Producing
I'm back in the producer's seat again. Tara and I hired a wonderful talent by the name of Rachel Goldberg to  direct Muted and things have been pretty much nonstop since then. We've posted a breakdown and requested some of the actors to put themselves on tape. We're meeting with DP's (another word for cameramen mom/grandma). We're putting the final touches on our Kickstarter (fundraising) campaign and we're even planning a party to kick it off which should be a lot of fun.

Writing
I finished draft 3 of my screenplay. I'm happy with its progress but I know it's time to get a script consultant to read it. I have a few in mind but my funds are reserved for other more pressing needs right now so unless they're willing to barter their services for some baked goods, I have to wait.

Acting
I filmed a nice procedural scene with my classmate & friend Yvonne. It's still being edited but we were very happy with the rough cut. No audition updates, yet, but I'll keep submitting knowing that my roles are right around the corner.

Headshots
My agents want me to get new headshots and I'd love to but my funds are being saved for another car. As soon as we get a second car (which will hopefully be in the next 4 weeks), then I can start planning my shoot. I've already selected the photographer and my agents were very specific about the looks they want me to capture so I've just gotta book the shoot. In the meantime, my buddy Hugo shot these:

Pretty happy with them! Though I'm really giving someone the evil eye in that second one. :-)

Day Job
So already I'm sick of transcribing. It was fine when I was doing it as a supplemental thing but to do it every day for such a small amount of pay is ridiculously monotonous. If I were to go back to working at a production company then the pay would be a lot better but as an independent contractor working from home, it's low (and will be even lower once taxes are paid on them next year). So I'm back in the day job seeking hunt once again. I even thought about going back to waitressing but that makes my soul shudder at the very thought. I love people and I love food but working as a server can really make you hate both and I just don't wanna do that. I've been looking at Event Sales and Event Coordinator jobs lately and I just had an interview today that went really well. I have to do a second interview with the owners of the venue and I'm hoping to knock it out of the park as I'd be coordinating a lot of birthday parties, premiere parties, screenings, wrap parties, etc. - all events that I enjoy working on. So we'll see.

Only one more week left in March and then the first quarter of the year is over. Crazy right?

Well it's been a whirlwind few months for me. In good news I signed with a new commercial agency, Brick Entertainment, and have gone out a handful of times already so yay for that! I was also selected as a mentee for the mentor circles that Women In Film are spearheading this year and recently attended my first mentor meeting. LOVED IT!! The ladies in my group are all intelligent, ambitious, driven and so incredibly diverse that I'm really looking forward to seeing how all of us grow and stretch and accomplish our goals over the next 12 months.

On the personal tip, I left my day job. Well I didn't completely leave it. I still come in on Monday mornings and do paperwork for about 2 hours but I'm no longer an office manager. This is both gratifying and terrifying. It's wonderful because now all of my mental space & energy that was being consumed by this job over the last 8 months has been released! But it's also terrifying because I have bills to pay. Rent's gotta be paid, kids have to eat, a car NEEDS to be bought and let's not forget the never-ending expenses that come with the pursuit of an acting career. So, to make up for the hit to my bank account, I've signed on to work from home with 3 transcription companies. The work is tedious and confidential (so don't ask me which shows I transcribe) but I get to set my own schedule and, more importantly, telecommute. Such a beautiful thing!

In addition to transcribing, I've also launched my home bakery business - Sugar Swag Bakeshoppe - and I'm having SO MUCH FUN creating custom goodies for friends and family. Don't worry, I'm not gonna turn this into a food blog, but you can expect to see pics of any sweet treats I create that are entertainment industry related so you've been warned. :-)

What else? I'm sure there's more to share but that's enough for one post. Hope you're all well and making most of this (fast) year as it whizzes by.

July 17th marked my 2 year anniversary here in LA. In some ways it feels like I've been here much longer and in other ways I still feel very green. In the last 24 months, here's what I've learned...

