In the Bay Area Dec 23-28

I'm flying up to Sacramento for a training session with my new employer. As of Sunday Dec 23, I'll be visiting with friends and family. I'm curious to see if anyone pulls the old "you're not the Donovan I remember" trick. The point of course being, I need a little time away to gain some perspective on the whole affair so that I can return energized and grounded in the New Year.

So to celebrate, here is a montage from my favorite childhood Christmas film, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.



Happy Holidays dear reader!

Passed Groundlings Level One

Today was my last day in the Groundlings basic improv class. You have to audition to get into the class, and a decent number of people don't make it. At the end of the term, each student meets privately with the instructor for an evaluation of their work and to find out whether or not they can move on to Level Two.

Actress Jennifer Coolige had to repeat Basic three times before they let her move up to Level Two. So as we were finishing up our last class session, I began steeling myself for the possibility of repeating the intro course.

At the end of class, our instructor set out a sign-up sheet and pen whilst the seething horde of students high on improv and caffeine literally wrestled for pole position. I struggled to scratch out my initials on the legal pad while my legs were being held in the air and I was being dragged away by an actor who played serial killer Norman Bates in a haunted house (and you think I'm kidding about this). Despite this grandiose effort, I was only able to secure my place in the middle of the pack (#5 of 12).

When I finally met with my instructor, she let me know that I was ready to move on to Level Two. Yippee! I was quite flattered when she said the following of my work:

"You take really good care of your scene partners, which is what this is all about. You are very good about taking care of the who, what, where and you've always got solid character work. You're talented and you're funny, which is something that I can't teach, so good for you. I hope that you go through the rest of the Groundlings program, you're entertaining to watch."

Unfortunately when I went to register for the Level Two class, all of the slots were filled and I signed up for the sketch comedy writing class instead. I'm excited to do more work with The Groundlings, I'm learning a ton and I feel like I'm a much better comic actor as a result.

The Ugly Truth of Working at Home

Last night I attended my friend Lolly's last class at the Acme Comedy School. The $5 ticket price was more than compensated for by my eating my body weight in red-frosted cupcakes. After the show I was talking with an actor who had worked at home but after three months took a 9-5. When I asked him why he chose to lock up his schedule, he explained that he was lonely and unproductive when he worked from home. I can definitely relate to that.

This is the schedule I lived for the better part of last month:

9:00am Wake-Up & Hit Snooze
… Snooze Repeatedly
9:30am Rationalize that I need the sleep and turn off alarm.
12:00pm Wake up naturally and decide that I should go back to sleep anyway.
1:00pm Wake up and check email and read Blogs.
2:00pm Eat breakfast – cereal & milk.
2:30pm Begin watching episodes of 30 Rock/Dexter/Heroes
2:40pm Eat a second bowl of cereal and continue watching TV.
4:30pm Feel horribly disgusting about watching so much TV and take a shower.
5:00pm Try to do work but get distracted by some part of the Internet.
7:00pm Take myself out to Thai food in the neighborhood (rationalization: if I go outside, I can come back renewed and refreshed).
8:15pm Make a To Do list of tasks that need to be accomplished.
8:45pm Rationalize one more television episode.
9:15pm Berate myself for watching TV but watch yet another episode.
9:45pm Make myself another bowl of cereal.
10:00pm Become so overwhelmed with guilt and self-loathing that I start doing items on my To Do list.
12:00am Get a minor headache from being up late. Take a grandmother strength Motrin and drink a cup of Earl Gray Tea.
12:20am Get back to work.
2:30am Delirium sets in – but work must continue.
4:00am Work is done. Time to blog or surf the web.
5:00am Wonder why I'm still awake.
5:30am Get in bed and go to sleep.

Thankfully, my schedule is much improved of late. My family bought me a laptop so I drive to The Library right after my groundlings class and work there until about 7pm. Then I usually hang out with a friend or see a show until 11, and then I get home and work from 11:30 'til 2am.

Sitting On My Hands

As far as acting goes, I have essentially spent the month of December sitting on my hands. I've been submitting daily through LA Casting and Actor's Access and haven't been called in to audition for so much as a student film. While I'm definitely able to invest more time and energy in my acting classes and my friendships, I really wish that I was getting more on-the-job training. Dustin Hoffman has a really great quote in this month's issue of Interview magazine about this very subject:

"A writer doesn't have to sell his book to write every day, but we (actors) have to have a job in order to practice our craft."

After my Groundlings class tomorrow, I'm going to call my manager and see if he can get me back in the room with the boutique agency who was interested in representing me commercially and theatrically. Maybe they'll be able to get me into some auditions.

I now work in Customer Support.

Sorting out my financial woes has many times surpassed acting as my primary focus in LA. While money is something that impacts everyone, I'm excited for the day that it will be less of a concern.

Although I've yet to sign on the dotted line, it looks like I've got a new job lined up. I'll be doing customer support for VetPrep.com – an online veterinary test preparation service. This job will be salaried and should cover my rent and utilities – relieving the stress of wondering when the next check from freelance work will roll in. The work consists of answering customer emails, making phone calls, and sending out promotional materials. In fact it's not terribly different from what I do as an actor: respond to breakdowns, make phone calls, and send out promotional materials.

My technical background is a real boon for me. Geeks have a leg up on most actors with day-jobs. There aren't many non-technical jobs that pay as well or offer nearly as much flexibility in terms of: place of work, time of work, and amount of work.

LA Gets a Bad Rap

Say what you will about LA being populated with superficial people who have been injected with enough Botox to prevent their Grinch mouths from smiling even as they stab you in the back. I don't know enough about the city to accept or reject those claims outright. But I can tell you that there are certainly people and places that don't reflect the commonly promoted stereotype.

While the concept of thousands upon thousands of artists coming to pursue their bliss in the entertainment industry Mecca only to find frustration and failure is horribly tragic, there is a beauty in it as well. Tonight I attended a birthday party for my friend Whitton, an actress and blues dancer that I first met at the ACT Summer Training Congress a few years ago. I found myself surrounded by actors, musicians, dancers, animators, and writers – all of whom were engaged in the simultaneously geeky and sexy enterprise of ballroom dancing. I talked with various people at the party about their art, their goals, their concerns, and their day jobs. The through-line was passion; these artists were passionate about their work and were excited to be doing it. That is where I find the beauty in LA. While it may be hell for all of its inhabitants eventually, for each new arrival surrounded by other idealists Los Angeles, city of angels, is a Utopia.

The Laramie Project

I got an email earlier this week from my friend Prince Gomovillas asking if I wanted to see a high school production of The Laramie Project with him. Apparently some students at the school had put on a production of Prince's play "The Theory of Everything" and invited him to see their latest undertaking. Not one to turn down a comp ticket, I said yes.

I'm glad I did. I was absolutely gob smacked by the production. The direction was extremely tight and effective, but more impressive was just how committed and heart-felt the performances were. I found myself weeping at various points throughout the show. Many of these young actresses were working at a professional caliber - Prince explained that he felt is was a stronger production than when it played at Berkeley Rep. It was most definitely not like any high school play I'd ever seen.

Kudos to all involved.

