Revamping The Lost Sites

We are going to be working on the Lost sites over the next two weeks allowing us to decide what is and isn’t working, change out images, and update affiliate links and partnerships, we are incredibly lucky to have some amazing brands supporting us already and we have projects that have been completed (but shelved due to other aspects of work underway) that will be used to update the sites.

From a professional stance, in particular to the makeup side, our creative director and head of makeup JamesC’s website has already been reworked to make it cleaner and simpler to navigate, he has chosen several brands to work with including Mykitco (check out the pro discount program for eligibility), Illamasqua Pro will become a featured brand soon, and of course Sons of Adonis (JamesC personally consulted with the owner of the range and the brush).

Two small projects for the festival circuit are being written and developed with a view to expanding into a full-scale TV series, an idea we have wanted to really push forward with for a long time, with the festival path we can tailor our choices to suit garnering awards for the team including the makeup, actors, and director to help with promotion.

*This means we will add to the roster very soon to help with the creation of projects, and a new TV production site will be a part of this planning.

We are really pleased that our main site, The Lost Project, is gathering attention (organically) and continues to be a source of information on the consumer side, the book reviews and makeup stories are proving to be popular which is something we are incredibly proud of.

More changes are coming and it is truly exciting to be working on the lost group expansion. Stay tuned for more updates and news.

Talking About An Agents Life With Louise Gubbay

There are so many talents in the creative industries and we are lucky enough to be able to talk to Louise Gubbay about her work as an agent, and how she has built her talent agency and a stellar reputation with production companies as well as actors. Offering insights into the world of casting, Louise brings a fresh perspective to the world of film and TV sharing the journey with us.

Can you tell us more about yourself and your agency?  How you started out and what do you do as an agent in the social media age? 

Firstly, thank you for inviting me to do this Q&A! I sincerely hope everyone that reads this will find it of use.

After spending many years in different parts of the industry, my passion was to eventually become an agent and when the kids came along, I decided it was the right time to set up Louise Gubbay Associates back in 2006.  I have always been a boutique agent representing actors across the board.  

A few years later, I decided to set up an LA side to the agency! This certainly was not an easy task and took many months before I eventually became a US taxpayer! That was a hugely proud moment in my career! The only reason I eventually closed it was because six years of working from 9 am – 3 am Monday to Friday started to make me a tad tired! But it was a very rewarding time! 

”I never trained as an actor and as I occasionally put out on Twitter, that was a good thing as, to be frank, I would be utterly shockingly bad but envy every actor who does their job brilliantly.  When I see my clients on stage, I am like the proud mum in the audience and generally fighting back the tears! “

I believe social media is important for any business.  It helps you connect with others, support others and promote yourself.  The power of social media is extraordinary. For me though, the way I use social media is to announce confirmed castings of any of my clients and support other actors the best I can.

You have become something of a sensation on Twitter for your motivational Tweets and posts about your client's achievements.  Can you tell us what is your thinking behind this and why you feel it is important to show support across the network? 

I am not sure I would go that far but thank you! I didn’t use my Twitter that much until Covid hit us although I would always shout my client’s credits from the rooftops on it. It is a fantastic feeling when they get cast as we all know this is not an easy industry! There is a lot of rejection for actors, so when we get positive outcomes, I need to let the world know! 

When the entire industry shut down back in 2020, I read many tweets of uncertainty from actors, some of who were the ‘class of 2020’ and others who were left with anxiety as to when and how the industry would reopen, much like we all were and I wanted to give support which has carried on to present day and will continue to carry on.  I was (and still am) inspired by my actor John Craggs who runs The Actors Support Network (@network_actor ) and thought that if I could also offer support, then maybe it would give actors additional hope.  At the best of times, the industry is not an easy one but actors need to keep believing in themselves, do what they need to do to market themselves and keep plugging away.  Good things do happen in the biz and whilst some of the time, actors may feel negative, as I always say, a negative will turn into a positive at some point!

I am in my 17th year as an agent and like everyone has good days, bad days, frustrating days, and positive days but I still look forward to starting work on Monday mornings! The best part about our industry is anything can happen in the next five minutes and sometimes, it does exactly that! 

