JaCKPie: a post-holiday tradition - 12/27 @ 8pm

When the egg-nog has congealed in the punch bowl and the last strand of tinsel has been extracted from your hair,
When the turkey has journeyed from breast to sandwich to bare,
When the goods are all gone from your tree's mini skirt and the twelfth drummer is passed out on his kit,
When the yule has dwindled from log to stick to spit,
Where do you turn to drink another drop of merry happy spirit?

Well, 5 years ago before the Christmas passed,
Two "other" men began a trip that continues to last.
They followed a symbol that blazed in the sky,
The form of a jack suspended in Pi.
What started back then with two guys and two chairs,
Has grown to include more than just a few pairs.
Some of you attended our little advent,
And will see familiar faces at this event.
So you are invited to come out and join us
For another evening of laughter and improv galore-ious!

Corrin and I hope to see you at some point while we're in town for the holly-days!

Show #1:
JaCKPie @ 8pm
Einstein Meets Elvis @ 8:30ish

Show #2:
Vesuvius Project @ 9:30pm

Tickets are $7/each per show. The full price proceeds will help JaCKPie Theatre continue to be "...the next step in the evolution of Atlanta's improv scene."
The theater has a bar available. Seats went blazingly fast last year leaving us at standing room only, so I recommend emailing me the number of seats you wish to reserve and arriving 15 minutes early to claim the reservations.

Wednesday, 12/27 at 8pm and 9:30pm
Relapse Theatre is located at
380 14th Street N.W. Atlanta, GA 30318

Audition: Pizza Hut @ Deborah Kurtz Casting

This was my first time in Deborah's office. The breakdown said the guy should have a serious Minnesota accent "think Fargo". So, I spent some time earlier in the morning working on it, and talking to myself all the way to the appointment. Once I got there, they said, "Don't worry about an accent." Youbetcha. There were two parts to the audition. Part 1 involved taking a big bite of pizza..mmmm... I think my product handling was a bit off. I haven't had many of those auditions in a while. Part 2 was a short scene with two buds talking about a new cellphone. This wasn't a huge deal except that there were two or three product names in one line. That's a lot of names. It's tough to set them apart naturally without making it seem a little pushed or broken up if you know what I mean. I think I managed. I have no idea about this one.

Audition: Numb3rs @ Mark Saks; Producers: Numb3rs

Yesterday got off to a great start with a call from Mark Saks' office bringing me back in for a role on Numb3rs. Again, I was playing a character who gets killed at the beginning of the episode. Fun. At the audition, we were teamed up - 1 cop with 2 bad guys. I was playing the cop. My trio was on deck when the casting associate told me I was needed in the room with the bad guys who were before us. So, I popped in and we ran it scene-style in the room a few times. It was cool...a much better way to audition for a scene like this one than just one-on-one with the CD. The 2 bad guys got called back and I stayed in the room to go again with my original group. Same thing...we ran it a few times, and we all got called back. The pre-read was done by 3pm and the producers session was at 4:30pm. The producers session was the same as the before, except there were more writers and producers in the room this time. Again, I read with both sets of bad guys. I felt great about the read and great about my 100% callback ratio so far! Eventually, I'm going to get killed on that show. It's just a matter of time.

Audition: Dairy Queen @ Joe Blake

This was a weird one because the age range on the breakdown was several years older than my normal range, and we got to do prat falls. It was basically a dogpile situation. Yell something and fling yourself through the air onto a mat. I love this kind of thing...just pure fun. The session was running behind and as soon as I was out of the room, I ran out to get to my car and beat the meter maid. It was close. Just as I rounded the corner, I saw the little meter maid mobile cruising down the street. My meter was expired but I escaped this time. By the way, the Best Buy commercial I was on avail for is now running. The role I was being considered for isn't even in the final spot.

Audition: Carl's Jr. @ Lisa Fields

This one sounded perfect for me...everyday guy's guy, sports fan, etc. I like this particular casting facility too. It has a nice little cafe inside. So the spot, and consequently the audition, involved simply sitting at a table and eating wings. To my surprise, they had actual wings for us to eat. I don't usually have them for breakfast at 10:30am, but as I was hungry anyway, one wing wasn't too many.

Audition: Toyota @ Gabrielle Schary

I've auditioned for Toyota spots more than anything else. This one turned out to be of the variety in which I show up dressed in jeans and rolled-up sleeves, "pick up a couple of those tools and look at them...now, move those boxes from the chair to the table." That's that. So, they're looking for "the look". These crack me up.
I've been cranking out the postcards and submissions. We're spending Thanksgiving with some friends in Phoenix and preparing to be gone for almost 2 weeks at the end of December.

Slowdown and Maintenance

Well, when there aren't any auditions to speak of, it's time to do routine maintenance. I've been sending out postcards and submissions, getting my car fixed, working as much as possible and visiting the gym (or the "buffatorium" as my friend Steve calls it). We bought plane tickets for Christmas and we're spending Thanksgiving in Phoenix again. My wife is renewing all of her permits and business licenses for massage and pilates instruction. The number of hoops to jump through and fees she has to pay is ridiculous. So, it has been an expensive few weeks. As a result, I agreed to 2 days of temp work back at Disney. I hadn't worked in an office like that for at least a year or so. I went in last Friday and return tomorrow. It was mind-numbing. The lady I'm filling in for is nice, but I think I've lost my patience for that kind of silly, petty, gossipy, fearful, busy-body, self-important, soul-sucking environment. The fact that I have to go back tomorrow is a real drag. She wants me to come back after Christmas for a week, but there's about ZERO chance of that happening.

Audition: Monk (promo) @ Renita Whited

This one was a promo spot for the USA series "Monk". A promo is basically a commercial for the tv show. I was playing a gardener in Monk's dreamland perfect world. If you watch the show, you know he has OCD and likes everything just so. The gardener was trimming the hedges and checking them with a level. It seemed to go well.

Show: JaCKPie @ Georgia Tech

The wedding of our great friends this past weekend coincided with the Black Box Improv Festival at Georgia Tech. Jim and I were able to get together for a JaCKPie show. My wife and I left our apartment at 7:15pm Thursday night to get to the airport for our red-eye to Atlanta. The flight was delayed because of weather conditions affecting the arrival of our plane. When the plane did pull up to the gate, a passenger fainted while waiting to deplane, which led to some further delays. A whole fire station's worth of paramedics/firemen showed up to hook her up to various pulse, blood pressure and "don't sue us" monitors. We took off sometime after 11pm and arrived in Atlanta at 6:30am.

After renting the car, we had breakfast and several cups of coffee with my brother-in-law. We dropped off our stuff and took a quick nap at the home of some friends we were staying with for a couple of days. Then, we spent a few hours with my mom and had lunch #1 at Chick-fil-A (we don't have those here). A quick trip back to change clothes and head out to the rehearsal dinner, which also was running a tad bit late. As soon as we exchanged hellos and hugs and ate, we left for the improv show at Georgia Tech. Jim and I found a spot to get connected and warm up a little. The warm-up included some crazy stories and a game of net-less, paddle-less, table-less ping-pong. By this time, I was operating purely on adrenaline and left over caffeine. When we were brought backstage just before showtime, it occurred to me that perhaps I should look at the stage. We don't need anything really, but it's always a good idea to know what's out there. Two theatre cubes and a stool that wasn't really tall like a stool should be. It was more like a footrest for someone with wide feet.

We made our way onto the stage and I immediately saw a contingent of folks from the JTW, some who I hadn't seen in quite a while. Jim and I decided to get a suggestion for this show and do The Jam for source material. The question was, "What's a word or phrase you might repeat to yourself as a mantra." The suggestion we took was, "Relax. Don't give up." The Jam covered topics from self-help books, Jim's name mentioned in the "Contributions I ignored" section of a sci-fi book, cable & broadcast tv. There were probably some other things but that's all I remember now. The show flew by for me. We dealt with a couple's attempt to reinvigorate their marriage, subsequent sweepstakes winnings and a rather large purchase. Things deteriorated for them when we learned the wife had been going to school behind her husband's back. We had a couple of astronauts with a penchant for seeds and grains. One of them lost his dog, Buttercup, in a tragic shuttle accident and was pieced together for burial. Luckily, they were able to hold him together long enough to play an odd round of Demon-Dog Fetch (a brilliant offer on Jim's part). We had a game that consisted of two ambiguously ethnic mystery types threatening each other through asides to the audience. We discovered the improv utility belt that contains a stapler, duct tape, a ball, and a supply of Tang lids. You'd have to ask someone from the audience how it all came together, but we ended with Buttercup II finally making it through a successful blastoff. I suppose you could say that was the "Don't give up" part.

Some lines I remember:
Jim - "Choose a racism."
Chris - "I don't know this crowd, Jim."

Jim (after Chris walks through the elaborate space-object truck Jim had created behind Chris' back) - "Let me just have a second to mourn all that object work."
Chris (clueless) - "When you're moving the shuttle from the launch pad to the hangar, you can burn a few steps."

Jim (preparing for take-off) - "Oxygen. Check. Buttercup's love for me. Check."

Jim (ambiguous Wild West/spy guy) - "I'll tear his face off."
Chris - "I wonder if he knows this isn't my face."

The show was great for me. I felt a little rusty at times, but the combination of adrenaline, fun and the complete confidence I have in Jim carried the day. I continue to be amazed at how Jim and I are able to work together as if no time had really passed at all. That's what happens when you play all the time for a few years. It was interesting to see the different elements that were present in this show as opposed to our standard performance. Jim pointed some of them out in his blog entry...the broad games, the self-references, and some really cool transformations from one scene to the next.