*Warning- I haven't written a blog post outside of my daily activity entries in awhile so this is a long one.*

Training
Man if you have the money, do this from the outset! I wish I could've afforded to be in the class that I'm in a long time ago because it's making such a difference. To be able to hone the skills that you have as well as learn new ones on a consistent basis is necessary. Every other professional stays sharp in their skills by doing whatever it is they do on a daily basis. Lawyers, Doctors, Athletes, Musicians, they all work/practice/perform as much as they can to be at the top of their game. Yet Actors, especially those of us just starting out, don't usually get that opportunity to be working for the majority of the year so when you're not working you NEED to be in class if you want to compete with the girl or guy who will be auditioning for the same role as you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your talent is so great that you can't use some polishing. Please. If you're not working {whether on film, TV or stage}, get in class.

Day Jobs
Of course, if you have no money you can't afford to be in class or to pay for other necessary actor expenses so getting a day job is vital. While I tried my hand at serving, it wasn't for me. I really like people and I want it to stay that way. If, however, you can overlook the incompetence that ignorant, uneducated, drunk, or just plain rude people exhibit from time to time while in a restaurant or bar, then by all means get yourself a serving or bartending job and make it work for you. There's a reason this is the most popular actor gig- it's flexible! There's also catering, temp work, substitute teaching, extra work {though this should be done sparingly if you really want to keep your days free for auditions}, babysitting, tutoring, security guard positions and production work if you can get on the night shift.

I work as a Night Logger/Transcriber for a production company because I happen to type pretty fast and accurately. It started off as a very unstable, on and off gig transcribing one show and has lead to a consistent job transcribing all the shows they produce so that now I only have a few weeks off throughout the year. It's not my dream day job by any stretch of the imagination. It's somewhat tedious. It keeps me away from my family at night when I'd rather be tucking the boys in and spending time with Stephen but it's a means to an end. It helps pay for acting expenses. Hell with the cost of living out here, it helps pay for household expenses! It keeps my days free for auditions. It has weekends off so I can get some family time. I can make-up any days I need to miss for a shoot. And best of all, I have autonomy. No one's looking over my shoulder micro-managing me which I CAN'T STAND! Even my supervisor is an actor, so he gets it. You gotta use the skill set you have to find the job or jobs that will allow you to do what you need to do to make this work.

Auditions
I've certainly learned what is worth my time and what isn't. When I'm notified that I have an audition I read the sides or the whole script if available, to see if it's something that I want to INVEST my time in. If so, full speed ahead. If not, I thank the CD for the opportunity and respectfully decline. This isn't foolproof. Sometimes the sides aren't available until you get there and you realize you wouldn't want to do the part even if they paid you. But other times, the audition experience is exhilarating and it's why we come out here- to have an opportunity to play these roles. At my stage in the game I'm mostly auditioning for student films, short films and ultra low-budget indie films, not to mention commercials. Of course TV is where I wanna be but getting in those audition rooms without representation, while not impossible, is no small feat.

Representation
Speaking of rep, I'm still on the hunt for a good manager and theatrical agent. I knew this would take some time so I'm not concerned at this point but I do know how important and truly helpful having good representation can be. I mean let's face it, there are PLENTY of TV casting offices that I can mail or drop-off my headshot to tons of times and they're still gonna call in the girl who was submitted by her agent or manager. That's just the way it goes. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule but who wants to rely on those odds? Not me. If I wanna play in that sandbox, I gotta get some theatrical rep on my team.

Support
While I have a lot of colleagues that are talented/nice/sweet/whatever, my actual circle of friends has gotten smaller and tighter. People who I thought were friends turned out to be colleagues only and those who I thought I'd never have a deep connection with because of our differences have turned out to be some of the people I love the most {Tara & Lex for instance}. Having friends I can call back in Houston is wonderful {and I wouldn't trade them for the world} but you really do need a tribe out here to survive. You need people who understand the daily grind that you've chosen to put yourself through because they're doing the same. They understand the anxiety and self-doubt you feel from time to time yet they also get that there's nothing else in the world you'd rather do. Their support is invaluable, especially if you're not getting it at home.

Which leads me to the toughest one...

The homefront
My husband loves me. He loves my drive. He loves my ambition. He loves my steadfast determination to pursue something I want until I get it.

What he doesn't love is LA.

He doesn't love that his salary is the same or very close to what he'd make in the south, yet the cost of living is 2 to 3 times more. He doesn't love that $150,000 can buy us a nice house with space and a yard for our boys somewhere in TX while out here it can barely get you a decent condo. He doesn't love that he has to spend a fortune to fly out to visit his parents while he can just take a road trip if we lived closer. He doesn't love that I have very few Christian friends out here who can encourage me in my walk with Christ, while all my friends back in Houston believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and try to share his love with others. Most importantly, he doesn't love that he's been helping me pursue my dream for the last 2 years while neglecting his. In case you're wondering, he wants to be a Pastor.