My motivational tweets are usually thought of when I am walking Mr. Sweetface (aka Zeb, the double terrier) out in the gorgeous areas of rural Devon where I am lucky enough to live. It gives me a chance to think about actors who I do not represent and how I can help, advise or support them but predominantly, give them positivity.  It is so important to me. Not every actor will have representation and those are the ones that need guidance to help make that happen.

What advice would you offer someone looking for an agent to represent them and if they are looking to join your books what would be the best approach? 

It is so important for actors seeking rep to keep reminding themselves they too, are a business. Agents get a huge amount of representation requests throughout the year and so it is important to make sure you stand out.

There is no point in sending an email saying simply ‘Hello, I am an actor and looking for representation but I am working on my showreel’ for example.  That is not selling yourself.  I’m not saying many do but the occasional one does come in.

All actors need to have a showreel.  Agents need to see if they can act.  It might sound daft as they are an actor who is approaching an agent but if I had an email such as that with the actor wanting to meet up for a coffee, why would I take time away from my own clients as well as spend money on travel to meet that actor when I have no idea if they can actually act! It may sound harsh but it is reality.

Actors need to be happy with the package they are sending over to agents which would ultimately include headshots and some kind of reel.  If they are starting out, it won’t be a professional reel with clips of scenes they have done on a professional level but they can create their own scenes and that is perfectly acceptable as long as the sound and quality are at a decent level.  Something is always better than nothing! Actors are creatives, so create!

Also, and importantly, actors need to research the agents they are interested in. We don’t expect any actor to just pick one agent to approach at any one time but look and see which ones you think you could be a part of.  Working with an agent is a two-way street.  Both are after the same goal so it is imperative that both sides can work together.  I cannot guarantee that I would get any new client seen tomorrow, the next day, or the next month.  I am not psychic (sometimes I wish I was!) but the most important factor is for any of my actors to have that trust in me knowing that I am doing my job, which thankfully they do but also for me to know that those that who are also starting out are being proactive too.  A saying I have had for years is to never wait for the phone to ring….

This industry is all about selling yourself so actors should pinpoint the highlights of their career achievements so far. This could be that they have just graduated or they have just been cast in a short film or that they have just finished in the West End.  It doesn’t matter how big or small the credit is, it is simply about selling themselves.

Can you tell us what would you say to aspiring agents out there?  Is there any advice you can offer to new and potential agents to help them grow? 

If they really want to become agents, then do it! I feel absolutely blessed to have a job that I am so passionate about and feel the same enthusiasm today as I did on day one.  

I have advised a couple of new agents recently who have got in touch and am very happy to do that as I was a new agent once.  It is not the easiest career to get started but it is doable! Like any business, again, it’s all about marketing yourself, making contacts, and not giving up. When I see new agents on Twitter and see how passionate they are, I will always happily re-tweet them. Support goes a long way for any new business! Make it happen!

To learn more about Louise Gubbay and Associates or to get in touch see:

Louise Gubbay and Associates Website.

Louise Gubbay and Associates Twitter.

Louise Gubbay and Associates Facebook.

Louise Gubbay and associates Linkedin.

Finding Solutions

Finding solutions is a big part of the work we do, from our creative consultation work with the Sons of Adonis brand to blogging about shows, The Lost Creatives was built around that concept and we are truly grateful to the people around us, in the last few days our dear friend Keziah Nyam-jim who has been bringing her immense talents in the business world to the table and supporting our changes with some advice, gentle nudges, and more than a few laughs in the process, she has been talking us through options that we would otherwise have missed.

What this means, is we have a much clearer end goal and thanks to Keziah, a timetable to work to, and someone outside of the creative world we live in who is going to give us a critical eye that is much needed looking over the work and plans. Something that we highly recommend.

There are also updates we know are coming to the vshowcards site which will make a huge impact on how we work, and open up doors to projects for many people in the arts and media that will be a gamechanger. Our creative director JamesC, will be amending and changing his own profile with vshowcards and adding the link directly to the website to make promotion a little easier overall.

More updates will be available soon so stay tuned.

Adding To Your Pro Kit For Makeup Artists Featuring Mykitco

In our last blog, we talked about the books we are adding to our working library which included two fantastic makeup books and one on filmmaking which we thought would be beneficial not only to the team but to our readers.

