Audition/Producers: @ April Webster Casting/Scott David. This is great. Why? Because I’m pretty sure it came from a drop-off that I really didn't want to do on Friday. The audition went well I felt. It’s funny because I was reading the material one way, thinking I was interpreting it correctly but then decided to change up the pacing of the scene and a whole new thing came out of it. All of the sudden it made way more sense. It took a while before the producer session started so I had time to change my take on it. I also saw fellow actor Angel Oquendo at the audition as well.

I met Angel about a year ago when he was on a scouting trip from the East coast. I have to say I knew instantly he would have an immediate impact I this town. There is a specific set of things I feel helps greatly in getting things moving and he has them. It’s the right amount of business acumen, talent, a look, an attitude, a hustle, being patient while at the same time being impatient, etc. Miss any one of those things listed and the picture can be totally different. I can think of someone else I had the same feeling about too. Of course what I think doesn’t mean a whole lot – I thought I would have booked something by now, lol!!!

When I finally got in the room, I read it once, the director gave me some direction and I did it his way. I felt great about it and was on my way.

I gotta tell ya, I didn't want to do drops today; I didn't want to leave the apartment at all. My printer was acting up and I was in kind of in a sour mood; not for any real reason though. Maybe I was just tired from a busy week.

Anyway, I forced myself to get out there, in the street, with a mean look on my face to prove I had a bad attitude. Traffic, gas prices, my printer, parking, etc. it just wasn’t my day. And you know what? It’s okay.

So I arrive at my first address and lo and behold I had the wrong place. The address was correct, but I went to the wrong place thinking I just knew where I was going. Great! I then remembered where the correct place was and I didn’t want to go to that studio lot because last time I was there the security guard, thinking he was doing me a favor, called the casting office to say I had something for them. There are situations where that would have been cool, but not that particular day. So I didn’t want to go there – I just wasn’t in the mood. So I didn’t go, but I couldn’t just go home. Gas is too expensive to not even try to get something done.

I pulled out my PDA and logged in the zip code of the area I was in. I couldn’t imagine doing what I do without my PDA; it’s such a big part of keeping things straight. Even though I know most of the addresses around town in my head my PDA is a major part of the whole operation.

So a couple of other offices in the immediate area came up and I decided to drop-off my photo. The first office I stopped in had just finished casting their last episode of the cable show they were doing and only had a couple of more days before the office closed. I’d met the casting associate before and I think she remembered me. She was very friendly and told me not to leave a photo because nothing was going to be saved when they close up shop. I appreciated that and I felt that I got something accomplished even though I didn’t actually leave a photo.

On to the next, and most definitely, last stop before heading back to my apartment. I’ve been to this place before and know the drill, but went into the wrong door. I think I was actually trying to avoid the security guard, but he came out steered me in the right direction – which I knew, but for some reason I tried to avoid him. The older gentleman was so nice and polite that he totally disarmed me. It made me think about why I wasn’t having such a great day. I couldn’t come up with a good reason; so I released whatever it was – if anything at all. So, even today, I reluctantly got something accomplished.

Print go-see: “IBM” @ Ben Sealy Casting. I think this took a whole two minutes including the paperwork – in and out in a jiffy. When I was signing in, the young lady running the session asked if I would consider doing background – I left it blank on the size card. I sorta said said “no”, but only sorta. Then I asked how much, she said “$300 - $500 a day”. I said, “ahh, well”. She then said I’ll write “ask” on your card, I said “okay, thanks”.

Audition: “Delsym” @ Gabrielle Schary Casting. Man, this was a little crazy. Why? Well, the product is a cough suppressant and in the spot, myself and 3 others were in an elevator with one of the people coughing… like for real, nasty, “I should slap the s&*t out of you” offensive coughing. I wish I could’ve seen the look on my face. Man, this other actor was right over my shoulder doing his best actor cough. It was pretty disgusting. Fortunately, I don’t get sick often. I should get a callback just for being a sport about it, but then I guess all of the ther actors deserve the same huh?

Anyway, on the way back to my car I saw this stunning woman approaching from the opposite direction. The closer she got more unbelievable she looked. As she got even closer I saw that she looked familiar. It was Ion Overman that I worked with on “Love, Inc.” last year. We chatted briefly; she was heading to an audition as well. THAT is a very nice young lady. I hope she isn’t going to the same coughing audition I went to. Nobody should cough on Ion – it’s just not right. Actually, nobody should cough on any woman that is as nice as she is.

Wow, today had me running around a bit and everything went smoothly. One great thing was, for the first time in a while, I didn’t get a headache. I was going to go to the doctor and get checked out, but I am trying to rest more, eat more and drink more water. Like any normal person I love to sleep, but I think I love to work even more. 8 hours of sleep is usually waaaay too much for me, but I think it’s smart and healthier to sleep more than I currently do. I love food, but my stomach must be the size of a grape, I eat very little and very slow. I have to make it a point to eat before I leave my apartment in the morning – and I have to kinda force that. It’s nothing for me to not eat anything until the afternoon. I just don’t really think about it. I don’t understand it, although I think I gained some weight while I was on vacation. Imagine that!!

Audition: “Wal-Mart” @ Ross Lacy Casting. Okay, this audition requested that we wear pajamas to it. Okay, I have pajamas. So I’m trying to figure out what to wear to the audition so I could easily change into my pajamas and I just didn’t want to do it. Maybe it was because I live really close to this particular place I was going to the audition. I didn’t want to get out of the shower, get dressed, change 20 minutes later into pajamas at the audition and then change back into my street clothes.

So, I decided to just wear my pajamas and skateboard to the audition. That way I wouldn’t have to change clothes. So if you saw a thin brotha, skateboarding down La Brea Ave around 10:30 this morning, wearing flip-flops and white socks with a headshot/resume in his hand it might have been me. Matter of fact it WAS me.


Yup...

Yesterday, while leaving the same audition facility I saw a man pushing a shopping cart, that included probably everything he owned, wearing nothing but a black T-shirt and tennis shoes. Nothing else…except his blonde, sun-bleached hair. NOTHING ELSE. His ass was chillin’ like it was Monday morning; and you know what? It was Monday morning. I had never seen that before; his butt was just hanging out there for everyone to see. I’m much too shy for that, but I was willing to do the pajamas thing. It was pretty sad to see somewhere so down on their luck. I hope he finds something to wear. Anyway, the audition went well; I felt really free.

Audition/Producers: “The Other Mall” @ Ross/Silverberg Casting. This is an ABC Family Half Hour Pilot Presentation. Based on my decision to pass on the producer session for “Without a Trace” Why am I going in for this co-star on this show? Good question.

“Without a Trace” is a show that is going to be around, I would guess, at least 2 more seasons if not more. Obviously I’m on the radar of that casting office and didn’t want to possibly book the particular role I had an appointment for. I figured I’d take a risk, pass on the audition, and hopefully, I’ll get a chance to book something a little more substantial in the future. The season is young. It’s one of my “blue-chip” shows and I treat them a little different than others.

The audition goes okay. I read it once, got direction (which I though was a good sign) and read it better the second time. Truthfully, I thought there was another role I was more right for, but I didn’t get to read for it. I didn’t ask either. A plus was that this is an AFTRA show and I didn’t have my usual nasty attitude towards AFTRA shows, that is a sign of moving forward, because I do not like AFTRA very much. Well, it’s not that I don’t like AFTRA, it’s just that I would rather not have to join AFTRA.

Audition: “Verizon” @ Kathy Knowles Casting. This one went great and I believe it shoots in Vancouver next week. Callbacks are Thursday; I hope to be there.

Me jumping over my VW bug back in the BACK in the day!! This isn't when I fell on my head. Norfolk, VA.

This is me taking care of business on the half pipe back in da 80's!! Skills baby! Virginia Beach, VA.

Audition: “American Standard” @ Jeff Rosenman Casting. I’m not sure how this one went – I didn’t have a great feeling when I left or even a good one really. The session runner seemed happy with the performance, but I think he was pulling my chain. Or maybe…well…maybe not.

