Meet Marki Costello. She is the granddaughter of legendary comedian Lou Costello and a serious business woman. Marki has created an incredible niche in Hollywood as a well respected hosting coach and manager, founding CMEG . But most importantly, she is a character! That’s why E! is giving her her own show called Drama Queen that is airing tonight, Sunday November 17th, at 11pm.
A lot of hosts ask me- “So, what is Marki really like?”
As a student for nearly three years and a client for one, I have a lot of experience with Marki. This is the advice I give them, and am now giving you!
1. She’s Intimidating
Marki was most definitely a New York taxi cab driver in a former life. She tells it like it is, she likes to use four-letter words, has excellent use of her diaphragm, and sometimes she, uh, over shares. I mean, look at the promo for the show. I’ve never heard a woman declare herself a bitch in such a bad ass, and dare I say, aspirational? manner.
2. Fail Fast, Succeed Sooner
If you’re going into her class wanting someone to tell you how great you are and you should “definitely be hosting your own network prime time TV show by now,” then think again.
Marki’s class is a way to fail fast in order to succeed sooner. I take class so that I make my mistakes in a safe environment, and when I’m on an audition, or more importantly on set, I “don’t f*** up.” Yes, I’ve literally gotten that direction on set before. It was said in jest, but only kind of.
Marki will find something wrong with your performance no matter what. You may not agree with her, or you may not agree how she goes about critiquing you, but that’s why you’re in class: to get better.
Hint: This class works especially well for ex-East Coasters.
3. She’s Right
Just get over it. Don’t fight it. Don’t rebel against it. She is right. Maybe not 100% of the time for every situation, but there will definitely be a point in your career where that one critique that really got under your skin got you out of a jam on a job. She is the person networks go to when their talent is not performing well. If the networks want their talent trained by her- at $500 an hour!- then LISTEN when she critiques you in class. If you booked a job and didn’t do well, you’d have to listen to her anyway.
This brings me to my next point…
4. Go In With The Right Mindset
As a student for nearly 3 years, I see the people who resist the most are the people who go into class with the goal of being represented by her, not learning from her.
I was one of those people. And boy did I get served a big dose of humble pie. And I hate pie. I’m more of a cake person.
It’s a hosting class, not an audition.
The funny thing is the less time you spend trying to prove yourself and the more time you spend trying to better yourself will bring you closer to that end goal of being represented by Marki- if that’s your end goal. She respects hard work and consistency over talent. So many people pass through her door, but it’s the ones who stick around that get noticed.
That’s how I was asked to be represented by her. And yes, I’m still in class… now more than ever.
5. Results Don’t Lie
I moved to LA in March of 2011. I took the hosting boot camp 2 weeks after I arrived. I had no job lined up, except some savings and the goal that I would dedicate one year of my life to hosting. Meaning, instead of spending 40 hours a week working as a waitress, I would take those 40 hours and invest them in myself and my career.
Within six months I was shooting a pilot for MTV and by the year mark, I was a working host, which is a huge feat in Hollywood.
And this was before I was represented by her.
Now, this is obviously not only because of Marki’s class. I worked, and still work, my butt off. But I definitely saw an improvement in my performance and confidence. I perform best when I ‘m over prepared and it’s really hard to prepare for auditions, where every one is different. But taking class definitely helped in navigating the curve balls.
6. How She Represents You
People think that once you are represented by any agent or manager, it’s like a flip of a switch and automatically you’ll start booking.
Yeeeaaaah… that’s not how it works.
Marki is like any manager or agent, where they can get you through the door, but you have to keep that door open for yourself after you walk out. Translation: you have to earn the job.
With that said, Marki has gotten me into doors that I never thought possible. i.e. TESTING for a huge network show without an initial audition. For those new to the field, testing is the final round of auditions, usually in front of executives. I didn’t book the show, but I made a good impression, which is sometimes 95% of the battle.
She has also fought like hell for me on jobs where I was in the top 3. I’m talking hours and hours on the phone.
REMEMBER: Your manager or agent only make 10-20% of what you earn, so don’t expect them to do 80% of the work. Continue to take classes, build your social media empire, build any empire for that matter, self-submit, network, and perfect your craft.
Yes, that’s a Marki nugget of advice, one of many.
Everyone- enjoy the show Drama Queen. One thing I know for sure is that it will most definitely be a show!
And for the aspiring TV hosts out there, invest in yourself and you will succeed. Hollywood is a war of attrition. The longer you stay in it, the better your chances are of success.
xoxo, Andrea