Now we want to talk to the makeup artists out there and remind you that your kit is important, more so now than ever with changes happening on a regular basis and guidance altering how we work collectively, this admittedly varies by company and by budget, none the less it is a good time to invest in solid kit staples that will ensure you are working smart in the new year from fashion and print through to film and TV.

Mykitco is one of the brands that does feature heavily in our creative directors working kit and with a plan in motion to split the kit into 2 parts (more so the tools) a sale is always a good time to buy up brushes and other accessories especially when they are pro-grade and high quality.

What this means for JamesC, is that rather than a full array of kit items brought in and cleaned in stages, he and the rest of the team will focus on small projects that will allow space to clean and in terms of space reduce the need for a larger table so limiting things to 6 f each brush and careful planning for the looks to ensure that we are working smart, and in a time-efficient manner across commercial projects and our festival plans.

*It is worth taking the time to apply for the pro discount available from Mykitco as this will allow you the flexibility to add to your kit over time and add new items as and when you need them.

For further information on the Mykitco range or to follow them across social media see:

Mykitco Website.

Mykitco Instagram.

Mykitco Facebook.

Christmas Consultations and Other Business

The Christmas season (and by extension New Year) is always interesting for the Lost Creatives team. Our creative director JamesC has been working with a few regular faces pre-show in a private capacity to plan out makeup for the stellar talent Alex Robertson, currently appearing as Dame at the Falkirk Town Hall, alongside his usual work with brands.

As an old friend of the company Alex Robertson has been a supporter and a real boost to our morale, and to have him come to JamesC for advice was a genuine pleasure, he is not only an exceptional talent on stage but a respected character actor for a wide range of TV shows, indie films, and much more, so to be able to support him was a real pleasure and in truth a running laugh as he is a comical person to be around with self-deprecating humor that always makes us laugh out loud. For further information on the show, Beauty and the Beast, click here.

On top of this, we have been doing other types of consult work from PR advice to script work breaking down the financials (in basic form) to help a few indie projects that were stuck with a few minor details. We are incredibly proud of the work we do and appreciate that people see us as a viable source of information and of course promotion for their projects.

In the New Year, we are going to be taking some calculated risks and going public with our work which till now has been for clients and we have had to sign waivers preventing us from showcasing the work, frustrating but nonetheless important for our growth as a team and a company.

While we finish off some of the background work we have before we close for a few days of well-earned rest, we wish all our followers and everyone in the media industry a Merry Christmas, we look forward to coming back in the New Year with more news and updates.

Talking Acting and The Vshowcards Site With Alex Reece

We are incredibly proud to be able to talk to some of the leading talents in the UK about their careers and plans, with a CV that spans the world, and a down to earth attitude Alex Reece is not only an actor of note but the co-founder of vshowcards the newest talent spotlight site to hit the market and create a storm.

As an actor you have had a varied career, can you start by telling us about yourself and the work you have done?

“I’m an adventurer at heart. I love new experiences and extreme ones too. I’ve traveled and lived on different continents and learned languages and studied martial arts and cultures as diverse as Capoeira in Brazil and Kalari Payatttu in India.”

I’ve lived in the mountains in Spain where I scratched a living working for the local farmers and builders. Acting is an extension of that. It’s a way of going to new places, from a perceptual point of view… investigating new characters and immersing myself in different stories. It’s a great adventure.

What has been the highlight so far of your career and is there a dream role you would like to take on?

There have been several huge highlights… getting flown to Canada to do a great role as a Hindi speaking English spy ( I’ve been learning Hindi since doing a huge movie Sajjan Singh Rangroot with Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh) and working with Daniel Craig on the Heineken Skyfall Commercial and getting cast as the lead villain in Danny Patrick’s latest movie ‘The Aryan Papers’ - Danny won the Cannes Film Festival Best Director for Independent film in 2021 and to be working with is just huge.

What advice would you offer to a new or aspiring actor?

Get proactive. Don’t wait for the jobs to come to you. Keep at it, the craft, the marketing, the networking. A powerfully positive mental attitude is your best asset. And get a vShowcard. It’s the best way to put an actor’s professional information all in one link.

You are one of the founders of vshowcards, can you tell us a little more about the site and how it works?

The vShowcards site lets Actors put all of their information in one link. This saves the casting directors so much time. These days you need to have all your links in one place. A vshowcard is the next best thing to actually meeting people. Meeting people is the best way to connect and network, and the vShowcard is the best link to send to people so that they can see as much of you and your work all in one place.