Audition: “The Game” @ Suzanne Goddard-Smythe. “The Game” is a spin-off of UPN’s “Girlfriend’s”. Both shows will be on the new CW Network this Fall. When I studied at Amy Lyndon’s Cold Reading Technique Class last Fall, one the guys in that class is one of the leads on the show, Hosea Chanchez.

...hmm...I'm not sure how this went. It wasn't a whole lot of dialogue, but I missed a major beat in the scene that I shouldn't have missed. It was right there on the page, but I didn't get it. Danielle Diller, the casting associate, pointed it out and I got it right the second time around...on to the next.

Okay, so one of my agents, Erin, calls this afternoon with a producer session appointment for "Without A Trace" - a show I really want to be on. Funny enough, I was doing drops yesterday in the building where this casting office is located. I stopped, looked at the door, pondered for a bit and decided against going inside and dropping a photo. Why? Well, my friend Denice dropped one for me a couple of weeks ago and I sent a postcard not too long ago as well. I didn’t want to be a nuisance, so I let it ride.

I'm glad I didn't drop a photo yesterday because, of course, I would've thought the call today was at least a semi-direct result of it. Thankfully, I’m certain my agent did not submit me for this particular role; so it tells me that I am on the mind of this office without too much prodding - THAT is the place to be! Actually, I'm glad my agent didn't submit for this role. Why? It's a very small co-star; that doesn't seem to have any chance of recurring. The exact type of roles I should do my best to not do anymore.

What to do, what to do. Well, me, like most other “professional auditioners” aka “actors” know how important it is to have an ample amount of appointments. On that level I wanted to attend the producer session tomorrow. I could tell by the message that Erin left I was being requested for this. She said she’d e-mail the sides and to take a look it and see if it was something I wanted to go in on. A little while later I viewed the sides and was real iffy about going in; which probably meant I shouldn’t go in. This is where I got a little sneaky and tried to prevent my agent from “saving me from myself”. What did I do? Instead of calling Erin back to confirm, I replied to the e-mail saying I was going to attend the producer session. I did call because deep down I knew I shouldn’t be going in and I probably didn’t wanna face that – I just wanted to have an appointment.

I guess Erin didn’t get my return e-mail because an hour later she called again to see if I wanted to go in. I try really hard to be a great client and don’t them to have to make unnecessary phones calls to me. So I called her back and told her I thought I was going to go to the session. She didn’t put me under pressure one way or the other, but said, “Why don’t you think about it and call me in the morning; the appointment isn’t until 4:30pm”? I said, “Well, I’ve seen the material and it is what it is”. THAT is when it hit me that I need to let her do her job. I said, “Yeah, okay I’ll think about it because I do need to draw the line with these types of roles”. She replied, “Okay honey, call me in the morning and we’ll go from there”. Cool.

I thought about it and hated to miss the session for, what I consider a “blue-chip” show. I used the same logic for going in on “The Game” today and decided to pass. 20 minutes later I called Erin back and told her that I would pass on the audition and hopefully they’ll call me for something more substantial in the future. She said “ok” and that if I changed my mind again, just call her in the morning and we’ll get you in. That is a prime example of my agent “saving me from myself”. Thanks Erin.

Audition: “21st Century Insurance” @ Jessica J. Casting. I did a spot for “21st” back in ’02, it never ran though. I did get a year or so of holding fees, a bonus for being a policy holder (I was at the time, but now my car insurance is through Costco) and a penalty payment for some reason I never really understood.

The audition was simple, no dialogue, just some nodding in agreement mostly. It’s amazing how if I’m not careful I can do too much of even that. I think I kept it real – at least I hope I did.

Audition/Producers: “The War at Home” @ Susan Vash Casting. It’s straight to producers for a guest–star role. I booked the last time she called me to producers for a guest-star role. Maybe I can start a streak!

I know I sound like a broken record, but I felt really good about this audition. I did what I wanted to do and left it all in room. I took a risk and changed some of the rhythms of the writing. One paid off with a big laugh. The other might have fallen through the cracks. Regardless of what happens – or not – I felt like an artist when I left.

Something interesting happened right before I read the scene. One of the producers/writers/director was looking over my resume and commented on my multiple episodes of "Good Morning, Miami". Someone said ".....and 14 episodes of "Good Morning, Miami!", then the producer said, jokingly, "I thought it was 12". It threw me a little because I don’t know why he said it. Anyway, I made a joke about it we all laughed and got to work. If you count the episodes on my imdb, there are only 12 listed, but I actually filmed more.

So my question is: did he actually look me up online or was he, in some way, associated with “Good Morning, Miami”. I was over there at the show so often that there is no way I wouldn’t have known who he was if he was at “GMM”. So I’m going to go with the notion that he looked me up. Cool. As a result, I’m going to change the 14 episodes to 12; I don’t want anyone to think I’m padding my resume.

Of course after the audition it was time to roam the Warner Bros. lot to see what was going on. Doing that is always a super inspiring thing for me. For one, I get to drop off my photos at various offices, two it brings back great memories of having worked on the lot and three it shows me some of what is in my future.

The first stage I walked passed was where “ER” is filmed; I had fun working on the show back in ’03. After that I wandered my way around dropping photos and just taking it all in. Something I had never noticed before over there was a Berlin wall monument. I would have like to take a photo of it, but I didn’t have my camera.

After a while I came upon this huge…something under construction. I couldn’t tell what is was; it almost looked like a stage that was being built for…say…U2 to perform on or some thing like that. I stared at it for a while and couldn’t come up with anything so I finally asked a nearby security guard. It might seem weird, but what he told me gave me the chills. It was one of the sets for “Ocean’s Thirteen”!!! It was just sorta surreal to look at that set and know that I have been chosen, not once, but twice to be a part of Steven Soderbergh’s productions. Hopefully, this time I’ll stick.

The set being built was a helicopter pad to be on top of one of the hotels – it was massive and there was a ton of guys working on it. I just walked away and shook my head asking myself how I got to be a part of that?

Afterwards, I made my way to Katherine Eckerts office. Katherine, a longtime associate and casting director with Tracy Lilienfield’s office recently opened her own office casting “Old Christine” for CBS. I met Katherine years ago in a workshop and she brought me in for “Good Morning, Miami” which obviously turned out to be a fantastic experience for many, many reasons. I’ll always appreciate her thinking of me because she knew it was going to be a multi-episode gig and it really made a difference in my life.

Anyway, I got to the building and chilled just for a bit; looking at the WBTV production cast photos on the wall and such. Then I spotted a young lady who I thought was Katherine’s assistant. After assessing the situation, I stuck my head in the office and asked if I could leave a photo for Katherine. The assistant was very nice and the photo was literally in Katherine hands 5-10 seconds later. Just as I was making my exit, dragging my feet of course, her assistant, Ana, stopped me and said Katherine had a moment to chat with me. This gave me a chance to congratulate her on her new office and another crazy huge reason I won’t mention. They are starting production next week and she said she’ll try to get me in for something.

Before I left the lot I wanted to check out Stage 16. That is where the “O13” casino set is being built. OMG!!! It blew my mind. They are building a freaking casino on the stage. I don’t know if it will compare to the set of “The Terminal”, but it looked pretty cool nonetheless. On my way there I stopped by where I worked my first TV job after just 4 months of being in Los Angeles – Stage 24 – The Friends Stage. Wow, I really remember that experience; I even remember where I parked. I worked on a pilot over there last season, “Hot Properties”. Yeah, the Warner Bros. lot has been good to me. With that, I made my way back to my car with a sore knee from all the walking with the wrong shoes – Ouch!

Shortly, afterwards one of my agents calls with an appointment for tomorrow. I could tell he didn’t submit me for it because he was like “it’s a small role, look it over and see if you wanna go in on it, if not, don’t worry about it”.

This is great for several reasons:

He wouldn’t submit me for this particular co-star role. They are looking for bigger and better things for me.
I am on this casting director’s mind, in this case, without my agents’ assistance.
My agents didn’t just turn it down unbeknownst to me.
My agent is involved in the situation which helps me protect me from myself.
I have the final say on whether to go in or not.

After getting home I decided that, yes, I would go in on it. Why? Well, I don’t get called for this type of shows too often and who knows how long it might take to get back in this office and it’s always nice to be auditioning. Plus, I really like this casting director and I’d love to book something with her.