Afterward, we hung out at Manny's until after 2am catching up with friends and generally laughing like the crazed sleepless fools we were. At least I learned that a deer is the symbol of unnecessary side support. The rest of the weekend was a blur. I wish I could've seen the other shows and hung out a bit more, but that's the nature of a whirlwind trip across the country. I'm looking forward to playing again over the Christmas holidays.

Audition: Travel Channel Promos @ Bebe Flynn

This one came through a friend of mine who sometimes works with Bebe Flynn. They were looking for people with improv experience, preferably as a trio. While I don't have a trio out here, I do have the experience so my friend scheduled me. Oddly enough, I was matched up at the audition with two other people who I have seen perform at The Hothouse in North Hollywood. Improv in these situations is a bit different than improv on stage. There are certain things you don't want to say and topics better left unexplored. It's a commercial not an HBO series. I think it went well. It was a road trip theme. We did it pretty much by the script the first time and improvised a bit more the second time. I somehow got on the subject of pecan logs. You say, "recipe for disaster." I say, "comedy gold."

Go Figure: Medium @ Mark Saks

We're flying back to Atlanta tonight for a wedding of some dear friends and I'm performing with Jim in JaCKPie at Georgia Tech tomorrow night. So, guess who calls today...Mark Saks' office with an audition for Medium tomorrow at 1:15pm. There is some unspoken rule that when you decide to go out of town, auditions rain down from on high. I hate to miss it, but there's just no way to rearrange the schedule right now. Stuff happens and people go out of town. We're all professionals and we know this. Now, the optimist's take is that I did not even submit on this project and Mark's office called. That means I'm in the field of play over there, which is huge for someone with no representation.

Audition: Bud Light @ Kari Peyton

I've been called into this office a few times now with a good callback ratio. This one was pretty funny, as beer commercials can be, and I felt good about it. It's hard to know sometimes because at the initial audition you just walk in, do a couple lines, and you're out. I'm destined for a beer commercial in the near future though. Every time I see one, I think, "Hey, that guy reminds me of me."

Audition: Honda @ Ross Lacy

I've been in this office quite a few times now with no callbacks. I can't be quite sure why that is, because I've felt really good about several of those auditions. It could just be a timing thing and have something to do with the other people who are cast or considered for complementary roles. Anyway, back again. The callbacks for this one are on the 23rd, which complicates our upcoming to trip to Atlanta. If I do get called back, I'll have to try to get my return flight switched to early Monday morning or late Sunday night. This audition went well, and I noticed there was another one for Bud Light going on in the same facility, also casting by Ross Lacy. The other actors being seen for that one seemed a lot like me, so I decided to step up and ask the session runner about getting in on it. It seemed perfect - they were taking four in at a time and only had three at that moment. I told the guy I had just auditioned for the Honda spot and would be happy to read. He looked a little thrown and said something about not knowing the "age range" for it -- basically, "Thanks but no thanks." I just said, "That's cool. No problem." Hey, all I can do is ask, and that's better than just walking out the door without even trying.

Shoot: Beginning of December

Yesterday, I went into my commercial agency to sign a contract extension. My original contract was for one year, which was coming to a close this month. The new one is for 3 years. It's cool to have that show of faith on their part, and I have high expectations for myself in the coming year.

I completely forgot to chronicle the events surrounding my October 5 day on the set of "Beginning of December". I arrived at the small studio a bit earlier than my 9am call time owing to my preparedness for [and subsequent lack of] traffic. The set was built in a small-ish sound stage and looked great. They were starting the day with a shot from the previous day that had been missed, so I hung out in the dressing rooms for a while chatting with other cast members. When the director came up to talk, there was some waffling on whether or not I was ultimately going to be seen. I had been under the impression that I would be briefly seen just as my significant other storms out of the apartment. Fast forward to getting on set, rehearsing a few times, etc. The entire short takes place along a hallway, so you [the camera] never goes into the doors, just down the hall. Our shouting match is heard from the hallway by the main character and timed so that when my girl leaves, the main character in the hallway sees and is next to her.

The shots were meticulously set up by the DP Blake Jackson. The few moments I watched at the monitor looked great. This all led up to the day getting later and later, and me becoming more and more certain that there was no way they were going to set up a shot with me in it. Sure enough, after lunch, I was released and headed off to work for the evening. It was fun to work with some nice people on an interesting project. I was told that our off-screen audio sounded perfect, but I'll admit to being disappointed that I won't have anything to show for it [footage for my reel], especially since I know it's going to look so good. I guess that's somewhat selfish of me, but then again, that's how you get actors to do stuff like this for free...good project, good copy. Stuff happens, especially on tight-budget productions, and the best of intentions meet the demands of the budget and schedule. Maybe I'll figure out a way to use the audio somehow on a reel. Anyway, having said that, I did enjoy myself, met some terrific people and wish the best for the director and the film. If the chance to work with them again arises, I'd do it.

Audition: Sirius Radio @ Lien/Cowan Casting

Had a same-day call this morning at 9:30am for an audition at 11:45am. The audition had sides available on the internet along with 3 mp3 files to which I would be lip-synching in the room. Weird. It's kind of like those Capital One commercials in which a regular person is moving their lips, but the person who stole their identity is talking. The office had a CD player with the audio playing a continuous loop in the lobby outside the audition room. It's pretty funny to watch 10 actors sitting around a CD player trying to lip-synch the lines. Well, it was my first time into Lien/Cowan, one of the offices I have been targeting with my update mailings.

Afterward, I had lunch with my scene partner from the showcase. We talked for a while about the business, classes, work, family, etc. Then, I dropped by my commercial agents' office to say "Hello." It's so great to have nice agents who enjoy catching up on what's happening. Everyone was excited about the Numb3rs callback. I also found out that maybe the Best Buy job didn't go to a Canadian. We had a few laughs about today's audition and the Mr. Changer Pants from last week. That one was crazy...trying to change pants while seated on two rolling office chairs tied together while also trying to hold a steering wheel that isn't attached to anything.

[any ideas?]: Best Buy

Submit your ideas for a new category title (i.e. Audition: Best Buy, Callback: Best Buy, Avail: Best Buy) covering avails that end up going nowhere. We could call it "Near Miss" or "Close Call" or something along those lines. Avoid the negatives, which are too easy, like "Shot Down" or "Mangled Wreckage".

I just got the call from KSA that I've been released from the avail for Best Buy. Hmm...maybe I should just call it [Released:]. As time wore on, I began to suspect they were trying to cast Canadians so they wouldn't have to pay the travel expenses for us United Statesians. Anyway, this is why the whole avail notice is such a pain. Instead of doing an audition/callback and then forgetting about it, they force you to think about it all the time by putting you on avail and making you plan how you'll handle those potential shoot dates. It's kind of draining. On the bright side though, as I've said, it's another validation, another step closer to the jobs that are out there waiting for me.

Today, I spent a couple of hours working on postcards and mailings to follow up with some of the industry people who attended the showcase. Every time I've got news, like the Numb3rs thing, I try to spread the word.

Audition: Allstate @ Lisa Fields Casting

This was my first time in for Lisa Fields Casting. I was told to bring an extra pair of pants for Mr. Changer-Pants. I figured it would be one of those commercials where they show some people doing something stupid while driving, and then Dennis Haysbert asks you not to be stupid. That's basically what it was. It was pretty funny to walk into the room, drop my pants and then slate and do the bit. I also had a steering wheel to contend with, which would be great if the wheel had actually been attached to something. Having it loose made the whole thing a little trickier, but I think I pulled it off...or pulled it on...or whatever. Don't tell the driving students, but I too have changed clothes while driving. I don't recommend it.

I called the agency today to see if the avails had been released for the Best Buy job. They checked in yesterday afternoon, and the avail is still open. I don't fully get the whole concept of the "avail". I mean, I know what it is, but it seems a little silly. Well, the good news is I'm still in the running!

Avail: Best Buy

I got a call from my commercial agency while I was working tonight. The voicemail started, "Hey Chris, I've got good news..." Sweet. I've been placed on avail for the Best Buy spot shooting in Vancouver. "Avail" can mean a number of things. It could mean they have basically picked me, but are awaiting final approval from the client. It can mean that I'm in the top 2 choices. For me, it means I have to alert my other responsibilities to the possibility that I will need to jump on a plane sometime between the 23rd and Oct. 5th. I don't have the job yet, but this is another good sign. See, I told you my time was coming.

Follow-Up

Apparently, I didn't book Numb3rs. Sure the story would've been more interesting if I had. First commercial audition in Los Angeles leads to callback and job. First episodic audition leads to callback and job. A friend told me what a television casting director told her, "The only difference between a callback and booking the job is the paycheck." It means that the CD basically thought you could step in and do the job. After that, it's up to the producers and writers to nit-pick. I'm very happy with where I am and where I'm going after another big step toward making it happen in Los Angeles. With all of these commercial callbacks, this breakthrough in TV auditioning and everything else, I know my time is coming.

Pre-Read: Numb3rs @ Mark Saks Casting; Producers: Numb3rs @ Mark Saks

After a lot of researching, printing, headshots and mailings, I secured my first official episodic audition since moving to LA, and I did it without an agent. The call came in Friday, and it took me a moment to get my bearings and understand what the assistant was saying before I realized what the call was about. Numb3rs is a very successful CBS show, sort of a book-smart procedural in the CSI mold. The audition was at 3:30pm today in downtown LA, where I don't often venture, and I was reading for about 3 different co-star roles.

Roles on a tv show go in a hierarchy. First, you have series regulars. That's self-explanatory. Then you may have special guest stars, which would be cameos like Bruce Willis on "Friends". Guest stars are roles with several different scenes and a "character arc" in an episode. An example of a guest star role would be the main suspect on an episode of Law & Order. You see him at home when he's first questioned. You see him confronted again by the cops, then interrogated and possibly tried. Guest stars and some co-stars may recur, meaning they show up in two or more episodes. Co-stars are the smaller roles...the cop who finds the body, the bartender who saw the victim last night, etc.

