November and there is much to be thankful for

There are more auditions coming down the pike, let us hope the trend continues. I love what I do, but it is hard to do if there is no opportunity. I am so glad the industry is setting up roots here in the southeast. I can only hope that soon enough those in control will realize that there is a lot of talent here in Atlanta and begin giving us shots at bigger roles then "man at bar" or "woman number 2". I suppose it is one of those things that will come in due time... but will my time be gone by then? This quandary is why I am planning a move. If there is a quantum shift before my plans come to fruition then perhaps I will stay... because I am thankful for the work that I have here... and the friends. Hey! Look! Two posts in a row! I'm on a roll!

So, the "daily life" is a slight exageration

A ton has happened since I last posted here. One of my followers knows details, but the other may not. My divorce became final over a year ago, I have moved and now live in Sandy Springs, my daughter is graduating high school soon and I am planing a move to the west coast. I have had a few successful bookings in the last... ummm, however long it's been... I had a small role in Identity Thief and a more substantial role in Drop Dead Diva. I also booked a spot on Homeland, a good role in Anchorman 2 and a bit part in another movie called Let's Be Cops. I have also embarked on a weight loss journey. Thus far 35 pounds. I am looking to drop another 10-15. I have new headshots as well. Anyway, things are going well and I may just be inspired enough to write a semi regular post. Also, I am in a production of Little Shop of Horrors as the plant. It is sort of a bucket list item. I have always wanted to play the plant.

Um... one MONTH later...

I know, I am the worst blogger ever. I am like the Haley's comet of the blogosphere. I am here now, however, so in the immortal words of Heath Ledgers Joker "...here... we... go."

I haven't booked anything since my last post. I've had a few auditions. It is hard to tell if things are picking up, because the one moment things seem to get busy... they slow again. I had an interesting audition for a pilot called "Pets Welcome Here." A show all about places you can take your pet... from vacation destinations to restaurants and attractions. I haven't heard anything back from them.... I don't think I got it, I didn't feel like I had the right look for what they had in mind. I know I truthfully don;t know what they are thinking and sometimes it must seem I am the most negative person in the world when it comes to my prospective employment... however, it is quite the opposite. I am a positive thinker, but I also have enough experience to know that often times it doesn't matter how well you perform in an audition. What it can ultimately come down to is do you fit the look. I felt I had a really good audition for "Pets Welcome Here", likewise I feel fairly certain I am not what the are looking for. "Why even audition?" you may be thinking. Auditioning is an actors real job. You must become a master of the audition. I look forward to each and every audition regardless as to whether or not I will or wont get the job. It is a performance opportunity for the day.

Today however was different. I was supposed to have a callback for a SAG national Milkbone commercial... for those who don't know, that is like the  golden goose of the commercial world. I was en route, with my dog in tow. This was a spot with dog owners and their beloved pets. I thought my chances were pretty good because I have a beautiful dog. I'm not just saying she's beautiful because I'm partial... see for yourself just below... If you didn't already say "awwwww" I'll be shocked... Alas on my way to the audition I hit some unexpected traffic, it is Saturday after all and not much going on in the part of town where the audition is being held, none the less it sets me back on by about 10 minutes. I figure, that's not a huge disparity, I won't worry. I get a call that I have to let go to voicemail. I check it and it is the Production Manager letting me know they are wrapping up with some folks, wanted to verify that I was on my way and they would see me soon. I call back and explain i am about 10 minutes behind due to traffic.  I am now only about 4 minutes from the destination, it's taken me a good hour and a half to get here by now, and the phone rings. I answer. It's production saying, "sorry, but the director decided to pack up and we're done for the day... sorry" I couldn't believe it. My poor dog for one, not used to long car trips has endured this one for nothing... not to mention me, the human that really needs this opportunity. I was soooo close, I told them... but a sorry was all I got in return. I still went to the location and walked the dog, she deserved that much. Perhaps also motivated by the fact that I wanted them to see how close I was to them after having turned me away. It didn't make a damn bit of difference. The old adage rings true.. you can't win 'em all.

On the good news front, I have a shoot Monday. It's an industrial. Hopefully it goes well and more of these come in the future.

On the very serious front, there is a strong possibility my mother has breast cancer. If you are a believer, please take a moment to pray for her. If not just send positive vibes her way. Her name is Judy Moore. Thanks for your consideration.

The Next week and a half...

So, It's been another hot minute. I get busy... what can I say? At least it's half the time since the last entry. I'd say that's marked improvement. When I last left you I was talking about an improv show... so it's only appropriate that I start here with more of the same. I've been teaching improv to high schools for a few years now. I help them start or refine a troupe. My most recent group has been challenging because they are so new to the concept. This lack of experience is showing itself in loads of doubt for these young improvisors. It's an interesting hurdle for me personally, because I am having to find new ways to bring the best out of these people. I am a very patient and understanding person so I've not been too hard on them... though I have caught myself getting frustrated from time to time. The one thing you can't do with a fledgling performer is be overly harsh. You could squash the ability right out of them. Our show is in a week. I've been working with them since September... we'll see how it goes.

