Have you wondered what, where and why to post on social platforms as an actor? Join us for a panel including Meta Strategic Partnership Manager Ray Rover, social media strategist Heidi Dean and actors Clayton Farris (Weapons) and Ryan Michelle Bathé (Paradise) as they explore how actors can use social media intentionally, professionally, and sustainably, without it becoming overwhelming or all-consuming, moderated by Ted Sroka, SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
BIO:
Ray Rover is a Strategic Partnerships Manager on Meta’s Global Partnerships team, specializing in Entertainment Talent Partnerships across North America. Based in Los Angeles, Ray often collaborates with actors, creatives, and entertainment partners to drive innovative content strategies and strengthen Meta’s presence in the entertainment industry.
With a passion for building impactful relationships and fostering creative growth, Ray’s passion is to help actors with maximizing their reach and engagement on Meta’s platforms with a focus on empowering entertainment talent, shaping partnership programs, and delivering results that align with Meta’s mission to connect people and build communities.
Heidi Dean is a social media strategist for actors, the founder of Marketing4Actors.com, and the author of Social Media for Actors: 100 Essential Tips to Grow, Thrive, and Survive Online. She speaks regularly at events for SAG-AFTRA, AEA, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, film festivals, universities, and top acting schools across the country. Her clients include Emmy Award-winners, Broadway performers, series regulars, directors, producers, casting directors, voice actors, audiobook narrators—and actors just like you!
Clayton Farris is a Los Angeles–based actor, writer, and content creator known for his character-driven performances across film and television. His recent acting credits include 'Weapons,' 'MaXXXine,' 'Tulsa King,' 'The Pitt' and the upcoming Apple TV+ series 'Cape Fear,' spanning both studio projects and independent productions.
Alongside his on-screen work, Clayton has built a highly engaged digital audience of over 900,000 followers across platforms through original comedic characters and sharply observed sketches about modern life. What began as a fun creative outlet on Vine has grown into a natural extension of his acting career and a place to develop new characters, refine his voice, and consistently showcase his range.
His online presence has led to collaborations with major brands, increased industry visibility, and multiple bookings and opportunities with dream collaborators. By fully leaning into the creative outlet of social media, he’s built a bridge between his digital work and traditional acting opportunities, steadily expanding his creative reach. He believes now more than ever, actors have the ability to use social media as a tool to help push their careers forward.
Ryan Michelle Bathé currently writes and produces the NAACP Image Award-winning podcast WE DON’T ALWAYS AGREE. Alongside her husband Sterling K. Brown, the couple offers an elevated view of learning and growing together. Bathé is soon to be seen hosting the official PARADISE companion podcast, in addition to guest-starring in the award-winning Hulu series.
In 2023, Bathé starred in the film BOY IN THE WALLS, directed by Constance Zimmer and led NBC’s high-stakes thriller series THE ENDGAME. Her most recent television credits include CBS’ ALL RISE and the BET+ dramedy series FIRST WIVES CLUB, based on the classic 1996 film of the same name. Bathé portrayed Ari, a confident, type-A attorney with impeccable style who is reunited with her best friends after a crisis. In 2020, Bathé starred in the Emmy nominated Amazon film SYLVIE’S LOVE, directed by Eugene Ashe.
Bathé’s diverse television credits include roles in FX’s ALL’S FAIR, ABC’s THE ROOKIE, Fox’s EMPIRE, NBC’s THIS IS US, Lifetime’s ARMY WIVES and TV Land’s RETIRED AT 35. She has also appeared in GOOD FENCES, ER, DR. KEN, MEDIUM, BOSTON LEGAL, TRAUMA, HALF & HALF, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, THE EDUCATION OF MAX BICKFORD and HARRY’S LAW. In film, Bathe co-starred in Lionsgate’s ONE FOR THE MONEY, as well as the independent features ALL ABOUT US, BROTHER TO BROTHER and LEAVING BARSTOW, for which she received critical acclaim on the festival circuit.
In addition to her on screen appearances, Bathé has performed on stage in Shakespeare’s “As you Like It” and “Much to do About Nothing” at the Old Guthrie Theatre and Old Globe Theatre. She also starred in the musical “The Hot Mikado” at the Ford Theater in Washington, DC. Bathé is a firm believer in what Shirley Chisholm says, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization whose members are dedicated sisterhood, scholarship and service. Combining her passion for helping children and philanthropy, Bathé is also a passionate member of Alliance of Moms, a membership-based program that supports pregnant and parenting teens in foster care in the Los Angeles county.
Bathé was born in St. Louis and raised in Stamford, CT. She graduated from Stanford University and earned her MFA in Acting from New York University. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