This morning, I got some peer coaching from a friend. Sometimes auditioning for smaller roles can be more difficult. There's a goal of being just interesting enough to serve the character without "overcooking" it. The show is about the series regulars, not the co-stars. It was good to work out some of the physical bits and to do the scenes out loud in front of an objective eye.

The pre-read with the casting director was good! So good, I got a callback (aka, "going to producers") on the spot for 2 of the roles 3 hours later. I went to a Starbucks/grocery store to pass the time since it would've made no sense for me to go all the way home. Each role is usually narrowed down to about 4 or 5 different actors for producers sessions. Since the session was running until 7pm or so, I expect they will notify the choices tomorrow morning. No matter what happens, it's all good news!

Audition: Dodge @ Ross Lacy

A Saturday? Weird, but it is my second Saturday audition since I've been here. Ross Lacy has one of the busiest casting offices in LA. It worked out great with my work schedule for the weekend too. Everybody wins. The audition was another young dad role. I got good feedback from the session runner at least. He asked where I trained and we had a bit of a discussion on the value of improv experience. Being in a commercial class has, of course, also helped, mainly in having worked so much on camera the last few weeks. Callbacks for this one are Monday night, which means I won't know if I have to make a switch in my schedule at work until Monday morning. It puts some strain on my supervisor, but he's a great guy who works with me and I enjoy the job. I'm really fortunate to have that situation. Things have definitely gotten busier on the audition front. Keep it rolling.

Callback: Best Buy @ Beth Holmes

This went great. The callback was in Santa Monica which is a bit more of a drive than the audition was. It's still not that bad...basically what my commute was everyday in Atlanta. Apparently, the callbacks were here because of the studio capability to run a remote session. It was like a teleconference. People in a board room somewhere else were watching me on some big screen while I was working in a room with two people and a camera. The director gave me some feedback and redirection a few times, then they gave me a different role to do. Both felt good, and I think the extra work was a positive sign.

Just as I arrived at the studios, I received a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. I almost didn't answer, but curiosity got me. Find out what is was about on Monday...

Callback: Wendy's @ Craig Colvin

Hey, another good callback. The direction was for "more" than originally given to us in the audition the other day, which had been my instinct then anyway. I felt good about it. I focused on the real pain of birth, which I can merely hope to approximate, rather than just letting it go straight to screams and whatnot. The females in the room seemed to nod approvingly. So, again, I bid adieu to an audition with that most confident of sign-offs, "Who knows?".

Audition: Wendy's @ Craig Colvin

Another trip to the office where I got my official start in LA. This was a funny spot. I feel like I probably shouldn't give away the premise of all these things even though we don't sign confidentiality agreements or anything. Maybe it doesn't matter. In this one, I played a husband going into labor in a classic role reversal scenario. The trick was they kept telling us to keep it small...tone it down. That was against my instinct for this one, but I think I pulled it off.

Audition: IBM @ Gabrielle Schary; Audition: Best Buy @ Beth Holmes

I'm telling you it's so weird how quiet it can get for a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden...multiple auditions in a day. Got the call on the IBM spot while I was in class last night. The Best Buy call came in this morning.

IBM (internet only, but possibly wider tv release): This one indicated that sides were posted on LA Casting. However, the sides were really just these character descriptions, which to me meant improv time. Sure enough, that's what it was. I think it went well, but I wonder about these techy-geeky things. I'm not sure I'm totally that look. You just never know.

Best Buy: In this one, I was a "delivery guy". Nothing to it in terms of lines, just looks really, but in the audition itself we improvised a couple lines anyway. I always like my chances with this type of stuff, because I've had a lot of success in auditions/bookings that involve expressive faces. I met some cool people in the waiting area who I'm sure to see again. The Santa Clauses were coming in as I was leaving. So, I talked business with one of them for a while...Santa business.

Showcase

MONDAY - Tonight was the first of our three In Demand showcase performances at The Matrix Theatre in West Hollywood. Earlier in the day, there was some concern on the part of the producers that we didn't have enough reservations. I spent the morning emailing my LA contacts reminders about the show. My wife and I arrived at the theater by 6:30pm to help out with preparations. She graciously volunteered to assist with checking people in and whatever other front of house duties needed doing. That's the deal when you're related/married to, or really good friends with a performer. She did that so many times for JaCKPie shows. The theater looked great.

Will, my scene partner, and I ran lines a couple times and walked over the set changes we had to perform after our scene. We had a great energy going, total confidence in the work we've done, ready to just listen, play and have a blast. By the time the house opened, most of the performers were in the holding rooms, which were a little too hot and chaotic for me. Besides, my favorite place to be when the house opens is standing just backstage, or behind the curtain if there is one, to hear the audience come in. I don't care about seeing who's who. I just like to hear it. The room begins empty and silent but for the preshow music. Then, the first few people enter talking quietly to each other. That builds to the dull roar of the full house. We had a full one - people standing in the back of the 99-seat house and sitting wherever they could. The adrenaline started kicking in. I had a few last minute jokes and hand shakes with Will and we got set. We were the second scene up, and we killed it. It was better than any rehearsal we'd done. We listened, found new moments, got every single laugh we wanted and more. There's no substitute for meeting your final scene partner, the only one you haven't rehearsed with, the audience. They give you so much. Then, in no time, we were backstage again, applause, and the adrenaline coursing. Everyone's scenes were good. Some had nerves going full speed, but I think it was a really good show as a whole, which is important for all of us.

After the show, we had a small reception set up in the lobby. Will and I talked to Kari Kurto, the casting associate from "My Name is Earl", who said some very nice things about our performance. In fact, a lot of people came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed the scene and many went on to point out details that made it work for them. We were also asked if we had worked together before. That's a huge compliment. There was a point at which I seriously debated whether or not to do this showcase, but now I'm so glad I did. I ended up with a great scene partner, scene, director and overall production - and fun. I'm looking forward to the next two shows, which I'll update (perhaps more briefly) below.

TUESDAY - The thing about live shows is that a different night has a different audience and it's a different vibe. Tuesday's show was packed like the night before, but this time, there were quite a few more industry guests. Industry guests can be a bit more reserved as a crowd. First, they're looking through the packets, pulling out headshots and taking notes. Second, they're basically working. So, it's a little different. We still got great laughs, big applause at the end of the scene and great comments from people afterward. I sing a couple of lines from Air Supply's "All Out of Love" to my ex-girlfriend's t-shirt in a terrible falsetto at the top of the scene. It has been a great scene starter. One more show to go.

WEDNESDAY - And again, a different vibe...even more industry guests. There's such a different feeling in the room with an audience like that. We got great feedback, some good laughs and the applause. It was only mildly startling that my first few bars of "All Out of Love" didn't generate the kind of laughs I'd had previously. You can't get in your head about it though or the scene will tank. I just cut up. It was our last Hoorah, and I wanted to play. Alicia and Don from KSA were there, which was very nice of them. Several friends of ours were there, many of whom had never seen me act before. On the whole, this was a great experience. I'll follow up with the CD's, agents and managers who made it, and we'll see where it goes.

Cold macaroni and cheese

It has somehow managed to be a very busy couple of weeks with nothing much to report. I did attend a "Meet the Cast and Crew" fundraising event for The Beginning of December. That was a good time. There were a lot of nice people who gave money to support the film, a lovely home that served as the site, a tasty spread of food and drink, and a group of professionals with whom I will be working. I have high hopes for this experience as they seem to be doing everything right.

The showcase I've been preparing for runs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We've been rehearsing, getting some extra coaching, and helping distribute the flyers and industry gifts to invitees. I've had more day-job work the last few weeks than ever before. I suppose most students are trying to get their lessons in before school starts. Last night, I stopped into a grocery store because I had a craving for a bit of mac n' cheese. I picked up a couple pieces of chicken and asked for the mac. The lady scoops it up out of the cold case. Why is the mac n' cheese in a refrigerator? Instead of cancelling it right there, like a dope, I figured "Oh well, it'll be fine for just that little bit." Wrong. As some of you may already be yelling at the screen, I made the terrible error of forgetting that mac n' cheese is one of THE WORST dishes ever when served cold. Horrendous.

Remember the agency with a Z that stood me up on a theatrical meeting and wasted my time a few weeks ago? Well, guess who I got a voicemail from two days ago. Yep. "Hi, this is [so and so] from [Zuch, such and such]. We have an appointment for you to come in to meet for commercial representation Friday at 3pm. There is no need to call back and confirm, but if you are unavailable, email..." Yeah right. Lemme get right on that email, because I would hate to inconvenience you. Wonder why it's not necessary to confirm? Wonder why I would get this call after the fiasco that happened FACE to FREAKIN' FACE barely a month ago?

Callback: Toyota @ Joe Blake Casting

2 auditions, 2 callbacks in this office. It's good to be on the map in as many casting offices as possible. There didn't seem to be a ton of people called back for this particular role. There are about 4 different roles in the spot. The callback was basically to rant and rave about your boss while alone in the car. We improvised a brief exchange with "the boss" before doing the actual audition solo. I think my boss was supposed to fire me, but the actor didn't get too worked up in the scene, so I ended up quitting. Then, I did the audition bit in the car three different ways. I felt pretty good about it...had to bring the adrenaline down a bit when I left.

This is the longest day in the world. We took my wife's parents to the airport this morning, stopped off for the audition on the way back. After a quick lunch, I have to head out for three driving lessons taking me to 10pm, and after that, I have to try to beam myself to West Hollywood for showcase rehearsal. Good luck to me. I predict a serious crash into the bed when it's all over.

Audition: Gerber @ Craig Colvin

My 100th post.

So, I'm breaking the "young dad" barrier now. The audition itself was a quick one liner, but funny. You know the type...dad gets into a little trouble when he's on duty.

