Carl A. Pitts with CAP71 Entertainment

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world, and we offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio, we have an actor who is known for just various roles in television and film. He’s been on Fatal Attraction. He’s been on Atlanta Homicide, Ozark, Quantico. He also owns his own production company, CAP71 Entertainment. We have so much to talk about. Welcome to the studio, Carl A. Pitts.

Carl A. Pitts: I appreciate you having me, Sharon. Thank you so much.

Sharon Cline: You’re welcome. It’s, um, so fun to see you again because we got to work on Fatal Attraction together, and you were just so nice to me as, as a newbie on those shows. So you were so sweet. And yeah, I really appreciated the time that you took with me to kind of make sure that I was doing things that the director would be like, yeah, don’t do that.

Carl A. Pitts: You did great.

Sharon Cline: Well, you helped me.

Carl A. Pitts: I just saved you my trouble. So yeah. Yeah. As you saw, I got, like a lot of direction, so. And I’m very thick skinned, so whatever they want, I just do.

Sharon Cline: So I felt the same way. That would be like, okay, can you do it this way? I’m here for you. That’s what I kept saying. It’s like, yes, okay. Whatever you want. It was so much fun. I was one of the happiest. That was one of the happiest moments that I’ve had.

Carl A. Pitts: And really. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Truly, honestly, it was very nice. It was great. So thank you for being wonderful and why I wanted to have you on the show. Not only do you do voiceover work, which we can talk about, but right before we started the show, we talked about how you actually are your own business when you’re an actor in this in this industry, especially in Atlanta. I mean, it’s a huge industry here, obviously, but you’ve been able to really carve out some wonderful projects. Not only that you’ve done personally, but you’ve been part of of. I mean, when I think about Quantico, I think of these shows that you can see right now. Anyone could go Google and find them on TV. What has it been like for you as you’ve. Well, there’s also another side of your life, which is a very professional side of your life, and you’re a very smart person.

Carl A. Pitts: Thank you.

Sharon Cline: You’re welcome. And I actually have it here. You are a mechanical engineer. You got your bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering. Good lord. Multi-talented. So, yeah. What has it been like for you as you’ve broken into the industry here in Atlanta?

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah, it’s been a little bit of a challenge. So if I could, I could start back how I actually got started in it. So how I got started in it was, is that there was a TV show that used to come on the CW and then Bet picked it up and it’s called The Game. Um, it was a show that had like eight seasons, I think, on Bet, and then it switched over and got, you know, picked up by like, you know, the CW or actually, I’m sorry, CW two Bet. And so I was basically googling just to see when, like the next season of my favorite show started, it was going to be season nine. That was coming up. Gotcha. And so this little pop up, as I was doing my search, the little pop up kept coming up saying, hey, you know, you could be, you know, you could be, you know, on the show, the game, you know. And so I kept minimizing it. So every time I was looking at a link, it kept popping up, popping up, popping up. So I just kind of filled something out for it to go away. And lo and behold, it went away. And the next morning I got an email from that, that message, and they said, hey, we’d like to consider you as a, you know, as a character on, you know, on the next season of the show. And I didn’t know what to think. And I was like, okay, sure. And they asked me, can you send some pictures of they want to see me in, like, you know, some workout gear. They want to see my physique. They want to book me as like a like a football player.

Sharon Cline: Oh, wow.

Carl A. Pitts: And I was like, okay, great. So I actually just went on Facebook. Because I didn’t really take it serious. I didn’t know I went on Facebook, just pulled a few pictures of me, like my workout stuff and I, you know, emailed it off and I think I thought I’d never hear from him again. And then later that day, they emailed me back and they said, hey, um, we’d like to put you in front of the producers and director and actually, you know, consider you as a role on, you know, and they actually gave me the episode name and they said, hey, if you’re selected for this, you know, you’ll hear back from us. Um, so that time frame came and went. I didn’t hear back, but, you know, I was kind of sitting there thinking, man, that’s kind of cool to at least been like, presented, and I didn’t. I was just filling out an ad. I was laying in bed filling the ad out the other day. So anyway, so three days later, they sent me an email and they says, you’re booked for. It was a different episode. You’re booked for this episode as a football player for, you know, this season. And I was like, okay, I didn’t know what to expect. Right. So then I just said, you know, and they basically said, hey, you know, are you available? And of course, I was like, I’m gonna take a PTO day off on that, right? I was like, uh, yes.

Carl A. Pitts: And so so we speeded up a little bit. Long story short, um, so my very first experience was again my favorite TV show at the time. So I actually walk in and I’ve got like my garment bag with me and I’m dressed for the scene is actually a funeral scene. So it’s the main character’s father. It’s her father, it’s a funeral scene. So I basically, you know, I walk in as soon as I walk in the door, the guy greeted me by name because he had my information up, and it was only about 25, 30 people that were in the scene. And it kind of like, you know, took me a little bit by surprise. Right? So we walk in and it’s like a warehouse. And so I go into this warehouse and there’s like, you know, all these little, you know, you can see like little mini, you know, sets set up and I could hear like rehearsals. I could hear the characters and I was like, oh man, that’s that’s that’s Tasha mack, man. That’s Jason that. And then I’m sitting there and then one of the main characters, Blu, he walks up and I’m just kind of sitting there like. And then I see Malik over in the corner over there. So I kind of had like this little it’s like I was watching you guys like two weeks ago.

Carl A. Pitts: And it’s like my favorite show. And now I’m sitting right here and I could hear all the characters and see the characters. So anyway, long story short, um, you know, they picked they picked us, they got us in groups of five and they took pictures of us, and they were going to say, this is where we’re going to sit you. So they basically, you know, did everybody. And then they came back and they said, okay, first group. And I was in the first group and they sat me right behind the main cast.

Sharon Cline: Oh my God.

Carl A. Pitts: And so I’m sitting like, man, this is like really wicked, right? So I’m sitting there with the main cast and then there’s like myself there’s like my, my TV girlfriend and then there’s a Jewish gentleman and then there’s a This row. And then the other three seats are the main characters. There’s Jason Pitts. Kelly Pitts, and I’m sorry, it’s blue. Kelly Pitts and Jason Pitts, and it has to be two. Characters on the show with last name Pitts. So. And I’m sitting there and as I’m sitting there and they’re starting to set up the cameras and stuff, and I’m kind of looking down the road and I’m seeing, like, all my characters in the front, there’s like Brandi, and then there’s Malik, and then there’s, you know, Wendy, Raquel. And I’m just like. And it’s really like kind of an out of body experience. So I’m kind of sitting there. We’re not supposed to have our phones on us, but I’m kind of sitting there texting people like, you will not believe where I am. And I’m like, I’m on the set of the game. They’re like, oh, you’re kidding.

Carl A. Pitts: He’s like, no I’m on the set of game. So I would kind of sneak a little bit, take a picture, and it was like, Holy cow. So that was my introduction. So long story short, as I was sitting there watching them during that process, we were on set for probably about maybe 7 or 8 hours. But during that process, you know, they talk about the acting bug. I never did drama in school. I never did plays or anything like that. I’ve always been very interested in it, but I was more of a practical person, which is I know I can earn a living as an engineer versus this pie in the sky of entertainment and acting. So I never really pursued it, though in my gut I was like, man, I would love the chance to do that. And as I was sitting there watching that process and this was back, and I remember the day it was November 2014, and I remember I sat there and as I watched, I actually kind of fell in love with like entertainment. And I thought, you know what? I think I can probably do this.

Sharon Cline: What an amazing first experience.

Carl A. Pitts: That was it.

Sharon Cline: And you didn’t have to have an agent.

Carl A. Pitts: No agent at the time. No, I didn’t get an agent until 2019 ish, I think.

Sharon Cline: So that’s. So you’ve been in the industry for 11 years now? Yes.

Carl A. Pitts: 11 years? Absolutely.

Sharon Cline: I love that you talk about kind of the acting bug and and being exposed to the industry that way, because there’s so much that as even an extra on the set. I don’t know what’s going on. They say a bunch of terms, I don’t know, but when you see the craft of it and why they do what they do, there’s something kind of magical about it, for sure. But but being with your being with your people that you know, as actors, I don’t know, I think that would have just been like a dream.

Carl A. Pitts: You know, it actually was it was I’m when I say it was like an out of body experience, it really was. Because, again, you got to think, I mean, imagine, you know, you got your favorite show.

