Save The World: Watch a Silly YouTube Video

I left the country for 5-months and I came back to find out that my friend Prince had replaced me with another brown-haired UCSC Film student: Jake. I wasn't a huge fan, but I was okay with it because, well I had done the same thing not too long before. Before Jake, and before Donovan, Prince's brown-haired UCSC film student was Gabriel.

Click here if you don't see the embedded video.

But watching the above video, I discovered that Jake made a YouTube video about saving the planet starring my friend from high school, Eric. I didn't even know they knew each other. This guy Jake has totally crossed the line. Not only is he serving my role in all of my friend's lives he's actually doing something to save the world instead of just idly wishing it were better. Jake and I need to meet each other soon, or I fear I'm going to go all Talented Mr. Ripley on his ass just to get my life back.

How To Jumpstart Your Life

So I'm back in the States after 5 months of filming and I'm questioning what it is I'm doing with my life. Traveling the world was a phenomenal and humbling experience. I find myself asking, now what? So far my answer has been: lay in bed all day and watch cable.

I have roughly no desire to pursue my acting career. I'm terrified by what the future will bring to our national economy (1 in 20 people are unemployed, soon to be 1 in 10). More pointedly I'm concerned my freelance clients will be tightening their fiscal belts and I've lost too much weight as it is. I am going through what my friend Prince dubbed, an existential malaise.

But I know this won't do. A generalized pseudo-depression is a part of life, but it's no way to live.

I had a lot of great momentum heading into my trip, but now I find myself at a perfect standstill. How then do I jumpstart my life?

1. Do what needs to be done: So you don't know what to do with your life? Well tough shit. There is still plenty of stuff to do in your life that doesn't require you to follow your spirit animal's one true path. Some ideas: settle up your parking tickets and vehicle registration issues, take a shower, do your taxes, clean your house, donate your crappy clothes that don't fit right to charity. For now, don't worry about what's most important - it's enough that you are doing something.
2. Take stock of your life, right now: I'm not asking you to change yourself, or come to a resolution about what should happen. Just take a long hard look at your life right now: finances, friends, hobbies, goals you've been pursuing, things you like about yourself, things you don't like about yourself, how you feel about your job. Then make a list, just throw it all on a piece of paper.
3. Find purpose through distraction: Don't try and fix it all just yet, it's too much. It's too scary, you're just trying to remember why you're doing this at all, and you'll only beat yourself up if you expect to be a "fully actualized human being". Take a look at your life, you've got it down on a piece of paper right? Which part of yourself have you completely neglected? Let that guide you. "You mean, you actually have more than $10 in your bank  account and you haven't bought a kite yet?!" You're inner child is astounded and thinks you should have more fun. What is something totally stupid you want to do? Learn to sew your own clothes? Do it. Find a goal or a hope somewhere in that morass, and let that be your shining beacon.
4. Note that you do enjoy something: So you're doing something now, aren't you? Your life still sucks and feels undirected but you've sewed yourself a pretty snappy pantsuit. And that was cool wasn't it? And you've already picked the pattern for the dress you're going to sew next and you're looking forward to it aren't you? You have something to hang your hat on - that Wednesday night stitch and bitch actually gives structure to your week. Congratulations, you're unstuck. You are no longer tied to the docks, you are actually moving. Sure it's in totally the wrong direction and your parents and your priest are disappointed in you for your not doing something meaningful with your life - but fuck it, you're moving. 
5. Let it snowball: That small glimmer of enjoyment is a kind of momentum. Let it build. What are some things you used to do that you remember enjoying? Do another one of those, and while you're at it throw some of that stuff from the Need-to-do list on the pile. The need-to-do stuff isn't so scary now.
6. Pick a destination: Huh. Weird. Life is again progressing. Sure you still don't know what you want exactly but you are actively living. You are doing things you enjoy and you are doing what has to be done (bills, work, etc). But now that your whole life isn't hanging in the balance you can actually hear yourself think. Take out that piece of paper you filled with your misery and woe you called a life at Step 2. It's not as bad as it was, is it? Read over it again, notice any patterns? What is important to you? What do you want? How can you improve the lives of those around you? Let the answers to these questions help you pick your next destination - a job at Google, performing your one man show, a fully renovated house, a thriving small business, AmeriCorps.
7. Do it: Now here's the fun part - Take all the momentum you've built up just living and use it to get towards your destination. There's a lot pushing against you, a lot of reasons why this won't work, and why you should pick something a little more reasonable. Well, tack hard into the wind. Then take a break look at all the crap you've passed and tack hard again. And again. And again. You're gonna get there, but for now just enjoy the wind blowing through your hair - good news: you're alive.