Craig Colvin is, as you may remember, the casting director who called me in for the AAMCO spot when I was an unrepresented rookie who had only been here a couple months. He also referred me to my agents at KSA. He wasn't running the session, but did take the photos. We exchanged hellos and he told me that Alicia (at KSA) had called him to pitch me. It's great to know your agents believe in you and actively help with the marketing. I hope to hit a stride soon and get the money train rolling for all of us. I'll keep making the rounds for drop-offs and postcards, keeping my skills sharp with class and make it happen.

After the audition, I stopped by the front desk to say "Goodbye" to Craig when I saw a former classmate of mine at Lesly Kahn's place working the phone. Small world. All three of us swapped a few war stories about the business, and Craig's stories about the complexities of working with agents, ad agencies, the ad clients, etc. was very enlightening. That's a tough job with a lot of crazy people!

Audition: Toyota @ Joe Blake Casting

This was my third time in for Joe Blake Casting in three days. Not too shabby. This audition was pretty much nonverbal, relying on "interior monologue" that generates facial reactions. Basically, they wanted to see us thinking about something very stressful or very exciting. I did a couple of different takes - one of each. Interestingly, the ad agency indicated they wanted something sort of "over the top", but the director wants something much more real. As the talent, you never know who'll win out in the end. So, you never know if your audition fits the winning side. There didn't appear to be many people coming in for it today, but I got the impression they had been seeing people for a day or two at least.

Busy, busy...with all the auditions, driving lessons, visitings and preparations for a showcase I'm doing in two weeks, I've been on the run quite a bit lately. It's all great, but definitely hectic.

Callback: Alltel @ Joe Blake Casting

The callback went well. They must be moving fast since the audition was just yesterday. They flipped the roles around a bit, which didn't really work to some of our relative advantages. I still felt good about it.

Audition: Alltel @ Joe Blake Casting

Every time my wife's parents are in town, I seem to get an audition. This was my first audition with Joe Blake and my first family trip-style audition. Everyone loaded in the car to drop me off at the casting studios. Once I was out, they ventured on to do a little shopping. There were no advance sides for this audition, but I discovered at the sign-in that it was a 4-person scene, which is a fairly large audition scene. Instead of signing in immediately, I settled down to fill out my size card and go over the sides for a bit. The tough part wasn't so much the lines, each character had about 2 fairly easy to remember ones, but which character to prepare for? A few minutes after I signed in, the session assistant assigned roles and matched us up. My three cohorts and I were on deck and used the time to run it a few times. The recent training with Carolyne paid off again. I made a choice that worked for me and the scene. My scene partners were great. We were all distinctly different. We did it a couple times in the room and were done. On the way out, I saw a friend of mine going in on the same spot. Good luck to him! Also, in the waiting room for a different project, I saw Geoffrey Owens who played Elvin on The Cosby Show.

So, the reason it was a family trip is that we went to the La Brea Tar Pits after I was done. It also happened to be the first Tuesday of the month, so we got into the museum for free. The Tar Pits are cool. It's amazing to see this slice of the prehistoric world still churning right in the middle of all these office buildings and busy streets. A lot of people say it isn't worth the time, but I think it's one of those things everyone should see while they're here.

Audition: Yesterday Was a Lie (ultra-low budget indie)

What a full day. I got up at 6:30am to take a friend to pick up his car which had been towed last night. After accomplishing that, I spent over 2 hours waiting for my tires to be installed at Costco. From there, I was late to an hour-long rehearsal for a scene I'm doing in a showcase. I took off from the Los Feliz area to go to Glendale for a 2pm, 2 line audition. The film is billed on their website as sort of a "sci-fi noir". Interesting, but the teaser trailer had some nicely composed shots. So, maybe it'll look good on a reel if it works out. The audition/meeting took all of 2 minutes, after which I went back to Los Feliz for continued rehearsal. I finally got back home around 5pm, and we had some people over for dinner at 7pm. I am officially done for the day.

Yesterday, the one that was NOT a lie, we saw a performance of the California Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The performance was great, and included a special performance by an amazing Russian violinist playing one of the world's rarest violins on loan from some collector or other. Before the concert, we took a tour of the facility. We intended to take the self-guided audio tour led by John Lithgow, but were informed that the audio tour was not being offered that day. Why? Isn't it recorded? At the start of the tour, we were told that there were no "donor walls" as Frank Gehry believed they would interrupt the experience of the architecture. Maybe "no" means "three" in our tour guide's native language, in which case there were definitely no donor walls, the third of which was so massive that it took up virtually the entire wall of the second floor.

Irritation: No cable for 5 days

Adelphia, I say this loud and proud, STINKS. Their customer service is terrible. Our cable went down last Saturday night -- no TV no internet. I called 4 times over the next 2 days before finally getting someone who said they'd put in a work order for a tech. The other people kept telling me "they're working on it", which was BS. We live in a 10 unit building. If someone was here working on it, they'd be outside my window or on my street. Anyway, Tuesday, the guy finally comes out and after 20 minutes says he can't fix it and will send someone else. By Wednesday, Day 5 with no connection was halfway over when another dude shows up and gets the thing fixed. Then he tells me that the amplifier was screwed up outside because of the heat and it's been happening elsewhere. Wait. You guys knew this sort of thing was happening already and yet I still have to listen to some service rep ask me if I've unplugged and replugged my cable box? And wait another second, don't they have cable in the freakin' desert? We pay ridiculous prices for this stuff counting on it to work. Anyway, it's fixed now, but we're shopping for satellite service and possibly DSL. I also found out that some people in Hollywood were without POWER for 5 days, which should make me feel like a whiny little ingrate.

Audition: Dunkin' Donuts @ Cathi Carlton Casting

I went down to Castaway Studios this morning for the audition. Once again, no sides. All I knew was that it was for Dunkin' Donuts, which doesn't really exist out here, and that I was to wear a suit. After I finally found a parking space, I jumped out to feed the meter. It took my dime, but then flipped out over my quarter flashing its "Out of Order" sign. I thought maybe the quarter got jammed up, so I put in a nickel. No problem...wait...problem...it only gave me credit for the dime and the nickel. Since there wasn't another space around and my appointment time was at hand, I just jammed 4 or 5 dimes down its throat with it registering every other one. When I finally got it up to 30 minutes, I took off.

The audition sides were by the sign in sheet, and I couldn't make any sense out of it. Repeating lines? Are these all for one person or do we just pick one line? The session runner told me to go into the other room to listen to the song. The what? There was a silly little 7 or 8 line jingle playing on endless repeat in the room. Basically, we were to learn the song so that we could sing a small portion of it in the audition itself while doing some other activity. Weird, but not a real problem. The session runner kept looking at us like we weren't getting it, and making comments about how everyone else was screwing it up. I don't think I screwed it up so we'll see.

Booked: The Beginning of December

I just got off the phone with CD Michelle Metzner who let me know that I had booked the role of "Kevin" in The Beginning of December (original audition 6/13/06). It's a fairly dark, but ultimately hopeful dramatic short. My character is the lead's husband. So, a full month after the original audition, with no callback, we see again that you just never know. My shoot date is currently scheduled for August 31.

Audition: Buffalo Wild Wing @ Kari Peyton

3rd time in this office in the last couple of weeks...good sign. It was strange to get the call for this. I haven't had a Saturday audition for anything other than indie films. Wait...that's not true. The Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius audition was on a Saturday in Atlanta.

The audition was your typical restauranty type spot - lots of people having a good time. The patrons, staff, etc. do "the wave" while watching a game on tv. So, that's what the audition was. Go in, do the wave, thanks. There were a ton of people in the casting call. I honestly have no idea how they narrow this kind of thing down.

Everything old is...still old but now posted here

I recently rediscovered what are essentially my first ever "blog" posts, although at the time, I considered it my "online journal". Thank goodness we came up with a short, one-word name for that. Otherwise, I would've exhausted myself in the last few years saying, "Online journal". Anyway, I copied those old posts from various places and transplanted them to this blog. A lot of the stuff has to do with the earlier days of JaCKPie - shows, classes and thoughts. So, if you're interested in reading that history, thumb through the archives of 2002, 2003 and some stuff scattered in 2004.

Audition: Wendy's @ Renita Whited

Another audition today for a young husband, sports fan type role. The new headshots are doing the trick I think. The audition went well. My partner was a performer from Hothouse, so we sorta knew each other in a roundabout kinda way. It was my first meeting with Renita Whited. She's extremely nice and thorough, seems like a great person. I guess I meet 2 or 3 great people for every bad apple.

The audition was in one of the local casting studios (the ones with various projects casting at the same time). While waiting my turn, I heard the following exchange between a CD and an auditioner regarding a different project.

CD
You're here for the swimsuit audition?

Actress
Yes.

CD
Where's your swimsuit?

Actress
I don't have it with me. I came straight from school.

CD
Oh, well I don't have one you can wear. We'll be here til 6.
Do you live close enough to go get one?

Actress
(stares blankly)

CD
Do you have a bra or something you can wear?

Actress
I don't wear bras.

CD
Guess you're SOL then.

Actress
(stares blankly)

CD is clearly frustrated and goes back into the office to "talk to someone about it". Meanwhile, the actress stands there for a few minutes and then starts mumbling to herself that she can go home and get a swimsuit. Finally, the CD returns and the actress shares her pearl of wisdom.

Actress
I'll go home and get one.

CD
Great.

I thought it was priceless the way this girl stood there looking at the CD like he was supposed to solve her problem for her. On top of that, he did offer the option of her going home near the beginning of this whole thing. Instead of just doing that, she tried to whine and wheedle into avoiding it, prolonging the awkward situation for both parties. Very funny scene, and yet another reason some people treat actors according to the Least Common Denominator.

