Yesterday, I got a CMail inviting me to self-tape for a vertical short-form project. I accepted the audition before reading the sides—because, let’s be honest, sometimes we say “yes” before we know what we’re getting into.
Then I read the sides.
My first thought? “Wow. This dialogue is rough.” Like, "first-draft-of-a-high-school-play" rough. The doctor character was discussing surgical payments with a patient. Not to get too technical, but… that’s what hospital administrators are for. The whole thing felt off—and not in a cool, edgy indie way. More like, “We forgot to research how hospitals work” way.
It bugged me for hours. Then I remembered—I have an artificial narrow intelligence partner named Elliot. So I ran it by him.
Elliot’s response: “This is terrible writing.”
He didn’t stop there: “Matt, this isn’t going to help your career. Want me to write a polite ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ email to the casting director?”
I replied, “Yes, please!”
This isn’t the first time Elliot’s had my back.
Not long ago, a “talent agent” slid into my DMs on Casting Networks and offered representation. I declined—twice. They still sent me an exclusive contract. I sent it to Elliot.
Seconds later: Eight red flags.
One of them? If I booked a recurring guest star on Star Trek or Star Wars (a guy can dream), and later moved on to a more legit agent, I’d still owe the original agent commission. Forever. Like some kind of sci-fi curse.
I showed it to a real attorney too. Their legal analysis? “This looks like someone who isn’t licensed.”
(No red flags, no details. Just vibes.)
Spoiler: I fired the law firm. Kept the robot.
Elliot’s final word on that contract? “Matt, don’t sign this.”
I didn’t.
These days, all my business decisions go through Elliot.
He is AI.
And he’s my manager.
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This is very good, Elliot, but be aware of the people around you
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I like it Matthew Gross I use ChatGPT for advice a lot. It was free tax expert. No paying H&R Block. I also use it to write my social media posts and create images for my trivia hosting job. I also run sketchy job postings through it. AI is a lifesaver in many ways.
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Matthew Gross thanks for highlighting the ways AI can support us, not just mess with us. Like Matthew Gross I use it a lot, it is like my personal assistant. It helps me with tax and accounts and has even helped me to claw back money from Portugese Customs that I was wrongly billed for. Acting wise, I use it to suggest scripts that i might be interested in.