A woman of many talents, our June Spotlight features CRM client Alycia Cooper. While she got her start in stand-up comedy, Alycia has credits on hit network TV shows and blockbuster films alike. She’s also written and directed her own short film. We’re thrilled to have her.

1. While you have since opened comedy shows for names like Dave Chappelle, George Wallace, and Whitney Cummings, starting out you had to “earn your dues” by performing in some comedy clubs all across the country. What was this experience like?
Being an opening act is a right of passage for all comics.  I had a great experience on the road.  You learn something from everyone you work with.  You also gain exposure to their fan base, and if you work it right, you can capitalize on this aspect of your career as well.  Lastly, you stay in some really nice hotel rooms, and you perform is some fabulous theaters.

2. How did you find your comedic voice? How would you describe it?
It took me about six years to find my voice, which is the same amount of time it took me to gain the confidence that you need to succeed in stand-up.  I would describe my voice as brash, yet intelligent and palatable.

3. You’ve performed on many big stages throughout your career (America’s Got Talent and Last Comic Standing just to name a few). How do these performances differ from your sets at smaller venues?
The network shows bring network stress.  The bigger the audience, the more you worry about not doing well.  In a smaller venue, if you have a bad set, oh well, but on a global platform, one bad set can tremendously stall your career.  In the early 2000’s when Last Comic Standing first premiered, there were no social media platforms.  Today, if you bomb, it’s on YouTube forever.  Your grandkids, grandkids will be able to watch your dead ass.

4. Not just a comedian, you’ve also landed acting roles in hit network TV shows and voiceover work in blockbuster films. How has your background in comedy influenced your career as an actress? 
Comedy has been the biggest gift to my acting career.  Stand-up prepares you for all other forms of entertainment.  A main benefit is that you’re not afraid to perform in front of others, whether it’s in an audition room, or on a set.  Two, you have to be authentic to be successful as a comic.  An audience can smell inauthenticity and it will keep them from being able to laugh at your material.  This same skill works well in regard to the depths comedians are able to go to in their dramatic works.  Several comics have won Oscars for drama.  Great comics have myriad performance levels they can pull from.  I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of some well- regarded projects, including voicing several roles in the blockbuster movie, “Spiderman:  Into the Spider Verse” which has grossed over $376 millions dollars worldwide.  It was my stand-up comedy background that helped me nail the audition.

5. Last year, you were a series regular on Poz Roz. What was your favorite thing about playing Michelle? 
I really enjoyed the role of “Michelle,” because although our life experiences were vastly different, I could still relate to her.  She wasn’t me, but she was a collection of close friends of mine.  I also liked her free spirit, no-nonsense, blunt way of showing up in the world.

6. What would your dream acting role be? 
My dream acting role would be the opportunity to play a diabolical character who doesn’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks.  I would really love to be mean on screen, just unlikeable.  But, sneakily unlikeable.  Like sweet in your face, but wretched behind closed doors. 

7. Earlier this year marked the premiere of Trade, a short film you wrote and directed. What was the process of creating this film like?
“Trade” was a labor of love.  It’s what I would imagine child birth to be like.  Several months of pain, but in the end, it was all worthwhile.  Writing, directing and producing an independent short film is a ton of work.  You can look at the end credits to see all the people and locations it took to pull this thing off.  I wanted “Trade” to be my feature directorial debut, but I knew that I would never be about to raise the amount of money that it would take to do it properly.  So instead, I wrote it as a short, and crowd funded in order to make this film.  Crowd funding is a special beast in and of itself.  While I was crowd funding, we began casting.  I had a hand in every step of making this dream a reality.  We shot five days of footage in three days.  I averaged four hours of sleep each night.  We got it done.  Then, after filming, came the editing, then the color correcting, then the sound editing/ mixing, etc.  It took sixteen months to complete this film.  I’m very pleased with the outcome.  I was already a member of the Director’s Guild of America, having been a television field producer, but this was my first foray into directing a narrative.  I am very pleased with the outcome and proud of what myself and my team achieved.  The final product is currently airing on UrbanFlix.TV.

8. Your next short Just Us, is in the pre-production phase now. Are writing and directing things you see more in your future? 
Yes, I plan on transiting to writing, directing and producing my own projects and giving myself acting roles in them, like Spike Lee did in his early days.