Got feet? Got Photos? Gotta get movin! Drop-offs - Make it happen...
...do yourself a favor - don't wait for it to happen.

I am really, officially, OFFICIALLY back in town. How do I know this? I’ll tell you how I know this.

Auditions @ Ross Lacy Casting.
Callbacks @ Ross Lacy Casting.
Avails @ Ross Lacy Casting.
Phone calls from my agency to let me know that I have been released from avails @ Ross Lacy Casting.

Yup, I was released from the “McDonald’s” spot I was on avail for. Yeah, I know shocking.

What is going on? I don’t know. I know I’m doing a lot right, but not enough to get invited to the VIP section/(booking). I’m getting to the party, which is cool, but I’m missing something. I ain’t gonna stress over it, I’m just gonna trust it like I’ve always done. NEXT!!!

The other night I was surfing the net and I came upon a website of an agency in a smaller market. It made me think about how unprepared most actors are when they arrive in the major markets of New York and Los Angeles. To be honest, I think, it makes perfect sense that they would be uninformed. Why? Well, there is so much misinformation going around; information that isn’t based on anything concrete. Wait, maybe “misinformation” isn’t the right word; maybe it’s because I don’t necessarily agree with much of the information that’s out there. I also think there is a lot of very general information out there; kinda one size fits all stuff.

I thank my lucky stars that when I started out I refused to ask anyone for advice; I made my own way – and I still do to this day. The reason for not asking for advice wasn’t because I didn’t trust others; it was because I always wanted to break it down further. Breaking down and understanding the casting process and all of its different scenarios can be your best friend in this business. I describe it as “looking up the skirt” of the business. It helps if you look up the skirt and, most importantly, understand what you see. You have to understand the gears of the engine not just that simply the engine runs.

It’s also important to understand how agents and agencies work. They work extremely hard to get appointments for their clients. It’s up to us to understand the dynamic and help it work for us. Never forget that we get “90% and they only get 10%”. That, in itself, should clear up a ton of questions. Agents have many clients they are trying to get opportunities for, but we only have ourselves – it’s important to really understand that equation and what it means.

I often hear actors say “my agent isn’t sending me out”. Usually the situation is much more complicated than that. The agent may, in fact, not be submitting the client, but the more telling statement might be “I’m not getting appointments”. I think the latter statement is better because it poses the question of “why”, which gives you the opportunity to “look up that skirt” and see how this agent/actor/CD thing works.

Why am I going on this harangue about this? Because I get so frustrated that some of my friends aren’t going out as much I would like, lol!! Who cares what I think? Obviously not this town! Anyway, I ask myself, “why aren’t they getting the appointments?” – I ask quite often actually. I come up with really good answers too. Of course the answers are from my point of view.

Some have a very casual approach; others are really confused. Some don’t have the staying power; others use the “start and stop” method. Notice I didn’t mention talent being a factor; it’s pretty much a given that these are talented people. Matter of fact I am often amazed at the talent I am surrounded by. I once dated a woman who is one of the most talented actors I have encountered – ever. I’m not even sure if she’s still pursuing the business. The rat race of the business in Los Angeles wasn’t really for her. If I ever get the chance to get her an acting opportunity you can believe I will.

I’ve always felt that one day I would write a book on the business of the business. I’ve also felt that I would explore the lecture circuit. Whether or not I actually do it on a larger scale remains to be seen. Who knows?

I see many University grads land in this town without a clue as to how the business really works. I would think that it would make sense that their last 6 weeks or so in school was devoted to the business of the business. I could be a guest speaker!! You got 3-4 hours to spare?

I really feel I have valuable insight into the process to share. I also have the “regular working-class actor” experience. It would be great for them to have a name actor speak, but I think it would be much more useful to have someone who is in the trenches on a daily basis to tell them what they might expect.

I think of when I was first starting out in Virginia Beach there was no one to guide us in any way, shape or form with “current” information on how the business worked. I had a great acting teacher, but I knew I’d have to learn the business on my own. For some reason I knew that a lot of what I was hearing was BS from the more experienced students so I carried my ass to New York in a hurry. They weren’t being malicious or anything like that; they just were repeating baseless information. It was always “they said”. Who the heck is they? I wanna meet “they”. I still haven’t.

Usually, when I go home I sit in on my old acting class and answer questions for a bit. I can tell by the questions where they are in their quest. I’d leave them with a very realistic view of what it’s like out here in the major markets. After 3-4 hours with me they would walk away knowing that they better get their butt in gear or that maybe this business is not what they thought.

You’ll have to excuse my rant; I’m just really irritated right now about some actors I know not getting the appointments they need to realistically move forward. Key word “realistically”, I don’t mean booking a national, a co-star or guest star and thinking everything is freakin’ peachy. It ain’t, trust me. You’ve got to build a “body of work”. I know this first hand; I left my job waiting table 5+ years ago I know what it takes to make this work and I’ve got a long way to go.

It can be beautiful, but d*** it’s a lot of work. I have never though it was rocket science to figure out how to do this, but it has, at least for me, been an overwhelming amount of effort – trust that! I am amazed that I have been able to go home for a month in the Summer for the last 5 years. I was never able to take a vacation before I became an actor – go figure.

Why do I even give a crap? Why I am sweating as I type this? I don’t know. Should I be happy that they aren’t getting seen? More for me, huh? Nah, there is enough out here for those that truly want it and are willing to do what it takes to get it for more than a day or a week at a time. You have to be “patiently, impatient” and “Logically Zen”. Of course you don’t have to be, but it works for me.

So if you see me in “Brother wit an attitude, Ohio” or “This guy thinks he knows-it-all, Texas” conducting a workshop on the business you’ll know that this got the best of me. I feel a lot better now.

A woman in boots always warms my heart...

...but so does a woman waiting for the bus

... a 'lil hip-hop never hurt nobody.

When you drive as much as I do you see

some interesting sites.

Audition: “Dexter” @ UDK Casting. For as busy as this office is I don’t get in here often enough. Actually, I was called in for this show back in May, but I passed on the audition – and it was on a Sunday. I think I was going out of town, plus it was a one line part. I'm thrilled they're bringing me back in for something that's a little more substantial.

I felt the read went well, so now it's up to the producers. Hopefully, they'll view the tape and think I'm the guy.

Happy Anniversary to me! It was 8 years ago today that I moved to Los Angeles from New York. I have survived!!! Not only am I surviving; I feel that I'm thriving and I must say that it feels great. When I landed here I knew very few people; no one that was going to hold my hand through this new part of my journey. Actually, that was probably for the best because I would have driven them crazy. Sadly, I don’t talk to those people all that much these days. They are still in the business, but I don’t really see or hear from them unless I call or stop by. That’s okay, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

I’m so fortunate that my transition to LA was as smooth as it was. I didn’t even have time to get settled before I started getting appointments. The research I did for 3+ years in New York on the LA market paid off for me. I got the exact representation that I wanted - immediately. That, along with postcards, mailings, classes, CD workshops, attending almost every event I could and lots of really late nights greatly helped me get in the game. I left my job at The Hollywood Standard 5+ years ago; which means I’ve supported myself solely as an actor for the majority of the time I’ve been here. That is so surreal to me even to this day.

Los Angeles is the Superbowl of our business - the biggest of the big leagues. I knew from the first day of acting class that I was planning to play in the Superbowl. I also knew that I was going to give an honest effort to move forward. I think I’ve done that; if I left the business now I’d be very happy with my accomplishments. Make no mistake; I have a long way to go, but I feel I’m moving forward everyday. The really cool thing is that I’m enjoying the present time and not waiting for the “big whatever”. 8 years in the can, I’m growing up.

Audition: Cadillac” @ Francene Selkirk Casting. This one came through in a different way. I got an email from LA Casting saying I had been requested. I never got an audition like that before; I guess I better start looking closer at those e-mail messages that look like SPAM. The audition goes really, really well and I think I’m perfect for it. I always seem to say that don’t I? Callbacks are Wednesday, hopefully I’ll be there.