All of these things I can understand, especially the last one. There's no way I could've come out here and do what I've done without him being by my side and I want nothing more than for him to feel the utter joy that I feel from pursuing what I love most. I just want him to feel it HERE. Because to ask me to leave LA, the one place I physically NEED to be if I'm going to pursue TV & film work when we just got here only 2 years ago... I can't do it. I just, can't.

So there's that.

A lot has happened in 2 years. Some good, some not so good but it's all a part of my "adventure" I guess. And I share it because I know some of you are going through the same things too so this blog is my way of saying you're not alone. Or maybe it's my way of reaching out and hoping that I'm not alone. Either way, hopefully I'll have more exciting stuff to share by Year 3.

Day 31: Scoured the web for a contemporary comedic monologue that isn't overdone and wound up finding a few that I'd consider dramedies that would still work well for me. I'll have to tweak them for each individual audition when needed {which is rare since 99% of the auditions I go on have sides} but for now they will serve as good material for class.

And if you're wondering why I'm posting this at 3:51 in the morning it's because I was recently hired back by the production company where I work as a night logger, this time for a much longer stint. Yay for a paycheck!

Day 28: Interviewed for a part-time actor-friendly job that will bring in some extra cash without requiring a huge time commitment.

Day 29: Checked out an apartment that a friend of mine has graciously offered to let me use for Diary of a Wedding Planner. Took lots of pictures to send to the director & DP and felt a huge sense of relief that her place will work for what we're trying to do.

Day 30: Enjoyed watching the SAG Awards while dreaming of the day I will be attending myself.

After not having much going on for the last few months, these last 2 weeks have picked up quite a bit for me.

• I booked  a music video for Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki.
• Booked an LMU student project that will shoot sometime early next semester. 
• Helped a friend produce the pilot episode of her super cute webseries Millie's 101 Things.
• Was supposed to shoot a spec commercial yesterday but due to the rainy weather we've postponed it until December.
• And had an audition with Stevie for a Huggies potty training video... and was quickly reminded why I decided to stop taking the boys on auditions in the first place. No cooperation at all! He was supposed to dance {they even played a song from his favorite show Yo Gabba Gabba} but instead of dancing he just kept stomping his foot and saying "I'm really, really mad!" Cute, but definitely not gonna book that one.

On the survival job end, I had the interview for the wedding planning position, actually I had a series of interviews. The first day I met with three people in the hotel: the Director of Catering, the Catering Sales Manager {who handles all the corporate accounts and hates weddings} and the Director of Sales {my former boss who told me about the job in the first place} and it was one of the best interviews I've ever had. They all told me what they were looking for and it sounded like everything I wanted and was perfect for, yay!!

Cut to Friday, when I met with two more people: the HR Director and the GM of the hotel. They painted a much clearer picture of just how demanding this job would be. 10-12 hour days. Working 3 out of 4 weekends. Meeting high sales goals each month, boo!! By the time I finished talking to the GM I knew immediately that it wasn't the job for me. So I plan to send my former boss a note later today thanking him for the opportunity but withdrawing from consideration of the position. Don't get me wrong, the money would have been great. Seriously, I'd already started making a list of all the classes I planned to take since I'd be able to afford it. But what good is the money if I won't have time to ever go on any auditions? So back to craigslist I went, looking for something more flexible. I may have found it. I have an interview tomorrow with an event planning company for a full-time position. I let them know in my email that I'm an actress and I'm looking for a job that will allow me time off when I have auditions and bookings as long as I get my work done on time. And they actually called me! They don't produce the types of events that I'm used to working on but I'm meeting with them in the morning to learn more about what the job entails so we'll see.

Onward and upward.

So I tried my hand at waiting tables but it just didn't work out, as I've shared in detail with the readers of my Unscripted blog so hop on over there for the full scoop.