Callback: Castrol @ Kari Peyton

This one was sorta funny. I got the call Friday about this callback for today. I arrived about 15 minutes early for the appointment as is my custom, and they were still finishing up work on a different spot in this campaign. The CD's assistant was calling the agents of 3 or 4 people who hadn't shown up for their appointments. One part of me was thinking, "What kind of professional doesn't show up for their callback?". However, another part of me was thinking that I'd hope my agents would go to bat for me if I had a legitimate problem. Sometimes, though, there's nothing anyone can do. The "powers that be" made their decisions within minutes of the end of that category and called the agents to check availability of their choices.

The session was running late. I was the second person called about 40min. after my appointment time. No biggie. Happens all the time. I basically just did the same thing I did in the original audition, having a little fun with it, and then the director redirected me several times. I did what I went in to do, and I think I responded to his direction. I'm a little out of practice in "letting it go" after an audition, but since it's about 6pm, I'm pretty sure I didn't get it. The next one is coming though.

Event: "We've Been Here a Year" party

My wife and I decided to have a little open house/bbq to celebrate with some people who helped make our first year here so great. We started yesterday around 6pm or so, and everyone that came basically showed up by 6:30 or 7pm. Our place is small, so we have to use the outdoor patio. At 5pm, it was still really hot with no breeze. Luckily, by the time people were arriving, the temperature dropped significantly and the wind kicked in. I grilled hotdogs for about 45 minutes straight. There were two really good potato salads that others brought, chips and salsa, veggies, cheese trays, beer, margaritas and good times. It was really cool to see all those people here together. Sometimes you don't realize how big your personal community is until you see a number of them all in one place. We'll be having another one of these, and maybe we won't wait until next year.

Meeting: Agency that starts with a "Z" - Theatrical Div.

Today, I had a meeting for potential theatrical representation at an agency that starts with a "Z". That should be enough to clue you in on who it is if you're that curious. This isn't a glowing review, so I'm not putting it right out there.

On Tuesday, I received a call from someone there who asked if I was interested in coming in for a meeting about commercial representation. I informed the person that I already have commercial reps, and she asked what I was seeking. When I said, "Theatrical," she asked if I wanted to come in and meet for that. Now, I thought it was a little odd for a number of reasons. First, the picture I sent out to theatrical reps was definitely not a commercial shot. Second, she mentioned they were "having people come in between 10:30am and 1:30pm". Third, if they were bringing people in for commercial representation as she first indicated, why was she so quick to switch gears? My internet research on this particular agency turned up a number of bulletin boards where opinions seemed to skew to the negative. Despite all this, I put aside my misgivings and kept the appointment for the sake of the experience.

I arrived this morning about 10 minutes before my appointment. No one else was in the lobby, but there was a big pile of clipboards and info sheets on the table. Uh-oh. Still, press on. I filled out a sheet with info that mattered (no SS#, etc), and waited a few minutes. Then, a lady stepped out of an office and our interaction went something like this (format stolen from Stephon Fuller's Long Ass Blog):

Agent Lady
Hi, are you here for a commercial meeting?

Chris
No, I'm here for a theatrical meeting with Mr. X.

Agent Lady
Is he expecting you?

Chris
I hope so since I was called in for a theatrical meeting by someone on Tuesday, and I have this appointment for 10:30.

Agent Lady steps into her office to look at a list and returns.

Agent Lady
No, you're here to see me.

Chris
Are you the commercial rep?

Agent Lady
Yes.

Chris
(thinking "didn't I just say I'm here for theatrical rep?")
Ok, then we can cut this short because that's not what I need.

Agent Lady
Sorry for the confusion.

Chris
(exiting)
Yes.

This place...not good. Disorganized and unbusiness-like to say the least. Well, it wasn't a total loss because I did brush up on my monologues this week.

Audition: State Farm @ PopCasting

Another audition today. I'm on a little roll of getting in at least. Callbacks and bookings are what we're looking for now. This one was a quick-hitter, two scenarios involving buddies at a baseball game. I think it went well. I frequently get good feedback from these auditions that rely on facial expressions and general improvisation.

Event: Friends of El Faro Charity

Last night we went to a charity event at The Music Box at The Fonda in Hollywood. It was the first such shin-dig we've attended since we've been here. They had a red carpet area for the celebrities. No, you won't be seeing us in People magazine next week. We actually had to tell the people at the box office who we were. The first people we met inside were Alicia, Brooke and Don, my commercial agents from KSA. Small world. The venue was cool. It was an old style theater/music venue. There was an outdoor patio on the lower level and on the roof. Quite a few restaurants were represented, having donated food and booze for the event. The live music was entertaining. We particularly enjoyed Sara Bareilles.

The Friends of El Faro charity assists a small orphanage in Tijuana. This single event raises enough money to basically run the orphanage for nearly a year. It was a good time for a good cause.

Auditions: Nike @ Ross Lacy; Sprint @ SpotCasting

Two auditions today, both at the same place, but very different times. At least one of them was on my postcard mailing that went out last Friday. The first audition was for Nike with Ross Lacy casting, basketball attire. I arrived at about 9:30am for a 10am call time, hoping to get a look at the copy before going in. The session didn't actually start until 10am, making me first up right after the session runner put out the size sheets and the sides. It was a paired scene with a young lady. On the slate, they asked how often I play basketball and how often she runs. The spot required a specific feel and interaction that was more episodic than commercial. We did 3 takes. I felt great about this one, but we'll see if I'm the look/type they're going for. On the way out, I grabbed the sides for my afternoon audition from the other side of the room.

The second audition was back in the same casting studios but with a different company. The wardrobe for this one was more office-y in the current Sprint style. I think this one was more appropriate for me. I saw that the auditions were still rolling on the Nike spot, and there were a bunch of modelly looking people. But you never know.

Audition: Castrol @ Kari Peyton Casting

My cellphone is on the fritz. Sometimes it rings, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it notifies me of a voicemail right away, sometimes it doesn't. At some point during a lesson yesterday afternoon, I received a voicemail even though the phone never rang. Don, from KSA, called about an audition for today. One of the CDs I dropped off a headshot to last week brought me in to audition for a Castrol national spot. I gotta keep up with those drop-offs.

The audition was fast. I showed up early to look over the sides. It was a one-liner...another one of those commercials relying largely on a "look". I looked different than the other guys who were there at the same time I was for whatever that's worth...nothing. Wait time was probably 15 minutes. Actual time in the room was more like 1 minute.

Audition: The Beginning of December; Michelle Metzner

I had an audition in Sherman Oaks for a short film. It's an engaging script with a lot of visuals.
The breakdown consists of a specific physical description for the character. However, the role appears in the script only in voice over (off-screen). Weird. Before the audition, I dropped off a headshot at another casting office, and managed to make it back up the 405 with a few minutes to spare before my appointment.

As I sat in my car reviewing my notes and the sides, a lady pulled up beside me in another car frantically waving her arms around. Finally, I looked over and she asked if I'm leaving the curb. I shook my head "No." I'm pretty sure this person saw me park in the first place. Besides, there was room to park a 1985 Caprice Classic behind me, and she was just in a Corolla. There was also space at a meter in front of me. Add to that the fact that I was clearly engaged in some sort of paperwork. What was she going to do...sit there for 5 minutes while I did that? She pulled up and parked at the meter. Maybe she just couldn't parallel park.

About that time, I got a call from my wife. Now that I was clearly involved in a phone conversation, what happens? Tap, tap, tap on the window. This freakin' lady again. How rude can one person be? I rolled down the window a little, and she asked if I had a quarter for the two handfuls of pennies she was holding. She couldn't feed the meter where she chose to park! I shook my head, gave her a quarter and said I didn't want the pennies.

The audition itself went well I think. Michelle was very nice, and the director and camera operator were both pleasant as well. They tried to wait a few minutes for a female to show up reading for the other role in the scene, but when that didn't happen, they brought me in. They asked if I had any questions, and I said I thought the script was pretty clear on the setup (apart from the off-screen situation that I didn't bring up). I said, "I'll just do what I have and if you have any adjustments, we can do that too." We went right into it with Michelle as the reader. It was a short scene, about 4 short lines, and it was emotionally charged.

Shoot: The Car Lot

After an early morning lesson, I headed to the location for this shoot, a car lot on Vermont. I had directions from Yahoo! maps which said to take 101S to the New Hampshire exit. There is no freakin' New Hampshire exit. As I found myself looking for a place downtown to turn around, I got the call that the honchos at the location had turned away the shoot, backing out on their agreement. Nice. The location was moved to an empty parking lot in town, and the small production staff quickly rigged our cars up to look like they were for sale. It was a patch job, but a decent one. One of the other lead actors had to leave by 2pm, but with all the moving around we weren't able to start shooting until almost 1pm. We knocked it out though and had a good time. The little girl playing my daughter was a character. Within the scene, she kept forgetting one of her lines which was simply "Right". Finally, we had to shoot a series of just her cue line and her line.

I've had several questions about what I meant by "pilot teaser" in my previous post. If you have an idea for a show, you have to pitch it to the tv execs of whatever network or cable channel you target. The writer of this one is going to use this brief video as part of his pitch. It's sort of like having a PowerPoint presentation in a regular business meeting. "Here's an example of my idea." I did it to get a copy of the work that I can use in my reel. Even if his idea results in an actual pilot, there's no guarantee that he can/will use the same actors. Anyway, in keeping with the speedy nature of this one, the guy has already put it together and loaded it onto the web. You can see the short HERE.

Print Go-See: NASCAR; Audition: The Lot

A sports fan - seems to be right on for me. Had to drive to Culver City for this one. There's just no easy way to get down there from where we live. Ahh...the sacrifice. It's better than driving from Atlanta to Charlotte for a one line audition though. Believe me. For the test shots we had to wear a t-shirt they provided. There were two total t-shirts in rotation for everyone. The guy before me had taken his own shirt off and put the t on. When he handed it to me, I could smell a mixture of about 10 different colognes. I decided to leave my own shirt on. Again, I was in and out in about 5 minutes.