Audition/Producers: “Big Day” @ Megan Branman Casting. This is an ABC single camera comedy. The role is a recurring co-star as a photographer; 2 or 3 episodes. When my agent, Caleigh, called with the appointment she was giving me tips on where I could find a trailer for the show since it’s new and hasn’t aired yet. It’s a great feeling to have agents that are really rooting for you.

Ironically, I dropped off @ Fox Studios just yesterday to the many drop boxes that are there, but the audition is @ Sony Studios which is cool because now I can do drops there. I don’t get on this lot too often.

Props? What to do, what to do. Sometimes it's okay to use them and other times it's a big no, no. It depends on the CD/office and/or situation. I decided to take the risk and run with it – this photographer is going to have a camera.

So I find my way to the Capra Building on the Sony lot and sign in. After a short wait it's my turn. Funny enough, the first thing Megan said was, "Alright, nice camera!" Cool…I guess. The read went well. I flubbed a line a little, but the character was in tact. I felt great about it no matter what happens, but I would love to book.

Alright, so now it’s time to pull out my PDA and see who else is on the Sony Pictures Studio lot. I plot out a route on the studio map I got from security when I came in so I can figure out where I’m going. I don’t want to walk around cooking like some low-fat turkey bacon. It wasn’t as hot as it’s been lately, but still hot enough. I hit about 4 offices. It’s funny how I go about plotting and planning when I’m doing my thing. I love it. I absolutely love business – any kind of business. I think I would have been great in the business world. Who am I kidding I AM in the business world. This is, without a doubt, a business.

My last drop was at Francine Maisler Casting; I’ve auditioned here before, but haven’t booked – yet. So I enter the Jimmy Stewart building with a purpose in my step so I looked like I belonged. The two security guards gave me a look, but I kept it moving. So I get up on the second floor and I’m walking down the long hallway lined with stills from movies that I assume where shot on the lot. In the distance I see a woman walking in my direction. As we get closer I see that I recognize her, it’s Kathy Driscoll-Mohler. Kathy is Francine’s casting associate; I read for her for “Spiderman 3. Kathy greets me warmly and asked how I’ve been. I tell her things are really great and I also booked a role in “Oceans’ Thirteen”. She said she’s been good as well and that their office has been quiet as of late, but I’m sure they will be back in business very soon.

On the way back I didn’t want to run into Kathy again at the elevators so I just hung for a second on the second floor. I know she has “actor stories” and I don’t want to be a weird one – so I gave her some space. The two security guards that were eyeing me on the way in stopped me on the way out. Nothing bad, they thought they recognized me from television or something. I said “probably not, but maybe”.

I’m still shocked that anyone ever sees me in anything and really remembers it, but I guess they do. Ironically, a couple of hours later my friend Jewel Christian informed me that I was on “Frasier” just last night. I guess that, coupled with “Love, Inc.” last week, “Monk” next week and the past shows that I’ve been on that are running in syndication all adds up to getting my face on the map.

Drop it like it’s hot baby!!! That has been the story of my life since returning from Virginia. Drops, drops, drops. Non-stop running around. That’s the way I like it and I don’t plan on stopping until I go back home at the end of the year. So if you see me in the street – watch out!!

I’m kidding, actually this heat is kicking my a** for real. So if you see me in the street I might be asleep on a manhole in an intersection with redlight cameras wearing nothing but a motorcycle helmet and black socks. Yeah, I’ve been getting headaches while I’m out in the field and having to cut it short sometimes. I’m not Superman, so I have to be careful. I’ve been drinking more water, but I have to work on eating more.

Get this, I was driving on the 101 North this morning and I saw a woman next to me driving while rolling a joint. What? Yeah, it was just odd. I mean I think I’ve seen that before, but she was going like 60mph and the flow of traffic was like 75. Just weird. But I gotta tell you, you know what else I think is just as stupid? People who ride in the front passenger seat with their feet up on the dash – on top of the airbag. Do they realize the airbag is basically a bomb that is designed to explode? I wonder if paramedics see evidence of that at accident scenes. That doesn’t sound too good – a knee in the face. Ugh!

My agent calls with a potential “straight to callbacks” audition for me for “Honda”. The kicker was that I had to have my motorcycle and my gear with me. Huh? Yeah, my agents didn’t think I had a bike here in LA, but they wanted to be sure so they called. I have a jersey, pants, gloves and goggles here in LA with me, but my bike, boots and helmet are back in Virginia. It was a last minute role they added, but it didn’t work out for me. I’m glad my agent tried to get me in though. A great example of it paying off that my agents know what some of my interests are outside of the business. I REALLY wanted to get seen for this…oh well.

No news about the avail for “McDonald’s”; so I guess no news is good news.

Audition: “Jack-in-the-Box” @ Alyson Horn Casting. This went well and I think I’m perfect for it; I even said yes when they asked if I would shave for the spot…not a big deal for me, lol! Hopefully the powers that be will bring me into callbacks.

Callback/Avail: “McDonald’s” @ Ross Lacy Casting. I guess this means I’m officially back in town, auditions and callbacks at Ross Lacy are a familiar thing for me…now if I could just book something there….or anywhere else in town for that matter. They placed me on avail so that’s a step closer. This callback flows like butta…well almost. I was paired up with this brown-skinned Canadian beauty who had a smile that made me wanna cook for her. LOL! I don’t know where that came from.

Anyway, so we go in and slate..no problem I can handle that part. Take one: In the spot me and my girl are finding out that it’s not working and we should go our separate ways. We play it really heavy and take our time..like really take our time. We were given the choice to use very little of the scripted dialogue. I ran with that and didn’t say hardly anything at the top…until I stepped on my partners line. Sh*t!! I was out to lunch and messed up. I think it was okay because it kinda shook them out of what was going on in the scene. At least I hope it did.

Take two: BOOM! We nail it…I think. The director gives us a couple of notes and but left the interpretation up to us. Take three: Yeah, right on point. We sit for a second to make sure they saw what they wanted and out the door we were. But wait!!! As I was gathering my personal belongings the session runner says, “Stephon can you hang out for a moment? We want you to go in again if you don’t mind”. Of course I obliged.

This is a good sign right? Well, it’s a sign I’ve seen before and I am not sure what it means, if anything. At the very least, I would speculate that the creative team saw something in me they were interested in. So after a little while I go back with another actress who had a totally different spin on it. We did one take and it was……different. So that was that. I left it all in the room with no regrets. That is a great feeling. It’s funny, because as much I’d like to book this I am prepared for the familiar “Stephon you’ve been released from….” call. I’ve been saying I’m gonna book for a minute and I haven’t, actually much longer than a minute, but I still believe it's gonna happen…I truly believe it.

Callback: "ESPN Promo" @ Skirts Casting. I arrived at the casting office, put 30 minutes in the parking meter and went inside. It didn’t seem to be way, way crowded, but it moved along very, very slowly. I kept an eye on my watch as I waited, then I met someone from back in the day in New York who I hadn’t seen since like ’96-’97…we’re catching on the New York days…Ooops my meter!!! I go outside and &%$#^&!!! It’s too late…LA’s finest parking enforcement officer is already writing me a ticket. I didn’t even cross the street to beg and plead with him, I just went back to the audition. Parking is something that drives me insane about LA. I mean really, I hate the parking situation here. Another $35!!

Back to the audition. Since I hadn’t been to the first call I didn’t know what was really going on in the spot. I finally got an explanation from the session runner and it seemed pretty clear. Sometimes when people explain something that they’ve been repeating over and over they kind of gloss over the finer points; what they don’t really understand is that you’re hearing it for the first time. So my big question was “Do I have any dialogue?” the answer was “no, you’re just concentrating on the bottle of shampoo”. OK, I can do that.

Thirty minutes later we get another explanation from someone else and she also says “no dialogue, you’re just dealing with 2 bottles of shampoo”. Ok, a little while later I am finally paired up with a nice woman and we go into the audition room. We slate and do the usual stuff, I check the board, no dialogue for my character. We finish the first take and the director says, “you gotta say ‘Black’ when the groomer ask what color”. I’m think, dag, I didn’t even know he was talking to me. I couldn’t clearly see who was talking to me because of the lights in my eyes. We do it a second take which went better and he gives me more direction. Then I recognize the director, Brian Aldrich. He’s definitely one of the top commercial directors working today and he's hired me twice before through Cathi Carlton Casting. The first time was for a “California Lottery” spot. The callback for that was the worst callback I think I have ever had……but somehow I got the job. The second time he hired me was for “Wrigley’s” 6 months later…that spot ran really well and they split it into another spot.

