't worry about, oh, I don't feel this moment, I'm not emotional right now. How can I do this? It's really not happening. You just produce everything that would be happening around it, and then you allow your system to get in touch with that like feeling, ah, this is how it feels, right? And the audience will fill in everything else. Trust them, they are part of the process, and this is also part of the acting job, like understanding the audience as well. What is it that they like to see? How can we really impact the lens? How can we manipulate the emotions in the room, right? How can we get there? Right? How can we control the crowd? All these things, and this is important for a public speaker. I can understand that he's afraid of you know, kind of stepping up. Also, understand for actors, like actors need to change their costumes so many times, they need to change their characters so many times. It's it's tough. Like, I'm working also with very seasoned actors, even like a like award-winning actors, right? Big actors, right? And you should like you would tell like these actors they don't need my help. But they actually they have more coaches than the you know regular actors, as you can imagine. Like Bob De Niro is probably the best actor in the world. He has three acting coaches, like three. That's how you get better. It's how you get better. That's how you learn because we reflect, we observe, and then together we communicate what can be done better. What is it that we need to double down on? Are you funny? Are you dramatic? Are you serious? Are you outgoing? Are you more like an introvert? Are you interesting? Are you mysterious? Are you more like on secrecy? Or what what is your key? What is your first talent that opens up the door? After that, we will expand, after that, we will, you know, you know, stack upon that. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Love that. Do you think it's important for people that are looking to communicate, whether it's or through the arts or speaking or whatever, maybe that they should sign up for improv classes? For sure.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Like what is the beauty about acting? It's about that it's more important to listen than to actually do something. The great thing about acting is that you need to let go of your ego in order to be a great actor. Yeah. And that is so I love that.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Never thought about that.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Maybe I should take acting classes.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah, come over.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Maybe I could act 100%. That's a rhetorical question, right? When do they get a load of me? You're gonna be you're gonna be fantastic in front of the camera, I'll tell you. As an actor, as a serious dramatic actor. Oh, yeah. Come over. Let's do something for the podcast community, for our video community as well. Let's record me giving you like a coaching session so we work on a little monologue, on a serious dramatic monologue, and let's show the result.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

I think the idea is um I come to you wanting to quit my job and become a podcaster and a comedian, but my wife may leave me.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

So we have to figure out like in three hours already, we can do miracle work. No, but seriously, like this is one of the greatest and most beautiful and most powerful things about acting. I'm excited about that. Let's do it, man. Hey, eat your heart out, Hollywood. You guys want to see that? Me teaching them a little bit about acting and kind of let's let's work.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Right, I'm down. I was in school, I was in uh church plays as a kid. Nice, bro. And I always had the lead. Most of the time. Of course. And if I didn't, I was very upset about it, but I never told anybody.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

I'm telling I'm telling, I'm I'm always telling this to my acting students and uh to all the students. Envy is a good thing, it's a fucking great thing. Yeah, nourish that. If you're envious of somebody, it's not like, oh no, no, I shouldn't be envious. I'm no, of course you're envious of the success of someone else. Of course you're envious of his car, of his lifestyle, whatever it is, of his talent, of his power. You should, because you recognize that somewhere inside of yourself, you probably could bridge that, you probably could match that. Yeah, but somehow you're handicapped, you're not in the mood, you don't feel you're lazy, you're distracted, whatever it is, you're not doing it. And that bad conscience transforms over time in that nagging feeling that it's calling called envy. And that is a great thing. Yeah, wow, I never thought about it like that.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

Yeah, I was a beautiful. I was a chicken in a Christmas play. I was on one of the toys, I would pop out of the box, and I forget what the chicken's name was. But I said, I'm always good for a laugh. I'm always good for a laugh in a chicken suit versus the full, because I couldn't really sing as a kid. And then when I did, my voice would crack too. So it was like when you're a kid, you can sing, like you can get away with most, but when your voice changes, it really, you know, starts to tell. But I look forward to that. Well, dude, man, it's good to uh it's good, good to sit down with you again, have a conversation and learn about more of what you're doing. I know that uh we're just getting started here on figuring out how we're gonna support each other and what we're doing here. Uh again, if you're in Miami, even South Florida, make the drive down next Friday, September 22nd, social 27, uh, just for an evening of uh of just networking with creators. It's Friday night in Kayocho for crying out loud. So roll a couple cigars, have a couple mojitos. Any final thoughts for our listeners on people that are on the fence on doing their thing, just getting in the game and doing their thing?

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Like be radically honest to yourself and have fucking patience. Yeah, have patience. It's gonna come. Have patience work. Of course, not it's not gonna come out of thin air. But like this event on the 22nd Kayote, of course, it's an event, of course, it's a venue, of course, it's everybody has his agenda, everybody has his business cards, but it's one opportunity. It's like one you don't have to meet one person, you just have to meet one person. So come over, tell your story, be radically honest, have patience with yourself, build up on those events, build up those networking structures, collaborate with others, have envy, and then transform that ang uh like envy in healthy anger. Come over to the Coach MC studio and put that healthy anger, that positive passion into work, become a better performer, a better speaker, a better actor. Work on your craft. By doing so, you create that positive vibrancy inside of yourself that then will attract the opportunities because people will recognize oh, there's somebody working on themselves, there's something going on with this person. They they recognize the people in charge, the responsible people, the ones who got the money, le pelotas, le pesetas. They know exactly if you are serious about your craft. So if you're serious about your craft, show up on the 22nd, show up at the Coach MC studio. Shout out to this beautiful community. If you guys want to come over for the free trial session, be my guest on the coachmc.studio. Let's work on something together because I believe that the best way to find out if you want to work with somebody is by working with somebody. Yeah, yeah. Imagine that. Lorenzo, I appreciate you, my brother.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Absolutely keep rocking so much, man. Absolutely. Until next time, friends. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of the Beyond the Story Podcast. We're sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Signing off from the podcast, launchlab.com studios. We'll talk to you next time.