Sharon Cline: Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: And, you know, two weeks prior to that, or three weeks prior to that, you were just in a bed googling what the next season starts. And then three weeks later, you’re actually sitting among the cast, you know, now, granted, you don’t have lines and that kind of thing, but still, you’re just you’re in the scene with these people. And then when the scene aired, it’s like, I’m right there. I can see myself. And it just…

Carl A. Pitts: It was really a it was like a great experience. And I actually talked to some of the actors and actresses to I got this very briefly. I talked to the main guy who plays Malik. I talked. I chatted with Brandi just a little bit. I mean, just real. But they were just they were very welcoming and very nice. And, you know, there’s a saying that says, you know, sometimes people say, never meet your heroes because you get disappointed. Not that they were my heroes, but again, I favored the show a lot. But when I was on set, I never got a bad vibe from any of them. They were all just like, very nice. Brandi was even like in between takes. She would like stand up and she was like singing to people and stuff and just, I mean, it was it was a very, very great first experience.

Sharon Cline: After you got the bug, so to speak, what did you do next? What was how did you dive in? Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: So what I did is so 2014, November 2014 is when I got my first background role. So then 2015, I actually had a series of roles I was in Being Mary Jane, I was in Captain America The Winter soldier. I was in Quantico. Sully. The vampire diaries. So that’s what I did. And it was all background. So background is kind of a it’s a tear to it. It’s a, you know, it’s like background where there’s like a quick flash of you and they see your elbow.

Carl A. Pitts: And then there’s a background of you and you’re kind of blurred out. And then there’s a featured role. So in Quantico I actually got a featured role. And in fact, Quantico was my third background booking, and they actually had me. So the main character, the main agent, her name is Priyanka Chopra, and she actually is married to Nick Jonas.

Sharon Cline: That’s right. I was like, why do I know that name?

Carl A. Pitts: That’s her.

Carl A. Pitts: So she was a very large Bollywood actress. So in America, this was her first dive into into delve into American. You know, this.

Sharon Cline: Was her first role in television. Oh no way.

Carl A. Pitts: Exactly, exactly. So long, so long story short, that one again. I walked up on set and I ended up being the main. I wish there was two main arresting agents and I was one of the two main ones, so I actually got to handcuff her. And the funny thing is, is that so when the when the clips aired, so also too that was really it’s kind of that was a weird thing too. So again this is my third booking. Right. So when we finish up with all the like you know that, you know, then they got to the point where the production was kind of wrapped for the season, and then they were starting to show like promo clips this, that and the third, the first time I saw myself like on set, I was actually going to and I want to say it was a mission impossible movie at the time that came out. But they had like those first looks. Yes. And Quantico came out and I was on the screen.

Sharon Cline: In the movie theater?

In the movie theater. And that just freaked me out.

Carl A. Pitts: Because I didn’t even.

Sharon Cline: You didn’t even know it was going to happen.

Carl A. Pitts: I didn’t know, I didn’t know.

Sharon Cline: How wild.

Carl A. Pitts: In the movie theater. And so I’m sitting there and I’m like, I’m starting to go on like Facebook and stuff and starting and I’m seeing it. It was like that same picture of me arresting her, and I’ve actually got it on my Instagram. It came on USA today, so it’s like her and us two arresting officers. And I’m right there in USA today. And then on a Facebook page, you know, they had like the Quantico Facebook page and it had like some like million some odd hits. Well, the the the thumbnail clip was me arresting her. So when you go through the page, my face is right there.

Sharon Cline: Listen, you can’t make that happen. You can’t make that. That is completely director chosen.

Carl A. Pitts: And that was awesome. And that. And like I said, that Facebook page stayed for like, months and months and months. But you scroll through it and sure enough, I would see my face and. And in fact, that freeze frame is the one that actually blew up. And I actually made a canvas of it and put it on my, on my garage wall.

Sharon Cline: Oh, I would have done the same thing.

Carl A. Pitts: It was awesome. It was awesome.

Sharon Cline: I mean, it says a lot too, that there is like an energy about you that they want to feature you, you know, in a certain way?

Carl A. Pitts: I was very happy for it.

Speaker3: Yeah, it could have been anybody, but it just was exactly the right place, right time.

Carl A. Pitts: Yes. It was awesome.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. You can’t make it happen.

Carl A. Pitts: It was awesome. And then I can remember once I did that scene that day, um, earlier that day, we were kind of sitting back, and we were kind of on break. And then the director, they were setting up for the next scene, and they were like, hey, we need, you know, we need we need some agents in the office sitting behind when she’s being interrogated. And the director was like, where is so and so and so and so and I’m over eating pizza. I had no idea. And then they’re like, he’s right here, you know, and looking at me and I got pizza in.

Speaker3: My mouth and I’m like, what? You know?

Carl A. Pitts: And the director comes over and he’s got like, this tactical vest and he’s like, put this vest on. We need you right now. And so they sat me. And so it’s just it’s just four of us. So it’s the two actors and then us two in the one room like this. And she’s being interrogated and I’m just like, it was. It was.

Speaker3: Could you even believe it?

Carl A. Pitts: It was, it was.

Speaker3: It was like magic.

Sharon Cline: It is magical.

Speaker3: It was.

Carl A. Pitts: Crazy. And like I said, that was my third booking. And then I kind of had the same thing Uh, as I went through, I kind of only did, um, the year of 2015. Um, 2014, 2015. And I did a little bit of, um, 2016 as far as background. And then that’s when I went to The Independent. Um, but another one I had that I really enjoyed too was Ozark.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: Ozark. And I want to say that was probably maybe my fourth or fifth booking. And I got a feature role in that as well too. Um, that’s the scene actually, that when a lot of people watch the show, even though, again, same thing. I didn’t have lines, but it’s just I was like, right there with the and it was such a great picture, everybody. So in fact, when I’m at my job, I remember I was at my job. There was a guy that used to work in another group, so I managed one group, another guy managed another group. So one of their employees came over to my guy and he was like, man, I was watching a TV show last night and man, there was a guy, man. And I was telling my wife, man, he looks, he looks just like Carl. They could be like brothers. And my guy knew. So he kind of started laughing. And Jason, the guy was like, Jason, what are you laughing at? He’s like, man, that was Carl. And then he got so excited and he came over to my office. He was like, dude, what? It’s like you’re sitting over here all like, you don’t do anything. It’s like, man, I saw you on TV last night, and. And I wasn’t thinking about it. And I was like, yeah. Which show?

Speaker3: No. Because. What were you watching? I just.

Carl A. Pitts: Went, hey, Carl looked at me and he’s.

Speaker3: Like.

Carl A. Pitts: What do you mean? Which show? It’s like, what are you talking about? And then he googled me and he was like, he saw him. Like my start of my IMDb page at the time was only a few credits, but. So yeah, that was that was kind of how it started. But that was just the it’s a real it’s been a real amazing experience just starting out.

Sharon Cline: I keep thinking that if it were me, I usually like would tell my mom or, you know, my family, okay, you got to watch it this time. Like that would be how I would handle it. But if someone just saw you randomly because they actually were being entertained at the moment, that’s a totally different thing.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah, I’ve had multiple people, and for some reason that Ozark show is the one I even had on Facebook. One time there was an actor and actress couple, and they had actually put up a screenshot on Facebook and they tagged me and they said, hey, right now I am watching my friend Carl Pitts on Ozark. And, you know, I didn’t even know. And I’m looking. And it was that freeze frame of that one. So that was it was really it’s a really nice experience. It really was.

Speaker3: When.

Sharon Cline: You were in those environments. And I’ve been an extra in several different things that are coming out this year too. So I know what it’s like as far as being an extra, and I’ve haven’t been a featured extra yet, but what is it like to be that I’ve been a stand in, which is you get close to?

Carl A. Pitts: Absolutely.

Sharon Cline: Um, like the actors and the directors and all that. But what is it like to be that close with professional actors and someone like, you know, Jason Bateman or the directors that you’re you get to kind of glean from as you’re, as you’re observing?

Carl A. Pitts: Um, it’s it’s it’s kind of a surreal experience because, again, these are people that you’ve seen on television, you know, and and again, you have to understand, at that point I was only like maybe a year into this. So I go from a totally different world of corporate and, you know, in black and white to this world of like, you know, fantasy. So for me, you know, and to be that up close and personal, I would say it’s really surreal because you, you almost feel like, you know, these people. Um, so it’s really just, it’s a but you also look at it kind of like a badge of honor, too, because what I do is when I do that, I basically, you know, I’m very conscious of what I’m doing, and I make sure that whatever they want, I pretty much deliver. So it’s not like I’m in a background where I can kind of do whatever and they don’t notice me. You know, all cameras are on you because you’re sitting there and you’re in frame, you’re in focus and it’s like, you know, the main actor and then you and that’s, you know, it can be a little intimidating, especially when you’re just right out of the gate. And again, that was like less than like my it was like my fourth or fifth booking.

Sharon Cline: It’s kind of, it’s crazy to think there are people that go to school and train and everything to be actors. And here you are, you know?

Speaker3: Yes.

Sharon Cline: Having fun?

Carl A. Pitts: Yes.

Sharon Cline: And you get to experience this whole world. There’s. I keep thinking about this. There’s no way that you could have made any of that happen. It was just meant to be.