The third take went pretty well. So maybe since I had no clue what was going on it will come off as really real. I don’t know, gotta think positive. So after an hour and 15 minutes I was on my way…to get a good look at the parking ticket on my car. Ugh! So I get in my hot car and pull off, then I remember that I didn’t sign out on the audition sheet. Since I was over an hour I should be paid…that could offset getting the parking ticket so I made a U-turn and went back to sign out. I don’t expect to get paid for the audition running over and I don’t expect to book the spot either, but you never know.

The episode of “Love, Inc.” I appeared in is scheduled to re-air tonight/Thursday @ 8:30 on UPN. Unfortunately, since it’s UPN and we actors have such a terrible deal on residuals I will probably owe them money before it’s over – or maybe it’s just me that they pay so little. The first re-air was roughly 10% of my original guest-star rate so for this second one I expect to get a letter asking me to pay them $1,120.33. This situation definitely shapes how I approach my career - it's a snakey situation.

OMG!!! If I see one of the 4 commercials (2 Sprint, KFC, and Comcast) I was on avail for or had callbacks for again I'm gonna..........be even happier for the actors that booked them over me. I mean that too; of course I do. They are running constantly. Make dat money fellas!!

I surely hope that when I went to Japan and Spain that others were genuinely happy for me. It comes and goes.....and hopefully more stuff will come soon.

Okay I was really hoping to get a callback for the "FedEx" spot that shoots in New York. Why? Several reasons.

I would love to book a commercial.
I would love to go to New York to work on a project.
If I went to New York for a project I'd go back to Virginia Beach on the way home and see my family and of course wax my little brothers a** on the dirt bike again!!

IT'S MY FREAKIN' TURN to book a commercial!!!!!
I finally paid my SAG dues of $469.

Those are good reasons, right? I felt it went really well and I thought I was very right for it, but that doesn't usually tell the whole story. I know that callbacks are today and tomorrow and it's 5:20pm and I haven't heard anything. Oh well, I'll get 'em next time. I know I say that all the time, but I truly believe it. I will book again! I'll be back!!!

CUT TO: INT. - STEPHON'S CAR - DAY - 6:18pm.

SFX: Cell phone ringing. It's KSA, my commercial agency. Could it be? A callback for "FedEx"? Maybe...

I call to check the voicemail and it's the familiar voice of Tracy saying....

"Stephon, it's Tracy @ KSA calling to tell you that you have a......."

At this point I'm thinking "YES! I'm one step closer to going to New York for the "FedEx" spot"!

.....the message continues..."callback for the "ESPN Promo" at Skirts Casting" you're going back to 1641....."

What? I didn’t go in on an “ESPN Promo”…hmmm. I wonder what that’s all about. Either it’s a mistake and someone else at the agency has a callback for it or I am going straight to callbacks.

I call Tracy back to get the skinny on what’s going on. Indeed I am going straight to callbacks. Cool! I haven’t given up on “FedEx” though maybe they’ll call tomorrow for a same-day callback.

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.

Drops, drops and more drops. It’s amazing how many miles I have driven around this town slinging my photos and postcards. I started doing it from the first week of being in Los Angeles 8 years ago and it was one of smartest things I did. I know this town like the back of my hand – as far as casting offices go. It also helped me understand the casting process; which is so, so important.

Driving around so much is exhausting at times, but I carry on through thick and thin. I have no choice. Well, of course I have a choice, but this is what I signed up for. Nobody is forcing me to stay here or in the business. So I have to do what it takes for me to move forward.

While out in the field today I ran into my friend Denice Sealy; she was doing drops too. I was heading in one direction and she was heading in another so we gave each other some of our own photos and got even more accomplished. It seems like a never ending thing, but I think that is the advantage for me because no sane person would do it for days, weeks, months, and years. I have to say I am really glad to have some of the foundation building behind me because it’s a lot of work – a lot.

Today I attended the SAG Mid-Year Membership Meeting. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in – the place was packed. I was so happy to see more people turn out and take an interest in union issues. Every dollar we get is hard fought – trust me the opposition is in business to keep as much of the profit as possible. They do a pretty good job of it too. We have to have more informed voters, because our futures in the business depend on it. Again, I am a huge fan of SAG president Alan Rosenberg and his team. They are directly making a difference in my future as a performer.

As I’ve said before, I have great frustrations with some elements of dealing with SAG. Actually it’s probably more about the specific individuals I deal with on some of the claims I’ve had. But there is good news. Drum roll please…we have a new Basic Cable Live Action contract! This is for shows like “The Shield” and “Monk”; live action shows that are produced for basic cable. This is really important news for several reasons.

· the residuals for the first re-run increases from 12 to 17 percent of the performer's minimum.
· the bottom end increasing from 1 to 1.5 percent of the minimum for the 13th and each subsequent run.
· payments for the first, second, third and fourth re-runs will be paid in one lump sum when the first re-run airs-meaning a larger check for actors; even if they never air.
· retroactive to January 1, 2006.

Again, this is great news mainly because it’s a “term deal” that will expire on June 30th 2008 at which point it will be up for renegotiation. Before, there was no deal to expire so us actors kept getting…………you know what I mean. It’s especially timely for me since I recently worked on “Monk”. Even though the contract was finalized just 10 days ago and I worked on “Monk” 6 weeks ago I will get the benefits of the new contract because it’s retroactive to January 1, 2006. So there are a lot of performers, like myself, who will see the benefits immediately. Thank you Alan, Anne-Marie and so many other volunteers at the Guild that work so hard for us. It is appreciated.

Audition: "FedEx" @ Kathy Knowles Casting. My first audition since returning from vacation - yes!!!I had to get to this one early because it was scheduled for 10:50 and my next audition was actually at 10:30, but in talking to my agent the “FedEx” one seemed to have a more rigid time constraint.

So I get there about 10:15, sign in, read the specs of the spot and fill out my size card. After a while “Adam”, the session runner, (I later found out his name is Adam Kaiz) appears and explains what’s going on. They haven’t started yet because they are still figuring out exactly “how” they are going to set up the scenerios in the audition room – we are the first group of the morning. In the meantime Adam would take our Poloroids pictures.

Now I haven’t had an audition in since June 8th because I was on vacation so I was just getting back into the grove of the routine. Plus, when I go on vacation I truly disengage from my “Hollywood Hustle”; so I was little off the pace and still in “Middle America”.

When Adam was gettting ready to take my photo he asked my name.

Adam: What’s your name?

Me: Stephon.

Adam: Stephon what?
Me: Fuller, Stephon Fuller.

Adam: You’re doing “Ocean’s Thirteen” aren’t you?

Me: Uh, Yeah.

Adam: Me too. I saw your name on the IMDB page.

Me: Cool. Congratulations!

He later told me that he checked out my website. It just totally caught me off guard, but the internet is a far reaching tool. I know that and I’m constantly checking up on the people, but I don’t “expect” anyone to be checking up on me.

Anyway, as it turns out, Adam is a really cool guy and we are actually in the same scene in “O13”, so we’ll get to hang out in October on set – with Al Pacino. That makes 5 people I know that booked roles in the film: James Martin Kelly and Michael Miranda; we are with the same theatrical agency. Brian Tee who stars in the lastest “Fast and Furious” installment and Angel Oquendo. Angel is still new to LA and making very, very quick strides up the ladder. I’m proud to be part of this group of performers.

When we finally get in to audition it goes really well, but by the time I leave I am over and hour late for my other audition. So I get in the car, hop back on I-10 to make the trip from Santa Monica to the Casting Studios in Hollywood. I call my agent to let them know I was on my way and I am informed that they need me to go back to Santa Monica to audition again for “FedEx” because the tape got messed up. Really? Yeah really. I decide to go to my other audition first and comeback to this one later. Audition: "McDonald's" @ Ross Lacy Casting. The Casting Studios was a madhouse, but I was in and out in a flash. The audition went really well and I had a great time with my auditioning partner.