Too Busy to Blog

This past week has been pretty hectic and I've given this blog less attention than I would like. However, leading a life so interesting that I don't have time to write about its myriad happenings is not an altogether bad situation to be in. For now, I'll just give you the bullet points, and with luck I'll be able to find time to write more detailed entries later.

• I attended the opening night of my friend Diablo Cody's film "Juno". See this movie – you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be quoting it for weeks.
  
• I signed with a talent manager named Blair Silver who found me through a cold-submission by Sage Marketing for Actors.
  
• I love my Groundlings class. I'm learning a ton, and my commercial acting is improving as a result.
  
• I've got one week left in my commercial acting class with Jeff Hardwick. I'm learning scads here as well.
  
• I attended a free workshop held by John Sudol on commercial acting which was extremely informative.
  
• I've fleshed out the story of my screenplay a bit more.
  
• I got the first of a series of checks in the mail from my day-job. Thank goodness!

Groundlings Get Me Up

Thank God for The Groundlings School, if it wasn't for them I'd still be a slacker. Today was the second day in a row that I woke up before 9am. This may seems like a fairly insignificant and pitiful accomplishment to the majority of the world, but for me it is tremendous progress. In the past I've attempted to impose artificial structures on myself to ensure that I woke up at a reasonable hour so that I could be productive like the rest of the human race. Each of these attempts at structure quickly devolved into me waking up at 2pm and working until 5 in the morning. Apparently I'm nocturnal.

Anyhow, back to The Groundlings. My folks gave me a tremendous birthday gift – they offered to pay for me to take an improv class at The Groundlings. Registration was $400 (Egad!). Classes are M, T, W 10am-1:30pm for 4 weeks. My teacher is a former company member and still an active performer at The Groundlings Theater. She's extremely enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and gives excellent notes. It's day 2 and I'm already learning a lot about how to be a better improviser.

And on the topic of Sleeping in, here's the music video for The Postal Service's "Sleeping In"

Manager Interview #1 & Agent Meeting #3

I had quite the day on Monday. I drove down to Manhattan Beach for a student film audition. Shortly after the audition, I checked my phone and realized that I had missed a call. Once I got back to my car, I checked my voicemail messages. A talent manager had called and was interested in possibly representing me.

I of course quickly returned the call and had a 15 minute conversation with Blair Silver. We chatted about my work, my goals, and what it is he was looking for in a client. He mostly represents what I call "slashers." That is, artists who are: actor/directors, actor/writers, actor/celebrity chefs, etc. While the aphorism "jack of all trades master of none" is assuredly true I like to think of myself as an actor/writer/animator/director. So it seems like Blair might be a good fit.

At the end of our call, Blair wanted to set up a meeting. Since his offices are in Manhattan Beach and I was already there, I met with him at a local Starbucks (my folks gave me a mondo gift card, so I've been eating a lot of meals there of late). We continued our discussion, touching on Madonna, surfing, and my type: geeky young man (read: I could be easily cast as a geeky young man).

Towards the end of the meeting, Blair said that he would be interested in working with me. He then sent me off on an interview with an agent who was looking to fill out her talent roster.

The agent interview went pretty well. Except that for whatever reason I was nervous. This was compounded when the agent asked "Do you have a monologue prepared?" In all honesty I didn't, but I said I did. I then performed a monologue from "Biloxi Blues" by Neil Simon that I've done so many times it is now completely dead and as far as I could tell from the agent's reaction: patently un-funny. At the end of the meeting, the agent asked me to send her a reel of my work. I'm currently editing my reel and will get it to her ASAP.

Note to Self: Always, repeat: ALWAYS have a few monologues prepared.

Toyota Commercial and Gus Van Sant Auditions

The drive up to SF was essentially uneventful. I stopped by my parents' house, played with my dog, and got a haircut that was a little less Beatles and a little more Soccer Hooligan. I took BART (SF's light-rail system) into SF and made it to Nancy Hayes casting with about 45 minutes to spare.

Toyota Commercial
I quickly grabbed all of the available side (including those for other characters), and tried to get a sense of the theme and tone. Apparently the commercial was for online broadcast only, and was of the "go to www.toyota.com to finish the adventure!" variety. I threw on my best Cockney dialect and read the line about 30 times and 20 different ways while some kids, locked in a car, looked on, pointed and laughed at me. I then went into the waiting room and kept up the dialect through the whole process.

The audition consisted of me describing a road-trip I'd like to take, and then reading the line. All the great choices I'd made went out the window – nerves. However, on my way out, I recognized one of the casting assistants and complimented him on his performance as Puck in A Mid Summer Night's Dream.

I guess it's a good thing that I have a few more weeks in the commercial acting class.

Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk Project
The audition for this project was a total cattle call. I was number 667 for the day. The audition consisted of filling out a form, having my photo taken, and well… that's it. I was surprised to see Gus Van Sant in attendance. I suppose he was hoping to pick out the perfect face from the crowd.

As I was leaving I slowly realized that I had just made eye contact with and nodded at an academy award nominated director. Fame is a weird phenomenon, imagine going through life constantly wondering whether you're supposed to know the guy who just nodded at you.

I don't imagine anything will come of either audition, but as Woddy Allen says, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up."

Free Online Dialect & Accent Reference

In preparing for my audition later today, I've been trying to track down a good cockney dialect reference. In the back of my mind, I recalled a website that had a number of recordings of speakers with different accents reading the same paragraph. After about 30 minutes of looking I found it: The Speech Accent Archive.
I also discovered a few other things in my quest for a good dialect reference:

• A search on iTunes for accents will bring up "Access Accents" which is an in-depth reference on a number of accents from a well-respected dialect coach. I ended up purchasing the one on Cockney for $16.95.
• I own "Accents: A Manual For Actors" by Robert Blumenfeld which apparently is a terrible accent reference. According to the online reviews I've read, all native speakers of the accents the author attempts are appalled to the point of laughter. So save yourself some money and don't invest in this book.
• In my opinion, David Alan Stern's reference tapes are all crap whereas Gillian Lane-Plescia tends to be quite good.

What's the difference, you may ask, between a dialect and an accent? A dialect is the sound that comes out of an Irishman speaking English in California (a native English speaker). An accent is the sound of a Japanese tourist speaking English in Disney Land (a native Japanese speaker).

Deadhead to SF for Toyota Commercial

Earlier today I received an email followed by a call from Nancy Hayes Casting in SF. One of the casting directors in the office wanted me to come in to audition for a Toyota commercial. Apparently I am "perfect for one of the lead roles!" Since it's typically an agent that says this sort of thing, not a casting director, my interest was piqued. So I called the office and scheduled an audition for 3:45 tomorrow (technically today now that midnight has rolled around). Apparently I'm up for the role of "football hooligan." I watched Green Street Hooligans to brush up on my Cockney dialect and I'm planning on working with a dialect tape on my drive up. I was planning on coming up this weekend to see my girlfriend's play, so it's not entirely absurd for me to drive up a day early for a paying commercial spot.

I also found an audition notice for a Gus Van Sant film adaptation of the Harvey Milk story. Since my itinerary now has a little more flex in it, I'll be auditioning for that as well.

