What does it actually mean to succeed as an actor? In this episode, journalist and presenter Jamie Body is joined by Alexa Morden — actor, coach, author, and founder of the 98% podcast and CIC — to have the conversation the industry rarely wants you to hear.

Alexa breaks down why chasing the traditional idea of "making it" could be holding you back, how to find genuine success and fulfilment at any stage of your acting career, and why being in the 98% of actors who don't earn their main income from acting is nothing to be ashamed of.

They also get into the red flags actors need to watch out for — from fake producers and IMDb credit fraud to agencies withholding pay — and why Alexa turned her podcast into a Community Interest Company to keep fighting for actors who have nowhere else to turn.

Plus, in Lights, Questions, Action: the role Alexa always wanted, the acting advice she thinks is complete nonsense, and why you absolutely need to be her friend if you're okay with voice notes.

🎙️ Topics covered:

• Why only 2% of actors earn their main income from acting?
• Redefining success on your own terms. Internal vs external validation. Control the controllables — a process-focused approach to your career.
• Industry red flags and the work of the 98% CIC: The myth of blacklisting.
• Writing Beyond the Spotlight with her father, performance psychologist Dr Steve Ball 📖 Alexa's book Beyond the Spotlight is out now.

🎧 Find the 98% podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. The Business of Show Business is the podcast for performers, creatives, and industry professionals navigating the real world of show business. Hosted by Jamie Body, distributed across 45+ countries.

Subscribe for new episodes monthly and leave a comment below — what's your definition of success as a performer?

What does it take to write, direct, produce — and edit — your own feature film? This week on The Business of Show Business, Jamie Body sits down with British-American filmmaker Peter Glanz to talk about his highly anticipated new film Savage House.

Set against the chaos of 18th century England — a Pox outbreak, the Jacobite Uprising, and a society obsessed with image and social climbing — Savage House is a darkly funny, madcap satire of greed, class, and power, starring Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy. The film has already landed five-star reviews following its world premiere.

In this mini episode, Peter reveals:

— How a single image of a nobleman at a candlelit dinner table sparked the entire script

— Why 1715 felt like a "black mirror" for our times

— The reality of making a period drama on a tight budget — and storyboarding every single frame to make it work

— What it was like directing Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy, and the direction he gave Claire that unlocked her performance

— Why he edited the entire film on a MacBook Air at home

— His honest advice for emerging filmmakers and directors trying to break through

Peter's career spans a short film that premiered at both Cannes and Sundance, commercials for Chanel, YSL, Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger, a Carly Rae Jepsen music video starring Tom Hanks with over 300 million views, and an adaptation for Paramount Pictures. Savage House is his most ambitious project yet.

If you love film, filmmaking, British period drama, or the business behind the screen — this one is for you.

Savage House is in cinemas now.

The Business of Show Business is hosted by Jamie Body and available on all major podcast platforms.

Jamie Body sits down with performer and vocal & performance coach Grace Galloway — fresh from her critically acclaimed run in Ride the Cyclone at the Southwark Playhouse — to talk about everything nobody tells you before you leave drama school.

Grace opens up about the real mental and emotional demands of a performing career, how she landed Educating Rita at Dundee Rep with a cold email (not an audition), what happened when she chose a holiday in Greece over a producer final, and why she believes the hard part of this industry isn't the job — it's withstanding everything around it.

They also dig into vocal health, building a rep that actually works for you, the Ride the Cyclone fandom, and how operating as a vocal coach has made Grace a better performer.

🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why Grace nearly didn't submit a self-tape for Ride the Cyclone
• How a cold email to an old drama school contact led to her being cast in Educating Rita
• The mental health challenges performers don't talk about enough - Vocal health tips that actually work (and why lozenges don't do what you think)
• How many songs you really need in your rep — and how to use them
• The worst career advice Grace ever received
• What Grace wishes she'd known leaving drama school

🎟️ Ride the Cyclone returns to the Southwark Playhouse, go and see it.

📲 Follow Grace: Instagram & TikTok: @gracegallowayxx Coaching: @gallowayvocals | gallowayvocals.com

📲 Follow Jamie: Instagram: @bodyjamie Website: jamiebody.com

🎧 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts — and if you enjoy the show, leave a review. It genuinely helps.