Carl A. Pitts: No, I could not because, like I said, I never did theater. I didn’t study drama in school or anything like that. It was just, again, always a fantasy in my mind. But again, I was always a practical person. Like, I can pay bills and I can be an engineer, and I can make X amount of dollars and make a living for myself. Um, so, um, but again, you know, what I do is I look at it now and of course, again, it’s been a number of years, and since then, you know, I’ve taken like, you know, I’ve had, you know, personal coaching from actors, you know, from actor, acting coach, um, and I do a lot of scene study. Um, and, you know, I go on YouTube and anything I can find that’s acting related, even if it’s tips and tricks on, you know, how to audition, you know, even equipment. I even invested in my basement. I invested, I did a kind of a budget friendly one. I got about maybe $1,500 set up, but I’ve got, like, you know, the background and I’ve got, like, you know, a nice camera, nice tripod. I have, you know, a, a nice microphone, all that good stuff. Lights, many lights.

Sharon Cline: So, so that’s for your audition process.

Carl A. Pitts: That’s for my audition process.

Sharon Cline: How important is it to have an agent, do you think?

Carl A. Pitts: Um, I think there’s pros and cons to an agent. So, for instance, um, I was actually able to get an agent. Um, so what I did is I actually, um, initially applied for agents, and I started to apply for agents in October, November of 2018. And I actually submitted to probably, I want to say probably 15, 20 agents. Um, and then I had a couple reach back to me, but I actually ended up signing with my current agent in January of 2019. And so the way the agent works is, is, for instance, you know, you can go to like, casting websites like, you know, big one is like 800 casting. You know, actors access is a big one. Um, you can go to those.

Sharon Cline: Stage right backstage.

Carl A. Pitts: Backstage, all that good stuff, and you can find a lot of casting notices and that kind of thing. Um, but the only difference is, is that with an agent, they tend to get the, the, the more meaty they tend to get the, the, you know, the role before it gets sometimes posted on actor’s access. They get the first run at it. So that’s the benefit of having an agent is that you get like those premiere you know top, you know, types of auditions before they even are presented, sometimes to actors access or just the mere fact that maybe it is an actor’s access and you’re still auditioning for it, but the fact that you have an agent, you kind of have a little bit of an end because, you know, you looked at as being, you know, a little more reputable, a little more professional because you have an agent. Not to say that you can’t, because actually, I booked two roles on TV, One without an agent. And in fact, that’s why my agent booked me. Because, you know, she she, you know, she got me on board was because she saw that I was putting the work in and actually got bookings on major network shows without an agent at all.

Sharon Cline: Like I did when I was with the show. Right.

Sharon Cline: I think I was the only one there that didn’t have an agent, but that’s fine. It wasn’t upsetting.

Carl A. Pitts: I didn’t either. My first two, I didn’t, I did ATL, homicide and I also did Murder by Numbers and that was again, same thing, great experiences. And, you know, um, you know, when I got the audition, I did the audition and then I got the actual booking notification. It was like, you know, again, an out of body experience. And I’m like, are you kidding me? You know, and then and then also to sharing just real quick, I gotta share this. But but what happens is, is that when you get your first like network show booking, you go on set and all this good stuff. So I can remember I had a it was ATL homicide and it was actually season one, episode 11. It’s called Down the Rabbit Hole. And I remember I got the booking and I showed up on set and I played an actual auto store owner. So, you know, I had on like, you know, the onesie, you know, garage type gear type thing on. I had like the motorcycles and stuff and that kind of thing. So the two detectives come in and they’re actually interviewing me, and I can remember when I got there, I was I was there early, you know, and I got there and, you know, I had my lines like, I want to make sure I wasn’t the guy that was holding up people. So I had my lines and we shot in three hours that whole scene in three hours. And so we got done. I got in the car and I just drove back home, and I got home before dark. So it was that quick, right? So when the when the episode aired, I remember it came on and I was sitting there thinking, man, I wonder if they’re going to, you know, what lines are going to cut. And one when the show comes on and it’s on a major network show. And in fact, I was a little giddy because I cut every TV on that was in the house on that particular channel, because I want to hear it throughout the whole house.

Carl A. Pitts: But to see yourself on TV that very first time again. Granted, I saw myself in a movie theater, but that was no words. But here it’s like I’m actually speaking. That was actually amazing. And for the time that I was there, they showed a lot of love. I mean, they pretty much every line I had, I mean, they they previewed me before they went to commercial. They were, you know, hearing you can hear me talk. And then they came, they did my scene. And then when they came back from commercial, they recapped again. So it was just amazing just to see yourself.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh,

Carl A. Pitts: That was just really fun. And that was no agent, no anything. That was just me just putting some work in.

Sharon Cline: So I’m I know our episode that we did together will air April 16th, I believe, April 16th,

Carl A. Pitts: April 16th.

Sharon Cline: So that’ll be quite a moment I think to I don’t know what it’ll be like between then and, or now and then, because I know there’s some other projects that I worked on last year that are coming out too, but I don’t know how much that’s the other thing is like when you’re kind of background or whatever, you know, you don’t know if they’re featuring you or focused on you or if you’re just a blur in the background. Um, there’s no way to know until it actually airs.

Carl A. Pitts: So that’s it? That’s it.

Sharon Cline: I try not to get my hopes up of anything and just be happy.

Carl A. Pitts: So I will give you one. So we had all the I told you all the highs and all the great, you know, things. But there was another show that I got that I got booked on. That was my my second major network and it was through TV one as well, uh, through Jupiter Entertainment. Shout out to Jupiter Entertainment. Great great great company to work with.

Carl A. Pitts: I love working with them. Um, but it was a show called Murder by Numbers, right? So that was my second booking, again, without an agent major network show. So I show up.

Carl A. Pitts: And, um, so the scene I had, again, kind of a mechanic scene. So I’m acting like I’m working on a car. This, that and the third. And so I was there. We were there for probably maybe 4 or 5 hours. Same type of deal. We wrapped and I was able to just drive home. I just like, you know what? I’ll just go home. It’s not, you know, I’ll get home before dark or right at dark at that time. So anyhow, so I remember when that scene came up. So again, I’m kind of on that high because I did ATL homicide first. I’m kind of on that high of hey, I’m going to be on this. So I didn’t really so I kind of mentioned it, but I didn’t mention it a lot. But in Murder by Numbers, they didn’t even have my scene.

Sharon Cline: They had you go up and film and they just they cut it?

Carl A. Pitts: They discarded that whole entire scene.

Carl A. Pitts: And I was kind of like, what in the world? And so but again, I still got the credit for it.

Sharon Cline: Right.

Carl A. Pitts: But it was just it was that downer of. So I say that to say this, um, you talk about getting your hopes up normally. So the way this works is, is and I know a lot of people that’s done this and got burned by it is, hey, watch my show. It’s gonna air. You’ll see me in it. Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t.

Carl A. Pitts: Because you don’t know if your scenes going to get cut or not. So how I skate around that a little bit, honestly, is the first thing I do is any promo stuff that comes out, they’ll sometimes if you see yourself in the promo, you’re probably going to be in the final cut. So I’ll sometimes post the the promo and say, hey, by the way, you know, you know, you know, you may, you know, see me in this episode. So and then the way I skirt that, if I don’t get that then what happens is, is I’ll wait till the actual episode is airing. And then when I see myself, I’ll go like Facebook Live.

Sharon Cline: Were you really? Oh my gosh, here I am.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah. So now I know I’m in the scene. So yeah. So sometimes I like I know a lot of actors and actresses got burned by that because they’re like, hey, but you’ll never know if your scene is going to get cut or not.

Sharon Cline: It’s so random. But they pay you, right, but.

Carl A. Pitts: You still get paid. And depending on the project, you’re more than likely still get credit for it as well.

Sharon Cline: Interesting whole process, the whole thing of it. And when you’re talking about it in terms of being a business, you have to kind of promote yourself.

Carl A. Pitts: Yes.

Sharon Cline: And so how do you do that? Besides, I mean, do you do that after a project has come out or do you, um, go through your agent to do promotion? I’m just curious how you would kind of make yourself a business this way.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah. So what I normally do is, of course, you know, I’ve got someone entertainment, which I founded back in 2018.

Sharon Cline: So I do have your production company.

Carl A. Pitts: That’s my production company. And I’ve actually produced to date I have 11, I have actually 12 projects and I have short films. I’ve got a TV show pilot, and I’ve got a feature film that’s actually streaming now on Apple TV+. It’s on Tubi.

Sharon Cline: What’s it called?

Carl A. Pitts: It’s called Maggie’s Farm.

Sharon Cline: Okay. Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: So Maggie’s farm. So that’s a streaming on Tubi. And that was actually Self-distribution. That was me doing it myself. Wow. So I went through a company and actually, you know, did my own, uploaded my own content, their own deliverables. I did all that good stuff, the artwork, I made my own artwork.