Green Street Hooligans was a fun picture, but my willing suspension of disbelief was tested by Elijah Woods' physical stature more than a couple times. It might be worth a look if you haven't seen it yet.

My First Red Carpet was for a Good Cause

Last night I attended a benefit for The Barrio Symphony at the Sonora Café. The barrio symphony is a non-profit music organization founded by Peter Quesada, my neighbor and dear friend. Peter invited me to the event so that I might record video of his students performing music from the European, Israeli, and Latin canon. Unfortunately, neither of us was able to track down a video camera so I merely attended as his guest.

First let me say: the kids playing in this orchestra are amazing and could probably hold their own amongst most classical studio musicians. If I had only been there to hear them play, it would have been a fantastic evening. However, things got way more Hollywood than that.

Some highlights:

• I spent a goodly portion of the evening chatting with Vicki Randle of the Tonight Show band. She's a good friend of Peter's and an extremely talented and passionate musician. Just a few weeks ago, I was watching her perform at a taping of The Tonight Show. Unfortunately, she and the rest of the band are currently unemployed due to the WGA strike. I still support the strike, but fallout like this is truly unfortunate. So, please support her by checking out her album "Sleep City," the title track is a funky number that takes me back to a time when lead singers could still summon sass.
  
• I met some of my neighbors from Peter's building. Turns out, Thai Town is crawling with actors, writers, directors, and producers. For the first time since early childhood I'm meeting and getting to know my neighbors. It's great!
  
• Celebrity sightings: Tim Curry, Billy Baldwin, Wendie Malick, and Bellamy Young (Dirty Sexy Money).
  
• Someone donated $20,000 to the orchestra so that they could have a "Dirty Sexy Dinner" with Billy Baldwin and Bellamy Young.
  
• I was devastated to see a signed Dali lithograph on JaPan paper get auctioned off for only $3,600. But Dali is dead and these kids will still get plenty of benefit from that money.
  
• At the end of the evening, I had Michelle Phillips cello from The Mommas and the Poppas in the backseat of my car. She donated it to the Barrio Symphony and I was responsible for escorting the cello back to Peter's apartment.
  

(Above: Billy Baldwin, Peter Quesada, & Bellamy Young)

Did I mention free food and an open bar? I think I'll keep pursuing acting if for no reason other than an endless stream of benefit buffet lines.

I’m doing a poor job of managing Donovan Keith inc.

So I finally sat down to a much needed staff meeting with myself and reviewed the goals I set earlier this month. Of 15 concrete and relatively simple tasks, I only completed two. I need to start taking the business and marketing aspect of this more seriously – my competition does.

What I Accomplished

1. Enroll in classes at The Groundlings.
   
2. Sort out work situation w/ LA Unified and Maxon
   
3. Started work on a screenplay with Gavin.
   
4. Interviewed with agency.
   
5. Enrolled in Commercial Acting Workshop.
   

What I Wanted to Accomplish

1. Create & maintain database of industry contacts.
   
2. Write a killer cover letter.
   
3. Submit HS/Resumes to TAN Guests
   
4. Sort out work situation w/ LA Unified and Maxon
   
5. Design & print thank you card.
   
6. Design & print promo post card.
   
7. Send thank you's to past colleagues
   
8. Send follow-ups for SAGE marketing targets.
   
9. Update HS & Resume for online Casting
   
10. Get a DV Deck/Camera
    
11. Investigate HS Photographers & Hair styles.
    
12. Make an acting budget for training.
    
13. Look back into working with Saul Katsubei for voice work.
    
14. See some local theater.
    
15. Enroll in classes at The Groundlings.

Tip: Running Lines Without a Partner

One of the necessary evils of acting is taking the time to go about the laborious process of memorizing a script. Some actors are blessed (and cursed) with photographic memories and can get off book in no time at all. I am not one of those actors. I think of myself as a slow memorizer, but that's probably because I drag my nails the whole time I'm trying to learn my lines. If movies like "The Matrix" didn't exist, I probably wouldn't be so wrapped up in the possibility of learning a lot of information immediately with little to no effort. But, I am hopelessly tied to that being a possibility, and have created a few different systems to assist me in that regard.

Flash Cards
Take your scene and write down each line on its own cue-card (you can condense lines that come before yours). Be sure to write sequential numbers in the corner of all the cards so that if you ever drop the stack you can reconstruct the scene. Then just wrap them in a rubber band and take it with you wherever you go.

iPod
This is my new favorite. I record all of the lines in a scene using my computer microphone. I do grotesque impersonations of other actors and a very flat even delivery for my own lines. The flat delivery allows me to learn the lines in a semi-neutral fashion. I then copy this file onto my iPod and play it back. Just as it is my character's turn to speak, I press pause, say the line as far as I know it, and then press play to check my work. This is probably the best method I've found for running lines on my own. You can even do it while you're driving, but make sure you aren't wearing both headphones.

The Difficult Task of Sustaining Momentum

When I arrived in Los Angeles two-and-a-half months ago I was extremely driven, and was doing a lot to better my career every day. It seems that, of late, my pace has slowed. I still submit for projects every day, audition, and shoot whenever I am called to do so. But the boundless energy to research, question, learn all I can about this industry has diminished.

I function best when I have far too much to do. I get close to nothing done when I actually have time to do work. Unlike college and 9-5 employment, no one else is setting my agenda in LA. While potentially liberating, it also means that no one is going to chastise me for not: submitting on projects, doing drop-offs to agents, or keeping my instrument sharp.

My solution has been to create structures for myself. I go to acting class every Wednesday, work on cold reads with my buddy Carl every Tuesday, and meet with my writing partner Gavin on a weekly basis. I also strive to Blog or write at least once a day. But that still leaves a lot of unscheduled time.

Sounds like I need to once again institute weekly staff meetings at Donovan Keith Inc.

What the Writers Strike Means to Me

In case you haven't heard, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is currently on strike. The WGA's contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is currently up for negotiation. The writers want to ensure that they will receive residuals for their work even when it is shown in new media like The Internet and on Cell Phones. I whole-heartedly support them in this aim. The Hollywood landscape has changed significantly over the past ten years. It is becoming increasingly difficult for artists (writers, actors, etc) to make a living solely as artists. In part this is due to the splitting of the ad revenue pie, but it is my suspicion that this is more due to an upwards funneling of funds.

A writers strike means that eventually all (good) fictional film and tv production will shut down. Actors are great, energetic, and empathetic people. But the vast majority of improv shows are horrible and patently unentertaining. Good writing is what makes this whole acting thing a fun and rewarding enterprise.

The writers strike translates into a long time where I will have no opportunity to work in TV & Film. This is honestly no different from what I've been doing lately. The student films I'm acting in will be largely unaffected, and the same is true for commercials. I'm taking the strike as an opportunity to work more hours in my survival job and save up money for classes and self-promotion. Also, on a purely selfish note: the strike has the possibility of scaring off some of my competition.

Anyhow: Writers, my thoughts are with you. Stay strong. You're work is important and you deserve to be fairly compensated for it. Your fight is our fight.

In reference to playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings Sir Ian McKellan said* "And how did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script."

*In a hugely entertaining scripted scene in the show "Extras".

