In Episode 2 of The Charlotte Business Podcast, host Ashley Boti talks with Brian LaFontaine, a professional actor, director, coach and voiceover artist with more than 25 years of experience across film, television, theater, podcasting, corporate and event hosting, standup comedy and improv. Brian's path did not start with a plan. After losing a golf scholarship at Catawba College, he turned to standup comedy, which led to theater, film, television and voiceover work.
The conversation digs into what actually makes public speaking frightening: not the size of the room, but the unknowns, like not knowing what the audience is thinking or how you are being received. Brian explains how he coaches executives, entrepreneurs and managers, why he treats presentations as conversations, how he is building a speaking coaching business while still acting, and why he sees collaboration as better than competition. If you pitch, network or present for a living, this episode will change how you show up in the room.
“I'm going to take you from where you are and try and move you to where you want to go.”
Watch the full conversation above, or listen on Buzzsprout.
Brian grew up in Rhode Island, went to Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina on a small golf scholarship and studied communications, mostly because it required the fewest hours. When the scholarship was taken back, he started doing standup comedy, and that led to theater, film, television, an agent and voiceover work over more than three decades.
Brian says an actor is really a professional job interviewee, because there is never job security. A friend suggested he offer his skills as a public speaking coach, and he realized the same skills he used as an actor transfer directly to the professional world.
Starting felt instant, but getting paid took time. In the entertainment world he had never needed to build business relationships, so he had to go to networking events, take coffee meetings and rely on six degrees of separation. Brian is almost two years into the business and still keeps his acting career. He says he is working more hours now than ever, and the host reassures him that the first few years are the hardest, after which people begin to mention your name in rooms.
Brian says the biggest obstacle is anxiety and fear, whether the audience is one person or hundreds, because of the unknowns. You have no idea what the listener is thinking and no control over how they respond. He argues that everyone has something worth sharing, and that audiences love hearing stories from people who are as messy as they are because it makes them feel less alone.
The host adds that her drama background made public speaking classes easier, and Brian says anyone with performance experience knows anything can go sideways and you just keep going.
Brian says every experience can become a story. The key is to listen and engage with the audience, make it about them and find openings that lead to your stories. His trick is to ask a question that leaves room for your own story. He prefers a conversational presentation to being the smartest person in the room.
He coaches executives, middle managers, keynote speakers and entrepreneurs alike and does not use a set methodology. He will not take someone through step one if they already know it, but will start from where they are.
Brian admits that questions about ideal client, a 30 second pitch and Q1 goals were new to him because an acting career is built on unknowns. He is still working out which networking rooms fit. The host shares her own jump into full time entrepreneurship after COVID, how a coach pointed out that she was not doing money generating activities, and how she learned her social media posts were reaching friends instead of clients.
For marketing he uses Instagram and LinkedIn, hired a marketing person for social media, and relies on networking and personality. He says his best tool is being himself, disarming nervous people and connecting before pitching.
The most rewarding part of the work is helping someone else succeed on a stage. Brian says most of his clients come from referrals and he is always surprised when someone makes an introduction.
Brian has been connected to Charlotte for most of his adult life. He tried Los Angeles in 1999, lived in Brooklyn for about four years until the end of 2011, and kept his agents, clients and house in Charlotte. He says the need for speaking and communication is everywhere in a banking and corporate city, and that there is plenty for everyone.
Brian shares how he met another public speaking coach and they chose coffee over competition. He also talks about Charlotte is Creative, a nonprofit co-founded by his friends that supports the city's creative community, and about murals and arts growth in Charlotte.
His advice for better public speaking is to ask for help and avoid a good enough mentality. As virtual presentations grow, he says speaking is a two way street and has to engage the audience. Next up are corporate workshops, a speaking event in mid October and a workshop for people who want to give keynote or TEDx style talks.
Brian LaFontaine is a professional storyteller with more than 25 years of experience as an actor, director, coach and voiceover artist, working in film, television, theater, podcasting, corporate and event hosting, standup comedy and improv. Through Brian LaFontaine Coaching he helps executives, entrepreneurs and teams speak with confidence, connection and ease.
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