Sharon Cline: Oh my goodness.

Carl A. Pitts: And I did that because I wanted to understand how that process worked, because I know you can send it to people. Somebody knows, somebody knows. Somebody can get you in. But I found a real good network and basically you can just do your own submissions and as long as the quality is there, they actually have a quality check. So they go through and they check your artwork, they check your sound, they check your your subtitles. You have to get subtitles as well too. So all your subtitle files. And then if you pass all the QA checks, it goes into this big network. And then literally you have hundreds of streaming platforms that go through. And if they look for projects, they’ll pick yours up. So out of all my 12 projects I’m probably got, I’ve got short films, I’ve got pilots, I’ve got feature films that are probably streaming on about maybe 12 to 15 different networks, and some I hadn’t even heard of before. I even have a project that’s a short film. It’s called five Star Rating, that’s actually was picked up about two years ago, and it’s playing on Box Brazil.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh, who would have thought?

Carl A. Pitts: And I was and I was wondering why they asked me for like, you know, the, you know, the Portuguese subtitles. So I gave it to them and it’s streaming over there. So it’s really amazing. So yeah, so self-distribution you can do. And like I said, if anybody wants to know, let me know and I’ll get you I’ll get you the hook up on that as well too. But you don’t have to go and and pay exorbitant fees. You can just basically, you know, just do it yourself. But, you know, you have to be a little tech savvy because you have to have certain deliverables that you have to have, and it has to be a certain quality. So I can show you how to do all that stuff. But but that’s what I have. So I can go on my, on my channel right now and I can see all my projects. In fact, I’ll show you before I leave, but I got all my projects are streaming. It shows, you know, which ones that, you know, picked it up, which ones licensed it, which ones passed on it. But it’s a great system. But I’ve got again, I’ve probably got, you know, 15 to 20 different streaming sites I’m on.

Sharon Cline: Well, it’s it’s very smart of you to consider going into it, looking at it as if you know nothing to learn by doing.

Carl A. Pitts: That’s what I wanted, because I wanted to understand the business part of it. So. And then so to go back to your question, though, you ask about the promotion part of it. So the promotion part of it is, is usually for instance, you know, right now Social media is such a great tool. So my promotion is is usually when I, you know, when I book a project I’ll do a booking notification, you know, and then, you know, once I get the booking notification, I film the project. And then as soon as the project airs, I get clips and I take those clips and I post those on my social media and I’ll even tag, you know, the production company like Jupiter Entertainment, you know, that kind of thing.

Sharon Cline: Tv one and TV one.

Carl A. Pitts: So I’ll tag them. And then as far as like anything, you know, um, IMDb, you know, I’m actually a producer, so I actually have the ability to go in and actually, you know, manage, you know, IMDb. So if you got a credit you want, I can I can add credits for you. I can delete credits. I can add artwork, uh, artwork. I can even create. If you have a project, I can actually create the project for you. Now, granted, it has to go through a certain checks and balances. I’ve done it plenty of times, but all my projects, all 12 of my projects, I created the IMDb. Wow. So when you go on to IMDb, that’s my creation. So I go through and I learn that part of it to how that works, how you act credits, how you delete credits, you know, how you add projects and that kind of thing.

Sharon Cline: So here we are talking about what it’s like to be an actor. And you obviously have got your own production company. You know, you’ve gone so far and truly by your own talent. What is the competition like out there for you?

Carl A. Pitts: Competition is actually it’s pretty stiff. So here’s I can I can touch into a little bit of the whole SAG, which is Screen Actors Guild, how that works. So you’ve got full sag, which means union, and then you’ve got SAG e which is SAG eligible. Now sag e, you can get that a number of ways. You can get it through, you know, working even even as background, if you work a certain number of background on SAG projects, you get the vouchers, you can submit those and actually get a SAG status. You can get on a certain SAG project if you want to project and get Taft-Hartley in, and you can get it that way. So SAG e is sag eligible. So so the pros and cons to each. So and I’ll talk about the competition part. So SAG e is SAG eligible. Which means that as an actor I can work both in front of the camera and behind the camera. Union and nonunion.

Sharon Cline: Wow.

Carl A. Pitts: As SAG, they frown on an actor working an independent project, an independent film, a nonunion film. You can direct, produce behind the camera, but you can’t act in front of the camera. So the competition is this. So say, for instance, I have my IMDb and I’ve got, you know, a handful of network shows that I’ve done. So for me, though, I stay sag e because I also like to, you know, work in some independent films as well too, because that helps actually build your resume up. So the competition is, is that, for instance, what if I went to full SAG? Okay, now if I go full SAG, I can’t do any more independent stuff. Now I’m going strictly TV shows, network shows, and now I have X amount of credits. But then you have somebody else that’s been booked. Booked? Book, book, book. Who are you going to probably pick? Somebody that’s got, you know, 32 credits or me at 14 credits. So, so for me, the competition is is I’m trying to build my resume and I work a little differently to again, because I have a 9 to 5, I have a corporate job.

Carl A. Pitts: I’m a little more strategic in how I actually, you know, accept projects and how I actually, you know, work project. So for me, like the shows like, you know, the Fatal Attractions and the ATL homicides, you know, granted, depending on your role, you may not have a lot of lines, but those shows actually are a good foundation for, you know, seeing the process, you know, you know, getting getting, you know, getting good credit, getting your name out there, working with a network team. Because what happens is, is I’ve actually had people reach out to me through IMDb and through Instagram because they’ve seen me on other shows. So that’s part of that promotion part, which is putting my stuff out there and, you know, you build it, they’ll come and I actually get contacted by, you know, people looking for projects. In fact, the WebMD commercial that I’ve got booked for tomorrow, that’s somebody I worked with years ago, and they’ve been following me, you know, and this person is actually in a position their casting director. And so they’re like, they got my number from someone and called me directly.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh, that’s amazing.

Sharon Cline: You didn’t even have to like, do very much for it or do much for it. So you build it yhey will come, so to speak. I’m like, really proud of you because, you know, because think about it, you’ve had no one kind of navigating this for you. You’ve done it yourself.

Carl A. Pitts: I had to figure it out. And that’s the that’s the thing. And that’s why again, I’m a little different to, you know, I’m very much I’m very much you know, and part of that too is the fact that, you know, I am a manager. So I coach and I mentor teams. I’m one of those that I don’t mind sharing knowledge. I don’t mind showing people things that no one showed me, and not necessarily that no one wanted to show me. It’s just the fact that I didn’t know really what to ask. I didn’t know who to ask. So I had to kind of just, you know, again, Instagram is your friend, YouTube is your friend, and you just kind of go through and you just, you know, from a business. Again, I’m a project manager. So I’ve got that project manager mentality, which is, you know, I’ve got a roadmap and I just start to just check boxes. And that’s how I’ve pretty much done this. So that’s pretty much been where I am. So I’m an actor and also a producer, and I like both sides of the camera.

Sharon Cline: Who would have even thought, right, like in 2013, that you’d even be able to say those things, you know?

Carl A. Pitts: Not at all.

Sharon Cline: Where do you see yourself going? Like, what is the big dream?

Carl A. Pitts: My big dream, honestly. And I’ve had many talks with my agent. So my big dream is actually to be a recurring actor on like a major TV show. Um, a lot of people joke around with me and they say, you’re probably going to be a detective. On like, the ncis show or something like that. And you know what? I’ll take it. I don’t mind getting typecast like that. In fact, if you look at my IMDb, if you look at my credits, I get cast a lot as like FBI, police, you know, military, you know, investment banker, detective.

Carl A. Pitts: Mayor, detective, and I and I take it. But that’s actually my dream. I’d love to be able to, you know, get booked on a show and be a recurring actor and work for, you know, that 6 or 8 months of the year. And then the remainder of that year, I would just basically do my own patent designs and do my own engineering and, you know, and live my life and travel and that kind of thing. That’s what I like to do. So that’s actually my dream. So 6 to 8 months of entertainment. And then the remainder of that year would be a mix of travel and just some mental stimulation with engineering type things that are just on my own.

Sharon Cline: You put it out there in the universe, you did so and it’s actually really out there in the universe.

Carl A. Pitts: And I promise you this, anybody that’s known me since about probably five, six, seven years ago. Will say that I said that then and that’s that’s still true. That’s the track I’ve been on and that’s what I’m on. And it’s not really a big secret either. I mean, there’s people even at jobs I’ve had, you know, that we’ve that they’ve discovered that I was this person. Like I said, most of the time I don’t even mention it, but people will sometimes just find out. And I’ve, I’ve just I’ve been I’ve been on a job before and, you know, I was on a contractor site and somebody just happened to Google me. And they just kind of kept looking at me and looking at the screen and looking at me and looking at the screen. And then I never knew what they were, what they were really doing. And then later on they’re like, you’re, uh, you’re a.