To learn more about Alex Reece or to discuss booking see:

Alex Reece vshowcards.

Alex Reece Twitter.

Alex Reece Instagram.

Alex Reece Facebook.

Alex Reece Spotlight.

Alex Reece IMDB.

Cut Frame Magazine

Designed to be a showcase platform for talent, from emerging to the established, Cut Frame Magazine has been making waves in the arts for its frontline look at the industry and passion for showcasing voices that might otherwise be missed. 

A creative hub that talks to the different people involved in creating the music we love, the theatre we watch, and the film and TV projects we enjoy, Cut Frame has become a go-to for the creative talent sphere that is rapidly gaining eyes outside the industry for its open dialogue approach and easy form. 

Insights from talent are something that frequently gets overlooked especially from the crew, what this magazine offers is them the chance to speak and show the reality of being part of an industry that spans the globe.  

Standing out in the market, Cut Frame has been instrumental in opening up a dialogue with filmmakers and actors who are telling the world about their journey, looking at the films that captivate us, and reviewing them with the critical eye of the talent behind the camera.  

With plans in motion to expand the platform with membership options that will open up further stories that are industry-related and give a more comprehensive and in-depth focus to their work, alongside a podcast culminating an end goal of going beyond the current boundaries and opening up the world to the potential of the creative fields. 

In an industry that relies on networking, marketing, and of course contacts, Cut Frame offers professional insight into that world and gives valuable advice and support to the creative networks out there, and shows us that we are not alone, the industry is there to support you.  

To learn more about Cut Frame, support, or get involved see:

Cut Frame Magazine.

Cut Frame Instagram.

Cut Frame Twitter.

Cut Frame Linkedin.

Support the magazine and its writers via:

Cut Frame Paypal.

Cut Frame Buy me a coffee.

Hitting Deadlines

Working from home and doing multiple blogs, consulting with production companies, and doing costings for projects has been fantastic, it has allowed us to be a part of the creative field and opened up conversations with potential collaborators for the next year. What it also means is we have been able to set deadlines for work and give ourselves flexibility on the stock we have with a view to curating and adding what is needed for the near future.

As you can imagine we are now close to one of the deadlines for an in-house project, small, but nonetheless important. So within the next 10 days, we have to complete a minimum of 3 shoots that will be submitted for a competition we have had our collective eye on for a while now.

It also has been a good time to work on a marketing plan for the new year, which is scarily close and our creative director and head of makeup JamesC has now got a profile with the fantastic vshowcards which is in need of some small updates but is officially live!

Something we have discussed at length is websites, JamesC will revert to his old website soon with some much-needed changes as we have a huge amount of his work saved on the old site, we felt it made more sense just to edit and relaunch versus a rebuild.

Another option we are reviewing and giving serious thought to is an electronic notebook to reduce our paper use or at least a tablet with a good note keeper app, with so much in the market changing we are working to keep on top of this and be as practical about our work as possible.

Stay tuned for updates and further information.

Backstage at The iKons Show featuring Girl Meets Brush

With the return of live events, it was a true showcase of talent both on the catwalk and behind the scenes, at The House of iKons show. Featuring the makeup and hair team of Girl Meets Brush, fashion week is back with a bang.

As one of the leading off-schedule events during London fashion week, The House of iKons has returned to the global stage with a show that gives a voice and platform to designers from across the spectrum, but it is the backstage area that really is where the work happens. Having worked on countless live events myself, I know that is no mean feat to prep an army of models which is why teamwork is a must.

The Girl Meets Brush team showed they are up to the challenge and led by founder Lynn Mills, they created a makeup and hair showcase that was both translatable to the real world and very much high fashion without losing stride. The look had to work for multiple designers and a range of skin tones which to their credit, they made this look effortless working seamlessly on what is a significant and important fashion event with the world’s press capturing every detail.

House of iKons is a top-tier show with designers from across the globe so the backstage crew needs to be on top of their game and The Girl Meets Brush team pulled it out of the bag with grace and style.

To learn more about Girl Meets Brush or The House of iKons see:

Girl Meets Brush

Girl Meets Brush Pro Team.

Girl Meets Brush Shop.

Girl Meets Brush Facebook.