Hey, I've got a secret for you. Come here. I'll whisper it to you:

You're going to get through this. You always have.

PerformerTrack.com Will Organize Your Acting Career

As I was riding in a train from Alexandria to Cairo, Egypt I sat contemplating the recession and how I was going to make a living on my return. "Create a web service for something I know a lot about!" I thought. So, an idea was born: a web-based program that would allow you to track auditions, marketing campaigns, and even your mileage to and from a location. I spent the next two hours making an extensive feature list and a basic development plan.

Having been down this road before, I wanted to make sure a good web address was available. So once I got to an internet cafe I checked for actorslog.com, unfortunately it was already taken. By performertrack.com - which I discovered is a service that does exactly what I planned to create.

So folks, it exists and it seems to do everything. So as bummed as I am that my money making scheme won't work out, I'm excited to have this tool available to me. It's definitely worth a look.

I'm not in love with the price (~$10/mo if you buy the 12-month subscription) as I'm tired of paying for subscriptions to various acting-related services. However, given level of organization and analysis it offers, it just might be worth it. This statement assumes you're a couple economic rungs above "starving artist" status.

Cairo, Egypt is Just Like Paris, France

Cairo is just like Paris except it's full of Egyptians. Otherwise, all differences are trivial at best.

This city has a surprisingly European feel to it. Old stone monuments, traffic circles, dilapidated filigreed buildings full of charming hotel suites

Of course all of this is based on my impressions of Europe from films and what Gabriel has told me of his travels. So I have no honest point of comparison. But I'll tell you one thing, Cairo is nothing like I expected.

It's cold in Egypt, I'm wearing a hooded sweatshirt to stay warm and protect myself from the rabid mosquito population. It makes perfect sense that Egypt should have seasons, but I often forget that postcard locales exist throughout the year not just the idyllic time when such photographs are taken. Oh, and the Great Pyramids, they aren't in the desert, they're in the middle of a suburb surrounded by parking lots. Folks, there's no hope of saving your neighborhood from Walmart if we can't even save the wonders of the world from suburban sprawl.

How to Save Gas While Dropping Off Headshots

Almost every agent and casting director will tell you that they don't want actors personally dropping headshots at their offices. Yet every actors' marketing session or career strategy session I have attended has suggested that mailing headshots alone won't work, you should drop them off in person so that you can see the office and get a little face time with an assistant. What I think this means is that it's okay to drop off headshots in person so long as you don't dress up like the UPS man and lock an agent in the closet until they agree to sign you.

While the thought of going out and seeing more of LA while furthering my career has always seemed laudible, I always found myself at home licking stamps: "sure you could drive to hell and back dropping off headshots, or you could mail them and save a ton of your time and gas."

Well, there's finally an answer to the age of old question: What's the most efficient route between home, the 22 agencies I've decided to target, and my place of work?

The TSP Solver, a great little google maps mashup. TSP is short for "Travelling Sales Person" a title that a lot of actors can identify with. It allows you to enter up to 24 addresses, press a button, and get a turn by turn route between your destinations. The great part is, it selects the most effecient route between those points, saving you both time and money. Another great feature is that you can choose between home->destination (on your way to work), or roundtrip (on your lunch break) routing.

Thanks go to Thrillist.com for the heads up on this useful tool.

I Miss Home

I recently used timeanddate.com to do a little calculation, the intent was simple enough: how long have I been away from home?

From and including: Friday, September 5, 2008
To, but not including : Friday, January 16, 2009

It is 133 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 4 months, 11 days excluding the end date

It's a long time to be away from home, friends, and family. To put it in perspective, a typical big-budget hollywood film shoot is 3 months, and 6 months is standard for a hollywood action project. I have no idea how those actors on the Lord of the Rings managed to be away from home for 3 years.

It looks like we've got about 3 weeks left. Wish me luck!

Donovan and the Mysterious Rocks

Okay folks, the first legit info on my around the world film project is eeking it's way onto the Internet. Gabriel just launched the promo website for "Donovan and the Mysterious Rocks". That's the working title and we'd love some suggestions for a better one. Feel free to leave a comment.

Things you'll find on the website:

• Plot summary
• Character Gallery
  
• Filmaker/Performer Biographies
• Production Stills
• And more to come...
  

The more I work on this project, and the further along in the series we get the more I'm loving it. It has elements from my favorite films and genres, it's playful, and I think entertaining. I can't wait for you to see it. It's going to rock your world (pun not intended, but enjoyed once found).