Current & Previous Clients
Learning to Work the Room
Leonzo Vargas is a music artist and entrepreneur. He originally started coaching lessons to improve his onstage performance as a hip-hop artist, but he also knew that he wanted to build a creative community but wasn’t sure of how to approach the idea.
We started with polishing his performance skills - vocal delivery (voice training and proper breath support), stage presence (effective use of body language and gestures), audience interaction (keeping the audience engaged with effective introductions and banter), and live set rehearsals. Through consistent practice, Leonzo’s confidence in these areas grew to the point that he felt comfortable inviting a few musicians to an open jam that he would host and cultivate. Leonzo took the performance skills that he had mastered for his concerts and transferred and adapted them for his new jam event. The first event was a success, and within six months his jams were drawing easily 300 guests and dozens of musicians at a time while selling out community venues in Philadelphia.
Using his performance skills, he was able to lead the band and audience through extended jams, meditations, and community-building programming. He named this community Global Village, and it has evolved into an events company that is poised to begin licensing their jams to markets nation-wide. Meanwhile, Leonzo has utilized his onstage skills and business-building experience to co-found PhilaDose, an agency focused on the therapeutic and artistic uses of psychedelics.
“Andrew is incredibly connected with us as students. Excited to see his clients double and triple!”
From Ideas on the Page to Words on the Stage
Kim Chestney is a wellness coach and published author. Kim needed to prepare for her national tour promoting her latest book about personal intuition and how to harness it in everyday life.
Her greatest challenge was presenting her personal story and how it related to her book. She felt unprepared for public speaking, unfamiliar with being onstage, and unsure of how to structure her live presentations in a way that grabbed the audience’s attention while flowing well.
We began with foundational stage techniques to build her confidence and stage presence in her new role as a keynote speaker. We then moved on to the main points of her book that she most wanted to express during her presentation and determined what her goal was - what did she want to accomplish from her book tour presentations? After deciding her goals and crafting a call-to-action, we looked at her personal history and agreed to use a story from her life. The story was chosen for its ability to engage the audience’s emotions and while also explaining the origins of her career as a coach and author.
After incorporating her story and professional expertise, we conducted in-depth and timed rehearsals during which she was required to go straight through her presentation without starting over, teaching her how to bob and wave with every speaking mistake, missed queue, and flat emotion. With these rehearsals, Kim eventually gained the confidence to present her book, ideas, and personal story without coaching guidance and to talk about them in a more conversational manner rather than sounding too formal or even sporadic.
The results of Kim’s improved presentation skills include having her book tour extended with fifteen more dates, an influx of additional coaching clientele, and another book deal! In her own words, “I never thought that learning to speak and perform in public could actually be fun. Andrew has a way of coaching that gets you out of your own way and effortlessly takes you to the next level. Highly recommend!”
Connecting Through Your Story
Brianna DeMayo is a marketing guru, artist manager, and owner of Philadelphia talent development agency Taste Creators. Brianna has worked with major brands like Adidas and Atlantic Records, and has developed a successful knack for telling and marketing her clients’ stories. However, she had always downplayed and struggled to tell her own story and why she chose her career path.
As Taste Creators expanded and became more established, it became clear that Brianna would have to tell her story both to live audiences and to various media outlets, including live interviews on podcasts, radio, and film segments. We began our coaching journey with preparing her voice for podcasts and radio interviews. Vocal exercises, including speed and volume dynamics plus tongue-twisters, were drilled and rehearsed. Next we dove into her backstory - what made her tick as a business owner? We went over her childhood involvement in the music business, her pivot into real estate and marketing, and then her motivations for returning to the music business. We used her story to craft her self-introduction, message, and call-to-action and then rehearsed these elements repeatedly.
For on-camera appearances, we studied camera angles, wardrobe choices, and effective eye contact and body language. We also drilled how to answer different types of tough interview questions while weaving in her message in order to drive deals and sales via the social proof of media interviews.
“Breath control and crowd participation are my favorite aspects. I love working on the introductions and how to interact with the crowd while on stage.”
Case Studies
Reviews
“I've seen a lot of growth for my onstage performance. The most helpful techniques have been learning how to use your body and face to tell a story.”
Ariel Skye - Singer & Performer
“Before I worked with Andrew, I had no idea how to properly deliver an engaging live performance despite years of ‘experience’ in musical theatre and small ensembles, I was largely winging it. Andrew delves into the minutiae of what makes a performance good and what makes a performance bad - he will make you better. After working with him for several months, I know that my live performance is the best is has ever been and for that I am truly grateful.”
Grant Phillips - Singer & Performer
“I don't always believe in myself or my voice, but Andrew has always been my cheerleader. He's patient and kind and I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the few sessions that we've had so far.”
Aja Pryor - Singer & Performer
“Andrew unleashed a fearless side to me that allowed me to share my real authenticity onstage.”
Namarah McCall - Singer & Performer