Savvy Team
JODIE BENTLEY is an entrepreneur, career coach, teacher and professional actor in NYC. After graduating with a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts at the Stella Adler Conservatory, she discovered her other loves – sales and marketing. Jodie built her own highly successful sales and marketing company from the ground up. She cultivated years of experience in targeted branding, successful sales tactics, and outside-the-box marketing strategies. Her company laid the foundation for her success in the business of acting, and developed her keen eye and savvy gift for helping other actors achieve their own goals. As an actor, Jodie has played leading roles in workshops of new musicals and plays at the York Theatre, New World Stages, The Workshop Theater and all over NYC. Some of her favorite regional roles include: Annie Get Your Gun (Annie Oakley), They’re Playing Our Song (Sonia), Sylvia (Sylvia), Prelude to a Kiss (Rita). She also works frequently in commercials, soaps, voiceovers and print. www.jodiebentley.com
KEVIN URBAN is a professional actor/singer and career coach who aims to share his entrepreneurial vision by empowering clients to achieve their dreams. While in college, Kevin fell in love with the syllabus. The syllabus allowed Kevin, A graduate of Elizabethtown College with a BA in Communications focusing on PR, Marketing and Theatre, to stay on top of grades, perform and swim competitively. Swimming allowed Kevin to learn the art of setting goals and achieving them through patience and practice, as well as, begin to coach others in the pursuit of excellence. In addition to the syllabus and competitive swimming, Kevin credits his wide range of interests which include, science fiction, puppeteering, comedic & musical improv, graphic design, social networking, and any new technology that makes his life easier (particularly all things apple), for his inspiration to bring new innovative ideas and thinking to the acting community. As an actor, Kevin has performed since the age of five, working in Theatre, TV, Film and Commercials. www.kevinurban.com
DOUG SHAPIRO is a career consultant with proven talent for networking and goal-setting for artists and takes great pride in helping others take charge of their career. He is best known for his ‘FODapalooza’ networking events that connect the people in his life, his monthly e-newsletters, and his expertise at creating multiple characters for music theatre and voice-over projects. Doug has been working for eight years with Right Management, a company that provides career management services for clients who have been let go from their jobs. This work has provided the foundation for his expertise in networking techniques, self-marketing, interviewing strategies, and resume development. Doug has been a guest lecturer on the business of acting at universities ranging from Villanova University to the University of Southern Maine. His acting work ranges from MC and principal vocalist for a 15-piece 1940’s Big Band to voicing several characters for the cast album and live show of Disney’s FINDING NEMO: THE MUSICAL. Doug graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Music Theatre, Vocal Jazz, and Stage Management and has been working steadily in the New England and New York City markets ever since. www.dougshapiro.com
Christina Shipp, a self proclaimed “ideas man”, is a professional actor and now a career consultant in NYC. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, as a teen she went to the Youth Performing Arts School and worked at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Her romantic soul took her even deeper south for school, and Christina graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with two degrees: one in Theatre and one in Sociology. She credits her Sociology background for success in both her fields: the rigorous training of data analysis and the sociological perspective have led to her holistic approach in both her acting and with her coaching clients. That social science vocabulary coupled with her training in The Lucid Body Techniquehave sharpened her instincts, opened her awareness, and reinforced her intuition. Christina also studies improv at The PIT, is an ensemble member with The Flux Theatre Ensemble, and runs with the Pack: Packawallop Productions is a film and production company in NYC. She is dedicated to expressing the ideals of gratitude and curiosity, sharing her joy, and perpetuating success. www.christinashipp.com
Stephen Mitchell Brown is overjoyed to be working with The Savvy Actor as their web consultant and advisor of things in the technical world. While gearing up to become a distributor of Send Out Cards, he continues to pursue his first love of performing. He has performed regionally across the country and in Japan. Favorite Roles include Beauty & the Beast (The Beast), Showboat (Ravenal) , Carousel (Enoch Snow), Captains Couragous (Manuel), Guys & Dolls (Nicely), and Greater Tuna (Thurston, et al.). He has been designing websites as his "other job" for 2 years and recently launched his new company, Moneynote Designs, to help performing artists create a space of their own on the web. Stephen graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BA in Theatre w/ Music Minor. He currently studies voice and acting in NYC. www.stephenmitchellbrown.com
Rachel Grundy - a native of London, Rachel has been working in the independent theatre, film and music scene in New York since 2003, relocating permanently in 2005. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Drama from the University of East Anglia in the UK, and since moving to the US has done everything from stage managing a Broadway-sized tour of Beauty and the Beast to co-writing, producing and performing in off-off-Broadway shows, garnering four audience awards for acting in the process. Recently she has focused on film acting and music, performing regularly with her band Coyote Love (who released their debut album last year) around NYC and the tri-state area, and working on independent film projects with a variety of directors. She became a Savvy client through her good friend Doug Shapiro, who provided invaluable coaching as she worked on her career transition, and is delighted to be a part of the amazing Savvy team as Database Manager. www.rachelgrundy.com
Stacey Tavor Originally from Houston, TX, Stacey has been living in New York since 2006. After realizing her true calling of Music Theatre, Stacey enrolled at NYU and received a Master of Music Degree from the Steinhardt School. Before becoming the Administrative Assistant she joined the Savvy community as a client in 2008. Still continuing to coach with Jodie, Stacey loves to connect with and help actors find their place in the Savvy world. She is also very interested in contemporary and fresh, new musicals and plays. Stacey loves exploring NYC, white water rafting and fashion. She recently started her own business as a Stylist for the Stella & Dot Jewelry Company - www.stelladot.com/staceytavor.
Jenn Mello hails from the beautiful Appalachian Mountains in Northern New Jersey. Growing up in a musical household she naturally became a singer and went on to get a bachelors degree in Music Education (voice) from The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She then furthered her studies at NYU’s Steinhardt School where she got a Masters in Musical Theatre. Since graduating she switched gears to focus on straight theatre and film, and thanks to the help from Savvy she booked the role of Callie in “Stop Kiss,” here in New York; as well as leading roles in 3 independent short films. In addition to her acting work, Miss Mello also teaches private voice lessons and coaches monologues. She is thrilled to be joining the Savvy team! Thanks to Kevin and Jodie for all their help and guidance!