I had a show for a group recently that started great and ended with a thud. Usually when you get the audience on stage with you, you win. They want to see their own up there with the pros. That held true at one point in the show. Then the final game required an individual with a skill set in communication. I take the volunteer out of the room and give a small demo of what to do... well, this young lady, despite her extreme enthusiasm when volunteering, was as dense as they come. She was unable to decipher that I was knocking on and answering a door during my demo. I knew it was going to be a long game at this point. Oh, by the way, this game is all playing in gibberish. When I explained this to the young lady she told me, "I have a book where I created seven different languages... the problem is I don't have that book with me today." This may not sound like such a disaster to a non-improvisor... but trust me, this is the kind of person that brings an awesome show to a complete halt. That's pretty much what happened... the needle across the record.

The rest of the week was very busy... awesome! I had a couple of improv show that went well. I also had a few auditions. One in particular for a sketch show. I doubt I will get it for three reasons... 1) it is a national search, 2) I am at the high end of the age range for which they are looking (and I actually look even older), 3) it is an "urban" sketch comedy show... I am as lily as they come... but, we shall see.

Oh, I did book the TLC job... it's actually a cross promo with Clorox. It was a fun little job. I love working in front of the camera... if i had my druthers, I would be working on a set every day. Maybe some day soon. I just have to keep on keeping on.

3 weeks later

Since my last post I've flown to Denver and back, had a few auditions, started teaching a new class and continue to excel at a meaningless job. don't get me wrong, I am happy to have the work, I would simply rather be doing the things I love to do... but wouldn't we all. Whilst in Denver, I worked with some folks I'd seen before and had a good time of it. I was working a trade show for Kimberly Clark selling impenetrable OR gowns. (that is Operating Rooms... not the conjunction) It turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be. I basically served as a carnival baker in attempts to lure all the RN's that would listen to the booth. For those who don't know, the live industrial is an interesting animal. You get a lot of folks looking for free stuff and then the small percentage who are actually interested in what you are selling. The ancillary benefit is you usually get to roam the floor and bag some free stuff yourself... or "S.W.A.G." (stuff we all get) as it is referred to in the trade. This time I didn't get the chance... but I did get to see the TSAs in Denver do their job while smiling and carrying on conversations with passenger. I almost freaked out... after all I live in Atlanta where the TSAs make you feel like you are imposing on their time by going through the security line. It was refreshing.

The auditions I had have been all over the map. One for a pilot... that involved an airline pilot, one for a movie called "Red" where I played a frightened flower shop clerk who was being thrown in a closet(I didn't get it), another for a movie called "Butter" where I played a butter sculptor. Pretty sure I didn't get that one either. Then I just auditioned for a TLC cross-promo. It is an ad for Lysol Handi-wipes... the future is TBD on that one. I played a bumbling dad who is trying, and failing, to fix the sink creating a huge mess that mom then has to clean up use the aforementioned wipes. Three weeks of auditions... things need to improve. I did however do a voice job for Bob Evans... I use the term "job" loosely because, while I was paid, it's what is called a spec spot. That means, they don't know if they want to use it. It' a pitch right now to the client. If they choose to use it, then I will get paid in a real sense... not a life changing sense, more of a "hey, I can pay for power this month" sense.

I am still doing improv from time to time. I get a lot of joy from doing these shows. Most of the time they are or elementary school or middle schools. In the past couple of weeks I've done both. First I did an elementary school in a very affluent area. In fact, en route to said school, I passed what looked like a castle in a hill. I mentioned it to the teachers and there had been some speculation that it was Ushers house, though no one seemed to know for sure. The shows went well, we did one scene where we were tunneling and we pushed ourselves through the audience stepping over children and the like... the kids just love that kind of stuff. The middle school shows went well too, I suppose. We did have an unusual incident when we asked for volunteers from the audience. Small preface, we go to the teachers to help us select volunteers since they know their student better than we do. We asked for volunteers who were physically able and love to move about. One teacher sent us a 300lb student in a wheelchair, no exaggeration here. I understand diversity and wanting to encourage your students... but really? Why not send up Terri Schivao... too soon? Seriously, we did a scene only moments before involving verbal acuity, that would have been a good fit for this student... not the game where you have to pantomime playing football! That is the beauty of improv, I suppose... in the immortal words of Ms. Gump "you never know what you are gonna get."

the week thus far... or in review

So last weekend I played football on Saturday, like I normally do. It was fun and, more importantly, I didn't injure myself. On Sunday I did an Improv show for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on the basketball court of Phillips Arena. It had a couple of good points and bad. It was cool to be on the court where the Hawks play... we did our show in the "key", for those of you unfamiliar with basketball nomenclature the key is the painted rectangular part under the hoop. We did the show for an appreciative audience. We had some nice, funny little scenes. However, we were doing our show simultaneously with a magic show on the other side of the court. Here we are, a couple of comedians, going up against a magic show... our demographic for said show was 5-11 year olds... as you can guess, the magic show pulled about 90% of the audience. We made the most of it however and soldiered on. I got a nice little perk at the end, a ticket to that evenings game. So all in all, a good day.

