Audition: “Hummer” @ Ross Lacy Casting. I think my new strategy at this office will be to try “not” to book; maybe that will help me. I booked the first time I auditioned there it’s been downhill from there, LOL! I’m just kidding, not downhill, but Ross calls me in A LOT and I would like to score some points for the home team.

Now that I think about it I should be getting that 3rd callback check for that “Sprint” spot I was on avail for a couple of weeks ago at Ross’ office. Every little bit helps.

Audition: “KFC” @ Ross Lacy Casting. This went quite well and I feel really right for it. Hopefully, I’ll get a callback.

Audition: “Budweiser” @ TLC/Loree Booth Casting. I have booked two “IBM” spots at this office. The really cool thing about this office is that the first call is sorta like a callback because a lot of times director, the legendary Joe Pytka, already knows who he wants to see. They don’t usually have callbacks at all. It’s audition, hopefully an avail then a booking…or not.

I made it a specific point to get in this office years ago. I was on a mission to find out who the top commercial directors were. The name Joe Pytka kept coming up. I remember being at a producer session in January 2001 at Universal and I was talking to an actor who had just done a “Pepsi” spot directed by Mr. Pytka. It was his first time working with Joe, but he was telling me about another actress who was in the spot as well. She had made over $100,000 total after doing several Pytka directed spots. This actress said that she didn’t even think Pytka knew her name, but he kept calling her for jobs. If you’ve ever worked with him you’d understand; he is an enigma. He is also basketball fanatic; all of his commercial sets have a basketball court set-up for him challenge the crew…cast.

Needless to say he quickly went to the top of my list because I always heard he uses actors over and over and over again. I really wanted to get on that list. I had to do some research because it’s hard to get to commercial directors, so I figured if I could find who cast his spots I could eventually get to Joe. I found out that it was TLC/Booth Casting that did almost all of his spots and keyed in on them for drops and postcards. Now this was before online casting was what it is today.

Of course, all of this time my wonderful agents @ KSA were doing all they could to get me in this office too, like every other office in town, but I was really concentrating on this one. By June of 2001 I had started auditioning there and on my 4th time in May 2002 I booked an “IBM” spot! Sure enough one of the other actors in the commercial was shooting his eighth spot and last year while working on “Love, Inc.” one of those actors has done so many Pytka spots he doesn’t even audition anymore.

I’ve had several avails there over the years and booked another “IBM” last year, but don’t feel like family yet. I kinda feel like extended family; maybe a second cousin or something. I’m still working on it though.