9. What is your biggest career goal? 
I have no idea what my biggest career goal is just yet.  My loves, joys, wants and needs are constantly changing.  I’ll let the future decide for me.

10. What does the future look like for Alycia Cooper? 
Well, this Covid-19 thing has put a lot of things in perspective for me with all this forced free time.  I didn’t realize how my running around I was doing daily until I was forced to stay at home.  The county is now forever changed, and I’ll have no choice but to adapt like everyone else.  Maybe one day, I’ll be a business owner, living down south somewhere, where the cost of living is cheaper.  Whatever I end up doing, I’ll make sure to keep myself thoroughly entertained.

For our June Spotlight we’re thrilled to have CRM client Michael Broderick. A veteran, a musician, loving family-man, and an actor. His credits include Justified, Legion, Get Shorty, True Detective, and more.

1. Before pursuing a career in acting, you were in the United States Marine Corps. What inspired this change in career path? Was acting something you’ve always wanted to do?
It wasn’t a change in path as much as it was a return to my earliest intentions. I joined the Marine Corps to challenge myself and because I felt a duty to serve. I thought I would complete my enlistment and head straight to Hollywood. It didn’t work out quite that way, but I eventually got here.

2. How has your military experience influenced you as an actor?
My time in the service certainly helps me book certain kinds of roles. Military bearing is not something you’re born with; it has to be drilled into you. It’s also fairly easy to spot actors who are “putting it on” without the required research and preparation. It’s like any other skill. If I’ve already got it in my back pocket, everything else being equal, I’ve got an advantage over the actor who doesn’t. Beyond that, earning the title of Marine taught me that I can accomplish very difficult tasks if I choose to set my will to them.

3. You’re also a skilled musician, spending many years playing guitar in New York’s punk rock scene. How has this influenced your career?
Playing live music taught me many lessons on collaboration, shared goals, live performance, reading an audience and, finally, knowing when to move on. I also met my wife after a show at CBGB in 1998, so it definitely influenced the rest of my life in a wonderful way.

4. Do you still play gigs here in LA? How prevalent is music in your life?
I still play guitar every day. I taught my son to play bass and, every so often, we’ll jam. I love watching him discover things he hadn’t heard before. We both dig stuff from the 70s and 80s. Occasionally, I host a music night for Veterans in Media & Entertainment here in Los Angeles where a bunch of us get together and share music, live on stage. It’s a great way to scratch that particular itch with a group of folks who really understand each other.

5. In the early 2010’s, you had a recurring role on the hit FX series Justified. What was that experience like?
It was awesome! Justified was a great show. The recurring role was really a surprise as I had a minor role in season 3, then they asked me to come back in their final season. I actually asked one of the A.D.s about it and they said, “We’re bringing back a bunch of people we enjoyed working with”. Wow. It was a huge validation for me and a reminder to always bring my best self to set. Show up early. Do good work. Be kind.

6. Just last year you had another recurring role – this time on the third season of HBO’s True Detective. What was it like working with Nic Pizzolatto?
Well, HBO just continues to produce top level entertainment, so to be a small part of that family is a major thrill and True Detective was an absolute game changer for me. Locking eyeballs and trading impulses with 2-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff is something I’ll never forget. And Nic Pizzolatto? Wow! Not only did I get to speak his words but my character, Special Agent John Bowen, appeared in both of the episodes that Nic directed. I adore his work and can’t wait to see what he does next. Somebody needs to let him take a crack at Batman.

7. What was your favorite thing about playing Special Agent John Bowen?
My favorite thing about playing John was the fact that he was a fish out of water in a sense. Here’s this federal agent, born and raised in the North East, assigned to this case in rural Arkansas. The way local law enforcement operates is a little foreign to him but he’s a team player so there’s a balance he needs to maintain, even when his instincts pull him in another direction. We see evidence of this when he and Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) butt heads a little bit over evidence in the bullpen (Episode 4: “The Hour and the Day”).

8. I understand you’re a big advocate for Autism Acceptance. How did you get involved and what would you like people to know about it?
Like many parents, I got involved when my son was diagnosed with autism. My wife and I discovered rather quickly that we could learn more from the experiences of autistic adults than we could from other parents. Most of all, I want people to understand that autistic individuals need understanding and acceptance rather than pity or fear. 