Carl A. Pitts: Celebrity, aren’t you?

Carl A. Pitts: And I’m like, I don’t know about, like, what are.

Carl A. Pitts: You doing here? Like, you know, doing my.

Sharon Cline: Job.

Carl A. Pitts: And that’s it. But yes.

Carl A. Pitts: But but it’s not a big secret. That’s that’s what I’m saying. So. So basically, if I could get if I could make a if I could make a living and pay my bills with entertainment. I would quit corporate America within two weeks because I’ve been doing it for in August. It’ll be 30 years. I’ve been in. I’ve been in management and engineering.

Speaker3: I’m ready for something a little bit different. And I love just the, you know, you know, I mean, entertainment, it’s a, you know, you either kind of love it or you hate it, you know? And I just love it. I just think it’s, you know, it has its pros and cons. It has its advantages and disadvantages. But my dream and seeing myself, I would love to just check out of corporate America, check out of engineering. And I’m making a living as an actor and or producer.

Sharon Cline: Well, that creative side, there is something really special. There’s an energy about it that, um, I used to write music, and at one point when I was writing some songs and, um, recorded them, I thought, this is amazing that this song didn’t exist before, and now it does. You know, it’s just that creation is, um, special? I don’t know. It’s like an energy or something, but I love the fact that we’re like, when we were doing the show together, Fatal Attraction, we’re actually, um. It’s very serious to me because this is a real crime that happened, you know? And so I feel like I’m honoring that person’s life. You know, that person and all the people that were involved and the family. And so it felt like a sacred. Yes. There was something sacred about it.

Carl A. Pitts: Yes. For me.

Carl A. Pitts: And in fact, any of those crime shows that you do, you know, whether it’s murder by numbers and you’re seeing gets cut or, you know, the fatal attractions, the ATO homicides, those are all based on snapped. Those are all based on like, real, real crimes. And I take that very seriously and just real quick, uh, real quick. So one of the episodes I did, it was season 14 that I did A Fatal Attraction. Um, I played a detective on that. So it just so happened and it was actually based on, um, an area in South Georgia. Just so happens a good friend of mine who actually comes to my house. We go to Falcons games together. We work together for a while. He actually him and his brother actually knew the couple that the story was about. Oh, they they knew the female officer. They knew the guy. And it was funny because Jerry reached out to his older brother. His older brother really knew them very well. He goes, man, you won’t believe it, man. Carl was playing a detective about so and so and so and so and it kind of so that whole it’s a small world.

Speaker3: Yeah. I mean, I mean.

Carl A. Pitts: How does that happen that I’m sitting there with a, you know, my buddy that I’ve been hanging out with.

Sharon Cline: They randomly hired you, you know, or booked.

Speaker3: You for this.

Carl A. Pitts: And they know those actual people.

Sharon Cline: It makes it feel very real.

Carl A. Pitts: It makes it feel super real.

Sharon Cline: Just ideas.

Speaker3: Exactly.

Carl A. Pitts: So I take all that stuff very seriously. So when you’re on set and you know, they’re giving you direction, you know, it’s like it’s it’s play, play, play when a camera, you know, when the camera’s on, you know, I mean, you saw some of the talent there. I mean, there were some actresses there that I mean, they, they, I mean, they felt it.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: They were crying and it was very serious and very real. Yes.

Carl A. Pitts: So and again, even though those shows, it’s only a little snippet here and there, you know, we all got to start somewhere. And you know to me those are like just really great shows because one, they’re based on like real, you know, real events. But then two, you know, again, you know, you get to play, you know, a character, you get to play something that’s attached to that. You know, that, that, that, that crime forever. And that’s I mean, it’s actually an awesome thing. It’s a it’s a terrible event. But for me, you know, every time I get booked on those things, I feel I feel honored by that. You know, they want me to play a detective. Want me to play, you know, somebody that was involved in that in some way.

Speaker3: That’s awesome.

Sharon Cline: You were very generous to me.

Speaker3: Oh.

Sharon Cline: No. You were like, you say this, you say these, these lines instead of me. And that was really sweet of you. Thank you for doing that.

Carl A. Pitts: Yes, because depending on how they cut it, you’re probably going to have some.

Sharon Cline: Well, yeah. Well, right. I’m not going to guarantee nothing at this point, because who knows, if I’d even I know I might just be like detective number two. Like standing next to you.

Speaker3: Yeah, but I.

Carl A. Pitts: Can guarantee you’re going to hear yourself.

Speaker3: Oh, really?

Carl A. Pitts: You’ll hear yourself quite a bit. Yeah. So. Yeah. So the way it happens is, is, you know, they’ll sometimes, you know, how, like, when they had us, like, ad lib stuff. Yeah. So a lot of that is, is what we’re doing is we’re kind of talking. But then you’re going to have somebody narrating, you know, some part of that story, and they have us do that so that we’re not just kind of sitting looking at each other. You know, we’re actually doing something, but then sometimes they’ll actually cut to some of that narration or some of that ad lib stuff if it fits the script, and you’ll actually hear yourself. So, so it’s a mix. Like I said, I’ve had some shows where, you know, they, they kept like every line I had. And then I had some where the person that was narrating had part of my line, and then they would cut to me finishing off that sentence.

Speaker3: Interesting. Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: So, so so I think you’ll get some. You’ll get some. You’ll get some good footage in there.

Sharon Cline: I hope so. Yeah. It was, it was the best ever for me. But I will say that you you you were talking about voiceover when we were doing the show together. We talked a little bit about that. Where is your history of voiceover? Where does that come in.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: So my voiceover I’ve done a lot of stuff. So you know, since you know, companies they realize that I’m an actor. So someone like the internal training stuff, that’s what I do.

Speaker3: So I’m the.

Carl A. Pitts: One that does the internal training stuff.

Speaker3: So that’s perfect.

Sharon Cline: They are lucky to have you because I do those things for different companies and they have to pay a lot out of pocket, you know? So if they’ve got someone right there, I would have done the same thing.

Speaker3: Exactly. Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: We have a company. The last company I worked with in in South Georgia, they actually had a team come in, which was funny too, because, you know, I was like, you know, you guys actually didn’t even have to hire a production team. It’s like, I know people, but I’ll let them do their thing. But they came in and I just kind of just did my thing. So yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

Speaker3: That’s awesome.

Sharon Cline: So now you’re a voice actor too?

Speaker3: Yep.

Carl A. Pitts: I got a few.

Speaker3: Credits on that.

Carl A. Pitts: So absolutely, absolutely. But again, I’m really most proud of. And you haven’t asked me this, but if you asked me, what would you rather do? Be an actor or a producer?

Sharon Cline: That’s a good question.

Carl A. Pitts: Though, and I’ll be honest with you, if I if I had to pick and it had to be one or the other, I’ll be honest with you, I’d pick producer.

Sharon Cline: Why is that? Because most people want to be in front of the camera.

Speaker3: Exactly.

Carl A. Pitts: I’ll be honest with you. I don’t really like cameras.

Sharon Cline: Why is that?

Carl A. Pitts: I just never have. I’ve never. It’s not a self-conscious thing. I’ve just never been that person that’s been the center of attention. And I’ve just never. I’m the guy that’s so what I am. I’m an actual. You hear the term extroverted introvert. That’s what I am. So I’m one of those people that like, for instance, when you see me now, I’m very, you know, but I could also be if there was like, a crowd in here and everybody’s doing their thing, I could sit in the corner and not say a word to anybody and just people watch and be perfectly fine.

Sharon Cline: I’m very similar. Like, I have like a limit to how much energy I put, you know, put out to like, this show. This is great. But then I’ll be quiet later because I got to balance myself out.

Speaker3: And that’s what.

Carl A. Pitts: I do as well too. So for the producer side though, again, one, I don’t really I don’t really care for the camera, but don’t get me wrong, if I have to go through acting to get to that producer, hey, I’ll.

Speaker3: Be on.

Sharon Cline: Camera all you want.

Carl A. Pitts: All day. And most people like, say, if you see me on set, you wouldn’t think that because I know you probably would think. What are you talking about? But I really don’t, you know, I just, you know, I do it because, you know, again, it’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but if I had to take a pick, I would say produce it. And the reason being is because producer is the business part, and I’m a project engineer, I’m an engineer, I’m an engineering manager.

Speaker3: It’s a good.

Sharon Cline: Mix of your natural abilities.

Carl A. Pitts: I just gravitate toward that. That’s why I found it. Capsule entertainment. Because really, as a producer, you’re really a project manager. And that’s so that’s what I gravitate toward. Plus, also to the producing side is a little different than the acting side, especially monetarily monetary wise, because, you know, you get into like residuals, you get into, you.

Speaker3: Know, perpetuity in perpetuity.

Carl A. Pitts: You’re above the line versus below the line. So every project. So for instance, the things I’ve got streaming now I get money every like month.

