Actor and entrepreneur Ellie De Rohan trained at RADA, performed in Kenneth Branagh's King Lear in the West End and on Broadway, and appeared in Death on the Nile, Anatomy of a Scandal and Netflix's Anatomy of a Scandal. She's also the co-founder of Mona, a platform connecting actors to flexible, well-paid work that fits around auditions and performance careers.

In this episode of The Business of Show Business, host Jamie Body sits down with Ellie to talk honestly about the reality of an acting career: the dizzying highs of a West End transfer, the nine-month gaps with no work, and how to build a survival job that actually respects your skill set.

If you're an actor, dancer, performer or drama school graduate trying to work out how to pay rent without losing your craft, this one's for you.

WHAT WE COVER:

- Going from RADA graduate to Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, then not working for nine months

- Why the "unicorn" straight-out-of-drama-school success story is rarely the full picture

- The difference between stage and screen acting and what each demands

- How Ellie co-founded Mona and why actors make the best hospitality, promo and events staff

- The transferable skills every performer already has (and undervalues)

- Managing money, tax and cashflow as a freelance creative

- What a healthy, positive relationship with an agent actually looks like

- Writing to industry contacts without stepping on your agent's toes

- Launching Lisa, Mona's UGC and content creation arm, and navigating brand and advertising legislation

- Why you should keep training after drama school, American-style

- Taking care of your "muggle self" and your "magic self"

Ellie's advice for graduates, plus our Lights Questions Action quickfire round covering her favourite jobs, falling off a stage in New York, and working with Kenneth Branagh.

FIND MONA:

Website: monacareers.co.uk

Instagram: @monacareers

ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS:

The Business of Show Business is the podcast unpacking the commercial reality behind creative careers. Hosted by Jamie Body, performer turned industry commentator, journalist and presenter, each episode brings you honest conversations with the people navigating the business side of the arts.

Now in Season 7, distributed across 45+ countries.

Website: www.jamiebody.com

Contact: [email protected]

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