Writing at Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n Waffles

Last night I found myself chowing down at a Los Angeles institution: Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. Roscoe's is renowned for its, you guessed it, chicken and waffles. The dinner item to get consists of a plate of fried chicken doused in brown gravy and onions which is served with a plate of two waffles that are smothered in butter and syrup. The real pros slice off some chicken, dip it into Rooster's Louissiana Hot Sauce and then stab a bite of waffle onto the same fork with the chicken. While this sounds like a potentially disastrous gastronomic adventure, I assure you that the end result is delicious and almost worth the heart-attack it will induce 20 years from now.

I ended up in Roscoe's because I was meeting with my college-buddy Gavin. Last Friday, we agreed to write a screenplay together. The deal was closed with a handshake outside of an art gallery closing. Neither of us was particularly inebriated at the time, so it was the sort declaration that might actually turn into a finished piece as opposed to the "Let's go sky-diving off Mt. Rushmore!" "Yeah TOTALLY!" interaction one often sees at parties.

It was a productive meeting, and we were able to discuss story ideas, aesthetic, and soundtrack in between bites of gravy-covered waffle. At the end of the meeting, we had beginnings of at least five stories. We've tasked each other with writing a treatment a piece before our next meeting.

It seems that there is no one way to make it as an actor down here. Some are extremely talented, others extremely pretty, others extremely well-connected, and still others are extremely lucky. Since I don't rank in the extreme in any of these categories, I am in the position of needing to make my own luck. The hope is that I can write a good screenplay that I can sell with me attached to the project. Of course, I might just be trading impossibilities, but it's worth a shot.

Audition Tip: Take Time to Take the Note

I did something new in an audition today, and it paid off. For once, I actually took the time to take the note.

Earlier today, I drove down to Orange, CA. It's a 50 minute trip in the best of times, and a 2.5hr trek in the worst of times. The traffic was relatively light during my trip, so I got to Orange in about an hour and a half. I was just in time – to try and find the audition room that wasn't listed on the casting notice. Apparently, I had arrived before the director, I later found her in one of the spots I had already searched.

I took a decent first stab at the sides, I was partially off book and I gave a partially interesting read. Afterwards, the director gave me an adjustment (or note) "Imagine that during the second half of this script, your mother is really talking about you needing to take care of your autistic brother for the rest of his life." I felt like I had a good sense of what she wanted and was just about to plow ahead with a second read when I asked "May I have a few moments to look over the sides?" The director of course granted my request.

Roughly 20 seconds later, I knew at what point in the script my character realized what was going on and how he felt about it. My second read went much better, and afterwards the director said "I really saw that you made the adjustment. It was nice to see him realize what was happening. His whole energy changed."

Audition Tip: Take some time after you've been given a note in order to plan out that change. It's not enough to understand the note, you need to know it.

Don't worry about taking up too much of the casting director's time. it's a far greater waste of time for them to give you a note that is essentially ignored because you didn't take the time to follow it.

Financial Note:

Driving to/from Orange and a stop into Pasadena required half a tank of gas. Filling up my car cost me $39 today. Which is to say, it cost me $20 to audition for a non-paying student project. There's something wrong with that.

Reading at the Writer’s Boot Camp

Last Thursday I played the lead in a reading of "Recess" by Craig Abell-Champion held at Writer's Boot Camp in Santa Monica. Writer's Boot Camp is an organization for where would-be screenwriters go to learn and polish their craft. On a semi-regular basis, they bring in actors to read the second acts of their (typically) three-act screenplays. The first and third acts aren't performed because writers get bored watching readings like the rest of us, and a screen play lives and dies by its second act.

I arrived at this reading by following up with one of my Actor's Network Power Group members, Anna Rahe. She mentioned that Writer's Boot Camp was always on the lookout for new actors, and that reading at one of these events might prove to be a useful networking opportunity. I sent her an email saying that I was interested in reading for the lead, and she replied shortly thereafter saying that I had been cast as such. Which is evidence that "90% of life is just showing up."

The reading was a lot of fun, and it provided a great chance to get to know some of my Actor's Network colleagues a bit better. I didn't fully utilize the event as an opportunity to fraternize with the screenwriters, but I anticipate having ample opportunity when I return for more reads. But better than all this: Writer's Boot Camp provided each and every actor with their very own gourmet dark chocolate candy bar. Yum!

Contest: The first person to identify the following book for me gets my extreme gratitude and the opportunity to read it once I purchase and finish it. I seem to recall an interview on Fresh Air wherein Terry Gross interviewed a gentleman (who I think was English) who vowed to not say "no" for an entire year. This led to many great adventures, lots of house parties and travel all over Europe. His conclusion upon finishing the year was that one tends to meet more people and do more interesting things when "no" is stricken from your lexicon. His experiences and conclusions were catalogued in a book. What is the title of this book and/or the name of the author? Many thanks.

Weirdest Audition Yet (Not safe for work)

You might want to read this one at home if you're a public school employee…

Today I attended an audition for a student film project (through a fairly prestigious art and design college) that was hands down my weirdest audition experience since arriving in Los Angeles. I went to the audition not knowing much about the project beyond it being about an 18 year old boy who's never left his house. Immediately, I thought, "Oh, another bubble boy. It could be fun." When I arrived at the audition space, the "audition instructions" were laying on a chair. I started to read through them, and immediately became concerned. But, being a good sport and having driven all the way to Pasadena, I endeavored to do what the instructions (written in broken English) specified.

In the audition room, there was a mattress with a sheet covering it. No doubt, for audition instruction number 1: "Pretend to have sex with a sex doll. This is your character only happy time. It is still sad." Sex, even between two people who love each other very much can be awkward at points. Simulated sex with an imaginary sex doll in front of two strangers, is EXTREMELY AWKWARD.

After my first attempt at this, I was given an adjustment: "The people are coming," which I took to mean that my character was being caught with a Real Doll by his parents or roommates. This gave me something to work with. However, just as the nervous interaction between my character and the "interrupter" was about to begin, the CD corrected me by saying "They coming. Like orgasm."

"Oh…" I said. So once again, I air-humped the mattress, gave them my best, happy but sad and lonely, O-Face. Then I moved onto audition instruction #2: "Walk up to camera like mirror. Look at self. Look at can. This is your last food. You have no money, after this you will starve." The can in this case was an empty Rock-Star energy drink. Oh yeah, did I mention: this character has never left his home because his thighs are fused to his belly by flaps of skin. So, as I approached the mirror I was waddling forward on my haunches.

Audition instruction #3: "We will need to take a picture of you for records, just upper body." So, I stood still ready to take my picture… "We need to see skin so that we can make the prosthetic." So, against my better judgment, I took off my shirt and was photographed from the front and back. When I auditioned for "Take Me Out" I didn't have to remove a single article of clothing, and I was fully nude in that play.

When I described all of this to a good friend of mine, she said "You aren't actually going to do this project are you?" I quickly replied "No, of course not." Meanwhile, I had been making a list of pros and cons in my mind. I really can't believe myself sometimes. One of the hardest things for an actor to do is say no to a project – we experience so much rejection that it's very tempting to accept any project that comes our way, no matter how bad or skeev-inducing.