Girl Meets Brush Instagram.

Girl Meets Brush Twitter.

The House of iKons

House of iKons Website.

House of iKons Facebook.

House of iKons Instagram.

House of iKons Twitter.

House of iKons Youtube.

Making No Mercy a Boxing Odyssey

When it comes to indie film the process can be arduous and full of obstacles but the outcome is worth every step. Tackling not just acting but producing, directing, and more we talk to Louis Findlay about his latest film No Mercy, a film about the darker side of boxing, taking the gloves off and looking at it from a different angle.

Filming a project on this scale is a big undertaking, what have been some of the challenges you have faced in the process and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for this project was money. I must have spent around £2,000+ on the project which is all I could really afford. Most of it was my own money and then the rest was via GoFundMe. The way I overcame potential challenges prior to filming was by writing locations I knew I had access to and casting friends I had worked with before. Then it was literally asking a LOT of favors from everyone else. One challenge I wasn’t prepared for was COVID. We literally had the training montage to film which is one of the most important scenes in any boxing movie,  so we couldn’t wrap it till we shot that but no one knew how long lockdown would last.  I felt about pulling the plug on this project so many times when the going got tough, but I just had to fight my way through it (no pun intended) 

The style of the film is very close to the docudrama or docusoap style, do you think that will change how people will look at the film and the people involved?  

Yeah, I hope so. The main focus was about making these characters feel real and forget people are actually playing these parts. I wanted to show this working-class family who are incredibly close, who have had their ups and downs and a fair share of family drama but at the end of the day, you can relate and fall in love with them.  I wanted it to feel natural and I think the visual style really helps to sell that. THAT and the fact everyone just bossed their roles. 

What was the motivation for this project in particular the look at boxing and the behind the gloves side of the business?

 My dad used to box back in the day, not professional but had a few bouts. He tried getting me to do it as a kid but I felt bad hitting people in the face. I have fond memories of his Mike Tyson VHS tapes on the shelf (which eventually made their way to the loft.  Dad and I watched them a few times when I was a kid and I thought it was pretty cool but had no interest in pursuing it other than working the bag and pads in the gym as I got older. 

But I think what makes any boxing film great is the story outside the ring, I think southpaw is a great example of that because he’s fighting for his daughter, not about being champ.  For my film, I wanted to focus on the darker side of boxing which is reflected in some of the dialogue and the way the promoter goes about business. I took a lot of inspiration from DareDevil, between a prize-fighting father and a son who looks up to him, but behind the scenes the promoter is dodgy. I also threw a lot of personal stuff from my childhood into the project too. 

There have been many who have taken the step over the line from actor to director/producer and worked both sides of the camera. Do you think this is something you will continue between acting jobs as a means to not only showcase your own concepts but to create opportunities for others in the creative fields?  

Absolutely, 100%. I had no idea how to get into the acting business when I left school so I started making my own films. In essence, I’ve learned other skills along the way by doing that such as writing and learning how a camera works.  But I’m very much a person who can’t sit still, I don’t wait for the grass to grow and if no one is going to give me the roles I want then I’ll go out and get them myself. I could’ve been waiting years for a role like this and it may have never come my way.  I think it’s so important for actors to make their own work and if I can help others out along the way and offer opportunities in front or behind the camera then that’s what I’ll continue to do! 

 What is next for you and your team? Do you have any projects in the works that you can tell us about?

 Yes, I’ve got a micro shortcoming very soon that we shot on the sky in Trafalgar, a short film called RoadKill that I had hoped to turn into a feature and a drama coming very soon which is about a man confronting someone from his past revisiting some disturbing memories. I have also just written two new features. 

What advice would you offer to someone starting their journey as a filmmaker and actor?

As I said, don’t wait for the grass to grow. It is so easy to make a film nowadays, we all have a camera in our pocket so just write something and film it.  Find like-minded people who can help you and if you’re really nice to people they’ll go out of their way for you. If you don’t ask, you don’t get - simple! 

*I would like to add a huge thank you to everyone involve and in particular Marcus O’Brien, Brandon Bailey, Dan brooks, Richie lamb, Gerard, and Keith Scott.

To learn more about the film or the team see:

No Mercy Trailer.

No Mercy Facebook.

No Mercy Twitter.

No Mercy IMDB.