Speaker3: That’s amazing. I just transfer.

Carl A. Pitts: It to my bank account. Now granted, it’s not a whole lot, but the reason why I learned that part of it, because what I’m looking to do also, even if I keep the route of independent, is to really come up with a really good feature film, get a lot of good high end talent in it, get it onto a real good platform, and then basically just, you know, let it stream and make money off that. You know, if you get 5 or 6 of those projects, man, you could do you could do okay on that.

Speaker3: Well, it’s.

Sharon Cline: Like what they call passive income. Sort of. Right.

Speaker3: That’s what it is. Right. That’s what it is.

Carl A. Pitts: That’s what it is. And then usually what I do too is, is people that I team up with, you know, other producers and directors and writers and that kind of thing. We just come up with an agreement. So like I said, I’m I’m very generous. So, you know, I’ll tell you by in a heartbeat. Hey, if we do this project and if I made $1 million, you know, we made $1 million, I’d make sure you all get.

Speaker3: A really good cut. So glad to know you. So that’s that’s that’s what I would do.

Sharon Cline: No, I would do the same.

Speaker3: I would do the same.

Carl A. Pitts: Like I said, I’m not greedy because I don’t want to be that person. You know, I like.

Speaker3: People to work. I like that you.

Sharon Cline: Think about what you would have wanted if you had had someone help you. And I do that too with voiceover, because people approach me all the time. I probably talked about how to get into voiceover ten times with ten different people sitting down in coffee shops and kind of just saying what my route was. I don’t know the best way, I just know how.

Speaker3: I did it. I just know my route, you know, there’s.

Sharon Cline: Enough room for everyone in this industry. Um, not just in acting, but like the voiceover world. Everybody sounds a little different. Anyhow, I just feel like if I had had someone sit down because I had to figure it out, too. If I had had someone sit down with me and kind of give me a roadmap, I would have liked that because I would have done it, you know, it would have been faster for me. So I appreciate that about you too.

Carl A. Pitts: And that’s exactly one of my points too, is, is that, you know, I’m very willing to help because I feel like I could probably be further along, actually, if I didn’t have to, you know, if I knew five years ago what I know now, I’d be probably much further along than I am now. But, you know, here’s the thing. Everybody’s journey is everybody’s journey. And, you know, you know, when you get there, you get there. When you get there, that’s when you’re supposed to be there. Not a moment before, not a moment after. It’s your time.

Sharon Cline: You really couldn’t have contrived anything differently for you to be chosen the way you were for all of these different things. So it was, you know, there’s a surrender to it, to like, what’s meant to be will be.

Carl A. Pitts: I’ll be honest with you, I don’t I don’t know what you know, what stars in the universe lined up for this. But, you know, again, just to be chosen for these projects and just to, you know, you know, I’m just an engineer.

Speaker3: You know, I’m.

Carl A. Pitts: Not a I’m not a thespian. I don’t do all that stuff. You know, I would love to be able to do that, but I’m just an engineer. I’m just a business guy, and that’s what I do.

Speaker3: And that’s it. Well, I had.

Sharon Cline: Gotten into the acting world because I wanted to get an agent for my voiceover world, but then I was asked to be on different projects as an extra, and I was like. Well, maybe I’ll meet somebody who can lead me to an agent, like a network. And but it hasn’t. Like slowed down. I keep going into these different projects and and really love it. It’s just. The creative side of it has been very fun for me. Yes, yes. And and meeting such great people. Yesterday I was an extra on a Tyler Perry show and, um, wound up not even being called to the. Set. So all of us were just sitting in this, like, kind of holding area. But there are people that I’ve known. Since May, which is the first time I did a background or anything, and it was just like catching up with friends, and it was so fun. And everyone kind of just wants that. I’ve experienced wants good things for everyone.

Speaker3: So they do. They do. The way.

Sharon Cline: I look at it is, you know, we’re all just trying to have fun and do something creative and different and.

Speaker3: Absolutely, absolutely.

Sharon Cline: This city is just so well suited for that.

Carl A. Pitts: It’s very well suited. And also to, you know, you know, auditioned for in fact, I did a production for a short film called No One Left. I actually got, I think I got 3 or 4. We got 3 or 4 awards on that. Wow. But it was actually produced, I produced I was one of the producers, but we actually filmed it in California.

Speaker3: All the way in California.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah. So I had a whole team in California, worked on a project that.

Speaker3: Felt so special. That was.

Carl A. Pitts: Awesome. And they actually reached out to me. They found me through Instagram. And so.

Speaker3: That whole.

Carl A. Pitts: Promoting yourself, that’s what it was.

Speaker3: They saw it.

Sharon Cline: You have some other projects you’re working on now though, right?

Speaker3: Yes I.

Carl A. Pitts: Do. So currently I actually am still pitching a TV pilot that I have that I did back during Covid.

Speaker3: Um, wow.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah, we filmed during Covid, but I actually do have a new film that we’re looking at right now. Um, and so the current project, it’s called Entertaining Angels, and it’s a story of restoration and redemption. And currently we’re looking for a crowdfunding to basically get this film off the off the ground. Um, and we’re looking for a minimum of 7000. Currently we have like two grand that’s saved. So we have a crowdfunding. And like I said, if you don’t mind, I’d like to give you that, that, that location and, and have people take a look and we’ll have we’ve got a pitch deck and we have, you know, the, you know the bio and all that good stuff on it. Um, and we’ll talk about, you know, just real quick, I can give you a film summary. Um, so basically, um, it’s a dedicated insurance salesman. Um, he unexpectedly loses his job, and his faith wavers amidst the escalating challenges. He’s confronted by an aggressive homeless man with a mysterious connection, and he must. Uh, so this, uh, unemployed, um, um, uh, uh, engineer’s unemployed, uh, salesman. He actually has to go through this whole journey of of faith. Um, he has to go through all this tragic loss. Um, and then basically come to a point where, you know, what does his life mean? So that’s what the project’s about. But again, I have a whole good write up on it. I’ve got the team that we have that’s involved in it. Um, we’ve got the key characters, all that good stuff, and I can share that as well, too. That’d be.

Sharon Cline: Great. If you send me the link.

Speaker3: I will include.

Sharon Cline: That when I post this on all.

Speaker3: The socials. Yeah. No, it’s.

Carl A. Pitts: It’s really just an awesome.

Speaker3: Story. How fun.

Carl A. Pitts: Yes, yes. It’s really, um, so. And actually, this producer I’m working with, actually we worked on another film before as well too. Um, and that’s actually the one that’s actually one of the ones that’s streaming.

Speaker3: Oh, in Brazil. In Brazil.

Carl A. Pitts: Um, but again, I met him through through social media.

Speaker3: Um, so.

Carl A. Pitts: It’s really, really, really good connection. In fact, we have another gentleman that we work with. Um, his name is Al Mitchell, and he is he is Mister SAG actor. Uh, Mister Al Mitchell has been in, like, pretty much everything you can think of. Uh, the latest project that he was in again, my new favorite show. Ozark, uh, Outer Banks.

Speaker3: Oh, I love Outer Banks.

Carl A. Pitts: So if you see the episode of Outer Banks, it would be. I can’t remember the episode number, but he is the guy. Um, he’s going to be the, um, he’s going to be the, um, the the Muslim guy that they go to see how to decode.

Speaker3: Oh, yes.

Sharon Cline: I remember, I remember.

Speaker3: That, yeah. And they.

Carl A. Pitts: They were sitting down and he goes, get this out of.

Speaker3: Here. Yeah. Oh that’s him, that’s Al Mitchell. That’s crazy. That’s Al Mitchell.

Carl A. Pitts: So we work together on a lot of projects. But yeah, but Al Mitchell’s been in, like, everything you can think of. He’s been in, you know, Greenleaf, he’s been in. You know, he’s he’s he’s a professional actor. So I guarantee you, if you hear his voice and you see him, you’ve seen him in pretty much everything.

Speaker3: I’ll start to.

Sharon Cline: See him everywhere.

Speaker3: And I’ll.

Carl A. Pitts: Give you his information.

Speaker3: As well, too. Okay.

Carl A. Pitts: But we also we all work together. So us three, we actually do projects and that kind of thing. And again he’s SAG. And so for instance we had I had a little bit of a debate with him, so we did our project five star rating. He actually played a character in it, but he couldn’t credit himself.

Speaker3: Because he sang because he sang.

Carl A. Pitts: So. But you know, he is behind the camera, as you know.

Speaker3: Co-writer and director.

Carl A. Pitts: Kind of thing. Um, so but yeah, so like I said, that’s what we’re working on. Um, let’s see here.

Speaker3: I would.

Sharon Cline: Love to be able to promote that, because I feel like anytime someone can contribute to someone else’s dream coming true, it just kind of feels like good to put.

Speaker3: Out in the universe.