USC Directing Workshop

Most of my previous projects at USC were helmed by members of their screenwriting program. My current USC project, "Red Bud" is being directed by Christine Berg, a graduate program directing student. The project is a spec pilot (i.e. the first episode of a series is being made for free with no promise of production) about a boy whose family thought he was retarded for 4 years until they realized he just needed glasses. Once he was fitted with new specs they discovered that he's actually a genius. It's totally sweet and exactly the kind of show I would have loved when I was growing up. A have a fairly minor part, but it's a real pleasure to work on.

Tonight I attended a rehearsal for "Red Bud" that was being supervised by Christine Berg's directing teacher. This man was a pro. He's directed numerous episodes of ER, Grey's, and a slew of other projects. It was really interesting watching him work. He had a very clear idea of what he wanted with each of the student projects. He was very specific in talking about camera placement, cuts, and especially how to interact with actors and how to eke out their best performances.

He encouraged me and the two other kids (I'm playing a 17yr old, and my brothers are 13 and 8) to "do what brothers would do while they're waiting for dinner." So I had a great time, playing with my brothers – stealing food, fork fights, and generally razzing each other. The directing teacher's other note "Don't worry about acting the lines, just say them and focus on interacting with each other" was really key in getting me out of my head. It took me back to something that, A.C.T. company member extraordinaire, Gregory Wallace once said to me "Focus on the actions, if the actions are clear the words will take care of themselves."

It seems like the key to all of this is just to fully commit to the situation and let the rest take care of itself.

Commercial Agent Interview #2

One of my goals for this year is to secure commercial representation. I've got a couple months left, and commercial representation is theoretically easier to get than theatrical representation (it's a numbers game). Today marked another solid step towards that goal. I met with an agent at a mid-level agency located in Universal City.

Waiting for the Interview
I arrived at the interview about 10 minutes early – a smidge too close for my comfort. I checked in with the receptionist and sat down to read my current novel; I always carry a book with me as I constantly find myself waiting for things to happen. In this case, I waited about 20 minutes. During my wait, I heard the entire staff of the agency off in some other room laughing at YouTube videos.

After a particularly hilarious viral video, the receptionist returned to her desk and provided me with copy for two different commercials. One of them was for Coors Light, a monologue in which I, The Coors Light Guy proclaimed that it was my duty to serve a Coors Light to every thirsty member of "this stadium." In the other, I played a full-service gas station attendant who "love[s] looking at the ladies." After a trip to the restroom where I read the sides aloud, I returned to the waiting room. A couple minutes later I was greeted by an agent, that for the purposes of this post, I will call Bogart.

The Interview
Bogart escorted me into one of the open meeting rooms, and began by asking me a series of questions:

• Where are you from?
  
• So, are you a Berkeley kid then?
  
• What was high school like?
  
• How long have you been down here?
  
• What have you been doing since you got here?
  

As opposed to my last interview, I feel like I had an opportunity to meet and get to know the agent I was interviewing with. It was a much better vibe all around.

The Audition
Bogart then had me read the commercial copy while standing. After I gave a controlled and earnest rendition of The Coors Light Guy, Bogart gave me an adjustment ("This is your mission in life. Make sure everyone in the stadium knows it!") and I took it. I then performed the second piece – it felt a bit flat, but there were still some connected moments.

The Debriefing
After I finished my audition, Bogart went into a little speech about how your first year in Hollywood is probably going to be a wash and the goal should be to do and experience everything you can. I took this to mean that bad news was coming. Bogart surprised me and told me that he was concerned about my only having been here 3 months – but that if I took a commercial audition workshop that he would be interested in bringing me on as a client. He then asked if I had any questions

My Questions
Q: Do agents divide the work by actor or casting director?
A: Agents divide labor by project, not CD.

Q: How many actors do you represent?
A: The agency has 2.5 agents and 560 actors.

Q: How do you see me most easily being cast?
A: Oh, you're definitely the young everyman. Which is great. You're not quite model good looking, but you're not character either. You remind me a lot of an older client of mine, and he's made me lots of money.

Conclusion
Bogart concluded the meeting by saying "Before you sign with anyone else, make sure that you contact me first." Hearing this and finally getting a solid lock on my type is very encouraging. I'm going to research commercial casting workshops and then make a go of it.

Agent Meetings Are Like Dates

I got into a discussion about agent meetings with my friend Lucas this evening. Lucas is an extremely talented and charming actor who’s a good human being to boot. The topic of how to handle agent meetings came up when I mentioned that I was meeting with a mid-size commercial agency tomorrow. Lucas has great representation; without a TV/Film credit to his name he went to producers for the lead in a network pilot. So, I feel that his opinion on the issue holds some weight.

Lucas had a few great points:

• Treat your meeting as seriously as you would an audition. Prepare for it.
• Come in with a set of questions that you want to ask.
• Ask how many clients the agency represents (they are obligated by law to tell you).
• Specifically: how many clients that look like you?
• If they want to sign you right away, wait. Don’t be too eager.

“Don’t be too eager?” I said. “So it’s like dating.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Said Lucas.

“Desperate is unattractive to everyone.” I said.

“Yep. Treat it like a first date. Who are they? Are you a good match? If you like them, you can always go on a second date.”

So there you have it folks, seeking representation is like seeking a relationship. But my question is: How do you get representation drunk and convince it that you are more attractive and charming than you really are?

Neil Patrick Harris is my Competition Now

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday. I spent it up North with family, friends, and my amazing girlfriend in Davis, CA. It was really wonderful to get to spend the day with so many people that I cared about. I was reminded that I do have a complete life; it’s just that different parts of it may be located farther away than I would like.

21 was a really great age for me. I had my first successful year as a teacher (I taught for 2 years previous to that, but didn’t feel wonderfully about the experience). I was in a successful production of “Take Me Out” that played to sold-out audiences and great reviews in the main stage at The New Conservatory Theater. I matured a lot in my dealings with other people and I finally “sacked up” and moved down to Los Angeles to pursue my acting career.

I am optimistic about how this coming year will pass, but not without some trepidation. I can no longer be considered a whiz kid, boy wonder, Doogie Howser, or prodigy – all terms that were bandied about in my previous careers. I am at last going to be judged as an adult.

Just like Neil Patrick Harris who is now forced to prove his mettle beyond his child stardom, I will be evaluated against the same, more universal, yardstick. Here’s hoping I measure up.

My Own Speed Reel

I can have the prettiest headshots, the best training, and party with all the coolest people and still have it mean nothing when it comes time to get work. Why? Because how well you market and who you know only opens the door, it doesn't get you inside.

But almost no one, including casting directors and producers, can turn down something that's free. So, if you're an actor with no real credits to speak of, like me, the way that you get in the door is by working for "food and copy". This basically translates to a bagel, bottled water, and a copy of the film on DVD. I've been acting in a lot of student films recently, and I've been requesting that my directors give me my copy in MiniDV format so that I can edit my own reel.