So, back to Santa Monica to give “FedEx” another shot. It goes really well again and I think this time the tape was good – at least I hope it was. This spot shoots in New York. Of course, I’m already thinking that if I book this I’m going back to Virginia for another quick visit with my family – and some dirt bike riding too.

I wasn’t in the least bit irritated about having to back a second time. I’m glad they thought I was important enough to have on the tape. They could have just said “let’s just keep moving” we have enough other people coming for the rest of the day. I’m thankful for these opportunites I get.

Drops, drops, drops… gotta make it happen. I’m in the car in a neighborhood near you trying to jump-start this career thing. Matter of fact I was on my way to FMW Casting and while cruising through Hancock Park I saw a lemonade stand. I had to stop and buy a glass for 50 cents. I gave the kid a dollar and said “keep the change champ”. I love that entrepreneurial spirit – especially in young people. The lemonade was good too.

There might be something to this; I stopped at a lemonade stand a couple of months ago in Culver City while scoping out condos. Culver City is somewhere I think I’d like to live and definitely Hancock Park is high on my list. I think maybe, subconsciously, I’m telling these people to get used to this face – I might be your neighbor one day. I love Hancock Park; it seems nice and quiet with wide streets yet you are still really close to everything.

I finally have a cell phone again – it was pretty cool not having it – for for about two days – a weekend. When is the last time you used a pay phone? I felt like I was back in New York in ’96. As Al Pacino said in “Scarface” “I reloaded!” I think I bought this phone 2001 – it’s a brick. At least it works.

I get back to LA at 1:30pm and by 4pm I’m at my theatrical agents office letting them “see me” so that they “really” know I’m back. It’s one thing to get an e-mail or phone call or to just go by book out dates, but it another thing to actually show up in 3D. I like to show up in 3D.

I chatted with all 3 of them about my trip and they said it’s definitely picking up so my timing is perfect. Caleigh and I talked about the “Ocean’s Thirteen” gig. She asked me how I got know Casting directors Debra Zane and Tannis Vallely so well. I told her the whole story going back to meeting Tannis on March 25th 2000 at a workshop to “The Terminal” booking and brought her up to date to now.

Well, my trip is almost over. It’s been great, I could really stay another week or 10 days with no problem but I better get back to LA and the big city hustle. Tonight, I went bowling with my niece and nephew, Jeff and my little sister Avis. Avis has Down’s Syndrome and is as special as they come. She is unbelievably funny and just a great spirit. She’s quite the bowler too.

The moment of truth arrives. Todd, Jeff and myself go to a track to just ride today instead of a sanctioned race. I was feeling good, great actually. I think Jeff knew from the beginning that he had nothing for me or Todd. Todd, on the other hand thought he had something for me. I thought otherwise.

After riding for a couple of hours I was actually growing as a rider, riding better than ever. Todd, thinking he was the man, dared me to say I wanted to race him. There was no way I was gonna back down from that challenge. We were both really tired, but agreed to do two quick two-lap races.

In the first race I screamed out into the lead and didn’t look back. I was riding my own race and feeling good. About half-way through I saw that Todd had fallen and I cruised to victory.

In the second race we both came out of the gate about equal with him having a slight lead into the first turn. There were many places on the track where I thought I could make the pass so I wasn’t too worried, but coming around this muddy right hand sweeper turn one of my contact lenses came out. WHAT!? I was trying to “blink it” back into place on my eye – while still trying to make the pass. It wasn’t to be; I eventually slid out and went down while Todd cruised to victory making it one win a piece.

Of course we had to race once more to make it the best of three. Todd won the blast to the first turn with me right on his back tire. Before too long I put a nice move on him for the lead. Then on the second lap I slipped up in the whoops and he got around me. At this point I was licking my chops because I knew I was going own him in this particular left hand turn. BOOM! I put it on him! Money didn’t know what to do! I’m telling ya! I did my thing and represented! Yeah! I was smiling all the way back to the truck. The ride home was nice AND I didn’t have to drive.

WHAT!? Without any warning whatsoever my cell phone decides to stop working – completely. I hadn’t had any problems with it; it just stopped working right in the middle of a call. Is there ever a good time for this to happen? Fortunately, I have a back up phone I can get hooked up, but it's in LA and I'm in Virginia.

Back at the track. Another not so great day for me. I’m started to seriously think that I’m kidding myself about this MX thing. I have fun no matter what, but I’m getting smoked and I KNOW I can ride better than I have been. I went down hard a couple of times and damaged my bike, but I’m okay for the most part. One of my brothers went down hard too. He wrecked right in front of me; luckily I didn’t run him over. All in all it was another great family day with lots of bragging and lots of laughing.

Today I went to a reunion of sorts. It was a get together of some of the guys I grew up with. These were the guys I played football, basketball, stickball, cut grass, threw snowballs at cars, knocked on front doors and ran with, etc. They also introduced me to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Heart, Billy Joel, Earth Wind and Fire, and all types of other stuff. I showed them how a BMX bike could be ridden. They all remembered me jumping over a VW bug on my bicycle in high school.

Funny, I mention that day on Skipper Drive when most of the school knew I was attempting the car-jumping feat. My father wasn’t usually home at the time I’d planned on doing it, but as it turned out it/he was a real blessing in disguise. About 30 people showed up waiting for me to perform the stunt. I was kinda stalling because my dad was home and I thought if he knew I was going to do it he would stop me. Not so much because he thought it was so dangerous (or stupid), but just because….

Anyway, after a while there he was at the front door looking for me to explain why so many people were in front of the house. I reluctantly told him what the deal was and he thought about for a second…………then told me to put on helmet and to be careful. WHAT?! Cool!

I went into the garage and got this old helmet that was about 29 sizes too large for me and strapped it on. I was ready – or so I thought. My public was eagerly waiting. Now this makeshift ramp that was supposed to lift me over this ’74 VW beetle was made of two kitchen chairs and some plywood. High tech huh?

I went to the end of the street, thought about what was about to happen and started pedaling my hardest. I approached the ramp at a high rate of speed and at the last possible moment veered off to the side on a dry run. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I was ready for the real thing.

I went back to the end of the block and approached again – this time for real. I hit the ramp perfectly and everything went into slow motions. I cleared the vehicle with no problem, but my front end started dropping and dropping. It dropped so much that I landed right on my head or rather that old ass helmet my father made me wear.

Ya know, I never had a great relationship with my dad, but he did me a huge favor by making me wear a helmet that day. I could have ended up getting hurt really bad. I know, I know, I should have had a helmet on in the first place. It was back in the day when seat belts weren’t required. Thanks dad. Actually, believe it or not, there is a slim that we may end up seeing each other while I’m home – it’s been 3 years since we’ve spoken.

Back to the reunion; I grew up in the greatest neighborhood ever around some really fantastic people. I’m proud to say that we are all doing well for ourselves and are well adjusted adults. It’s really trip to think about it. We went to school together and had our first jobs together. Wow, time does fly.

My birthday! What a great day – a great couple of days actually. I can’t think of a better place to be than with my family. I’m always surprised that anyone even remembers it, but my friends and family always do and even some people I’ve never met. Thank you so much!

Something really interesting that happened was a special little girl named Taylor interviewed me. She’s the 9 year old daughter of a longtime friend I hadn’t seen in years – actually it was my first time meeting Taylor. She wants to be an actress and an author. I think she is well on her way.

I’ve been interviewed on occasion in the past and one of the times for the local paper at home in Virginia Beach was the worst. The writer made me out to be this desperate, struggling actor who couldn’t get a leg up in the business to save his life. I’ve never been desperate and I cringe when the phrase “struggling actor” is used around me. That doesn’t mean it’s been easy – it hasn’t, but never for a day have I considered myself to be “struggling actor” or “starving artist”.

That interview took place about 4 years ago when I was working on “Good Morning, Miami”. It seemed that the writer already had his slant on my story and he stuck to it. I just read the article again and I wonder who the heck he printed that story on because it sure wasn’t my story. It made me fully understand when the stars want to be able to have final approval before an interview goes to print.

