August 2026

Hello!

Here is the CMA newsletter - a dedicated space for our latest news, acting tips, life reflections, inspiring quotes, and updates from our talented actors.

Workshop Updates

George and I are really looking forward to getting back to it after the summer break, seeing all your lovely faces and working hard in the room again. We’ve had our rest. Now for the sprint until Christmas!The final part of the year is an important time to build momentum. Self-tapes should begin to pick up. I’ve seen some recent submission lists and there are reasons for optimism. Your agent should be knocking down doors for you, but you need to be knocking too. Ask to see your submissions list (depending on your relationship with your agent). Find out what projects are casting. Write to producers, directors and casting directors with specific projects in mind. Send them your showreel and always try to have something new to tell them about. An agent friend of mine once put it to me like this: if your agent takes 10-15% commission (if it’s more than that, sack them), does that mean they should be doing 10-15% of the work and you should be doing the other 85-90%? Something to think about. We are in the process of organizing an agent panel for London and Manchester before the end of the year. 

Workshop Updates

Manchester

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We are very excited to be welcome producer Barrington Paul Robinson to CMA for his first ever private acting workshop. His credits include The Responder and A Thousand Blows. A brilliant addition to the CMA team!He is really looking forward to meeting you all and getting to work. Due to a cancellation we have one space left!

*FINAL SPACE - BOOK BELOW*

Book 5th/6th September Manchester Workshop

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Looking ahead to October already, we will be welcoming casting director Sheraz Ahmed back to Manchester.

You will work on screen scenes with Sheraz before submitting a self-tape of your choice for him to watch and critique. The aim is for you to leave with a stronger acting process in the room and a better self-taping process at home. Both will improve your chances of booking work.

Booking is now open using the link below.

Book 10th/11th October Manchester Workshop

London

• Sheraz is up first in London on 19th/20th September. We always work so well together and he has been a genuine champion of CMA actors, regularly bringing people he has met through our workshops in for castings. We love him!The weekend will follow the same format as Manchester: scene work with Sheraz followed by detailed feedback on a self-tape of your choice. We have two spaces left.

*FINAL TWO SPACES - BOOK BELOW*

Book London 19th/20th September Workshop

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CMA London also has a new home! We are buzzing to be partnering with the University of East London, where I am Senior Lecturer in Acting for Stage and Screen. From September, our London workshops will be based in the Performing Arts studios at University Square Stratford. Regular attendees will be delighted to learn it has a microwave! 

Mountview has been great to us, but it feels like the right time for a change. I’ll send everyone a full email with the venue details shortly and all workshop information will be updated before our September weekend.

My Ideas

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There will always be another mountain to climb. There will be times when you feel as though you are standing at the top and times when you find yourself right back at the bottom. This is completely normal. There isn’t going to be a magical day when you suddenly have no problems left to solve. Ride the highs and ride the lows too.

As Denzel Washington once said: “The devil comes for you in your highest moments.”

Enjoy the view when life is good. Just remember that, at some point, there will be another mountain to climb. 

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Everything comes back to presence. 

I’ve had a bit of a case of overthinking for the past month or so. I wasn’t very well and couldn’t seem to shake it off. I worried about that, then something else came along that I have to deal with. Together, they took up far too much brain space.

Over the last few days, after a good chat with my wife, I have found my way back to the present moment. There is no anxiety in the present moment. Anxiety is attached to what might happen in the future. Everything can be dealt with better when you are present.

Enjoy the journey, otherwise you will never arrive at the destination.

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The two most proactive things you can do as an actor:

1) Improve your self-taping.
2) Write consistently to producers, directors and casting directors - in that order. Be on the lookout for jobs. Find the right people and contact them with a specific project in mind. Send them your work. Give them a reason to see you.

To help with number one, our new free mini-course Nail Your Next Self-Tape in 5 Easy Steps, will be released in the next two weeks.

You will be able to access the full course completely free and use it to elevate your self-taping process. 

Keep your eyes on your inbox.

Insights

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Morgan Housel on how you view other people:

“Be careful who you praise and admire. Be careful who you look down upon and wish to avoid becoming. Or just be careful when assuming that 100% of outcomes can be attributed to effort and decisions.”

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Morrie Schwartz on a meaningful life:

“Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

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Lupita Nyong’o on auditions:

“I give myself homework when I have an audition. I give myself goals, and that’s how I check how I’m doing. It can be something simple, like ‘listen’ or ‘find your feet’. And then afterward it’s an assessment, so in a way it’s not about booking the job or not. It’s about what I learned as an actor about that character.”

CMA Actor Spotlight

London regular Natalie Kimmerling is going from strength to strength: she has just signed with Independent. We are so proud to have played a small part in her acting journey. Well done Nat!  

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Manchester regular Finn Cairns has just been cast in a new TV series and also has a series regular role in the new season of Time, which is about to air.

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Please keep us updated with what you are up to - we would love to shout about your work in the newsletter.

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Thanks for reading,

— Majid