The demo reel is becoming an industry standard. In particular the Speed Reel, a one minute distillation of an actor's best work on film, is the thing to have. For an example of a speed reel, you can check out my cold-reading buddy Carl Peterson's reel here: http://www.speedreels.com/talent/carlpetersen

My problem is that all of these MiniDV tapes are stacking up and I have no way of capturing the footage onto my computer. I need to get my hands on a MiniDV camera somehow. As a member of the proletariat, I'm really wishing that I was in control of the means of production right about now...

Protecting my Money from Myself.

Since my arrival, I've been dipping into savings on a monthly basis. On average, I've been taking $1k-$3k out each month. In part this has been due to move-in costs, classes, headshot reprinting, etc - but mostly it's been due to my own complacency.

Before the move, I had $17,232.43 in savings. Earlier today I had $12,474.50 in savings. That was until I took out another $2000 to make rent and pay my various bills.

Clearly this pattern of spending way more than I make is unhealthy and unsustainable. As a stop-gap measure, I've taken 8k of my remaining 10k and placed it in a 6-month CD through ING Direct. That means I can't touch the last of my savings for at least 6 months.

My goal: Change from a monthly loss to a monthly surplus.
How to get there:

1. Finish the application process at LA Unified (I just need an ID Photo) so that I can work as a substitute teacher.
2. Finish my current training project, and begin on the next immediately.
3. Take every paying gig I can get my hands on.
4. Prioritize my spending and make some cuts.

Realizing how poorly I've been handling my money is absolutely terrifying. Let's hope the fear can fuel my productivity.

Upcoming Commercial Agent Interview

A lot of working actors make the majority of their income by performing in television commercials. Most commercials are shot in a single day, but if an actor negotiates their contract well they are paid royalties based on where and how long a given commercial runs. A national commercial that runs on network television can bring in tens of thousands of dollars for an actor.

Getting a commercial agent is a very common first step towards a career in film and television. One of my goals for this year is to secure commercial representation. SAGE has been submitting me to various agents, and I just got a call today from a great agency that wants to interview me for placement in their commercial department. I'm excited about the interview, and am currently trying to work out how to best present myself.

I attended another Q&A at The Actor's Network tonight and I was able to glean the following list of agent-meeting turn-ons and turn-offs from the agent's perspective.

• Turn Ons
  
  • When an actor says "Let me show you what I can do," and then he/she performs a scene, monologue, or cold-reading.
    
  • When an actor is well-groomed.
    
  • When an actor is on-time and prepared.
    
• Turn Offs
  
  • When an actor says "I got the goods, I'm a killer actor."
    
  • Over-selling themselves.
    
  • Showing up late, unprepared, or looking nothing like your headshot.

Why Some Actor's Are Stiff As A Board

If you've ever watched a film and then found yourself jerked out of the world of the film by the crashing realization that a character switched which hand they were holding their coffee with in a microsecond, you have witnessed what is called a "continuity error". Films, and most good fiction, are constructions made mostly of lies in order to get at the truth. In film, actors perform the same actions repeatedly over a period of hours so that they can be photographed from different angles. These different shots are eventually edited into what appears to be a single continuous series of moments. For the editing process to work, the actor needs to perform their physical actions in exactly the same way, with the same timing.

Today, I was shooting another USC film school project (the director from a previous project, produced this one). In it, I played the more responsible of two good friends who are seeing each other for the first time in years. (For the sake of ease, I'll write in first person as the character) The scene takes place in my good friend's bedroom. I come in, kick his bed and wake him up. He then throws on his shirt, pants, tie, socks, and shoes. At one point, I hand him a sock and then he heads into the bathroom to take care of his morning routine.

I had my lines down pat, had done my homework regarding these characters and their relationships and felt connected with the given circumstances. However, I kept turning in what I felt were flat reads of the lines. It took me a little while, but I figured out why: I was so terrified of messing up the continuity of the scene, that I had made the conscious decision to move as little as possible. With my body locked down tighter than dick's hat band, it was no wonder that I didn't have great emotional access. It's an understandable fear, because if I made a spontaneous hand gesture in one shot, and forgot to include it in the next – I personally would be making the editor's job harder.

A film actor is responsible for knowing every single gesture, nod, and dart of the eye, before the camera rolls on the first shot. I'm still adapting to this style of working, but in short order I should be able to move from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence. Physical acting is one of my strengths, I can't wait to leverage that in my film acting.

I Believe the Children Are Our Future

While I certainly don't want "Another Actor in LA" to degenerate into another ham-sandwich blog, the following video was just too compelling not to post. My film and gender theory professor could certainly go to town with this one.
Laleesha and Maleesha fightin 4 a MAN!

Good News & Bad News - Feature Film Callbacks

I've been using the phrase "I've got good news and I've got bad news," a lot lately. Its typically in reference to an audition or a shoot conflicting with a commitment that I've made with a friend. But for now, I'll give you the run-down on the good news.

In the past week I've booked two USC student films and I was called-back to two different feature films (one shot on HD, the other 16mm).

The Roles:
Role 1*: An autistic kid. Wait, The Devil. Wait, God. This would be a totally fun role, and a good opportunity to show my range.
Role 2*: A 19-yr old computer geek who desperately wants to have sex with a 19-yr old gal that he met online. he eventually has sex with her and steals her heart, money, credit cards, and self-respect.
Both characters appear to be one thing and then get a fun twist towards the end of the script.

*Names are not included to protect the innocent.

The Auditions:
Role 1: The first audition went well, I focused on stealing lines (no looking at the script when I say my lines) and I was able to establish a good rapport with the casting table. They laughed and a had a good time.
Role 2: I found this role through LA casting. I submitted, and the producer contacted me via email and asked me to send in a video of myself pleading with the female character. Before I recorded the video, I attended an LA Casting mixer (I can't turn down free drinks and an opportunity to network). While I was there, the producer of the film picked me out of the crowd and said that he knew me by my headshot. It was both flattering and a scary reminder of just how accessible actors make themselves to the world (a pretty girl's headshot w/ her cell phone number on it is every drunken man's dream). I ended up chatting with him for the better part of the hour, and he encouraged me to go into directing… Anywhoo, after meeting him I felt encouraged, recorded the video and sent it in.

The Call-backs:
Role 1: I rehearsed the sides in my acting class. The first side (me as an autistic kid) went well, but the second side (me as the devil) was a little flat. However, the CD pointed out specific things that he liked before dismissing me, which was encouraging. I shifted travel plans in hopes of landing the part.
Role 2: The format of this audition was a dramatic improv. The director gave me a scenario and said "go", and then I did. Thankfully I'd been doing a lot of long-form dramatic improv in my acting class, so I was able to key into it all pretty quickly. As a finished, a celebratory mood flowed through the room. Before I left, the director and producer were saying things like "I think we've got a lead." "Did you see his eyes when she said… it was fantastic."

The Pudding:
The proof as they say, is in the pudding. It seems like today is a sad day for Bill Cosby .

Role 1: I never heard back about this project. People almost never tell you that you haven't been cast. It's a lot like breaking up with a person by withholding affection. Still, I feel like I established the beginnings of a relationship with the production crew, and I'm curious to see how the project turns out. It was a darned good script.
Role 2: I ended up emailing the producer that I'd met at the mixer asking him "When are you sending out info to those actors who have been called back?" That way he didn't have to outright reject me, he could just give me a date and not call. People don't like to feel cornered.

