Thursday, April 19, 2007

Okay, I've decided on a new direction concerning my "not so great" attitude towards AFTRA. As one man and one actor I can't change AFTRA as an entity, but I can change my relationship with AFTRA.

My new attitude is to fully embrace the guild known as AFTRA and make it work for me. This morning I called my theatrical agents and asked them about daytime soaps. I’m not really talking about contract players; more like something recurring. I just wanna continue to be on set and act. This afternoon I did a mailing to the 5 LA-based soaps.

Doing a mailing was really weird because I hadn't done one in years. I've always been a "get out there in the mix" type of guy, but I didn't think I'd be able to drop-off in person at one of the studio lots so I just mailed all five. Hopefully, between this mailing and my agents I can get on the road to success.

Funny enough, I've been in Los Angeles for almost 9 years and I have never had an audition for a daytime soap - not once. Soaps haven't been my focus, but still. My focus from the very beginning was commercials and "Blue Chip" TV shows - 30+ commercials and an estimated 25 TV bookings later I'd say I've seen some progress. In '03 I added Studio films to the mix and have booked 3, but only appeared in one for various reasons. So time will tell if I can crack this daytime soap thing. Even in New York I only had one daytime soap audition in nearly 4 years.

For the last several years I've had serious questions about whether I wanted to stay in Los Angeles for the long haul. No, I don't have a college degree, but there are many other things I feel I could do well. Plus, I can always go to college if I want.

In recent months I've come to the decision that I gonna make LA and the entertainment business work for me – long-term. Well, I’m not necessarily saying for the rest of my life, but at least for the foreseeable future. I can’t deny that I have forged a great way to make a living. No, I haven’t made tons of money, but I have been able to pretty much do things “my way” and that is a great feeling. I’m excited. I have a lot of things on my plate right now and they all aren’t acting or entertainment related which is refreshing. I love business and “the biz”, but it’s so nice to get away from it. I wanna ride my motorcycle or go skiing!

I also spoke with my commercial agent about voiceovers. I used to have a v/o agent at my commercial agency, but when she left to go to another agency they closed the entire department. So I contacted her at the powerhouse agency that she’s currently at and explained my situation. I’m gonna take a voiceover class, get my demo together and submit it to her. Cool!

http://www.stephonfuller.com/consultations.html

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