We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Banser-Todd recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jacob, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?
Yes. I met my agents in London in 2018. I had taken an online workshop on self-tape auditions. During the workshop, another actor who I was acquainted with had informed me about the agency she was signed with. After speaking with her, I contacted the agency, had an in-person meeting with one of the head agents, and was signed shortly afterwards. I decided to work with them because they focus on finding acting jobs for talent who were from other countries and living in London. Being and American, I thought this was the best option for me to secure professional level auditions. That is also one of the reasons they decided to work with me. Another reason, I believe, is they had watched my acting reel and felt I was a strong enough actor to garner interest from casting directors. That being said, I am still with the agency, despite living in the US at the moment. I have hopes to move back to London, possibly next year, to continue to work with them and further my professional acting career.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an American actor who was trained in Louisville, Kentucky, New York City, and London, United Kingdom. I got into the industry after auditioning for a play when I was registering for classes as an undergraduate in Louisville, Kentucky. After performing in this play, entitled Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, I was completely enamored with being on stage and performing. After graduating, I decided to apply to acting studios in NYC. I was offered a spot at the William Esper Studio and moved to the Big Apple. After graduating from the Esper Studio, I began to find auditions wherever i could. Eventually I found myself auditioning for Postgraduate schools and ended up being offered a place to train at Eat 15 Acting School in London. I accepted and moved to London. Once I graduated, i was able to get myself signed by an agency and this is where my career moved to the next level. For several years, I was getting some great professional level auditions and even managing to land a few of these acting gigs. Unfortunately, I had been living in London and pursuing my career for seven years until I was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Since my diagnosis in 2023. I have moved back to live with family in Indiana and fight the illness. It is my hope to eventually move back to London and continue to find work in the entertainment industry.
I think what sets me apart from others, as an actor, is my ability to inhabit a character truthfully, in any classical or contemporary style. I have also taken great strides to understand the technical and business side to being an actor in the industry. I have worked hard to strengthen my skills in self-taping, for example. So, when I am asked to send a self-tape to a casting agency, I feel fully prepared.
I am most proud of how much I have grown as an actor over the years. What I want people to know about me is that I am a good character actor who can disappear into my work and create art out of, as they say at The William Esper Studio, behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I am driven to a particular goal to become a continuously working actor. I would love to one day be able to work exclusively as an actor, without having to find a survival job to pay the bills. Therefore, I plan to pursue this goal, no matter what is thrown at me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In June of 2023, I was diagnosed with stage four cancer. I have been fighting this illness for over two years now. During this time, I moved back to the US to live with family and get the best care that I possibly could. I have been in and out of hospitals and continuously experiencing the intense side effects of the cancer treatment. Luckily, I have an amazing support network of friends to help me, especially when I was feeling down. I have definitely had my ups and downs with it. That being said, staying positive during this trying time in my life has been the main focus. Also, having this dream I am pursuing has given me a sense of purpose and kept me going strong, even thru the worst of it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobbanser/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacob.banser
Image Credits
Headshots by Beth Clarence (Photo 1, 2, and 5)