But let me tell you this 9-year old Taylor was gem to work with, she even recorded every time I said “um”. Sharp kid that Taylor. Did I tell you she baked me a birthday cake? Wow! Thanks Taylor!

INTERVIEW WITHSTEPHAN (BRIAN) FULLER!!!!!!!!!!!!! (actor)

Taylor: How Did You Get Your Start in Acting?
Stephan Fuller: Ummm…. I got my start umm… with a local teacher here in virginia beach.

TL: Did You Want To Act Since You We’re A Child?
SF: it wasn’t something that I really thought about, no I wanted to be a racecar driver.

TL: Had You Done Anything Differently In Your Career, What Would It Be?
SF: I’m really happy with my decisions but if anything I would have written more about my time in New York but I’m happy with my decions.

TL: Was There A Certain Actor That Inspired You To Follow Your Dream?
SF: Not particulary. Ummm… I really liked the whole entertainment industry.

TL: What We’re Some Of Your Favorite Actors That You Worked With?
SF: umm… Tom Hanks, Jere Burns, Kelsey Grammar, and Umm…I liked working with Kadeem Hardison.

TL: How Old We’re You When You Started To Really Follow Your Dream?
SF: In my 20’s (does not wish to discuss his age with the press)

Taylor - Author, actress, pastry chef and more.

DAG!!!! It was not a great day at the track. I fell almost every time I rode including practice. I know can ride much better than I did and KNOW that my youngest brother Todd is not that much better than me IF he’s better than me at all. I taught him most of what he knows!! I think I’m underestimating that fact that I don’t get much time on the bike and that I am inexperienced in race conditions. It’s all good though; the important this that I had a great day of laughter and togetherness with my brothers. There’s always next week…. M Me(28) getting ready to stick it to Jeff(511)

DAG!!!! It was not a great day at the track. I fell almost every time I rode including practice. I know can ride much better than I did and KNOW that my youngest brother Todd is not that much better than me IF he’s better than me at all. I taught him most of what he knows!! I think I’m underestimating that fact that I don’t get much time on the bike and that I am inexperienced in race conditions. It’s all good though; the important this that I had a great day of laughter and togetherness with my brothers. There’s always next week….

Finally I get to ride my dirt bike!! Yeah! I had a pretty good day of riding in preparation for tomorrow’s race. I hope I can put it all together. I’m not expecting to win or anything like that, but I need to be able to, at least, be a threat to my two younger brothers. When it comes to riding these bike it’s “No pain, no gain”; I should know that by now.

Last week I attended a “SAG Conversations” event featuring Tracee Ellis Ross of "Girlfriends". It was really cool to listen to her speak about her journey. Funny enough, the script that I have not been spending much time on lately is for her as the lead – at least in my mind. I had never met her before, but after 90 minutes of listening to her speak I really think she’s perfect for it.

The coolest thing about her is that with all of her success you believe that she is really thankful. It’s easy to say you’re thankful, but with her you “feel” that she’s thankful and loves going to work. All the best to you Tracee.

There was another “SAG Conversations” event last week, but I missed it because when it showed up on the schedule I had already bought my ticket home. It was featuring Michael Ealy. Mike and I studied at the same place when we were both new in New York around 1996 or so. We had a circle of friends that we would, of course, talk about the business, the craft, work, etc.

Micheal always struck me as a great guy through and through – grounded, real, passionate and very, very talented. Well, my friend Debbie Campbell attended the event and said that Michael mentioned my name. WHAT?!

The email said:

“I went to see Michael Ealy speak at SAG tonight...are you friends with him? He got to talking about how, in his opinion, life as an actor in NY is 80% craft, 20% business, and how in LA it's 80% business, 20% craft. Then he talked about how he decided to get his business together in NY, and his buddy Stephon helped him out by sharing his marketing strategies and advice.

I figured it had to be you. So I wanted to let you know he gave you some props.”


Yeah, that really surprised me. I mean I did run into him at a play back in the Spring of this year, but I wouldn’t have thought that any advice I’d given him 10 years ago meant all that much. Who knew? I must say that it really made me smile – and shake my head at the same time. Wow, I guess you never know how what you say affects others. Keep doing your thing Michael and Debbie thanks for letting me know!

My cell phone rings and it’s a “310” area code. I don’t recognize the number. Who could it be? It’s the wonderful Debra Zane. Wow, it’s always great to talk to Deb, but this could be really great.

She had just had a production meeting with Steven Soderbergh and wanted to be the first to tell me that I booked a role in “Ocean’s Thirteen” as one of the security technicians. I didn’t ask how many days or where it’s shooting, my agent will tell me that. I do know this – my scene is with Tony Montana from “Scarface” one of my favorite films of all time. YEAH!!!

I don’t even know what to say. The list of people I’ve worked with and the experiences I have had is just crazy – Spielberg, Hanks, Burrows, Pytka, Grammer, the cast of “Friends”, of course casting pros like Debra Zane, Tannis Vallely and Dori Zuckerman and many more. I am so very fortunate.

As I’ve mentioned before this isn’t the first time Steven Soderbergh has hired me; I booked a role in “Ocean’s Twelve’, but the role was cut before shooting. I hope that doesn’t happen this time. At any rate, there are a few really important people in this town who know my name and that is a good thing.

Jet lag is a beast! I’m still in a daze from not getting enough rest. Between running around with the kids and a family road trip to Maryland for an MX race and I am beat. I need to just sleep for a day…yeah right.

It’s actually the evening of June 13th and I am on my way to LAX to get the **** outta dodge. You have no idea how excited I am to be leaving for a month in Virginia Beach. I soooo need this vacation to detox from the pace that I continually run at in Los Angeles. The great thing is that I do “truly” leave and disengage from it all. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about my career at all; I just really appreciate being able to take a month off if I want. It also helps that I love going home to have a great time with my family.

I wasn’t always able to do this and, who knows, I may not be able to do it next year for whatever reason, but I’ll enjoy it while it last. Another great thing is that I am already excited about getting back to Los Angeles to have a great TV season and to continue to move forward in my career and the rest of my life.

I think I'm going through a second puberty. Not that I really remember the first one. Why do I think this you might ask? Well, my voice seems to be changing. I sound as if I'm not feeling well, but I feel great.

This has been going on for about the last 5 weeks. So, I've decided to embrace my new sound instead of fighting it. Huh? I hope my face I doesn't start breaking out more than usual.

There is another reason I think I'm growing up. hmmm......how do I explain this? Well it went a little like this.

INT. - THE GYM/LOCKER ROOM - MORNING

Men of all ages, ethnicities and physical conditions mill around in various stages of dress and undress. As the camera pushes through the levels of testosterone, it settles on a pair of flip-flops and slowly rises to the small calves of young black male; this is Stephon.

As the camera continues to rise; it the frame widens and we see that this muth*fu** is butt naked. WHAT!? Yeah, he’s wearing nothing but flip-flops, a silver chain, wire-rimmed glasses and quite the pensive look on his face. Is he trying to scare folks? Geez!

Another angle catches Stephon's right hand by his side; camera follows as the hand moves up near his face and a number "100" comes into view. Camera widens to reveal this skinny ass, butt naked black man is standing on a scale.

CUT TO:

A thumb and index finger sliding a weight to the right....35, 36, 37, 38....39...........40 What!!!

Stephon: Oh Sh*t! I gained a pound!

Pregnant looking man with plenty of pounds to spare walks by and responds.

Man: I got plenty; you want some of this?

Stephon: Nah, I'm good. Thanks. (to self) Cool, I’m back to 140!

So there you have it; I gained a pound. Imagine that. I can't believe that my youngest brother weighs 15 more pounds than me! Maybe one day I’ll get back to my high school graduation weight of around 145-150…..maybe not. Maybe I should shut up and be happy that I can eat whatever I want…whenever I want and however much of it I want. Yeah, I’ll take that.

Oh yeah, my face is totally breaking out.

Audition: "Lincoln Mercury" @ TLC/Booth Casting. Ya know I love to audition @ this office. I’ve booked here twice before and they were both Joe Pytka directed spots. That is always encouraging. Last year I lost a week of my vacation for a last minute booking and I am more than willing to do it again.

