Meet Zane Stephens of Zane Stephens Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zane Stephens.

Zane, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The story of Zane Stephens Studio starts in December 2015, the month my first child was born. I was let go from a job a few days before Christmas, was given very little severance and I had a 2-week old son. For a few moments, I felt like life was collapsing around me. Ultimately, I felt like a failure, not only as a man but now also as a father. So my very supportive wife and I brainstormed what I should do for work that would bring us both fulfillment and shortly after the holidays, we landed on me launching my own acting studio. The studio officially launched in February 2016 with only 3 students, one of whom is still with me today.

Needless to say, that was not enough to pay my bills, but that was the start of something great! Now, a little over 2 years later, I have about 60 weekly students in the class, private lessons, I teach workshops all over the country, and a lot of my actors work! Some of them can be seen on Law and Order: SVU, The Blacklist, Instant Family, Goosebumps, The Gifted, Cobra Kai, Bad Mom’s 2 and many other studio projects.

I’d say the only way I went from 3 students to where I am today is through my faith, passion combined with expertise in the area of my passion, a “failure is not an option” mentality and a great support system around me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This depends on how you look at it. In general, it has been pretty smooth. The growth has been steadily climbing ever since that first February. And, since the business is just me and my brand, I haven’t had to deal with any other hands in the pot or waiting on any other people to make decisions, so I have been able to grow at my rate.

From another perspective, it has been difficult. The studio was only part-time for the first year and a half. So I had other jobs as well just to make ends meet. Actually, on quite a few occasions, I considered closing the studio because I was fed up with doing so many different things at once, just to live paycheck to paycheck.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Zane Stephens Studio – what should we know?
Zane Stephens Studio is an acting school that functions in a way to provide a safe and challenging place to study. We believe an actor needs to be vulnerable. They need to dig deep within themselves to be able to authentically create on stage and on camera.

We create that space for them through our focus on trigger work. Also known as the ability to create and control authentic emotion. Through our exercises and audition prep style of classes, we help actors learn how and what to substitute into their performances to make them strong. We say our primary goal is to enliven the actor to the craft and embolden them to organically create, within imaginary circumstances, so the audience’s needs are met. We say acting is for the Sake of the Audience.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are a lot of people that deserve credit for where I am in life. Let’s start with my family, who supported me moving to LA when I was 18 years old to pursue my dream of being an actor. Then there are several people that helped groom me in this industry, from my representation early on to industry contacts that provided me more contacts. Then there were my coaches in LA. I was trained by some of the best coaches out there.

Also, I had several therapists throughout this journey that helped me process my life and my struggles. And, then, most importantly, my wife who has been incredibly supportive of this journey and has walked side by side with me through it.

Pricing:

• $125/mon for 4 classes
• $60/hr for 60 min privates

Contact Info:

• Address: 3116 Main St. Duluth, GA 30096
• Website: www.zanestephensstudio.com/
• Phone: 502-377-1468
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/zanecstephens/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/zanestephensstudio/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/ZaneCStephens

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