Thanksgiving

This has been a tough year in so many ways, but it has also been amazing. My son and a niece were born. We had a good trip for a family wedding in North Carolina. I've learned a lot. I have too much to be thankful for to dwell on the stuff that hasn't been as great. Even stuff that seems rough at the moment is destined to work together for good. I'm facing cutbacks at the old day job, but the benefit is less stress about conflicts, less crazy last-minute scheduling, and more incentive to focus my energy on my purpose. I'm running consistently for the first time in my life and actually enjoying it.

As far as the running goes, we're hitting the 2.5 mile mark without any real regard for time. It's more about the consistency of doing it, and the psychology of enjoying it. Even though I talk with my running partner about issues of all sorts, it's kind of my quiet time. It's time I've spent glancing through the past, taking stock of the present, and being thankful for the future.

Today, I had a minor epiphany while taking out the trash. The trash wasn't quite full, but it stunk. We could've gone another day, cramming trash down into the bag. But we didn't. It needed to go. So I was loaded down with regular trash and recycling, walking back to the dumpster. I guess it's nice if you can use your trash as a life coach.

So it's time to take out the trash and just let it go to the dump. I have yet to get solid theatrical representation here. Gone. I've had a slow down in commercial auditions and the ol' day job. See ya. Who wants to sit around looking at the trash?

Time to emphasize the success I've had booking my own theatrical stuff. Time to emphasize the success I've had commercially, my wonderful commercial agents, the reputation I've built commercially, and the lessons I've learned. Time to emphasize that the success I've had has enabled me to whittle away "other" work to a minimum, while providing for my family doing things I really enjoy. Now, if I can just find the wonderful life lessons in doing laundry and cleaning the bathtub.
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My kid went to school and all I got was a stupid cold

My oldest started a few half-days at school last month. Within a couple of weeks, we both got rocked by a cold. It threw me off for about a week. Of course, on day two of the funk, I got an audition for The Office. I know, right? Could the timing be any better? I've wanted to get into Allison Jones' (casting office) for a while, and the first time I get the call, I'm loaded with cold meds. Still, I think it went fine. It was a one line, just get it out there, kind of deal...with the added challenge of trying not to breathe too much. Good move, all you CDs out there, not trying to shake our hands all the time. I would've declined anyway.

Another example of the perfect timing of auditions happened this past Friday. On Friday morning around 11am, I offered to cover a shift for a sick someone at my "other" job. Within an hour, I got called for a last-minute audition in Santa Monica, the opposite end of the 405 from where I would be working. In the end, it all worked out, but it was a very tightly scheduled afternoon. The constant unpredictability is the most predictable part of this pursuit.

The cold set us back on the running by about a week, but we're back now. I always feel better on the run days. The program track we're on should have us at 3 miles sometime in November. We're planning to run a 5k in late November or early December.

Our holiday plans are set. There really weren't any deals happening this year, and believe me, I've been on the hunt for months already. The holiday falls on the weekend, making the peak travel days almost unavoidable. We've also decided that it's worth paying more to fly out of Burbank just to avoid the hassle of getting to LAX, the traffic, the peripheral chaos, and the ridiculous lines.

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The plan

So far, the jogging plan has been just fine. Surprisingly, I look forward to it. We do a buddy run two days a week, but one solo run for the third day. I did my solo Saturday night, and it went by really quickly. The high school me wonders what's happening to the modern me. The weather has been a little cooler the last couple of days, which helps, as does the easy-does-it beginning of the program. In fact, there are repeated warnings not to push it beyond the limits, even when you may feel good enough to do so. I'm relaxing into the boundaries. We're looking at a 5K sometime in early/mid November.

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Running in more ways than one

My wife and I tend to have an annual "state of the situation" meeting. These discussions typically review how things have been going in LA, what we like, what we don't, whether we're happy with the progress and situation we have, alternatives to living in LA, work stuff, etc. We've added to the family this year, which makes the discussion even more interesting. Unfortunately, my work is never predictable, but the downturn in audition numbers has led to a predictable downturn in jobs. Anyone who pursues a career in acting knows that downtime is primetime for the questions to start bubbling to the surface. Every year, the requirements for qualifying for SAG insurance get higher, and the budget gets tighter. Still, every year we've been here has been better than the year before, and 2010 took off for me in the Fall. Here's to more of that.

Since the beginning of August, things have started to pick up again. I'm cruising at about a 70% callback rate, which is good, but doesn't pay the bills. I've also punched up some self-marketing to get things moving along. I did turn down an audition for a low budget movie. The budget wasn't the problem. I may not seem to be in a position to turn down possible work, but I am always in a position to turn down work that I couldn't possibly be proud of.

As the jobs do pick up, we're ready. We went through an excellent financial strategy program that forced us to face up to our lack of control. Since then, we've set monthly budgets, put the plastic in a drawer, and generally gone about the business of sealing up the cracks in our financial house so the money doesn't fall through them. It makes a difference. My apologies to Target, Trader Joes, and the farmers market. But now, the math problem demonstrates the need for increasing income to multiply our efforts.

After the second child, it has been a little more difficult to get out and stay active. Fatigue is a factor. We've got #1 in preschool now, which helps all of us a lot. Ever since I played high school sports, I would vow to start a jogging regimen to condition myself a bit. But just plain old running has always been a mental battle for me. Within a game, or even at practice, it wasn't as tough as it was to go out there by myself and pound the pavement. Well, yesterday, I started a new running program with a buddy of mine. It's a slow build and a specific blueprint. There are two things that are already making a difference, a plan and a partner. If there's a third thing, it's the new shoes. You never know how far gone the old shoes were until you lace up the new ones. As we ramp it up, I'll try to keep track of it more here. We'll see if I can transform myself into a runner.