Carl A. Pitts: And so if you don’t mind, let me read this off here. So Entertaining Angels is a faith based drama about Greg Laurie, an insurance salesman who has lost his faith in God. As bitterness takes hold, everything in his life starts to crumble. On top of his struggles, his wife is grappling with the decision to leave her career behind to care for their autistic daughter and creating further tension at home. Just as Greg reaches a breaking point, God sends a messenger in the form of a panhandler to guide him back to faith before he spirals out of control. The film highlights the power of compassion and how small acts of kindness can change lives.

Speaker3: Wow.

Sharon Cline: I love it because it’s like the hero journey and everyone who’s on the planet knows what that feels like. Absolutely.

Carl A. Pitts: So it’s like, if you don’t mind, I’ll give you this information. I’d like for you to, you know, take this thing and post it. And if people can see the information and if they like to support it, you know, by all means, please, you know, help us. And also to, um, this campaign is fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions. So making all donations 100% tax deductible.

Speaker3: Wonderful.

Carl A. Pitts: And depending on how this goes, we’re looking to try to do what this is. This is going to be a short film, but it’s actually a POC, a proof of concept, and we’d like to take it and make it a full feature length film as well.

Speaker3: Amazing.

Carl A. Pitts: So that’s that’s going to be it’s going to be a really good project. So that’s my current project that I’m actually looking to kind of spearhead and get that kind of off the ground.

Sharon Cline: Well, I hope it does. And I hope that this show gives you a little bit of a boost that way. I would love to see that happen for you.

Speaker3: Absolutely. Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah I love I love, you know, I love projects. And that’s the one thing too is most of the projects that I work on, I’ve done a couple little just, you know, bubble gum projects. But most of the projects that I actually work on and sign my name to, I like for them to, you know, to be of some type of substance, have, you know, some type of a message and that kind of thing. And, and also to, um, where, you know, my, my team who I work with myself, we’re a little different too, is we don’t cut we don’t cut scenes, we don’t cut people. So anytime I book someone on one of my projects, I guarantee you that if you have lines and you show up, I guarantee you will be in the finished product now.

Speaker3: Because I know, I know what it feels like to get your lines cut.

Carl A. Pitts: So I don’t do that. So and like I said, and also too, you know, being on the other side of the camera, you know, casting for projects and, and that kind of thing, you know, it also gives you a different perspective to, for instance, the whole, you know, audition process. You know, initially when I started out, before I got to the producing side, you know, I took it kind of personal. You know, it’s like, man, I did 12 auditions and I got not one callback. You know, and a lot of times we have to realize is, is that it’s not necessarily that you did anything wrong. It’s just the casting director is looking for it. It could be a certain look, a certain mannerism. It could be whatever. So it’s nothing personal whatsoever, because I’ve cast for shows too, and I’ve had like five people I could have picked, but ultimately I got to pick one person. So that gives you a little bit of, you know, you know, in this business too, you got to have a little thick skin. You know, you can’t, you know, necessarily take everything. I mean, you may have, you know, I know one year I had probably 30 some odd auditions and I had one booking.

Speaker3: Wow.

Sharon Cline: Wow.

Speaker3: Right.

Carl A. Pitts: But but I’ve also talked to people. I was at an event, uh, back in, like, probably 4 or 5 years ago. I was talking to a couple. It was actually a Hispanic lady who was an actress in a in a white gentleman. And the white gentleman, me and him talked first and and he said one year he had 135 auditions and he booked five.

Speaker3: Wow.

Carl A. Pitts: But they were really good. Five. Wow. And then his wife came up and she had a similar story, too. And she said, you know, sometimes I get booked because I have an accent. Sometimes I get booked because I don’t.

Speaker3: Have an accent.

Carl A. Pitts: And she had the same thing. She says, oh, I had one year. I think she had probably like 60 something. She may be booked 4 or 5. So it’s much it’s very much a numbers game too.

Sharon Cline: It’s interesting. It’s the same thing with the voiceover world, because I can sound exactly like I sound. Someone will love me, someone will not. And I can’t change it because I could be changing it from what works for someone else to what wouldn’t work for someone else. It’s just too much. So I just any time I do get booked for anything, there is just such a joy because I think the way I was put together and made naturally someone’s going to get, you know, actually likes and is going to pay. It’s so affirming. It’s going to pay me for it. And I seriously, I still I always get emotional like, oh my God they did.

Speaker3: Yes.

Sharon Cline: And I just want to do such a great job.

Speaker3: Yes. And even the.

Carl A. Pitts: Last Fatal attraction. Like I said, even though I’ve been on a ton of them, every single one of them I take with. I mean, you saw the set. It’s just like, hey, I take it very. I take it very seriously.

Speaker3: Seriously.

Carl A. Pitts: And, you know, and every time I get booked on something. Because I work with that like Chad.

Sharon Cline: Yes. Chad, the.

Speaker3: Director of the.

Carl A. Pitts: I work with him, like, I think probably five. Yeah. So we, you know, we go back and forth all the time. So yeah. So I definitely, you know, you know every booking I get, you know I have full appreciation for it. So so yeah. So I know we’re short on time here. I know we’re about to go, but I want to give just a little bit of, you know, my advice on this whole acting thing and you know, and how to get from like, you know, starting out to, you know, getting an agent and getting that kind of thing. So the way that I, the way I mapped it out was, you know, I started off with doing background. I did background for like that first year. And then after that I kind of did a little mix of background with independent films. So like an actor’s access, you’ll see, you know, all kinds of films always.

Speaker3: You’ll see a lot of things. You’ll see.

Carl A. Pitts: You’ll see student films and that kind of thing. That’s the stuff that you get your resume built off of. Because if it’s a reputable, you know, film or production, that producer should have the same ability as me to go in and create an IMDb pro, you know, project and actually give you credit for that. That’s how you get your speaking roles and that’s how you get, you know, that resume builder. So go from background, do that for like that first year and change and then after that, you know, mix that in. But with a little bit of, you know, the independent film, get the independent film thing going. Once you get the independent film thing going, you know, start to apply and you’ve already done that, but apply to like some major TV network. And then once you kind of get in that network, no matter what type of show it is, it’s, you know, where you have a ton of lines or a few few lines.

Speaker3: Experience.

Carl A. Pitts: Get that experience in. And then once you get that independent film and once you get, you know, 1 or 2 of those major network type things, then shop around for an agent because an agent will get you the real good, juicy stuff. But at least they have something that from you they can see that one. You know, you’ve taken the time to try to, you know, build a resume. You take the time to do independent film. You took the time to actually in an effort to actually book a major network show, you know, now they can invest in you because they can say, hey, you know, this person is actually willing to work. You’re not waiting on me to do all the work, but they’re actually doing work too. That’s how you get an agent so you can do it one of two ways. A lot of ways it works is and again, we’ll talk after this, but it’s by referral. And then also another one can just be basically cold submissions, which means basically, you know, you go online, you see their submission form, you submit materials. So what you’re looking for is your basic submission of deliverables is usually going to be, you know, a series of headshots and it will be your resume. And then based off of that and then based off of, you know, how many slots they have and how much availability they have. And then also too, it’s all about looks as well too, you know. You know, are they looking for, you know, black males? Are they looking for more white females. Are they looking for this age range, looking for that age range. Are you looking for somebody like for instance, for you. You know, you’ve got the voiceover I look for somebody that can, you know, foray into a lot of different things. They can do not only voiceover, but they can do, you know, the acting part of it as well too.

Sharon Cline: And special skills.

Speaker3: Too, and special.

Carl A. Pitts: Skills to.

Speaker3: Play guitar.

Sharon Cline: Or like I ride a motorcycle. That would be great too.

Speaker3: Exactly.

Carl A. Pitts: And then as you get into that whole agent world, I would say at some point, again, unless you just, you know, unless you just, you know, like the background thing, I would say at some point just let the background stuff go and focus on independent films and TV shows. And sometimes it’s hard to draw that line and hold that line. But I’ll tell you, it’s very well worth it because I haven’t done background since, I think probably 2015.

Speaker3: Wow.

Carl A. Pitts: Yeah, I was the last time I did background work, and I’ve been offered a lot of background work, featured work and that kind of thing. But I kind of turned it down because that stuff that you can’t really put in also too, you can’t put that on IMDb.

Speaker3: It’s it’s uncredited.

Carl A. Pitts: Right. So you can’t put that on IMDb extra.

Speaker3: Yeah, right.

Carl A. Pitts: Exactly. You can’t put it on IMDb.

Sharon Cline: It’s good to know though. I really appreciate the map because it does feel like you are. At least for me. I’m just doing background stuff because they’re like, hey, do you want to be on this? Sure, yeah. Like I got a text from Grosse Pointe Garden Society, so I’ll be a background person on Monday. And I’m like, sure, sure, I’ll do it, you know, but I don’t I wouldn’t know beyond that how to get further into it.