9. Who is your biggest inspiration?
Anyone who does difficult things because they need to be done. I constantly draw strength from folks around me who see a need and find a way, often selflessly, to fill that need. Service to others is inspiring.

10. What is your dream role?
Gosh. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd, a gamer and a fanboy, so I love comic books, science fiction and fantasy. Something in one of those genres would be really fulfilling. Also, I’d consider giving up a finger (of my picking hand, not my fretting hand) to be a part of anything written and directed by Steve Conrad (Perpetual Grace Ltd., Patriot).

11. What does the future look like for Michael Broderick?
I’ve got my eye on a few projects. News of Sam Esmail’s Battlestar Galactica reboot is exciting. My understanding of the genre paired with my military background makes me a formidable candidate, I think. The upcoming series based on author Jack Carr’s The Terminal List is of particular interest to me. Finally, I’d love to go back to work for the folks at HBO when they tackle The Last of Us. Like it says in Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain, “That which you manifest is before you”.

For our May Spotlight, we’re thrilled to have pop culture icon Traci Lords with us. While many people know her for her roles in Cry-Baby, Blade, Zack and Miri Make A Porno and Blade, Traci is also a NYT best-selling author, a director, fashion designer, and a mother.

Wanda Woodward in Cry-Baby

1. This year marks the 30 year anniversary of Cry-Baby. What was it like working with John Waters?
Wow! It’s hard to believe we made Cry-Baby 30 years ago this April! I remember it so vividly. Working with John Waters was incredible and I owe my career to him.

2. What was your favorite thing about playing Wanda Woodward?
One of the best things about working on a JW film is that your character exists in this sort of heightened off beat reality. And that’s a lot of fun to play with! I loved Wanda’s bluntness. She was a slick talker who could take her revivals down with just a look!

3. At the time, would you have ever thought Cry-Baby would become a “cult classic”? How do you feel about that status now?
At the time, I didn’t realize what a style icon Wanda would become in the Rockabilly scene! I think it pretty cool that, 30 years later, fans still emulate bad girl Wanda Woodward.

Bubbles in Zack and Miri Make a Porno

4. How did that film shape the future of your career?
Cry-Baby wasn’t my first film but it was the film that really “started” my Hollywood career. Sadly, the movie wasn’t a box office hit but it got a lot of press and attention because it was Johnny Depp’s first real lead in a movie. It was a game changer for me. I got cast in a lot more comedy after Cry-Baby.

5. You’ve also had iconic roles in films such as Blade and Zach and Miri Make A Porno. What was it like playing these characters?
Horror remains one of my favorite genres. I’m always hungry for more!

Gloria Jean Kojax in Women Behind Bars – Photo By Bart Mastronardi

6. You were recently in a production of Women Behind Bars at the Montalban – your first time doing theatre. How was this experience?
I made my stage debut in Women Behind Bars this past February and it was the most challenging job I’ve ever had. The role of Gloria really gave me a chance to use my range as an actor, in ways I’ve rarely had the opportunity to do so in the past.

7. What did you find most challenging about theatre? What did you find most exciting?
The most challenging part of being a cast member of Women Behind Bars was just the vast amount of prep work! Memorizing that much dialogue and never leaving the stage was crazy challenging!

Photo By Hedi Calvert

8. Do you foresee more theatre performances in your future?
Definitely.

9. You’re also a New York Times best-selling author. What inspired you to write an autobiography?
I was tired of people telling their version of my story. So, I decided to write my own.

10. For your portrayal of Victoria Chastain in A Tale of Two Sisters, you have received lots of recognition and many Best Actress Awards in the festival circuit. What was it like going back to the Golden Age of Hollywood for that role?

Photo By Jason Tidwell

Initially, I was attracted to the role because it was film noir and well…we don’t get to do that often! But what was even more interesting to me was the actual material. Chris Roe wrote a character that was broken, mean and vulnerable. I didn’t like her and I struggled with her darkness. I wasn’t sure how Victoria would play to audiences but I think that Chris did an incredible job directing this piece and building these characters and making them relatable.

11. What is your dream role?
I don’t have a dream role. The “dream” is to have the opportunity to keep growing and being challenged as an artist. My wish is for good people and good writing.

12. What does the future look like for Traci Lords?
We shall see….

Victoria Chastain in A Tale of Two Sisters