The good news is, I may have an interview next week for a full-time gig. An old boss of mine from Vegas now works out here at a really cool hotel and sent me a message via facebook yesterday. Since I have experience with weddings he wanted to know if I'd be interested in a position focused solely on booking & planning weddings there...um, yeah! I've gotta meet with his director first though and win him or her over so hopefully that will happen next week because the sooner the better.
And in other news, last weekend was my sister's birthday which we celebrated at the W. Though the drinks and the food were overpriced {typical of Hollywood}, the drinks were strong and their steak sandwich was delicious so we were happy.  Love you sis!!

We're shooting episode 2 on Sunday! Yay!! Finally getting the ball rolling again with my show and couldn't be happier. Plus the editing of the pilot is coming along quite splendidly! We've had to do more cutting than I expected but we're finally ready to add the score and the graphics and call it a day.

Only thing that sucks right now is that after working temporarily again at the night-job as a reality tv logger for the last 2 weeks, working on the weekends at the restaurant AND working as an assistant for a fabulous wedding in Malibu all day & night on Saturday {which, by the way, had a sexy A-List celebrity couple in attendance, one of which had a hit reality show pranking other celebrities}, my body is EXHAUSTED. Seriously. My voice is totally gone and I'm doing my best to rest it because it's got to be back by Sunday for our shoot! Try explaining this to a 5 year old who asks me like 100 questions a day, not working. Here's our convo...

"Jayden, I can't talk right now. My voice is gone."

"Why is your voice gone?"

"Because I've been talking too much lately."

"Well why have you been talking too much?"

"I don't know but I have to stop talking so it can get better."

"How will it get better mommy?"

"It will get better if I give it some rest."

"Some rest, like a nap?"

*Sigh.*

I finally just started doing my hands like a game of charades to make him understand I'm not going to talk to him for awhile but I still think he doesn't get it, poor baby.

Anyhow, going to continue drinking my honey chamomile tea at home and green tea at work to rest this sexy sultry voice of mine and get it back to normal.

I can't believe it's Thursday already. Seriously, I need time to slow down just a little bit and take us back to Tuesday so that I can get more done this week. Not that I've been unproductive, I've just been swamped! I just got rehired at the production company working nights. Financially this is definitely a blessing and so right on time. Remember how I said I needed to find a way to continue shooting DWP and get back in acting class? Well this will help. I don't know how long they're going to keep me on this time since it's on a temporary basis but I'm grateful for each day that I'm there. The only downside to this is that I'm not home when Jayden comes home from school so I haven't been able to help him get back into the swing of things in regards to doing homework. After having a homework-free summer he needs help with this each day and Stephen's had to take over that role since I'm not there. I feel kinda bad about it but what can you do?

Speaking of school, Inglewood Unified School District is really pissing me off right now. They don't offer the Spanish Immersion Program that Jayden was in when we lived in Long Beach so I'm trying to have him transferred into another district that does. It took forever for him to even get accepted into this other district and now that he has, Inglewood doesn't want to release him. Why? Because they lose money when they lose students. But guess what? As a parent, that's not my concern. My priority is to make sure my child takes advantage of the best education that public school can offer. If they want Jayden to stay in their district they need to expand their programs. And if they're not in a financial position to be able to do so then they need to release him! So I've had to appeal their decision twice now and it's currently being reviewed by the superintendent. I really hope they don't make me have to go there with them but you don't mess with a mom on a mission!

More updates later.

Happy Labor Day Weekend friends! Mine will be spent working the entire weekend so let's hope I get lots of nice customers with loose pocketbooks. :-)

So far I'm enjoying my day job. I work quick 5 hour shifts and my tips have been alright. What I don't enjoy are the people who stiff you, especially when you least expect it! I try to shake those folks off though and focus instead on the ones who are a joy to serve. I'm currently working 16-24 hours per week and would love to work at least 30. My managers tell me I'll be given more hours soon but in the meantime I'm applying to other part-time jobs.

My husband Stephen works for a company where he has access to tons of job openings and he came home this week with a printout of an awesome part time job I'd love to have! It's an administrative position working in the theatre, film and tv department of a local university assisting current & prospective students. The hours are great: 10am - 3pm, and the pay is fantastic! So I immediately applied AND sent an email with my resume to the Dean of that department since that is who this position reports to. Besides the finance factor it sounds like an environment I'd enjoy working in, being surrounded by actors {both aspiring & working} all day long. Hope to get an interview!

