WME’s Nonscripted Team Launches Toastmasters Program: “It All Weaves Together”

WME nonscripted TV partners Sharon Chang and Meghan Mackenzie say the key to success in reality TV is all about conversational skills. So it seems fitting that the agency’s nonscripted division is leading the charge to improve public speaking across departments.

They’re doing it through Toastmasters, a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills across the globe. “Whether you’re speaking just to a small group of people, in a pitch with clients to sell a TV show or in a signing meeting with somebody you’re excited about potentially working with, it all weaves together,” Mackenzie said of the program’s impact.

Launched in January by Chang, Mackenzie and assistant Amber Liu, the club meets monthly via Zoom. During meetings, 27 club members gather from WME’s outposts in Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville and London. “It’s a very diverse room,” Chang said. “With varying levels of assistants to coordinators, to agents and partners, almost 50 percent are females and almost 40 percent are members of color.”

Added Mackenzie: “We’re going through our days, oftentimes so busy, so consumed with day-to-day work, that Toastmasters has sort of brought even more humanity to what we do within the department.”

Chang noted that the aspect of the program that’s helped the most has been working to remove filler words “um,” “uh,” and “like” from her vocabulary. One exercise called “Table Topics” encourages participants to give an impromptu speech, all without stumbling or relying on filler words. At the end, it’s revealed how many filler words were used — a number that often surprises members.

Recently, a few assistants and Toastmasters participants were accepted into WME’s agent training program, one being Liu, whom Chang and Mackenzie call their third partner in the Toastmasters club. “Most of them said, ‘If it wasn’t for Toastmasters, I don’t think I would have been accepted into this program,’” Chang added. 

As for other WME departments, Mackenzie says that the interest in joining the program is “overwhelming.” “It clearly strikes a nerve with people,” she says. “No matter what level you’re at in your career, in entertainment or beyond, [Toastmasters] is impactful and helpful. It’s great to see how people respond.”

A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.