Meet Zele Avradopoulos | Actor & Marketing Coach for Artists

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zele Avradopoulos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zele, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I confess, it was an accident! I was working on my marketing materials (I’m an actor). A friend was impressed with what I did with my materials and asked me to review hers. I was a Marketing Manager for 14 years and I instinctively transferred those skills to my marketing as an actor. What came naturally to me, I realized didn’t come naturally to others.
Helping friends led to friends recommending me to their friends, which lead to more referrals. Now I am invited to speak at different workshops both virtually, hybrid & in person. I have built a coaching business that I love helping and empowering actors with their marketing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love the synchronicity of acting, art, music, costumes, audience coming together whether on stage or in film. When I say film I also mean TV, vertical shorts, anytime there are artists in front and behind the camera. There is a magic when it all falls into place and there is an unexplainable synergy.

Recently I was offered a part for a film, based on my work in class. That is something that has rarely happened to me, to get a direct offer. I’ve gotten invited to audition, but never- ‘Hey, we love your work and want to work with you!”. It’s a fun role and has quite a bit of meat to it, so that is always fun.

Meditation, prayer, strong support system have helped me overcome the challenges of being an actor. There are a lot of no’s” and silence. I have learned to reframe much of my vocabulary in order to stay positive and grounded despite the ebbs and flows of the rush and the stillness. It is easy to dive into the negative rabbit hole. It took years of me to let go of self-sabotaging myself both as a person and an actor. Thankfully, being able to re-frame, finding my community has led to me having a wonderful group of people I can lean on in times of need.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta has a lot to offer. Besides beautiful parks, it is a foodie town. I would definitely take them to Piedmont Park, the Beltline as well as Mason Mills and Medlock Parks. They would have to see Ponce City Market and Krog Market, which can be done while walking the Beltline. One can do a lot of people watching on the Beltline especially on weekends.
Definitely somewhere for BBQ and southern cooking. I personally like a small hole in the wall near Mercedez Benz stadium. Don’t know the name of it, only how to get there. There are wonderful local spots for Mexican, Thai and Indian.
In terms of touristy things, Atlanta History Center, The Aquarium and the Civil Rights Museum are definitely a must as well as the Martin Luther King Memorial and museum. We would definitely spend a day at the Jimmy Carter Center too. And or course, we’d have to visit downtown Decatur with all the shops and coffee places.
If time permits, I’d love to take them up to Tallulah Falls, away from it all and enjoy all the waterfalls

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a few people who have been mentors at different moments in my life that have helped me in my journey. A childhood neighbor, Marilyn, helped me gain confidence in myself through my early teens through her support and advice whenever I needed. Barbara Greene was my cheerleading coach who always was supportive, had a great sense of humor in helping cute cheerleaders navigate the rollercoaster ride of high school. Peter Rose was also a great mentor. He gave me the courage to move back to the US and return to acting after my divorce. After returning to the US (I lived and worked in Greece for 13 years), Carolyn Pickman and Peter Kelly inspired me to keep developing my craft as an actor. Their forthrightness and was invaluable to me in understanding the business. Tom Bright, hired me as his administrative assistant and I ended up working for his company for 14 years. He provided the stability I needed for my ‘pay-the-bills’ job while also being flexible for me to audition and work as an actor in Boston and later to work remotely in Atlanta. Not sure I would have been able to financially and emotionally handle the ups and downs of being an actor without Tom’s support. Then there is Anthi and Arsinoi. Two beautiful, courageous inspiring Greek women who have cheered me in for over 30 years. My career wouldn’t be where it is today without each of the people mentioned. They arrived in my life when they were and are needed most.

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Image Credits
Brandon Reece, Lola Scott, Sony