About Bob
For more than 30 years, I’ve made my living as a professional actor & entrepreneur —on stage, on camera, and behind the mic. I’ve played everything from earnest young dads to jaded executives, comic sidekicks, and the occasional villain you secretly root for. If there’s a story to be told and an audience to move, chances are I’ve stood in the light and told it!
You can see my updated resume and view my reels at https://bobgatchel.com
My Strange Journey as an ActorPreneur
My journey into acting started in an unlikely way: as a laid-off engineer who decided to reinvent himself. What began as “let me see if I can book a few gigs” turned into a full-time, decades‑long career in theatre, industrials, and voice‑over.
But it all started, in the most unusual say. While working part time to pay the bills, I was actually booking some decent paying “acting / voice over gigs” and making money at it. But it was still a struggle. Then I met a man Fred Cohen at an audition. An older gentleman I bumped into during auditions and gigs, who seemed to be doing well for himself.
One day I said — “Fred, how are you able to afford a nice car, clothes and live while booking these low-paying gigs? I have to look at getting another job to make ends meet.” His answer changed my life. He said ….
“You don’t need a job, you need an income.”
Fred, was an entrepreneur. I discovered that he worked his ass off in his early years building a small company … sometimes working nights as a cab driver to keep afloat. His business succeeded and he continued to build business ventures until the day he died. But he loved acting and built a life where his income streams and ventures allowed him to “double dip” and do free, low paying and yes, even the HIGH paying gigs — things he loved to do.
He took me to lunch. It was Jack Downey’s in / near Olde City Philly. We talked … well, he talked, I listened. I will never forget it. Fred opened up to me, talked about the glories and the pitfalls and the JOY of being an entrepreneur AND ACTOR.
I stayed connected with Fred for years, having lunch with him and with his wife at his home in NJ etc … and he continued to teach me some interesting ways to look at life & business. The highs, the lows, the challenges and the victories.
My last call with him — he was working on yet another idea and venture … while he was slowly slipping away from cancer. He had the energy of a 20 year old, and was excitedly making plans for a trip … our last call he said he usual “See ya buddy” with no sound of despair or worry — he died a few days later.
I did my best to follow Fred’s advice … and have been so fortunate to have hit some pretty amazing “highs” but also hit some pretty deep valleys and everything in between. But knowing it’s all part of the cycle of being an entrepreneur.
Along the way, I built one of the early personal actor websites to promote my work—an experiment that ended up getting featured in Investor’s Business Daily and helped explode my visibility, my bookings, and ultimately my understanding of branding as a working performer – and also led to another income stream as an online marketing consultant to the entertainment industry
Three decades later, that description still fits—only now it comes with a lot more mileage, craft, and range. I’ve performed in countless professional productions and projects, from intimate black‑box plays to big musical theatre stages, from corporate training films to national voice‑over campaigns.
I’ve had the privilege of working with directors, producers, and creative teams who push for truth, nuance, and emotional honesty—and I love that challenge every single time.
I’ve contributed to books like “Multiple Streams of Internet Income” with Robert G. Allen and “Million Dollar Emails” by Yanik Silver, and I’ve authored “Online Reputation Management.” All of that non‑acting work grew out of one simple truth: as an actor, I had to learn how to build and protect my own brand long before that language was popular.
Over the years, I’ve become obsessed with two things:
- The craft of acting – digging into text, behavior, and relationships to make characters feel real, specific, and alive.
- The business of acting – building and sustaining a career through smart branding, consistent marketing, and long‑term professional relationships.
I believe those two obsessions feed each other. The stronger your craft, the more confidently you can market yourself. The stronger your business sense, the more freedom you have to say “yes” to the right projects and “no” to the wrong ones.
What I bring to the table as an actor:
• 30+ years of professional stage experience – drama, comedy, musical theatre, classics, and new work.
• On‑camera work in commercial and corporate/industrial projects.
• Voice‑over for national and regional clients – commercials, narration, e‑learning, explainers, and character work.
• A strong “real person” vibe – believable dads, trusted professionals, executives, mentors, and neighbors.
• A collaborative mindset – I show up prepared, take direction well, and care deeply about the overall production, not just my role in it.
When I’m not under the lights or in front of a camera, you’ll usually find me in a studio behind a microphone or at a table with a script and a highlighter. I love rehearsal almost as much as performance: exploring beats, uncovering subtext, and finding those small human moments that make an audience lean in.
I also believe that being a lifelong performer makes me better at everything else I do. Acting is, at its core, about listening—really listening. That skill translates into how I work with directors, clients, students, and collaborators across every part of my professional life.
What I write and talk about:
• The realities of a long-term acting career – the highs, the lows, and how to keep going.
• How performers can market themselves without feeling fake – using authenticity and story instead of gimmicks.
• The intersection of art and entrepreneurship – treating your acting career like the business it actually is. And maybe even inspire you to create parallel income streams to take your career to the next level.
• Mindset, resilience, and reinvention – especially for artists who are starting over or leveling up mid‑career.
• The overlap between creativity and technology – how digital tools can amplify, not replace, the human performance at the center.
Have a Question? Want to Chat? Contact Me!
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