This week was incredibly productive!

I did my first targeted mailing to casting directors, had an infomercial audition for a product that is similar to Spanx that went very well, learned some great lessons in my commercial workshop, and had a very successful meeting with my new line producer for the webseries.

On a personal note, I went to Jayden's Open House and was very proud to see all his work and to hear him read to me in español. His teacher loves him and says he's passed all his kindergarten benchmarks so I'm a proud mommy. :-)

Unfortunately with all the ripping and running...

• taking Jayden to & from school everyday
• taking care of Little Stevie during the day while trying to read sides, self-submit and compile cd/agent/manager research
• taking the boys to the sitter while I audition
• attending the commercial class
• cooking, cleaning and doing laundry
• spending time with my husband once he's home from work
• writing the webseries
• and sleeping

I just couldn't do everything on my list and had to turn down two auditions that I couldn't squeeze in no matter how hard I tried. I wish there were more hours in the day but until that happens I gotta prioritize and some things just won't make the cut. Wish I could afford a housekeeper and chef but until then I have to do my best to achieve balance.

The great thing about auditioning at Cazt is that you get to see what you looked like after it's over and read feedback from the casting director. The bad thing is that you may not always like what you see or read.

Case in point, I got feedback on the pilot audition that I rocked on Friday and it went a little something like this...

"Good read! Only concern is physical fit with character. Great job!"
I'm not exactly sure what the concern is because based on the description provided in the script {beautiful 18-23 African-American} I'm pretty close to fitting the description...well, I don't know about looking like I'm 18 but I can pull off 23 easily. And therein lies the problem with getting feedback, it makes you wonder about things that you have no control over: Did they want someone taller? Shorter? Thinner? Prettier? Younger? and so on and so forth. Bonnie Gillespie calls this Actor Mind Taffy and she's right. So I decided not to worry about what that middle sentence means and focus on the first & last sentences instead. I gave a good read and I've made a fan out of a new casting director who will most likely call me in again in the future- and really that's what it's all about. Getting the part is just a bonus.

Yesterday I had my first pilot audition for a guest star/possible recurring role. I read my sides as well as the entire episode and really liked the script so I did my best to prepare. The audition was at Cazt and it went very well! I was comfortable with the character and confident in the room, a far departure from the way I felt when I auditioned there back in August. The four auditioners seemed to like my read so I'm hoping they liked it enough to warrant a callback. We'll see.

Today was a beautiful, sunny productive Saturday. It started off wrong though, as I was supposed to attend a free CD seminar with Matthew Barry that LA Casting produces every month. I was late {my family would say that's the story of my life} but come on, WHY IS THERE TRAFFIC IN LA ON A SATURDAY?!? I didn't want to be rude and walk in the seminar a half hour after it began so I decided to go to the Samuel French bookstore on Sunset instead. Great idea! I stayed there for about 2 hours reading a few things and even bought 2 new books- all of which I've added to the Recommended Reading section of this blog.

Afterwards I headed over to The Counter in Studio City for lunch with fellow LVA Alum Baron Vaughn. Baron is a hilarious comic who is seriously on the come up. He just booked a pilot as a series regular that was recently picked up by USA called Facing Kate, so woo-hoo for him! We had a great meal {super fattening and DELICIOUS} and he offered a ton of generous advice for which I am thankful. The main point I took away from our meeting was to start submitting my headshot to theatrical CD's NOW rather than wait until I have an agent or manager. I was on the fence about this because I didn't want to waste my money mailing my photos if CD's wouldn't give me a second look since I don't have any rep or real credits yet but he stressed to me that a lot of them won't care about that if I'm right for what they're looking for and he gave me some examples to prove it. Well that's all I needed to hear! I had just purchased a subscription to Casting About a few days ago anyhow so I'm going to put it to good use on Monday and start my first round of targeted casting director submissions!

After lunch I wrapped up my day by heading to USC for a student film audition. This one went alright, not great and not bad, just alright, so once again we'll see.

Up for tomorrow: Visiting a new church {we're looking for a church home that has a great children's program in case you know of any} and then meeting with a potential co-producer for my webseries who has read the pilot episode and is really interested in coming on board.

After my February audition break it feels great to have some momentum going!

After emailing back and forth with a potential employer for an event coordinating job this is the response he sent me. Note the last sentence- love it!

I was attracted to your appearance and your resume because everything about you reminds me of my current employee, who is also from Texas.  She is totally awesome and amazing.  I still have the concern of your acting career and your pursuit of acting gigs and believe that it might conflict with this job.  It is probably better that I not be tempted by your wonderful qualities and let you find a job that allows you the flexibility to pursue your acting dream.  If anything changes for either of us, let’s stay in touch.  In the meantime, I hope you find a great day job or, even better, become a working actress.  

What a sweet, encouraging email! I do need a great day job temporarily but he's right, being able to fully support myself as a working actress will be much much better!

...is the title I've come up with for my web series. I know, I know, it's an obvious one {so says my husband} but sometimes less is more. It's the perfect title because it fits what I've written to a tee as this series is all about the craziness of weddings from the planner's point of view. I'm happy to report that I've written the first 5 episodes so I only have 3 more to complete this season. Since the writing has come much easier {and quicker} than I initially expected it to, I've went ahead and contacted SAG's New Media Department in order to begin the paperwork so that this can be a SAG production. I'm sooooo excited and feeling very pro-active as this will be my first self-producing venture. More details to come...

I had an awesome interview and screen test 2 weeks ago for City TV as they were looking for a Host to tape promos for the events held at the Santa Monica Library. Got the news today that I booked the job! Since they have multiple events each month they booked a total of 3 Hosts and I'll be the one promoting the children's events. *YAY* I start later this month and I'll be taping at their studio every Wednesday morning. The best part is that I will be able to use the footage to get my hosting reel started.

Remember these:

2010 Career Goals
1. Live a healthier lifestyle
2. Land a Commercial Agent
3. Become SAG-Eligible
4. Get listed on IMDB
5. Book a national commercial
6. Land a Manager
7. Land a Theatrical Agent
8. Book a co-star credit
9. Book a lead role in an indy, short or student film
10. Develop vocal strength/stamina

I'm very excited to announce that one of my 2010 goals can be crossed off! I've finally got a listing on IMDb and I'm so excited! Though the only credit on there is the Style show and not something where I actually played a role, it's still a start. {And believe me, getting it on there was no small feat. I had to submit evidence that I was on the show before IMDb would accept it.} Pretty soon it will be a page full of one television and film role after another and I'll be remembering how today felt to see the very first one. :-)

AUDITION TRACKER
Absolutely none. I had 2 or 3 scheduled for non-paying gigs and 1 for a paying non-union commercial but couldn't find childcare in time and had to cancel. Thankfully I've recently found someone who accepts drop-in care as she understands the unpredictability of my hours since she used to work in the entertainment industry herself as a Host. She's now a stay at home mom and she's been doing a great job with the boys thus far so I'm relieved to have found her. The problem is, she doesn't live in or near the valley so I still need to find a closer option. In the meantime, however, I'm glad to have her. The auditions can now resume!

AGENT MEETINGS
I had one meeting with a commercial agency that was more like a cattle call than an actual meeting. I spoke with the two guys running the show for all of 30 seconds, gave them my read and was done. I'd like to think that if they ever do decide to offer me representation that they'll actually speak with me beforehand to try to get an idea of my personality but since I wasn't one of the chosen ones...yet, I don't know.




With the exception of my writing accomplishments February was a pretty weak month- thankfully it's also the shortest!