Meet Angie Lucania | Talent Manager & Spiritual Seeker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angie Lucania and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angie, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
In my work as a Talent Manager, I think having the mindset of being of service to others is the #1 factor that matters in my line of work but also PATIENCE, both with clients and my own personal/professional desires, have assisted me in this career. Trusting my intuition has played a major part in succeeding on this path as well. When you have a career in representation, there is a fine line between service to self and service to others. I like to believe that my work as a Manager and the framework of the company I work for at Entertainment Lab, cares a lot more about conducting business with the utmost integrity, but not without a healthy dose of ego, in order to grow the business and set standards for ourselves professionally and with expectations we have for our clients. I always seek to find this balance and not lose sight of myself in this process as it involves giving A LOT of my energy to others every day; and as an introvert that can be difficult, so I’m also focused on maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
I’ve always felt and been told I’m a great reader of people and most of my work revolves around navigating various people and their numerous wants and needs. Knowing how to handle these relationships, not taking some too personally, having boundaries, giving more energy to others when necessary, all take a bit of intuition on my part. Sometimes I drop the ball in some situations and I can take accountability for that and learn from it and others may not be all on me, in which case destiny takes its course wherever it’s meant to move forward – and I have learned to surrender to what is out of my control.
There is no formal education or official book on how to be an Agent or a Manager, everyone has a different approach and that approach may work better for some actors, hence why there are so many companies who provide this service at every level of an actor’s career. We’re catering to an industry that is also ALWAYS shifting with the current times; culturally, economically, creatively, technologically, etc. – so it’s important that I am able to shift with it and keep my ears to the ground of what is trending and act accordingly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve really enjoyed my career in representation thus far. It has opened my eyes to what aspects I like about the industry and what areas I’d want to avoid. What hasn’t changed is my admiration and passion for actors. I’ve been a fangirl of actors since I was a pre-teen, I even had a quiet admiration for the drama nerds at school – I just loved their authenticity! I initially thought I’d pursue casting when I decided to major in Film/Screenwriting in college but after doing an internship at an agency, I realized I could still interact with actors without having to keep a poker face in the audition room. I also liked the job stability of representation, compared to casting’s more contract/project based set up.
I was never the star student growing up, there was no denying I was a classic A.D.D. kid and passing tests and turning in homework on time was always a difficult aspect of my education. To this day, those kinds of projects/tasks within my current job are still difficult. I’m not a work horse type, I can’t do five projects at once but I do know my strengths and those are communication and building relationships with clients; or at least talking them off the ledge occasionally, when they get too far up in their head about their career insecurities. A client of mine, Emily Berry, actually dubbed me the “Wrangler of Actor Feelings” and that nickname seemed to stick ever since amongst the clients/staff.
My career trajectory was actually pretty seamless and smooth, my only regret is not jumping in sooner. But as most of us do, I had predictable life distractions in my early/mid-twenties: finding a place to live, working in food service, getting into a relationship, just trying to make ends meet (the only benefit of being broke was having Medi-Cal!). My industry experience up to that point in my life was a singular internship in college at a small boutique agency. While working [what would be my last] restaurant job, I was asked back by the owner of the agency where I interned, to be a Jr. Agent. I essentially taught myself the basics of the job and “faked it till I made it” as far as earning the clients trust in my abilities. I would clock in at my survival job and send auditions in the bathroom from the casting submissions I made earlier in the day on Breakdown Express. Very glamorous, haha. I once delivered a pizza to a client who had never met me in person. I told him who I was, smiled through the awkwardness and just took it as a more convenient way to meet another client that wasn’t formally at the office. Fake it till you make it, right?!
I eventually ended my relationship with my boyfriend at the time. Not long after, my hours at the restaurant were getting cut week by week, so I took all this as a sign from the Universe to get seriously focused about finding a desk job SOMEWHERE in the industry – I wasn’t about to give up this dream after three years of post-grad dallying. I knew I had to get serious or else face the dread of my own disappointment with myself and my perceived “failure”. Luckily, within three months of casual searching, I came upon an Executive Assistant position at Entertainment Lab and was hired on the spot after the interview. I was the assistant for about a year and was promoted to Jr. Manager for a few months and by 2018 I was officially a Talent & Literary Manager.
It will be 8 years this November that I’ve been with this company and I’m very grateful to have this kind of job security, despite the ups and downs with the pandemic and strikes. My bosses are two amazing human beings and I always feel heard and respected. I can’t ask for a better work environment – especially when you hear about the horror stories from peers at other various companies in the industry, I am blessed that is for sure!
I tend to see my life, career and relationships similar to the tortoise and the hare – I’m sort of a late bloomer in all these respects but I’m also extremely measured and considerate about my next moves. I rarely act impulsively; I think that’s why, anytime I make a change in my life, I’ve always managed to land on my feet. Having stability is very important to me, I like to live my life as stress-free as possible. Within this stable lifestyle, I have done a bunch of work on myself, spiritually, psychologically, physically, etc. I lost about 20lbs a year before covid hit, got back into ballet for a time (I’ve been a dancer most of my life), went into therapy for about a year during lockdown, and have adopted many different spiritual rituals/principles/teachings that have guided me through all these changes. I’ve had a few deaths of loved ones during this time, grief being it’s own wonderfully wise teacher – and thanks to my connection to my spirituality, I actually feel less alone because I know I’ve gained new guides. I hear, feel (and even smell) them all the time – especially my dad and recently, my Grandma has come through more (she passed away last year). I’m so grateful to have built a life I am proud of and I can’t wait to see what my soul desires next. I am on a path to surrendering to what the Universe has in store for me and every day I get a little more comfortable with this, for I know I am divinely guided and divinely protected. =)

