Philip Carlson was a talent agent who signed and represented the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Claire Danes, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and Liev Schreiber. His roster of acting talent is long and his career spanned decades. In this short film by Christopher Ming Ryan, Carlson reflects on the difficult and joyous process of finding talent. “I am looking for someone who just thrills me. Who is just…I cannot take my eyes off them because they are so deeply involved in what they do,” he says. “It just has to be filled with honesty, and humanity and a wish to be heard.” He has since left the talent agency industry and has written a book aimed at giving advice to aspiring actors.

You can see more of Ryan’s film work at his company’s website: http://wheelhousecommunications.com/.