Her last short film drew more attention than all but about a half dozen major studio films released this year. She’s an actress, a comedian, a writer and producer, and basically an all around bad ass chick. 

One of her films was partially produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, through their production company. 

Anna Akana is the superstar in the making that you’ve probably never heard of. 

Here’s what will sting for some of you…you have probably been acting much, much longer than she has. She first started in comedy at the age of 19 (she’s 28 as of the time of this writing) and later decided to go the acting route. 

That’s one of the twisted things about this industry… 

Wanna know something strange??? 

My grandfather knew nothing about almost everything…and this made him one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. 

See he knew that he didn’t know and that he couldn’t know everything, so he embraced it. He took a page from the Henry Ford philosophy of “why should I clutter my mind with such things when I can have the answer readily available from 20 people in my employ.” 

So whenever he encountered a problem, my grandfather asked someone for advice. 

He knew that in our fast moving world, it took a village to do most things. Think about it. Did you build the device you’re using to read this? Is your home built of your own effort or did someone else put hammer to nails to build it for you? 

Being an actor is no different. Not a single successful person in this industry climbed their way to the top solely through their own efforts. It always takes a team and more importantly, it takes a community. 

That’s what today’s release is all about. It’s about you tapping into the collective mind of our tribe and getting answers to the most common questions I’m asked on an almost daily basis. 

“If you want to make movies kid, you first have to go just a little bit insane…then you go a lot insane…” Those words were uttered (slurred a bit) by a 9 am whiskey, trodden director on the set of one of my first indie films and it has been one of the most useful industry insights I’ve ever received. 

It’s crazy how inspiration and insight come from the oddest of places sometimes. Some people call it grace, others coincidence, I like to think of it as synchronicity: the universe aligning itself to fit your desires by placing events, circumstance, and people in your path at the time you need them. 

There I was sitting on a rock in the middle of a field covered in food dye (ultra-low budget stage blood) and wondering what I was thinking when I took the gig. It was 2 hours after call time and the director was nowhere to be found. This is especially problematic on an indie set where the director is also the AD, cinematographer, writer, producer, special effects, 2nd lead, and everything else on set! 

I wanted the credit on my resume but after a few days of putting up with this guy, I wondered if the movie would ever be finished. 

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? 

So, it started just like any other day off. I was wandering the streets of NYC and wound up in Central Park. It was a beautiful day and tons of people were coming and going in every direction. That’s one of the greatest things about the city: the energy (cliché but true). 

To preface this story, I want to first state that I’m a big believer in synchronicity. I believe I found myself in exactly the place I was supposed to be at exactly the time I was supposed to be there. Trusting in synchronicity means that I also trust my gut instincts without question, almost always. 

So when I walked by what would, to every “normal person” in the world, seem like a private conversation, I trusted my gut when I felt I needed to lend an inconspicuous ear. 

Call me crazy (I may not disagree with you LOL)! 

I took a seat next to that young couple and innocently eavesdropped on something that changed my worldview. After listening to her boyfriend complain about not being cast in yet another production, this wise young lady snapped and said

Dear grasshopper, 

I told you about Weinstein months ago… 

Not directly, but his downfall is part of a much larger event. At the dawn of ScottyLeaks, I exposed the Hollywood Cabal. What you see happening is a symptom of a much larger, systemic issue. 

Look at it this way. The allegations against him, were proven multiple times beginning decades ago. It was an open secret in the industry. Which begs the question: why now? 

When he was untouchable for so long, why did Weinstein fall so suddenly? 

Complacency has killed more careers than anything else on the face of the planet. Think about it… 

You start working a few days a week, and all of a sudden, you’re working more than you have in your life. Where do you go from there? Do you keep pushing for bigger and better things? 

Probably not. I know, I can hear you mentally screaming the opposite but stick with me for a sec. 

When you start working more than you ever have before, a couple of things happen: you are now busier than ever before, this leaves less time to work on your career, and you have already shattered a glass ceiling. 

What now? 

It was 1955. Two eager, ambitious psychologists sat in a poorly lit and by their own account, creepy, office at UCLA. They were working on what might be the biggest help to your acting career. 

It happened largely by accident. They didn’t set out to create this for actors. They intended to create a model that would make it easier to decipher group dynamics and interpersonal relationships. 

It’s called The Johari Window. 

Chances are that you have never heard of this concept, grasshopper, and you have certainly never heard about in this way. We’ll come back to the Johari window in a moment. 

First, we have to go discuss the job of an actor…