Jonathan Stanley: From Go-Go Dancer to Hollywood Hot Shot
58m | Oct 22, 2026Before he owned Hollywood's number one, cutting-edge self-tape and demo reel facility, Hot Shots Self Taping, Jonathan Stanley danced for tips. A true rags-to-riches story, full of grit and drama, he clawed his way out of Detroit and into Hollywood by making a semi-autobiographical film about his lean years, and then putting his hard-fought lessons in marketing to the task by piggybacking on the success of Magic Mike to sellout multiple theaters in Las Vegas and make a splash...
As a business owner, his continual rise, after three full years of losing money has been amazing to witness. What started as putting actors on tape in a broom closet in 2014 has evolved into a full-blown mini-studio where he shoots short films, creates demo reels for actors from around the world on his self-built sets of a gas station, a private plane, a bar, a jail cell, interrogation room, you name it, he shoots it. His Instagram feed is fully engaged and his classes are fully packed.
But all of it is in service of his 10,000 NOs journey: a sideline business built to accompany and support his acting career that now out-earns even successful actors. He is the embodiment of our philosophy to stop waiting and start creating. His stories are colorful and raw, his gratitude is infectious, and his story will both inspire and entertain you.
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And remember: “failure” is just opportunity in disguise. You can flip the script to make your setbacks serve you.
THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY:
demoreel.com - Ditch your actor website: Stop juggling a bunch of different links for your reels, resume and headshot. Quickly organize everything on one professional page with demoreel.com - USE DISCOUNT CODE: 10KNOS - for 10% off for the life of your subscription!
Hot Shots Self-taping - The studio that gets actors booked. Trusted by Hollywood's Top Agencies: WME | CAA | UTA | Paradigm | Innovative Artists | Gersh - for Demo Reel creation, cinematic self-tapes, on-camera/on-set acting workshops and more. Tell them 10,000 NOs sent you!
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