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2011 so far

Auditions have been a bit slow since the start of summer, but seem to be picking up a bit. The callbacks have been nice, but it's all about booking as we all know. I did tape a role on the new Nickelodeon show Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures, which was a fun foray into the multi-camera world. Unfortunately, I have no idea when the episode airs.

My improv partner closed the doors on JaCKPie in Atlanta. We had a good run and accomplished a lot before I left town. Then, he accomplished a lot more after I left. JaCKPie was a real force in bringing long-form improvisation to Atlanta in both performance and training. I'm proud of the work my pal did, putting his heart and soul into it for a number of years when I wasn't there to do the heavy lifting. I'm also reminded of the many, many friends, shows, and good times that are associated with JaCKPie. Thanks to all of you who supported us over the years. I hope you'll continue to check out the shows that are around Atlanta, many of which have their roots somewhere in JaCKPie's history.


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A little more catch-up please

So, instead of backdating a bunch of stuff, here's a quick rundown of highlights.

September 2010 -
1. shot commercial for Breve International Delight Coffee Creamer. Had a blast. We got to improvise some extra stuff that they ended up wanting to use for online purposes. I still haven't seen any of it! If you find it somewhere, let me know.

2. On the hottest day in the LA universe, I worked on "Men of a Certain Age" in Burbank. Holy smokes it was a firestorm. It was at least 113 and brutal. While there, I was talking to a friend about my meeting back in May with Bob Lambert at All My Children. Five minutes after I told her I needed to send him a note to say "Hello", guess who called my cell? Yes! So cool when that stuff happens. He had a cop for me shooting in about 2 weeks. Great, albeit sweaty, day. The next day, I booked an HBO commercial.

October 2010
1. Shot the episode of AMC. Was a quick hitter, all pro, book 'em and leave 'em kind of thing. My scene partner was a nice fellow. Hope to get some work on the show again. I like playing the cop. Would love to book "Southland," an excellent show that found a good home on TNT.

2. Shot a commercial for HBO's Entourage DVD series. This was a holiday themed bit. And my "wife" in the spot had all the really hard work. She did a phenomenal job. Another laid back set, very smooth shoot and the spot turned out great. Yahoo named the slate of spots one of the 10 best commercial campaigns of 2010.

3. Had a meeting with the good people over at the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Something will come of that, though it hasn't quite worked out just yet.

November and December 2010 were full of auditions and callbacks. It was a busy run up to the holiday break there. My buddy and I also brewed our first batch of beer, an IPA. It was a good time. It's so much about sanitizing the equipment. Otherwise, you see two dudes boiling water and throwing something in every now and again. The beer took a total of about 5 weeks to finish up, but the "PFSSST!" we got from popping the top off the first bottle was very satisfying!

December was also the joy of visiting family and friends back in the South. We were busy with lots of running around, last minute shopping, a Jackpie show, etc.

January 2011 was surprisingly slow for me. I set up an appointment for new headshots, which I am not always excited about. However, I try to pick photographers whose work catches my critical eye. It's a good investment and I'm due for it. The shoot happens this week (March). In February, I had a couple of avails (my favorite!) that didn't end up as jobs. What can you do? The last couple of weeks have been jam packed with auditions and callbacks. I'm expecting to book something soon. I'm also expecting my son to be born at any time now. Didn't I mention that? A lot happens in 9 months.



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June Highlights

Audition/Callback/Booked! - Regions Bank @ POPCasting

Things started with a bang on June 1 with this Regions audition. The rest of the month slowed a bit, but that audition turned into a booking with another funny story. I had to confirm that I could definitely ride a bike, a requirement that would be tested at a potential callback. Though I hadn't actually ridden a bike in I don't know how long, the cliche is that you can't possibly forget it right? So, of course I can! And at the callback, they wheeled up this monstrous tandem bike, which I have never in my life attempted to ride. My scene partner and I helmeted up and I won't lie...I was nervous about it. We got a practice run in while waiting for the CD to get the camera ready. It was shaky. Tough to coordinate and take off with one of those. Our first "take" was a little touch and go on the take off, and we were rudely interrupted by a car trying to use the alley we were in. When we got back, the CD realized the camera wasn't taping that round. So, lucky for all of us, I got a second chance and nailed it. The key, we discovered, is the force of that first push and the second person matching the pedal rhythm. When my "wife", me and our "child" walked into the room for the director, we got the kind of feedback you want to hear. The avail we got was short-lived and we were booked together.

The shoot went great. Very smooth. It took two days, and we did the day with the actual bike riding first, which I was happy to get out of the way. The second day was easy interior stuff. All around - casting, production, agency, client, everyone was great and I had a good time on this one.

At the end of the second day, as I was waiting to be released, my dad called with the news about Granny. Having visited her again so recently and sifted through photos and movies, I'm sure that some of the facial expressions that get me work and laughs derive from her. I made it through my improv show that night and was quite drained by the time I got home around midnight.

A week later, I took a red-eye flight to the memorial service, was on the ground there for about 10 hours and flew back to LA. Got to see some relatives from a side of the family that I don't know as much about, and was entertained by some very funny folks.

There were other auditions and such, but that's the meat of June.

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