Cut

Sadly, not on a movie set, but from an audition.
No matter how many times you audition and book (or don't book) the job-
The audition process is always a joyful torture.
On the one hand, you get to perform and be creative-
On the other, you are forced to "act" natural while people stare and judge your performance, and then cast you (or not) based on EVERYTHING other than your talent...
It's the life of a performer- and sometimes it sucks!

Audition

The excitement of a potential job,
Reading through the script, making choices and preparing a character,
Running lines over and over, until you have it in your body,
Picking out the right clothes to convey the part,
Signing in and waiting in the lobby with twenty other guys that look JUST like you,
The awkward small talk in the casting office–then you slate your name and the scene begins and before you know it, your done...
Walk out feeling confident, you gave it your all and rocked it out!
Then, you wait.  You try to forget about it.  Every time it pops into your head you think, "Wouldn't that be awesome?"
But you let it go, and wait for the next audition.

OSCAR Inspiration

Golden statue shines,
It's not about the award.
My soul wants to create.

Dreams Come True! (I hope.)

I just woke up from an A-List yacht party.
I was laughing, dancing and making deals with the Hollywood Power Players!
God, I hope dreams come true!

Teenage Acting

I'm working with a group of teenage theatre students in a show right now-

It's a lot like watching a movie of my life in middle school. 

I really like the kid that's "playing" Me, he really understands the character. Plus, his hair is perfect.

Creative Juices!

This morning I'm getting my creative juices flowing again!
Looking forward to shooting a fun sketch for Funny or Die.
Whether I'm working on my own projects,
or in this case, helping a friend out,
I'm always grateful I get to do what I love.
If you're passionate about your job,
It's a lot more fun to go to work...
Especially at 8:00 am on a Saturday!

I Love Production Day!

Waking up early sucks,

But the adventure that follows is awesome.

Hair and make-up,

Running lines, 

Camera blocking,

ACTION!

And of course my favorite... Craft services!

Don't forget; lighting, sound, cameras, editing, props, etc, etc, etc...

There's a ton of shit to do-

But the end product is always so sweet!

The Process

I've dedicated the greater part of my life working toward a dream that I've had since I was a kid;

I said yes to every new opportunity that came my direction,

I struggled to stay focused when things didn't go the way I'd planned.

It hasn't always been easy or fun for that matter;

But the fact is I've been hard at work making my dreams come true;

Every day,

Every set back,

Every "no," is another chance to learn and grow. 

Every day is a new experience.

I have no doubt that I will be in that room one day soon-

It will be surreal.

But I will know that I earned my place there!

Living The Dream!

I'm fully aware that I have a wonderful life-

I'll take it a step further and admit that this week has been a surreal experience.

A real LA moment! I'm living the dream...

Proof again that positive energy and faith can triumph over fear of the unknown.

On the heels of such a wonderful year in 2010- I've been really struggling to maintain a sense of calm and clarity. After a series of misfortunate events, I was starting to lose faith in myself and the path I was on. This lack of confidence really hit home after an embarrassing audition for a new television show that I had last week.

I was honestly questioning my path. It's so strange how fast confidence can come and go. One minute I'm elated to be receiving glowing reviews for a parody I'm in, and the next, I'm questioning if I'm ever going to work again...

Then, on Saturday while I was judging a talent competition out of town, I received an email for an audition for a new Disney television show. It was a last minute audition to replace an actor who the producers didn't feel was right for the job. The audition was Tuesday, and if booked- I would go straight to hair, make-up and wardrobe and then onto the sound stage to shoot the first scene.

Instantly my mood shifted. No matter how tired I was from sitting in a dark theatre critiquing the stars of tomorrow, my heart began to race at the thought of booking a Disney show!

I reminded myself (like I've done for the past fifteen years of my life) that "this could be the one!"

I arrived at the Hollywood Center Studios, in Los Angeles around 9:15 am. I auditioned along side four other guys that the producers and director were considering for the part. Once each of us had auditioned we waited in a production office and the producer called each actor in one at a time to find out if they were the lucky guy that booked the part...

Because I was the third guy called into the office, I assumed I didn't get it... However, to my delight, they offered me the part on the spot!
The next thing I know I was off to hair and make-up and then into my costume!
By 11 am, I was shooting my first scene on the new Disney show KICKIN IT!

I spent the entire day in heaven. I'm at the point in my life when I realize these jobs don't come around that often... so when they do, I want to make sure that I'm really getting the whole experience!

For me it's such an accomplishment that I was able to book a job on a television show so early into the year! Of course it's what I hope and pray for everyday- so when the circumstances actually arrive, I'm grateful to "live" in them fully.

And I did! I spent every moment on that set soaking it up!
And to be honest, I received all of the validation I needed to realize that this is my path.
I just have to remain true to myself and follow my dreams.
I've already accomplished so many of my goals in life- that occasions like booking a Disney job when you are least expecting it, is extra icing on my cake!
P. S. Don't you think I make a great Disco Dude!?!

I Love Auditions!

I don't care who you are, or how long you've been an actor in the entertainment industry-

You will never get used to the crazy world of auditioning.

Don't get me wrong, I love auditions!

An audition is an opportunity to work as an actor.

It means that you're doing something right...

You have "something" that "someone" in this business might want to use-

I'm thankful for every audition I get called in for!

Nevertheless, there are always those brilliant moments when an audition feels more like torture, than a fun, creative, potential job...

