Out Of The Box Studio

What Out Of The Box Studio does

Out Of The Box Studio (OOTBS) is a Toronto-based, founder-operated acting services studio established in 2011 by working actor PJ Lazic. The company provides four core services to individual professional and aspiring actors: self-tape audition production, private coaching (in-person or via Skype), demo reel editing, and career consultation. The self-tape offering is positioned as Toronto's only fully comprehensive on-call studio, bundling a scene reader, coaching/direction, shooting, editing, and email delivery into a single fixed-price package, with rates ranging from $60 (30 minutes) to $150 (2 hours). Private coaching is $60/hour and demo reel editing is $75/hour, with a published outcome claim that OOTBS clients have earned over $1 million in roles booked in the past year.

The business is structured as a sole proprietorship / founder-led micro-enterprise with 1-10 employees, a single physical studio at 85 East Liberty Street in Toronto's King/Strachan area, and a 24-hour booking hotline plus Bookeo self-serve scheduling. Technology is operational rather than platform-driven: professional audio/video capture equipment, Vimeo for portfolio distribution, Bookeo for booking, and Skype for remote coaching. Marketing and customer acquisition are conducted primarily through word-of-mouth referrals from talent agents and managers, the Vimeo video portfolio, direct phone/text outreach, and periodic industry engagements such as the 2012 ACTRA winter conference panel.

OOTBS serves a single end-customer segment (working actors) on a pay-as-you-go, per-session basis with no enterprise contracts, no app, no API, and no digital product. The competitive narrative is anchored almost entirely on PJ Lazic's 20+ years of acting experience, his training pedigree with noted coaches (Michelle Danner, Lewis Baumander, David Rotenberg, John Boylan), and his credits working alongside international film and TV talent. The company is private, unfunded, and has no disclosed parent, subsidiary, or institutional investor.

Name

Out Of The Box Studio

Legal name

Out Of The Box Studio

Website

https://outoftheboxstudio.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Out Of The Box Studio is a Toronto-based, founder-operated studio providing self-tape auditions, private coaching, demo reel editing, and career consultation for working actors, priced at $60-$150 per session.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Acting & Performance Coaching Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Acting coaching
• Self-tape auditions
• Demo reel production
• Actor consultation
• Performance coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Self Tape Auditions: The core service offering self-tape auditions including reader, coaching/direction, shooting, editing, and email delivery. Prices range from $60 for 30 minutes to $150 for 2 hours.
2. Private Coaching: In-person or Skype coaching sessions for actors preparing scenes or auditions. Rate of $60/hour.
3. Demo Reels: Editing and production of actor demo reels. Rate of $75/hour.
4. Consultation: Career advice and guidance for actors from beginner to professional, covering classes, agents, casting directors, photographers, visas/greencards, and industry navigation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Out Of The Box Studio is a Toronto-based acting services studio that records self-tape auditions, provides private one-on-one acting coaching, shoots demo reels, and offers career consultations for actors. Founded in 2011 by working actor PJ Lazic, the studio supplies professional audio/video equipment and editing in a dedicated facility, with the option of remote coaching via Skype.

Product overview

Out Of The Box Studio is a Toronto-based acting services studio offering a comprehensive suite of self-tape audition, coaching, and demo reel services. The core offerings include Self Tapes (professional audition recording with reader, coaching, shooting, editing, and delivery), Private Coaching (in-person or Skype sessions), Demo Reels (video editing at $75/hour), and Consultation services ($60/hour) for career guidance. The studio also produced 'Build or Bust,' a short film for the ACTRA conference. Services are priced flexibly: Self Tapes from $60 (half-hour) to $150 (two hours), including reader, coaching, editing, and email delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Tape Auditions Professional self-tape audition recording service for actors; the studio supplies broadcast-quality cameras, lighting, audio, and a reader/acting coach to capture audition sides on-site or remotely via Skype.
• Private Acting Coaching One-on-one private acting coaching sessions delivered in-studio or remotely via Skype at an hourly rate.
• Demo Reels Professional filming and editing of actor demo reels using the studio's cameras, lighting, and audio setup at an hourly rate.
• Actor Career Consultation One-hour career consultation sessions providing actors with guidance on their career direction, materials, and next steps.

Quantifiable outcome

• Actors have earned over $1 million in roles BOOKED over the last year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2012OOTBS led a panel on self tapes and self promotion at the ACTRA winter conference in February 2012. They also produced and screened 'Build or Bust' short film specifically for the ACTRA conference, demonstrating self-taping capabilities to over 100 actors in attendance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WeAudition: Mobile app that matches actors for self-tape audition partner/readers. Directly substitutes the 'reader' and remote pairing layer of OOTBS's bundled self-tape service.
• Pro Actors Lab: Toronto acting studio where founder PJ Lazic trained under David Rotenberg. Comparable in offering (coaching, audition prep, scene work) and geography.
• The Acting Studio (Toronto): Toronto acting studio offering in-person classes and coaching for actors. Overlaps with OOTBS on private coaching and audition preparation in the same Toronto market.

Broad incumbents

• National Theatre School of Canada: Canada's premier accredited acting training institution. Addresses a related need (acting craft) but at a credentialing, multi-year, institutional level versus OOTBS's transactional services.
• Backstage: Large-scale casting, auditions, and acting resource platform with self-tape guidance content. Overlaps as a destination for actors preparing auditions but is a media/marketplace rather than a service studio.
• Second City Toronto: Established improv and comedy training institution with a Toronto presence. Overlaps on acting/comedic training and Toronto market footprint, but at much larger scale and broader programming.
• Soulpepper Theatre: Major Toronto theatre company that runs actor training programs. Comparable on Toronto-based actor development and brand cachet, but institutionally and structurally different (large theatre vs. sole-proprietor studio).

Others

• Casting Workbook: Toronto-based casting platform serving actors and casting directors. PJ Lazic maintains a profile on the platform; it is an ecosystem tool that complements rather than competes with OOTBS services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/242115592482042

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Out Of The Box Studio