Driving around today was hot and tiring, but GREAT!! I got a lot done out in the field and that’s always good. It’s funny; when I do drop-offs I never really know “how” I’m going to do it at a given place – on a given day. Am I gonna leave it in the bin, put it in the slot in the door, take it inside, mail it?

This morning I went to a bunch of places to try to hustle up some opportunities. Usually at Valko/Miller I just drop my photo or postcard in the bin outside the door and get on my way. Today, for some reason I felt different. I decided to walk pass the submission bin and give my photo directly to the receptionist. I’ve auditioned at this office many times so maybe that’s why I felt that it was okay to go in, normally I keep it on the downlow and they don’t even know I was there. It’s not that I thought I would get in trouble by going in, especially at this office; it’s just not usually my style.

So I open the door and the first thing I see is two unbelievably beautiful actresses waiting to audition….I don’t why I mentioned that, but these girls were freaking beautiful. So I sat down beside one of them to write some stuff on my resume and she smelled like a beautiful woman should…like all women should - the scent of a woman is a powerful thing – IF I like whatever she’s wearing. Well, I like a lot of women’s fragrances – as long as it’s not Malboro #5 I’m pretty easy to please.

Anyway, a split second later casting associate Peter Pappas walks out of his office into the waiting area. Peter has called me in a lot and I think I’ve gone to producers every time, but haven’t booked. The last and only time I booked at this office was “Ally McBeal” in 2001 when Kara Lipson called me in from a postcard.

Peter greets me warmly, takes my photo and said it’s going straight into his file. I can’t ask for much more than that. Thanks Peter! I’m glad I decided to go in – that time. Who knows what I’ll do next time.

So I take out my trusty PDA, enter Valko/Miller’s zip code (91505) and see who else is in this area of town. Usually I know who is where, but the season is young and things change. Lo and behold, Vicki Huff Casting is literally right next door to Valko/Miller – at least the suite number said so. The thing is there was no sign on the door, no drop box – nothing. What to do, what to do. It’s a new spot so I had no idea if I had the correct address or not. I stood there and looked at the huge, expensive looking black door. Should I stay or should I go now? I decided to not take the risk of walking in on a board meeting or someone getting fired and headed for the elevators.

Then, I did what I do so often. I said to myself, “that’s what most people would do, and if you do what most people do, you will get the results that most people get”. Of course that begs the question, “Do you want the results that most people get?” If there’s a business where you don’t want “most people results” it’s the entertainment business. THAT fueled me to take the chance.

I used to know someone who I’d give that analogy to and they would NEVER believe ANYTHING I said about the business. Not even consider it. Now I don’t know everything about the business by any means, but I have learned a thing or two in my day. The funny thing was that if someone who just got off the boat and had been in Hollywood for 20 days that person would believe EVERYTHING the 20-day veteran said. After a while it was just interesting to watch. By contrast I have seen a tip or two that I have given work out for people in the past.

Alright, back to the huge, expensive looking black door. I make sure all my stuff is ready for whatever I might encounter and put my hand on the knob….but I don’t turn it. Sissy!! I’m being a sissy. I regroup and ask myself “what do I have to lose?” “Nothing”. “What do I have to gain?” “Everything”. BOOM! I twist the knob and open up. ANOTHER hot-a** girl!! Los Angeles is crazy this morning! She’s sitting at a desk with no lights on. I ask in my “best Denzel”; “Good morning…hmmm, is this Vicki Huff’s office?” It didn’t seem like it was; it just didn’t have that casting office feel. She smiled and said “Yes it is”. “Great! Could I leave this photo for her?” “Sure, I’ll take it.” She said. “Thank you so much and have a great day.” With that, I was on my way.

As I walked back to my car I thought about how lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing. I REALLY like what I do and I feel so much like I have a say in my future – it’s a powerful feeling. A crazy feeling at times, but powerful.

On to the next spot. It’s starting to get really hot out and I’m sitting in the car on the phone. As I’m talking, I see a ton of actors coming and going from the building; there must be a lot going on in there today. I don’t know what they were casting, but the Breakdown must have read “female, 23-28, stunning, all ethnicities”. The funniest part was watching the guy who was running the lobby area before the actresses went up the elevator. He was like a kid in a candy store; he even offered them a bottle of water when they came in. WHAT??? I NEVER got a bottle of water when I arrived to an audition – well, I ain’t all that sexy so I guess it makes sense. My man took care of me though, he took my photos upstairs and hand delivered them. No drop boxes for me – at least not yet.

Audition: “Soyjoy” @ Gabrielle Schary Casting. I think this one went well. I might have been a little too serious. We were supposed to be acting like we recorded an entry in a video blog; is there such a thing? the topic was something that irritated me. I was kinda serious and sorta forgot about the "commercial" aspect of it. I guess that could have been really good or really bad. I guess I'll find out if I get a callback or not.