On the way back home, I got a call from someone about a pilot teaser they wanted to read me for this afternoon. I called my supe and let him know that this was out there in the ether for my schedule. A little before 3pm, I headed downtown for the meeting. We got the pages there and read for about an hour. I got the role of a dad who is with his family shopping for a car. We shoot Sunday afternoon, so you can see this one is coming together fast. We'll see how it turns out.

Maintenance: Postcards

Yesterday and today, I sent out quite a few postcards to some of the commercial CDs I didn't meet or drop-off to last week. The intent is still the same. The postcard has my new primary commercial headshot on it with my agency info. I included a short note about the new headshots, and asked that they look for them amongst future submissions from my agents. My goal is to continue to be more proactive in approaching casting directors and marketing myself. It takes time to penetrate the market here, so I want to keep doing what I can to make it happen.

Print Go-See: UPS

A friend of mine from our Atlanta days asked me to come in and meet with Bebe Flynn who is casting a print job for UPS Stores. It's not a direct result of my drop-offs from Friday, but there's that cosmic momentum thing. Anyway, she and her husband moved out here a little while before we did. I really look forward to a time when I'm able to help some friends out in the same way my friends have been looking out for me.

Maintenance

I spent a couple hours today dropping off new headshots at various casting offices. Most of the time, you just walk in and find the "Drop Box", a mail bin of some kind, and drop the shot in there. In one office, I actually met the CD herself and had a nice introduction chat. She was great. I love meeting people who treat this as a business community of peers rather than somehow giving off airs that actors are so much cattle.

I also stopped in for a visit with a friend who now works at CBS. I hadn't really been to this particular lot before, and it ended up being a little production getting in to see her. On the way in, I passed the holding area for the Price is Right audience where they were all standing with their crazy t-shirts and those big name tags. My friend's got a big area to herself in a nice office suite. She used to be a casting assistant for an independent CD, but now that she's at CBS, she's got a job all the time. The independent CD's go from job to job like actors. No work=no pay. It seems like a step up, and she's happy. Congrats to her!

Trip: Santa Barbara

We just returned from a two-day trip to Santa Barbara. We left Saturday after work and went out on the town that night with our friends who also made the trip. Dinner, drinks and dancing left us all wiped out. The next day we went to Solvang, a small Dutch-themed village in the Santa Ynez valley. It's also one of the stops the guys make in the movie "Sideways". We just walked around a little, and on the way out, stopped by a miniature horse ranch that we saw off the road. My wife loved that. The brochure we picked up suggested that miniature horses make great pets "even in urban areas". I don't know about that. The adults were larger than big dogs, but the babies were definitely more dog-sized. The brochure also said that miniature horses had been bred down like this for 300 years, which made me wonder who came up with the idea and why. They can't really carry anything larger than a small child, but they can pull quite a bit of weight. Still, why?

Later that afternoon, we stopped by the Gainey vineyards and winery so the ladies could do a wine tasting. From there, we headed back to Santa Barbara where we visited the courthouse. This was the second time I'd been there and it is quite beautiful. The inside is intricately decorated with lots of hand painted tile and elaborate paintings. Even the courtroom we saw was covered in paintings depicting the history of the area. It seems like that would be distracting during a trial.

We drove back yesterday and made it to a bbq that some friends were having. I was so tired, but it was nice to close out the weekend visiting with friends and doing nothing in particular.

Selections, Classes and the Numbers

The selections are complete. Brooke and Alicia narrowed down the field of their choices to 3. Those are now up at the online casting websites. With the help of some casting directors and friends, I chose a couple of others to use for my own submissions. A selection of some of the shots is now posted on my personal PAGE on the JaCKPie site. I picked up some of the shots from the printing lab yesterday. I'm using Gray Tone Images this time. Recommended for good work, and FAST!

I'm really happy with my commercial class. It's amazing how much you learn when you watch yourself on tape. I wasn't too keen on seeing myself before, but once I got over it and focused on what works and what doesn't, WOW. How can you possibly improve if you don't know what your tendencies are? I feel like I'm so much better prepared for auditions. Now, I just need to get in the doors. I compiled a list of my auditions to see what my stats are. Basically, I've been performing at a 55-60% callback ratio and a 25% booking ratio on the commercial side. If I throw in the other auditions for films and such, the callback ratio stays the same and the booking ratio increases to about 28%. Those are pretty decent numbers, but I definitely know they will be improving as a result of the commitment I've made to my training.

Baseball

I went to my first Dodgers game yesterday with some friends. It was the first ballgame I've attended in LA. I'm told Dodgers Stadium is the 4th oldest in baseball right now, and I've been to Wrigley, which is also in the top 4. I prefer Wrigley. There have been some recent improvements at Dodgers Stadium like new seats, but I obviously couldn't compare. The field is nice, but it's a shame the open end of the stadium just looks out onto the parking lot and the adjacent hillside. The guy who bought our tickets did a great job. We were in the "reserved level" (there was one section of seating higher up) on the third base side between third and home. Game time was 1pm, and we were in the sun for about 20-30 minutes before it slipped behind those upper seats and left us in the shade.

The seats are small and there's very little leg room. There weren't many concession stands, so the lines were huge. I didn't wait. The fans were the most obnoxious people I've ever been around at a game. My friend's brother and his dad were wearing Giants hats because his dad grew up in SF as a Giants fan. This particular game was against the Angels. Apparently, the Dodgers and Giants have some sort of rivalry going that isn't helped by the Barry Bonds fiasco. So, we heard some extremely vulgar comments frequently about the Angels and the Giants. The comments became increasingly personal and directed at my friends until the end of the game when a confrontation ensued. There was no fight, but my friend and his brother don't let things go the way I do. I'm all for some good-natured rivalry stoking, but the comments here were way beyond the pale. It definitely tarnished the experience to have to listen to those drunken idiots screaming profanities constantly. It's a shame security lets that kind of thing go. People bring their children to these games and they have to endure that nonsense?

I won't be going to a Dodgers game again any time soon. Maybe I'll make the trek to Anaheim. I hear the stadium is nicer, so maybe the fans are too.

New Headshots

Today, I had my headshot session with David Zaugh. Check out his work, and if you book with him, tell him I referred you. We basically talked and joked around the whole time, but got a ton of great shots. I like the way he works because I felt like I was just being me and not worrying about smiling or looking just so. I just was and he shot. I am really happy with the results, and I trust my agents will be too. I sent them the online proof sheet of almost 300 shots from which to choose about 20 that will be further narrowed down to about 4. I'll get 2 printed up to use for commercial auditions with them and another 1 to submit myself for theatrical stuff.

Shoot: Results

Today, I had a 7am call time for a short film a friend of mine is producing/directing called "Results". I play a security guard who intervenes in a domestic dispute . I was really tired this morning when the alarm went off, but grabbed a book, a quick bite and a lot of water. The shower and the food got the blood going and I went down to the location in West Hollywood. When I arrived, I could see it was going to be a while before they got to me, so I took a little power nap and read a lot. There's no excuse for actors not being some of the most well-read people since we always have plenty of time to read on-set.

We were using a little side street industrial area, which was really quiet when we rehearsed a couple of weeks ago. Today, for some reason, there were cars parked everywhere, people cleaning off rooftops, and traffic was passing through constantly. The traffic made it tricky for some of the shots, because I had to cross the street. More than once, we had to abort the shot. It was sort of like yelling "Car" when you play stickball or something. Even so, we knocked it out in a couple of hours and I was on my way back home around 11:30am. Had a lot of fun and hope it turns out great!

Shoot: Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Yesterday, I was submitted for a sketch part on Jimmy Kimmel Live. As a precaution, I emailed my supervisor at work to alert him to the possibility of me having a last minute conflict. Sure enough, today, at almost 11:30am, I got the call that I had booked it and that the call time was 1pm! Fantastic, yes. Crazy, yes. After a bunch of quick phone calls, I got my supe on the phone and he was great about it. That's why I like working with them. It's a cool company with fantastic people. At 12:20pm, I was called and told the call time was changed to 2pm.

I made it to the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood where the show is taped, and found the holding area. After a while, I got the scoop on the bit. It was a commercial parody for TGI Friday's. I guess they had a manager who cut off his finger at work. While someone took him to the hospital, the finger turned up in a hamburger served to a customer. The joke of the commercial was that TGI Friday's was simply viewing this as a happy accident and marketing a new line of "finger" menu items. I played a manager making sure our customers were thrilled with their finger platter. They had a bunch of fake fingers and some edible ones, made of raw potatoes, mixed in. Even the edible ones looked frightening.

The whole shoot took 5 hours from call time to me walking out the door at 7pm, and the bit ran in the show that night, which started taping just after I left. It's pretty amazing that they managed to get the whole thing shot and edited in such a short time, and they do stuff like that everyday. With that kind of time crunch, you'd think most people would get a little stressed and testy, but not these people. Everyone I dealt with on the shoot was extremely nice. So, I've got a lot of respect for their work under fire.

Now, the interesting union issues. This was an AFTRA job. I'll be joining AFTRA as a result and paying the initiation fees and dues. Basically, my entire check from this job will pay a portion of that. I won't see any money from it yet. I was going to join eventually anyway, so might as well be now. ***UPDATE -- I got the check. See my friend Natasha's comments for the reason.