On Monday, I had an audition for Gulf Power. I am pretty certain I didn't get this one... Sometimes you have a feel for an audition or a role, and sometimes you don't... as I say this I am also thinking of what I tell all of my acting students, "We are our own worst judge"... you never know if you have or don't have the job until you hear something or you see the shoot day go by. I've had auditions I was sure I blew completely and booked the job, then others where as I walked out of the audition room I thought for certain the job was mine and never heard a thing. So, you never know... that said... I know I didn't book this. I feel confident I'm not the look they are going to want. S'alright, there's another opportunity around the corner.

Tuesday, I had an audition for a pilot. If you don't know what a pilot is, ask and I'll tell ya. The part was a good role, not big... but good and had a first and last name. More often than not, you can tell a character is important if the have a name. If they have a first and last name, well now you're on to something. Petty? Maybe... welcome to the world of the Atlanta actor. I did well, so I thought... (to be continued)

Wednesday I had an audition for Honda Lawnmowers. It was a fun little spot, I felt good about my audition. I connected with what they were they wanted to do. As it turns out i was put on First Refusal... which sounds like a bad thing, I know, but it's actually good. It means, for those who don't know, that the people who want you have the right of first refusal should you get an offer from someone else... if that didn't clear it up, I don't know what will! (hmm hmm) So, my suspicion was confirmed, they liked what I did with the piece. I was ultimately released from the project... I'm sure they went with a different look. I know that is the second time I've said that and you are thinking I am just trying to make myself feel better, which may be partially true... but in all honesty, most casting decisions are made based on a look. It's true! Which brings us to Thursday...

Thursday, I had a callback for the pilot that I felt I did well in on Tuesday. I walked into the production offices of this particular show, headshots and sides in hand. I see a group of fellow actors congregated in an area not far from the entrance. I waltz over to join them, see what's going on... general chit chat about the audition, questions about the show, etc. After a moment or two the casting director comes upstairs to greet any new comers and get things in order. She looks down at her list and checks off the name of one of the other actors and then she looks at me and goes semi-pale. I catch that look of uncertainty in her eye and glance at the list. She stammers with a "hmmm, that's odd...", I reply with "I'm not supposed to be here am I?" "No," she retorts, "Your agent made a mistake." so with my pride now in my sock, I want to get the heck out of there scraping whatever dignity I can. "Don't worry about it." I say... I figured, eh... it happens. Then, what probably seems like good fortune to some, she asked me to stay put for a second and she'd see what she could do. At this point I really don't want a sympathy audition... They didn't want to see me in the first place, now I'm going to be forced on them. Un-com-fort-able... I muster up what pride I can salvage and try looking at the bright side... maybe this will turn out! as soon as I walk in the room, I could see by the looks on the directors face, it was a pity audition... ugh. I did my thing and got the heck outta Dodge. In retrospect, I wish I had given it more and not let my head get in the way of my performance... I preach as much to students all the time, but I suppose every once in a while even the teacher becomes the student.

A medium size fish in a medium size pond

Welcome universe, to my newly focused blog. I am an Atlanta actor, as the title would suggest. I have been working as an actor almost exclusively for over 18 years now. Until recently I was able to pay my bills doing nothing more than pursue the dream. The downturn in the economy has hit hard and I am now working a "real" job. I know many of my fellow actors have always worked a "regular" job but it is new to me. I have always been able to find performance opportunities for pay even if it was doing singing telegrams, hosting trivia or karaoke... but as of late many of those wells have dried up for me. So now I am trying to find a different kind of balance. I will blogging about all my experiences here, be they good or bad. I will try to impart any advice I can as well as give unsolicited information that someone may find useful.

The game can be hard. There is a lot to know. I've been at it for nearly 20 years now and I continue to learn. The game continues to change also. I am always looking for ways to stay on my toes. Keep in a creative mojo. The one thing I struggle with more than any other is the administrative end. I suppose that is the curse of the creative. Somethings gotta give. I am trying to get better, and it's not a matter of discipline... it's more about just being lost on that world. It is, however, a large part of what we do. The words are "show business" and it is more business than it is show. I wish I could afford someone to take care of all my admin, but alas... I can't. So I am working to improve. That's all I can do at this point. Keep trying.

I went on an audition for a "Stop Motion" photography shoot. I like stop motion, big fan of it. I am producing/directing a music video using the technique... eventually. again, my administrative skills fail me. On this audition I was asked to put my name on a sheet of paper, with the ephemeral instruction to fill as much of the page as possible. So, whether it was an attempt at humor or just being literal, I filled the page with my name. Corner to corner in big bold bubble letters. In fact, here it is...

The photographer came over and lauded my name card boisterously! He was so happy that I followed his direction to a T. He confided in me that it is a litmus test he uses to see not only how well someone follows direction but how they run with an idea. He said I passed with flying colors. I felt good about my audition. Whether or not I get the job is another matter entirely, but it was fun to feel awesome. So, be observant... listen... you never know how it might affect what you are about to do.