This past weekend I coordinated a retirement party for a good friend's mother {pictures coming soon}. While I was excited to coordinate an event {that was a BEAUTIFUL success}, I realized that all the time and effort I put into planning it could have been time and effort put into furthering my REAL career. So no more wedding/event planning for me. What I will be doing however is assisting the wonderful Tami Brown with Fabulously Wed with her clients. Tami has two more weddings this season and I'll be working both of them, helping her tend to the many details that a wedding brings. This way, I don't have to plan anything. I just show up and do whatever's needed to help make their wedding beautiful and special. {I know ya'll didn't think I was going to completely give up the wedding industry- it's a part of me!!} Seems like the perfect side gig! Here's hoping she books lots of clients next year.

I haven't had any auditions lately to write about but there's LOTS going on with Diary of A Wedding Planner so I'll focus on that instead.

Today I saw the rough cut of our teaser and I loved it!!! There are a few tweaks that the director wants to make, all of which are fine with me, so next week I'll actually have something to show you! Mind you, it'll only be a 30 second preview of what's to come but I'm excited nevertheless!

I also have my first pitch meeting coming up next week with someone who works at Sony which I'm SUPER excited about. A friend & wedding planner colleague of mine happens to be friends with this woman and told her all about this project and now she wants to hear more. Could lead to nowhere, I know, but I choose to view it as a great opportunity to share my passion project with someone who can legitimately open doors that I don't have access to. So YAY!!! And in preparation for this meeting I am working on my DWP Marketing Plan. I don't exactly know what I'm doing here but I'm putting together a packet that will hopefully touch on some of the things that I think a production company/network executive/or other potential investor would want to know in regards to DWP's potential for monetization. Hopefully I'll get it right but in case any of you out there know someone with experience in this area, please send them my way. :-)

And on a personal note, I started a new job today. I've officially joined the ranks of the other hundreds of thousands of actors here and am now a Server! It's a casual restaurant {I mean really, do I seem like a fine dining kinda girl to you?} and I'll be working 30-40 hrs per week which is great since I need all the hours I can get. Shouldn't have a problem switching shifts with someone when I get an audition but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Hustling from one audition to the next...

...all the time and all the time God is good!"

If you grew up in a church you've no doubtedly repeated this mantra many times before. It's only fitting that I start today's post with this phrase because this week has proven to me, once again, how good He really is. So onto the good news...

1. We made our budget for Diary of A Wedding Planner! Woooooooooo-Hooooooooo!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who put in something to help us raise the last few hundred dollars we needed to make this project come together. We had a quick table read last night and are ready to rock & roll bright and early {I'm talking 6:45am} tomorrow morning. Surprisingly I'm not nervous at all. I have a lot of faith in our crew and am so glad that all of the actors we wanted were both available and happy to be a part of this.

2. I got a survival job! Ok to backtrack...a few days ago we found out that our health insurance premium was $814 per month, double what we were expecting, even for a family of 4 that is RIDICULOUS seeing as how it's an HMO and not a PPO. This realization could not have come at a worse time and it was causing me to worry, a lot! Then I remembered hearing someone say that Worry and Faith cannot exist in the same place so I had to make a choice about whether I was going to worry about it or give it to God and have faith that He'd work it out. That day I decided to pray about it and since my family believes in tithing I made up my mind not to worry anymore, period. Later that same day a friend of mine randomly called and I mentioned to him that I was looking for a job. He called me back a few hours later and told me his boss was hiring immediately and would give me a call shortly. His boss called within the hour and offered me a full-time job with decent pay that...wait for it...works at NIGHT!!! I'll be logging & transcribing television shows for a production company {which I have no idea how to do but I'll learn} and I start on Monday. :-) Best part is, my days will be free to audition- when I'm not asleep of course.

3. I booked the lead role for the student film I auditioned for! It's such a meaty, tragic role so I am looking forward to diving into it.

4. On a more personal note, my beautiful young cousin was robbed at gunpoint recently while working at her job. While I hate that she had to experience such a scary thing, I am so grateful that she wasn't harmed in any way. This is what I am most thankful for this week- I love you Shakey!!

That about wraps it up for today's post. Hopefully, whether you believe in God or not, you have something to be grateful for this week as well.

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!

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!