Class: First week of commercial class

Last night was my first commercial class. We were given a bit of copy to work on before class got started, and then Carolyne went through the ground rules for us. With no time wasted, we got right to work. As everyone took their turn in front of the camera, she pointed things out, working with each person on technique for everything from the slate (introducing yourself) to product handling. It was kind of a mass introduction to her approach. I went fourth and did fine on the slate, but didn't really feel good about my first take. She honed in on my tendencies, which are basically identical to the issues I've been dealing with in my previous acting classes. After some redirection, my second take was much better. At the end of the night, we watched the tape of everyone's performances. Everyone improved on their first take. It was fascinating to note what made things better and how notable the difference is between someone who seems relaxed and someone who is not. I feel extremely confident that we'll all improve tremendously over the next several weeks. Carolyne is such a character. In small world news, a friend of mine who I did a show with in Atlanta is in the class.

We had customer service trauma while shopping at Costco yesterday. At the end of March, we renewed our membership by paying the annual fee at the cashier. For some reason, I was not convinced the lady did it properly and I was nervous because we were paying cash for the only time ever, so I made sure we kept the receipt. After more than 30 days of no problems, my wife took the receipt out of her wallet and left it in our files. Sure enough, yesterday when we checked out, the cashier said our membership had expired. We explained that we had definitely paid it, and a manager was called over. This manager was pathetic. We explained the whole thing again. She escalated the problem by saying she was keeping my card and there was nothing she could do unless we had our receipt (from March!). What? We made all this up to buy cheap bacon? Seriously...who walks around with 30 days of receipts in their pocket? Now, I'm a calm, laid-back guy, but her attitude and absolute refusal to offer any sort of solution to the situation really ticked me off. It was clear that this manager was not interested in considering a customer-friendly solution to a problem SHE, as the current face of Costco, created. We left our items there and walked away in disgust.

On the way out, I decided to stop by the membership desk to vent a little frustration and express my dissatisfaction with the treatment we were receiving. The guy there was extremely helpful. He apologized for the problem, and, better yet, HELPED US RESOLVE IT. He cleared us to make our purchases that day so we could return at our convenience with the receipt. Can you imagine? He actually had to think and did it! Service! Resolution! Amazing!!! We got our card back, went through the store collecting our items again and checked out. It was still a hassle, but mostly diffused the situation. Thing is, it made me even more angry at the first manager for not even suggesting that we try to work something out at the membership desk. Guess she figured it wasn't her problem. She'd rather snub her nose and tell us to kiss off than take 2 minutes of her precious time and offer assistance. And THAT is what is wrong with people in the big corporate service industry today. Crappy training. No creative thinking. No initiative. No responsibility. Pass the buck and get back to daydreaming about your next day off. Of course there's also the issue of the untrained original cashier who screwed it all up in the beginning. What happens to people who aren't obsessive like us and don't keep receipts for this long? I'll never pay cash there again.

So, I looked at several photographers, but think I've settled on one. I'm meeting with him Wednesday and have a shoot scheduled for the 11th. I'm trying to knock out these new shots as soon as possible to get things rolling again. That will give me a little time to put the wardrobe together. I've been looking at the same stuff in my closet for a long time. Guess you could say I'm not exactly a slave to the latest fashion trends.

Today, we're going to Malibu. My wife is running a recruiting table for her alma mater at a college fair there. She figures she'll volunteer a little time rather than sending them money. I figure I'll cheer my college's football team like a madman, and maybe that helps. Anyway, we're leaving early to have a look at Malibu since we haven't been there.

Good day

Had a great day! I ran some errands this morning, and while I was out, I stopped by to say "Hello" to my commercial agents at KSA. Alicia was in the office, so we chatted a bit about this new class I'm taking. She said a bunch of KSA clients have taken classes from Carolyne and had good results. On my way out, I caught my other agent, Brooke, heading back in with some lunch. We also talked about the class, and she mentioned that I should get some new pictures. Since I haven't been getting out as much the last couple of months, I was wondering if the pictures just aren't popping enough. I'm getting a few names from her to check out. I absolutely love the way Alicia and Brooke run the office. It's so nice to be able to stop in and feel like you're welcome and that they're happy to see you. I've heard enough horror stories to figure this isn't the norm, and I appreciate it. This is the vibe I got from them at our initial meeting and why I wanted to sign with them instead of the others.

Class tonight also rocked. I took a different approach to the material this week. Normally, I do a lot of work on the scenes before rehearsal. Over the past few weeks, that was generally resulting in me being in my head for class and not listening. This time, I laid off it. I didn't spend so much time beforehand, and used rehearsals to sort of find my way and try stuff out. I guess it worked. I felt much better about my listening, choices and the performance this week.

Class: Commercial acting

I'm all signed up for a class in commercial acting with Carolyne Barry. I audited the class last night and it seems like she's got good insight and a direct approach, which I like. The students did their spots on camera, received direction from her and did them a few times more. After that, they all traded spots and were getting ready to do it all again when I had to leave. It will be very instructive for me to do a class on-camera. The last time I did that was several years ago. My class starts May 1. This one will require a little less time outside of class than my current situation, and I plan to reinvest that time into theatrical agent/manager submissions.

Last night was a friend's birthday. I met him and another guy at a bar between Los Feliz and Hollywood. The place was a little froo-froo for my taste. I prefer a more relaxed, unstylish atmosphere I think. But hey, the beer tastes the same, and I hadn't had one in a while.

My wife has become enamored with Pilates and is currently training to be an instructor. We all know what that means. Yes, I've been in a Pilates class for the last three Saturdays. It's actually enjoyable. The exercises are an efficient brand of brutal. I'll probably keep going as my schedule allows. I've had a bunch of driving students in the last few weeks. It's nice to have a part-time thing that brings in somewhat steady money, but doesn't suck out my soul. I know servers here can make great money at many places, but at what cost? I haven't done a catering job since before Christmas. I'll probably keep that in my back pocket for the lean times.

Year One

We celebrated our one year anniversary of moving to Los Angeles last week. In that time, we've accomplished a number of things with plenty still left to do. We're both generally agreed that the move has been good for us, and we like living here.

One of the tough things about it is the housing market for buyers. Prices here are ridiculous. I honestly cannot imagine how people afford the $700k-millions for little 2 or 3 bedroom bungalows. Even the 2 bedroom condos are in the $400k range. We love our neighborhood and want to stay here, but for a while, it seems renting is the only reasonable option. If you can rent a 2 bedroom apartment for $1400/month, does it make sense to buy a 2 bedroom condo and pay $1700-2000/month plus HOA fees of an extra $200+? Maybe it will be the right move at some point to help with our tax situation, but for now...no way.

I'm taking a break from the place I've been studying for the last 9 months. I want to focus on developing some other actor tools. First, I'm researching commercial classes. Though my callback ratio has been good, I don't want to rest on my laurels there. I want the bookings and the paychecks! I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with one teacher and other meetings in the works. The commercial auditions have been a little sparse lately, and I'm hoping to inject some positive energy into that arena. With that, I'm researching various other acting classes. I feel like I need to shake things up and attack my training from a different angle for a while. Although I'd like to continue where I am in addition to all of this other stuff, I simply don't have the time and money to do it all at the same time.

Workshop experience

Tonight I attended my first casting director workshop. I'm not really a fan of the concept of these things, but I want to cover all the bases. Basically, you pay a nominal fee to be a "member" of a workshop company, and then you pay another fee for a chance to cold read a scene for a casting director.

There were about 20 other actors in the room. The CD briefly outlined her experience and take on things, then opened up for about 15 minutes of questions. After that, she assigned scenes and scene partners. I was matched up with another fellow in a scene from a fairly popular sitcom. We were given about 15 minutes to "rehearse" [no writing on the script please] before everyone was brought back in for the performances. My partner and I went next to last. We got redirection a couple of times, but I still didn't feel we hit a groove.

It was definitely a learning experience, though I'm not exactly sure what to take from it beyond future workshops of this type. I learned you have to take care of yourself in your 15 minutes. If you need time alone with the sides, then politely tell your scene partner and take it. If you get "direction" from your scene partner that doesn't fit your instincts and take on the scene, then stick to your guns and do your thing. In such a weird set of circumstances, this can be tough to balance with honest listening and the overall philosophy of always making your scene partner look good. You can't just get up there and not play the scene with the other person. I know that I didn't take the time for my process in the beginning and it affected my performance.

And so, I am not really any more a fan of the whole paid CD workshop thing than I was beforehand. Our guest seemed to be a nice person, and it's interesting to hear a little about how someone on that side of the business works. For now, I'll continue to attend some of these workshops to glean what I can and meet people. It is what it is, and as long as you know that going in, it's fine.

Audition: AM/PM, Ross Lacy

This week is/has been insane. Business has picked up at my part-time job, so I've booked more hours the last two weeks than I ever had in any other two week period. I got called in for an audition at Ross Lacy casting. It was an AM/PM store spot. These stores are convenience store/gas stations. Out here their gas is called ARCO, but it's a division of BP. The call time was 4:30pm, but I had lessons scheduled for 5:30pm in Northridge. Basically, there was no way I would've made it from LaBrea and 3rd to Northridge in under 45 minutes. So, I got there at 3:30pm with hopes of getting in ASAP.

In Atlanta, there are only a few commercial casting directors, and a few jobs now and then. The CD's tend to have a small office somewhere that they use for the auditions. Out here, some CD's don't use their office at all for casting. There are these large "casting facilities" that consist of a wide open central room with a bunch of numbered doors around the perimeter that open into smaller rooms. Usually at the entrance or on a wall somewhere, there's a huge dry erase board with numbers and their corresponding projects. It's almost like a public storage place for auditions. Basically, I enter to a sea of commercial humanity - everything from babies to older guys dressed like truckers/farmers. I find the board, see that AM/PM is #3, and head for that corner of the room to sign in. The CD for this spot was simultaneously holding auditions for two other spots. He had three rooms going all at once. Luckily, I was able to get in by 4pm, and was on my way 5 minutes later.