Carl A. Pitts: Exactly. But that’s what I do like look for independent films. That’s how you actually start to build your resume. You get lines, you get actual IMDb credit done.

Sharon Cline: One independent film. So I would like to be able to add more for sure.

Carl A. Pitts: I would add more of those. And like I said in the background thing is great. Like I said, I did it for like a year and it’s awesome because what it does is it gives you an exposure to the whole process without the pressures of having to perform.

Speaker3: Truth, right.

Sharon Cline: You can just enjoy it.

Speaker3: And be fun. You can just enjoy it. You can have fun stuff.

Carl A. Pitts: And then, you know, I look at, you know, I always think about it like, you know, you know, a caged tiger, you know, it’s like I’m sitting in the cage and I’m watching, watching, watching. And then, man, when I get my chance, it’s like, I know what I need to do.

Speaker3: Yeah, I know how the.

Carl A. Pitts: Camera movements are. I know this, I know.

Speaker3: That even the verbiage the directors.

Sharon Cline: Call out, you know.

Speaker3: Directors, you know, like.

Carl A. Pitts: You saw on set, you know, it’s like, you know, me and Chad were like, you know, almost like, you know.

Speaker3: Buddies. Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: You know, he’s like, I need you to do this. I need you to do that. You know, it’s, you know, I don’t take it personal. It’s just like, what you need is what you need. Because I know when that editor gets it, they have to have a certain type of footage. And once you see the final product, you’ll be like, man, they did all that. And you’d be surprised at that. Like the looks and the mannerisms and even the way we maybe looked at each other, how they catch those moments.

Speaker3: And we had.

Sharon Cline: To do that a good.

Speaker3: Bit. And when you.

Carl A. Pitts: See that, you’ll be amazed at how professional it looks. So when they ask you to do these things, it’s for a reason. They’re not just they’re not just doing it just to be mean to you. They’re like, I know I’m going to need this footage because my editor is going to see that and they’re going to want that stuff.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, it was fun at the very end of it. We did what was called detectives detecting, and so we were like sitting at a desk. You know, both of our desks are next to each other and, you know, they’re like, look busy and do this and that. And then they’re like, answer the phone and say, homicide. It’s like, all right.

Speaker3: So when you.

Carl A. Pitts: See the finished.

Speaker3: Product, you’re going to be like, oh my God, that put it together and.

Carl A. Pitts: It will look, it will look like a real TV show. I mean, it looks like like when you watch NCIS.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Carl A. Pitts: You’ll be like, man, we did all that because sometimes, actually, they’ll catch they catch so much detail like, you know, one time I did, like, an eyebrow raise and I was like, I didn’t know I even did that. And it’s just like. And everybody saw that. It was like, man, I was like, I didn’t even know I did that. But that editor watches every little thing that.

Speaker3: You do to make it look.

Carl A. Pitts: And like I said, you’ll be surprised when you see the final footage of the things you probably didn’t even know you did. And you’d be like, I did that. It’s like, it’s really awesome. So I’m glad you enjoyed that first experience. And and definitely like I said, you know, keep applying for stuff like that. And it’s a great resume builder and it’s a great network tool because like I said, that opportunity leads to other opportunities, people to reach.

Speaker3: Out to you.

Carl A. Pitts: And like I said, that’s how I got my project in California was people reached out to me on Instagram.

Sharon Cline: So well, I’m so excited to have had this time because when we were busy, when we were working. So I really liked that I got to sit down and kind of hear your whole story, and it’s inspiring for me too, because who knows? You really don’t know. You’re just doing what you know to do. So the right people at the right time and the right scenario. Like, I think you were the right person for me to have that first experience on TV because you were so sweet to me. And also I was like, so giddy every time we would, like, cut, I’d just be like, oh my God, I just picked up a phone and said, homicide. Like, I’ve never done that before.

Speaker3: It’s awesome. Like I.

Carl A. Pitts: Said, once you see yourself on that on that TV, you’re going to be like, oh.

Speaker3: My gosh.

Carl A. Pitts: That is amazing. It’s almost like a little bit of a thrill. So and honestly, I do kind of have this thing. I haven’t shared this with Jupiter Entertainment, but my thing is now, since I’ve been on season 13 of fatal season 14 two, season 15. My goal is I want to be on.

Speaker3: Every season, at least one episode, every season.

Carl A. Pitts: And in fact, actually when I got booked for this and this is still season 15, episode 47 or 49, whichever one it was, I actually applied for a season 16. I was hoping to get the season.

Speaker3: 16 because I already did a 15. Yeah, so I wanted.

Carl A. Pitts: That that chronological 13. 14.

Speaker3: I have a feeling you’re.

Sharon Cline: Going to be on 16.

Speaker3: So. Oh, trust me, I’m gonna.

Carl A. Pitts: I’m gonna I’m gonna apply for 16.

Speaker3: But that’s so that’s.

Carl A. Pitts: My personal goal for Fatal Attraction to get on every single season until the wheels fall.

Speaker3: Off.

Sharon Cline: You know, the unfortunate but fortunate for actors. Like, there’s always going to be some crime shows. You know, they’ll always be some reenactments out there. So snapped has been on forever, too. I think about all of these shows. They film up in Knoxville.

Speaker3: And I’m like, yeah, absolutely. There’s no shortage.

Carl A. Pitts: And that’s how I actually got a couple of auditions for. I actually auditioned for NCIS like 2 or 3 times. Wow. Absolutely I.

Speaker3: Did absolutely. I’m so excited for you.

Carl A. Pitts: Absolutely. I’ve had some. And you talk about auditions. Gosh, I’ve had some Really good auditions. Some really good auditions. I’ve had some that I had to turn. I’ve had to turn down. Um, I guess I’ll mention a couple. So when I did Ozark, there was a group there that was doing another project called Game Night that Jason Bateman was in.

Sharon Cline: Oh, it was a movie.

Speaker3: A movie? Yes.

Carl A. Pitts: Okay, so we were on set and we were. I didn’t know, you know, I didn’t know anything. I just did my thing and I went home. But I got a casting notification that they wanted to book me. And this was an audition. This was, I want to book you. So if you remember the movie and you remember when they were in the mansion and the you remember the two suited guys? It was a black guy and a white guy. They called them the.

Speaker3: Goons, but they were they.

Carl A. Pitts: Were chasing them through the.

Speaker3: Mansion.

Sharon Cline: You were going to be one of the.

Speaker3: Goons, the black guy.

Sharon Cline: What happened that you didn’t get this one.

Carl A. Pitts: Because I had to actually travel for work. So the day they were filming, I wanted to do it so bad. And again, I didn’t know if it was like background or what. You know, you.

Sharon Cline: Just knew you were booked on.

Carl A. Pitts: It. Yes. But when you see the movie.

Speaker3: That.

Carl A. Pitts: Was that one.

Speaker3: That was.

Sharon Cline: Man, there’s a surrender to that too, isn’t there? Like it has to work out the way it works out. You couldn’t have changed.

Speaker3: It, so it.

Carl A. Pitts: Does. When I saw that movie, I was like, oh my God, because he had a lot of lines.

Speaker3: And they were.

Carl A. Pitts: Right with it. And they even mentioned in there too, hey, you’re going to get a little hot and sweaty. You’re going to be with the main characters, you’re going to be chasing them throughout the, you know, the residents, you know, you know, can you make it? You know? And I was like, no. And I saw the movie and I almost like.

Speaker3: Cried a tear.

Carl A. Pitts: Like, oh my gosh.

Speaker3: Well, that just.

Sharon Cline: Means that the right thing, even better, is going.

Speaker3: To come.

Carl A. Pitts: And that’s why I say you just, you know, you have to just kind of just, you know, when things happen, they happen when they’re supposed to happen and how they happen is the way they’re supposed to happen. So you can’t, you know, you can’t control it. You just have to just, you.

Speaker3: Know, just go.

Sharon Cline: Go ride. Just be on the ride.

Speaker3: Exactly.

Sharon Cline: Well, thank you so much.

Speaker3: Carl.

Sharon Cline: Pitts, for coming to the studio and telling me your story and and really being so generous with your advice for people. Um, I don’t know even how I would have had to find an agent if you didn’t. Kind of explain to me what I’m sort of stumbling through right now, which is not even what I was thinking I would be doing. I was thinking I would love to be a voice on, like, some animated series, you know, that was my goal. But it’s turned into something different. But and I’m enjoying it. So I guess as long as I’m enjoying it, I’ll just keep going. But absolutely without without your advice though, it would, it would be harder for me. And I’m sure anyone out there that’s listening. So thank you for being so sweet and for being so sweet to me on on the set. You were just the best to work.

Speaker3: Very welcome.

Carl A. Pitts: I enjoyed my time here. Thank you.

Speaker3: So much.

Sharon Cline: You’re welcome and thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.