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think if schedule of the happenings in LA were no issue, I’d probably take a friend to a screening of some new indie movie – featuring a live Q&A with the filmmakers, maybe a client’s play/film screening they happen to be in at the time. Go to the beach or do a couple of tourist-y things they might want to explore (hopefully NOT on Hollywood Blvd). I’d also take them to get their aura picture done at Halo Auragraphic in DTLA. Picking out a place to eat/drink would be like asking to name my favorite movie, so I won’t go into that. If they’re from my hometown (I grew up in the Bay Area), I’d probably take them to certain neighborhoods that remind me of cities in the Bay, just to compare and contrast the vibe/culture of each. I love people watching and LA is *ICONIC* when it comes to people watching. Could you imagine going from shopping on Rodeo Dr, then to Da Poetry Lounge on Fairfax and then a drink at a divey biker bar in the Valley? I love navigating a multitude of cultural scenery in one day! haha

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am now without the love, guidance and embodied wisdom I learned from my Mother. She raised me and my brother as a single parent, running a household and multiple businesses over the course of my childhood that is nothing short of Superwoman status! My mom showed me every day, with action, what it means to be an independent woman, a loving and altruistic soul and a genuine feminist – there was no pushing of ideology or books she insisted I read – it wasn’t even “do as I say”, so much as “watch what I do” – and there’s no greater education than seeing the proof in the pudding. She is a master manifestor and always had a slight spiritual bent to things and I believed in all of it because I saw how much that faith in her angels brought us so much love and abundance in all its forms. Even in the darkest moments, there is light to be extracted and uncovered. I’ve seen so many timelines she’s collapsed then rose like the phoenix from those lives, only to come out stronger and more empowered – it’s truly breathtaking. I’m sure she’d prefer I take more risks and jump towards my dreams with reckless abandon; but I know she is proud of me no matter what dreams I pursue, how much I succeed at them or how long it may take me to pursue them (hehe). I am eternally grateful that I chose her in this current incarnation. Love you, Mama!

Website: https://www.entlab.la/

Instagram: @Danceang

Image Credits
Christian Peacock (Black & White, Solo photo)