Today, I had the pleasure of auditioning for a small, but juicy role in an independent movie with a great script and some amazing talent attached.

The scene that I was auditioning for was extremely intense. The character I was playing gets shot in the leg, while on a wild chase through the woods. At the height of the drama, the character realizes that his allies might just end up switching alliances and turn the gun on him instead of saving him.

Of course the professional that I am- I spent a lot of time working on the scene. Because this was a big chase scene, with bullets flying through the air and a lot of over the top dialogue leading up to my character getting shot in the leg, I wanted to make sure that my audition would be honest and dramatic, without being cheesy...

I arrived in Santa Monica, only to realize, that the audition was being held in a makeshift "office" / living room in a 1960's apartment complex.

Now, this is not some random, shady casting director, that's going to ask me to take off my clothes on camera- This is a major casting director in the film industry-

So I was shocked, when I signed in, and was asked to, "keep the yelling down, because this room echos..."

Wasn't I auditioning for the crazy, gun happy maniac, who (according to the script) was yelling like a mad man?

If that wasn't strange enough, I start my audition, and because I've been asked not to yell, I'm making the "choice" to keep the dialogue extremely intense and intimate- Only to hear the casting directors iPhone ring during my line, "I think I'm gonna die if you leave me here..."

Oh, the good times!

As if it weren't difficult enough to pretend that I'm in the middle of the woods, with a gunshot wound, being chased down a hill, while sitting in a living room in sunny Santa Monica with a casting director sitting behind a folding table reading every other line in the script-

Now I have to compete with an iPhone?

God, auditions are a blast!

Action!

I'm up early for a 7:30 call time to set...

Thank God I'm just helping produce this web-series,

I don't have to be in front of the camera-

Believe me, the camera would malfunction if it had to shoot me right now!

In my opinion the only downside to making movies-

THE CALL TIME!

It's not that I don't like waking up at the butt crack of dawn;

I just don't like talking to people this early!

...that, and it's much harder to look like a movie star at 6 am!

Nevertheless, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to accept!

I LOVE to make movies!

Quite On The Set

I'm up early and excited to greet the day!

Today, I'm shooting a short film- where I get to act, sing and dance with one of the most talented and gorgeous girls I know! Autumn Guzzardi!

I'm also looking forward to being directed by the brilliant Jeff Payton!

It's always fun to make things happen in Hollywood.... even if it is one short film at a time!

...and we have to thank for this project: Joelle Sorensen! Our executive producer, writer and editor! Also, for bring on board an amazing crew and D. P. for this adventure!

In my mind, there is nothing cooler than working with friends on projects that make you happy!

Too bad I ate way too much stromboli last night for dinner... and now I have horrible gas and I feel like a fat ass in my costume! ...Oh well, that's showbiz!

Raise Your Hand if You're Over 30...

Flash back: ...about 6 years ago at Vintage Bar on 9th Avenue in New York City (When it was still okay to smoke inside.) Several of my friends and I were enjoying champagne cocktails on a Tuesday afternoon. It was normal for each of us to meet up around five or six o'clock and spend time drinking, gossiping about bullshit, and drinking more!

We were young, in a show (so we had money) and very ambitious. Like most twenty-somethings in New York, we thought we knew everything! More importantly, we loved making each other laugh... And nobody was off limits!

So, this particular afternoon the four of us were sitting at the bar drinking and laughing... and before we knew it, we'd each had about 4 glasses of champagne... One of my friends (who shall remain nameless...) gets off her bar stool without saying a word, walks to a woman at the other end of the bar (who was REALLY OVER US) picked up her cigarette lighter, took it, and brought it back to where we were sitting. My friend then proceeds to light her cigarette, walk back to the other end of the bar and dropped the lighter back down in front of the angry woman...

The three of us watched our friend do this in total silence! She never asked to borrow the lighter or thank the angry woman after she had...

Once our friend was comfortably seated at her bar stool with her lit cigarette, the four of us just burst out into full laughter...

The angry woman was not pleased and she shouted, "That was incredibly rude!"

At which point my friend (the lighter thief) said, "Raise your hand if you're over 30?"

Well, as you can imagine, we lost our shit! We laughed so hard and so long that they threatened to kick us out of the bar...

The angry woman threw her money on the bar, stood up and left!

Well... karma is a bitch!

Flash forward: Today I'm driving to an audition that I really didn't want to go to.... But, because I'm on this kick to stay focused and positive... I woke up, showered, printed out my resume and attached it to my picture, MapQuested the directions, drank a cup of coffee, drove 23 miles into the valley in the pouring rain, searched for 10 minutes to find parking, went through the security checkpoint to get on the sound stage, filled out my paper work, and then the woman collecting our information asked to see my ID...

Me: "My Id? Why do you need that?"

Woman: "Oh, because we're only seeing actors 18-30 for this job..."

Me: "Oh, well my agent didn't tell me that..."

Woman: "How old are you?"

Me: "....thir... thirt... thirty.. thirty-one...."

Woman: "Oh, I'm so sorry... You can't audition for this."

Me: "Okay."

...I got in my car and at first, I was pissed! But then I just started laughing out loud like I did the day my friends and I were sitting in Vintage!

The fact is, I am now the thirty-something year old joke! Ha! But, it will happen to everyone! After all- growing older is better than dying!

...and hey, at least I got a good laugh at 8 AM!

Success

I want to be in that room- and not for any other reason than to look around, soak in the surreal atmosphere and know that I am there because I worked hard, never gave up and made it as an artist.