Useful Feedback
The producer went above and beyond the call of duty and was kind enough to call me directly. He explained that he and the director really enjoyed my audition, thought I was a good actor, and that he'd bring me in for the next project he was casting. He gave me a really specific note as well "The character is 19, and vulnerable. Now, I know that you can play vulnerable. But your eyes are very intense and have a lot of strength on camera. So we're going to go with someone who is actually 19." When I told my acting teacher this, and asked "So how do I go about getting dull cow eyes?" He replied "It's not about that. You can't change that. This town gets very confused by people that can't be easily fit into a box. You look like an ingénue but you are much older than your years. You just need to find that part."

Here's hoping I find that part.

“Oh, so you wait tables for a living?” - The Survival Job

Almost without fail, when someone asks what I do and I say "I'm an actor", I get one of two responses:

1. Oh really?! My cousin/uncle/brother/coworker is an actor too! Do you know ______?
   
2. Oh. So I guess that makes you a waiter, huh?
   

I don't tend to mind response number one. But response number two can become a little grating. It's usually said to get a laugh, but there is often a sense of condescension in the statement. But then again, maybe I felt it was condescending because I didn't have a proper response outside of "actually, I'm unemployed for the moment. But, I'm doing some freelance work when I can."

I've been dipping into savings each month that I've been down here to pay rent and my credit card bills (darn you frequent flyer mile incentives!). Knowing that I wasn't actually pulling my own weight, my sub-conscious sent me into a malaise in all aspects of my life outside of acting as a punishment. It's just taken me this long to get my procrastinating butt into gear.

Working as a Substitute Teacher
Today (10/16) I decided to set matters straight and drove down to the LA Unified School District central office. It's a 40 story high-rise in downtown LA and it makes my last district seem like some serious small fries by comparison. Despite being large enough that it could have been a bureaucratic nightmare, the employees were all chipper enough that it seemed to move pretty efficiently. However, I feel this has less to do with it actually running quickly and more to do with the Zen mentality about waiting that LA traffic has forced upon me.

As I sat down to wait for my number to be called, I overheard another applicant mention ACT (American Conservatory Theater in SF). When I piped up and said that I had attended ACT, I quickly discovered that 4 of the 7 people waiting to be called were actors. I guess substitute teaching is a pretty popular gig.

UPDATE (10/18): LA Unified IS a bureaucratic nightmare.

After my first trip on Monday, I began going down the checklist of what I needed to bring in to them after my initial interview.

I started by driving to the Hollywood Health Center, a small doctor's office that seems to specialize in physicals and TB tests for LA Unified employees. A visit to the doctor and one test ran me $90 without health insurance. Not terrible, but certainly not ideal. The following day I went to the Social Security Administration and got a replacement card.

For fear of subjecting you to the same boredom that was my experience, I will summarize. I went back to LA Unified. Four hours, four initials, and two official stamps later I was done. But I have to go back for further processing once my fingerprints prove me to be innocent.

Benefits of the Waiting Room

The best thing about waiting around and filling out redundant forms is getting to meet some interesting folks. Whilst waiting for a signature on one of my health forms, I met a gentleman who took issue with the Halloween decorations up on the receptionist's desk.

MAN: I'm surprised they can get away with having that religious holiday in here.
ME: I don't think of Halloween as being particularly religious at this point.
MAN: Oh it's religious alright. It's a holiday for devil-worshipers.
ME: I just think of it as an excuse to dress up.
MAN: And praise the devil… I heard that scientists hit salt water with sonic waves and it made sparks. They're saying that could make electricity for everyone.
(Donovan stares furiously at his book and listens to his iPod)

Does acting always come first?

One of my goals with this blog is to show the joys and complications of pursuing acting as a career. Until now, I've emphasized my successes and career progress, but I've done little to illuminate my internal landscape. Perhaps mostly out of the superstition that if I write down my fears they will become real.

Lately, I've been forced to ask myself the question: Do I want to pursue this career with a singularity of purpose so intense that I will have no reason for not "making it"? Or do I want to pursue my career in a less focused way that allows for me to be a whole person?

The story, as I've heard it, often goes: A happy young man is loved by his friends and family, and he loves them in return. One day this young man leaves home to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He moves to Hollywood, and begins auditioning. He is not cast, and he is broke. He becomes cynical. He pursues only those friendships and relationships that will help his career. In the case of the exceptional young man, one of these relationships pans out and he lands a plum part. He returns home to celebrate his success, only to find that friends and family do not like the person he has become. The person he "needed" to become. His success feels empty. So he redoubles his efforts thinking that another, better, role will fix things, believing that success is the key to happiness. In the end the he is an old man: tired and alone.

That story scares me. I don't want for it to become my story, but there are times when I see it creeping into the fringes of my reality. Sometimes I feel guilty for seeing friends and family. I feel lazy for taking time away from my pursuit. I worry that on a day that I'm away – I'll miss the audition that will be my break. If I don't put everything into acting, how can I justify the move away from family and friends? But if all of my life is empty except for acting, how can I ever play a whole person on the screen? And more importantly, will I like the person I've become?

Life is a balancing act. The key is to find the right balance. Who are you? What are your core values? If all of your decisions are in line with your beliefs, you will have few regrets.

The problem with balance is that it requires compromise. You can't do everything nor be all people to everyone. With each thing you gain, you must also give something up. So what do I really want? What are my priorities? I have to say that acting is not what I value above all else in this life, and I'm okay with that. But I still intend on making one hell of a go at it!

Apparently I'm a Samuel L. Jackson type.

Last week, I got a call from the gal who produced my last couple projects at the LA Film School. Apparently one of her actors had dropped out, and she needed a replacement who was roughly the same age. So she called me up to play Jules from Pulp Fiction. If you’ll recall, the role was originated by the Samuel L. Jackson; an original badass as I live and breathe. I ended up getting the script at about 1am the night before the 8am shoot. I did what I could to learn my lines before sleep's siren song sent me to slumber.

The shoot went well, and I relished the opportunity to work with such great writing. But I was dismayed at my inability to cram the 5-pages of dialogue into my head for the shoot. I just barely got through the master shot which we took at the end of the shoot. Granted, if I’d had more time it wouldn’t have been an issue. However, I couldn’t help feeling that to be truly professional in that circumstance I should know my lines cold even if I've only got 30min with the script.

Anyone know where I can get discounted Ginko Biloba?

Jennifer Coolidge told me not to sit on my ass.

The Groundlings

My family loves "The Groundlings" theater in Hollywood on Melrose. The Groundlings list of alumni reads like a regular who's who in comedy: Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Janeane Garofalo, and Pat Morita (say what?!) to name a few. This has led many people, including my father, to believe that making it into The Groundlings company is the key to "making it". This has led to the school having 2yr waiting lists to get into some of their classes. Things have cooled down a little since that absurd peak was reached, but the school still requires that you audition to take their beginning classes! Well, I auditioned a week ago, and passed the test. I've been waitlisted for the current term, and will be able to enroll in the next session if I beat other actors to the Groundlings school website.