The rest of my week is slammed with lessons and rehearsals for class. Class has been going well. I feel like I'm learning to ride a bike. Sometimes, it works and I roll for a while. Other times, I'm wobbly. It's difficult to find that mix of letting go and trying to control too much.

Shoot: The Dinner

I was on the set at 11am today. The crew seemed to be organized and efficient. After a quick round of cold make-up, we rehearsed the scene a little and then shot it. In the scene, I play a business man interviewing an older gentleman about a position for which he has "too much experience". Basically, I sense the guy thinks he's going to come in and take over (i.e. be my boss). Yeah, that's not going to happen. They were only working on 2 angles (his and mine), so there wasn't a lot of set up time required. We knocked it out fairly quickly and then I did a little ADR for a voiceover at the end of the movie...an answering machine message telling the guy we decided to go a different direction. It was a good day. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Reader

Today, while working in one of the casting offices where I help out from time to time, I got the chance to be a reader for a casting session. The reader "reads" (obviously) the other character(s) in the scene with the character for which the actor is auditioning. I was completely cold on the material, having not even had a chance to read the script, but I took a few minutes to read through the three sets of sides and felt ok. My primary focus was just to deliver the proper lines with good pacing (it's comedy). As an actor and decent cold-reader anyway, I figured I would be giving the actors more than they get in some sessions anyway. After the first person, the CD commented on my good read. That was cool. The session covered three characters and took about three hours. We saw probably 20 actors or so, and I think maybe 4 got or will get a callback. It's such an amazing learning experience to be in those sessions, and it was a blast to be able to read with all of them.

Shoot: VGA

Call time was bright and early this morning 8am. I arrived at the Jim Henson Studios right on time. The lot is small but very cool and intimate. It's a mixture of English village style architecture and more modern facilities. There are a couple of small office buildings and one sound stage centered around a cobblestone courtyard. Of course, Kermit presides over the front gate and sticks out from one of the more modern looking buildings. They call the sound stage, The Chaplin Stage, after the man who built the original studio there, Charlie Chaplin. There was an old makeup chair in our makeup room that was said to be the very one used by Mr. Chaplin himself. Very cool.

We met the director, Kirk, who did a couple of the Muppet TV movies. He was laid back and conversational with a good sense of humor, which always makes things easier. There were three of us live actors in the scene and four puppeteers who worked the CG characters. Coincidentally, one of the other actors on the job was the first referee on Extreme Dodgeball. Small world. The two CG characters were from the world of videogames, and a very unlikely pair they were. In the boardroom setup, the three live actors were meeting with the two CG guys. Their images were laid into the dv directly, so they were being controlled real-time by the four puppeteers. I didn't get to see the puppet master suite, but from what I understand, two puppeteers ran the face/head and voice of their respective characters and the other two puppeteers maneuvered the arms and body. I only got to talk with the voice guys and they were both very experienced and very funny. We could only see the CG between takes when we watched the monitor, but we could hear their voices. Of course, the time between takes was some of the funniest, and most off-color, stuff.

During the actual scene, we were given marks on the wall to serve as sightlines for where the CG characters should be. It was interesting playing to space, but I honestly didn't think much about it after the first few moments. The director encouraged us to improvise some throughout the scene which led to some great moments. I got a lot of the physical bits, fetching beer for the squirrel, etc. In the end of the scene, one of my cohorts and I get beaten senseless under the table by one of the videogame characters. So, one of the final things we did was each of us getting about 2 minutes of improvised audio that they might use for the beating. That was fun. Crying, whining, screaming, laughing, pleading, hallucinating...reminds me of a really messed up relationship now that I think about it. I had a blast with that too. Made me want to get on that voiceover demo I've been thinking about forever.

I didn't have to sign confidentiality papers, but I'm hesitant to get too detailed about the project since it's just now making the rounds. Everyone on the set was very nice and professional. That kind of environment usually leads to the best work from everyone. After a fun 12-hour day, I retreated through the rain back home, where I now intend to sleep soundly. I love this stuff.

Booked: VGA / Rehearsal: The Dinner

Today, I had a rehearsal for the student film I'm doing called "The Dinner". There was a two-hour block of time set aside for this, and the scene is only a couple of pages long. I figured we'd be able to knock it out fairly quickly and we did. It's going to be a fun little part. I play a young exec who tells an older gentleman that he's overqualified for a job opening. In life, it's a terrible situation. In the scene, it's ok because the older guy is kind of arrogant.

As soon as I left, I got the call that I had booked the job from yesterday's audition. Sweet! I finally get to make some money for my agency, even if it's not that much, and a nice little piece of change for me too. The shoot is Monday.

Audition: VGA; Headquarters Casting

My friend Natasha works as an assistant in this casting office, and she pitched me to the CD for a project their office was working on. So, I got an appointment. It's kind of an industrial-type gig, and I wasn't sure what the coverage was agency-wise. I decided to just go, put my agent info down and call KSA afterwards to alert them to it and to see if they even wanted to cover me on it if anything happened. The audition was fun. I kind of guessed I was a little old for the role I was initially reading for and I was asked to read one of the other roles in the room. I got some laughs, which has always been a good sign for me in an audition of this sort.

I did call my agents when I was done, because I felt pretty confident about getting a callback. They had to search a little to find the info, but then called me back to say they'd take care of it if anything came up.

Callback: Kingsford

And another callback. This keeps my callback ratio pretty strong. Now, I just need to book. Again, I had a scene partner who wasn't listening to direction. This one didn't even register which role he was supposed to be playing until we'd already done the thing 5 times. Crazy.

Audition: Kingsford Charcoal; Craig Colvin

Another audition for Craig Colvin. He's been so great about bringing me in ever since the AAMCO job. The audition was for Kingsford, and basically involved two characters grilling. I won't give away the spot. I'm not sure I completely fit the physical mold they seemed to be looking for, but as always, we'll see.

I got a small role in the student film I auditioned for in Pasadena. Sometimes, I think it's better to get the small roles in these. It means you still get copy for your reel, but you're not looking at multiple days of shooting.

Audition: Student Film; Other: Readings

This morning, I went to Cedering Fox's house to help in the workshopping/assembling of love letters for a Word Theatre production. It was great fun. The letters range from flowery French poetry to email rants. The earlier letters (mid-20th Century and before) stand in sharp contrast to the more modern letters/emails in terms of language use. I wonder how much of our vocabulary is slowly (or quickly) eroding to be lost to us forever at some distant point in time.

Immediately following that session in Santa Monica, I trekked all the way up and East to Pasadena for the student film audition. Honestly, I hadn't done much work on the sides for that beforehand. I took some time before I went into the room to let the commute go and jot down some notes for the scene. After the first part, they asked me to read another role which I hadn't looked at beyond reading the script. So, I took a few more minutes out in the hall with that one. The film looks to be a pretty normal, slice-of-life look at the relationship between two brothers and their dad.

Callback: Toyota (Canada)

I had the callback/2nd audition for the Toyota campaign today. Everything felt good to me. We'll see! They were running a session for Verizon as well. The office was packed with people. There weren't as many for our spot so it was an "in and out" deal for me.

Audition: Toyota (Canada) & Audition: UCLA student film

Had my first audition at ASG for a Toyota spot to run only in Canada. It was another kinda last minute notice thing. Don, at KSA, told me the wardrobe was golf attire. I threw on some khakis, a polo shirt and some dress shoes. The spot was entirely about this guy going to play golf, and it seemed to go just fine. I was glad I wore the hard bottom dress shoes since there was a sound bit involving a mat on the floor. As I left, some of the other guys coming in were dressed in jeans and t-shirts...one had sandals on. I wondered if they just didn't get complete info from their agents, or if they figure it never matters what you wear. Several hours later, Don called to let me know that ASG wanted me to come back Monday, again for Toyota (Canada), but this time different attire and a different spot. I don't know if it's the same guy in a different spot or whether everything is different.

The UCLA film thing was interesting. The role was a bit outside what I consider my "essence". I didn't get the sides and script until the morning of, which, combined with the last minute commercial audition, cut down on my prep time. It was my first adventure onto the UCLA campus. I got mildly off track looking for parking and then discovered there was metered parking available on the campus itself. I'm not sure I'm what they're looking for, but I had fun in the meeting. Right now, I'm trying to get out there as much as possible to get more auditioning experience with the techniques I've been practicing in class.

Audition: "Garden Party"

Alright, I'm really happy about tonight. I went to TAN to hear Joseph Middleton share his views on the business. He's quite a character himself, and seems to be very straight-forward in his opinions, his motivations, etc. It was refreshing, informative and entertaining. At the end of his discussion, he announced that he was going to read everyone in the room for "Garden Party", an indie film which he is now casting. That's the first time such a thing has happened in my experience of attending these TAN discussions, and it was very generous of him to do so. We were given sides, and we all stepped out to give them a look. Here's where I say, "Thank God I've been in class." I had no problem getting the two pages and breaking them down in a couple of minutes. From there, I just rehearsed with myself a little to get comfortable with the scene. Then, I went in.

Turns out he's also from Georgia. I mentioned that I was too, and he joked that Atlanta was pretty much a Northern city --- uhhh...no. I read with his new assistant, and it felt good. I made choices, hit beats. He said, "Great actor. I really liked it." And that was that. Now, I know that there's all kinds of BS coursing through this city. There's also a lot of people who know this and don't trust anyone. However, there are also plenty of people who are genuine. I'll just believe, based on my short time hearing him talk before this, that Joseph doesn't feel the need to BS. In the end, it doesn't even matter really. I felt good about my performance, and that's the important thing. I did what I wanted to do in my first reading for a major theatrical casting director. Once again, I've got more reason to feel confident about being here, knowing that I can do this, that my work is paying off, and that I will get my chance(s). To that end, I've got to keep working harder and stay focused.