Jennifer Coolidge Q&A
My dad heard that actor Jennifer Coolidge was participating in a Q&A and he offered to buy me a ticket to the event. As a lover of all things free, and not one to turn down an evening with a busty blonde, I accepted his offer. Ms. Coolidge is far more intelligent and good-looking than most of her film roles would lead you to suspect. The Q&A was a very entertaining and informative two hours where she described her experiences at the Groundlings, working in feature films, and her desire to do just about any project so long as it is paid.

Going Outside
At one point Coolidge said "Cool things happen when you're not sitting around your house with your dog. Go out, even if you don't have the money to drink." I took that note to heart, and instead of retiring to a meal of easy-mac at Chez Donovan I drove over to a vegan restaurant a few blocks from my house that I'd never tried. The food was great and cheap. Towards the end of my meal, I got a call from my sister. I of course couldn't wait to tell her about Jennifer Coolidge describing her as "You know… Stiffler's Mom from American Pie." After I said goodbye to my sister, I went to use the restroom. As I returned to my seat, who did I see sitting in a table just across the room from mine, but: Jennifer Coolidge. I had just had a phone conversation about the woman completely oblivious to the fact that she was 15 feet away from me the whole time.

I spent the next five minutes paying my tab and hemming and hawing about whether I should thank her for an excellent Q&A. I opted to just walk back to my car – she seemed fairly involved in a bowl of soup and I'm chickenshit.

Notes from the Q&A
The following are some of the more cogent points from the evening:

• The terrible jobs you have are the best sources for sketches.
  
• You don't actually get paid when you're a Groundlings company member (ugh!)
  
• Perhaps trying to prove my father right, she said "Everything good in my career came from The Groundlings. If it weren't for them, I'd still be waiting tables."
  
• With one-line auditions, go in there and make a strong impression. Be unique, everyone is giving them the same flat read.
  
• TV shows fire actors more than ever, they're trying to make up for bad writing with good casting.
  
• Modeling is the most brutal, the music industry is cut-throat, but the absolute weirdest behavior happens in the film/tv industry.
  
• Stay away from people at auditions, other actors play dirty tricks and you don't want to get thrown off your game.
  
• Don't get passive with your career once things start going your way. Work even harder.
  
• Building a relationship with a Casting Director is important to the point that you should take crappy jobs. Hooker #3 led Coolidge to American Pie and Legally Blonde.
  
• Go into auditions as your character – CDs are just too tired to be imaginative about this stuff.
  
• The comedy world is much smaller than drama – you've got a better shot of making it in comedy.
  
• In improv, anyone can steal your part. Take it back with some over the top reactions of statements like "You sure talk a lot."
  
• Girls from Texas get cast because they know how to use hair rollers; go into the audition looking the part.
  
• Most Importantly: create your own projects. No one else will.

One of the major themes of her discussion was the dearth of good roles available to comic actresses. This is certainly something that lends itself to further discussion.

1 Feature, 3 Shorts, 1 Play, & 1 Cattle Call

I've reached a point where I have too many auditions to blog about them individually – or at all. This feels pretty good, a month ago I didn’t really anticipate going out this often.

Theater
Biloxi Blues (Donald Carney) – This was my first theater audition, and for whatever reason it was held in a little cubby hole of a casting office. It was me and 3 other people in a 6’ by 6’ room, a little cramped by even SF Stipend-pay theater standards. The audition went fairly well, but my read was a little flat. Unfortunately, I was the last actor of the day so I didn’t get an opportunity for a second read.

Student Films
War Zone (Ross) – This audition was held at The Center which is this rad little theater complex in South Hollywood. There are about 12 equity-waiver theaters crammed into a two story building. This was a cattle call audition, I got there early, waited about an hour and did what I thought was a pretty successful read. I got called back, more on that after the second audition.

Schindler’s List (Nazi Soldier) – I submitted for this project through LA Casting. However, I already knew the director because she was on set for the directing exercise at LA Film School. I combed my hair into an impeccable part in the expectation of playing a Nazi. I ended up reading the sides for Schindler and getting cast as a Polish violence-victim.

Friends (Lonely Guy) – This was a USC student project. The Robert Zemeckis studios are absolutely astounding. These kids have access to amazing facilities. This audition went well, and I ended up getting cast in another student project (Love Thy Brother) because the director sat in on the audition for this one.

Features
The Hereafter (The Devil) - I prepared pretty seriously for this one. I built up some character memories using the imaginative memory process that Richard Seyd described in his weekend workshop. The audition went well, and I’m hoping to get called back. Although, next time I definitely want to be more off book for the audition.

I’m probably missing a project or two in this list, but this is an indication that I’ve been going out a fair amount. If I keep this pace up for another couple weeks, I’ll have done more auditioning in 2 months than I did in the 5 years previous. Frequency is helping to demystify the process – although I still get the willies in professional auditions.

The illusory nature of credit card late fees.

It's getting close to the 1st of the month so I'm getting all of my accounts in order (rent, credit card, cell phone, etc). When I was reviewing my Bank of America credit card bill, I noticed a late fee charge for $39. I distinctly remember paying this bill, so I called up Bank of America to ask why I was being charged. Here's what I learned:

• The goal of all credit cards is to get your money, whether that be through interest, or in my case: late fees.
• Very often you will be assigned a late fee for no good reason in the hopes that you won't notice and pay your bill anyway.
• With B of A you must make your payment between the 11th and 30th. If you pay your bill before the 11th you will receive a late payment notice, even though you have paid your account EARLY.
• The online auto-pay feature won't auto-pay your account once you get your replacement card because your old card expired.

But the biggest lesson is: If you mention any of the above to a customer service person they will remove your late fee on a "one-time courtesy basis".

This is a good thing, 'cause papa needs that $40 right now. And yes, I did just refer to myself in the third person as "papa", and no, I don't know why.

Meeting with a Commercial Agent on Friday

I received an email today in response to a headshot submission I sent to a commercial agency about 3 weeks ago. Apparently, they're bringing me in to see if they want to represent me commercially. This is really encouraging.

It's a relatively small agency that suffered a coup not too long ago (2 of the partners left). It's also all the way out in Agoura Hills, which is pretty far out of the action. I don't know anyone represented by them, so it's hard to suss out the current standing of the agency. I'm already psyching myself up to not immediately sign. I'd really like to have representation, but I've discovered some agents that I'd like to submit to and meet with.

But in the end, it all comes down to whether I think I can have a working relationship with the agent.

"Why don't we have that kinda relationship?"

Sometimes a scene leaves a tail.

This week in Richard Seyd's acting class, I worked in a continuation of last week's scene. I previously described this set of given circumstances as my nightmare. The situation was all-too-easy to connect with, so when it started, I launched right in. I went to some interesting and new places in my work, and I managed to keep the stakes high for both my relationship and my need to grieve. This is huge!

I'm really pleased with the growth of my craft over these past couple months - we'll see if any of it holds up in the context of scripted scene work.

The scene was brutal, and has left quite an emotional tail. Munch's "The Scream" is an apt visual description of what I'm going through: shockingly strong emotion in a dream-like world. Actors are in the business of make believe, but the body can't differentiate between real and imagined stimulus. What a wacky profession.