The audition went well, I think I understood how it is going to be shot and acted accordingly. Hopefully I didn’t “over think it” though.

You ever see anyone at an audition for a job that you ended up booking and you see that person again and you don’t want to say that you book it? Well, I ran into my friend Denver Dowridge at the “Lincoln-Mercury” audition today. We were also at the “Monk” audition together. Since we are often mistaken for each other I assumed we were reading for the same part. Well, I found out today that we BOTH booked roles in the episode! Different roles, different days. That really put a smile on both of our faces.

On a completely different topic; this doesn’t put a smile on my face. It’s official; I think “SAG at AFTRA rates” sucks. Matter of fact, I think AFTRA sucks. Correct me if I’m wrong, but they seem to be working against getting us actors the best rates. I also reserve the right to change my mind about this at anytime. I don’t know, having two guilds representing the same group of actors doesn’t serve us all that well and as a result we get “SAG at AFTRA rates”. It is horrible.

Today I realized how important a decision I made years ago was. Very early on in my journey I decided to go after what I wanted; I mean really go after it. By that I meant top productions and the people involved. I figured, “why not?” I might actually get some roles.

When I first moved to Los Angeles my focus was television and commercials. Not just any television shows; but what I call the “blue-chip” shows: “ER”, “CSI”, “Friends”, Everybody Loves Raymond”, Judging Amy”, “NYPD Blue”, “Frasier”, etc. The shows they had been around or were going to be around in syndication for years to come. As an actor trying to make a living, residual income is of vital importance.

Commercially, I went after the busiest casting directors who cast for the top level directors. In 2003 I consciously added film to my target list. Not just any category of film; I went after the big studio films. None of this means that I turned down or didn’t pursue other stuff; of course I did. I’ve worked on all kinds of projects, for pay and no pay, with dialogue and no dialogue, names and no names. I just knew where I wanted my priorities to be.

The reason is because I wanted to be able to make a living and work with the best. As a result I’ve been fortunate to work some of the premiere talent in the industry: Joe Pytka, Andy Ackerman, James Burrows, David Kohan, Max Mutchnick, Terry George, Kevin Bright, Bonnie Hunt, Arlene Sanford and of course Debra Zane, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg and many, many others.

What am I getting at? Even I’m confused at this point. The bottom line is that I am really; really glad that I was very specific in the type projects I worked on in the beginning. Why do I say that? Because the “SAG at AFTRA” terms contract that UPN works under is a terrible thing for actors. Did I say it’s a terrible thing for actors? In short, it sucks. Almost everything I’ve worked on in TV has been on ABC, CBS NBC or Fox and some cable. The big network residual pay scale is much, much, much better than UPN’s “SAG at AFTRA” terms garbage. Hopefully, I’m wrong, but I assume that the new CW Network will be working under the same crappy contract.

The difference is this. If the majority of the work I have booked over the years would have been on UPN I would definitely still be putting theft tags on ladies underwear at Old Navy/Beverly Connection @ 4am or better yet, still waiting tables at The Hollywood Standard asking hotties if “fries comes with that shake”. There is THAT much of a difference in the residuals.

Last Fall I did a guest star on UPN’s “Love, Inc.”. I had a great time working on the show and was thrilled to get the guest starring credit. It originally aired in December and aired again in the same time slot in March. Here’s the really depressing part: My residual payment for the first re-run was roughly 10% of my original rate. I found it hard to believe that AFTRA sold us out and undercut SAG that bad. I could be wrong still because everytime I call SAG I get a different answer. Until I find out otherwise I am angry about this. If this would have been on NBC, ABC, CBS or Fox I would have gotten my full fee for a re-run in that time slot.

Don’t get me wrong I understand that UPN is not a huge network like the big four, but 10% on a first re-airing is just wrong. So where do I go from here? First, I leave town and get a nice break from it all. Then I return with a vengeance and focus on what I’ve been focusing on for years. It has served me well in the past and it should continue; I just didn’t know how instrumental that decision was when I made it. I’ll still audition for AFTRA shows if they come up, but I won’t be pursuing them like I’ll pursue full SAG productions.

I didn’t think anything could be worse than the DVD pay rate, but “SAG at AFTRA Terms” is much worse in my opinion. Here is an example of DVD payment situation I saw on a website sometime ago.

=============================================================

Thank you SOOO much for your recent email. I have tried till I'm blue
in the face to explain what happened to me on the movie Seabiscuit,
Which you referenced in your email? [Note: we pointed out that the
Writer and director of Seabiscuit each made $650,000 from DVD sales.]

Please feel free to share this information in ANY of your materials as it
will further breakdown HOW LITTLE will show up in the actors'
pockets and how MILLIONS of dollars will be lost in the future.

A few key points on Seabiscuit and another movie I worked on,
Catch Me If You Can.

Seabiscuit - pay rate for me: 1 day, Scale plus 10%. "Take it or
leave it." Sound familiar? I took it. THINKING, great book, big
movie, big budget, RESIDUALS - WRONG!!!!

The movie grossed over 200 million at the box office, then went on
to become the #20 Top Selling DVD of ALL TIME at 6.6 MILLION
UNITS. But I had to split the 12 CENTS that actors got for each of
those 6.6 MILLION UNITS with 90 other speaking roles!

Net pay for me for one day: $538.00
Residuals: $458.00 - And that's for EVERYTHING - DVD, Cable, Pay TV.

Films of this size are skipping cable and syndication and cutting right to
cheap, mass-produced DVD's which offer PURE PROFIT.

Now I will use Catch Me If You Can as my other example:

2 days at $800 (my quote at the time - you'll see why fighting for your quote
is worth the risk of losing the job.) [Note: this is also a good example of
why the proposed 3% increase in minimums is meaningless.]

My residuals for Catch Me If You Can: $5,200. Almost 3 times my initial
salary. Same 200 Million at the box office - BUT - not anywhere near the
DVD sales of Seabiscuit. BUT - A LOT of HBO, Cable and Pay-Per-View.

The DVD issue is worth sending these guys back to the table. Any penny
above what we have now is worth MILLIONS in the long run. The STARS have to come out on this since they have even more to lose than we do. They came out late in the Commercial Strike - I say - bring them out now.

I will send your email to all my friends with that thought in mind that
ANYTHING we get above NOTHING now is worth the good fight. WE MUST NOT be
fed this b.s. from up top. They misjudged us when they tried to sell us on the merger and on the dues raise. I think they're doing that here, too.

Yours in Brotherhood,

[Name deleted at writer's request.]

Please vote NO.

=================================================================

Audition: "Ocean's Thirteen" @ Debra Zane Casting. Yes! This audition goes really well. The material is not being released so we were asked to arrive early and look over sides. Debra & Tannis always do their best to make us actors comfortable. I think, in total, I was auditioning for about 6 parts and hopefully I will get one. That would be a nice call to get while I’m out of town.

Oh no! I mean, Oh yeah! I mean.....My cell phone is ringing and it’s the familiar ringtone of my theatrical agent. I wonder what it's for. I'm leaving town soon and would love to make a clean get away without too many complications. I have to be careful about that way of thinking because last year at this time I booked an "IBM" spot at the very last minute before leaving for a month. It ran really well and I made good money on it. I considered not even auditioning for it, briefly; really briefly.

YES!! It's Caleigh with the appointment I wanted before leaving town.

This morning my friend, Denice, called with free tickets to a one woman show this evening at The Kirk Douglas Theatre. Well, by the time I got back to her it was too late to get on the list. BUT one of the other people who confirmed wasn't able to make it. The kicker was that I had to pick-up the ticket in the name of the person who wasn't there.

So I meet Denice in front of the theatre and she gives me the name of the person. This is where it got a little tricky. The name of the other person was a very Latin sounded surname. Well, I don't look very Latin. So...let the games begin.

EXT - CULVER CITY - EARLY EVENING

Stephon Fuller, 30's, African American, slight in stature is gathering his thoughts. He takes 10 seconds to prep, trying to get a name that isn't his to roll off of his tongue. After a beat he approaches the window.

Stephon: (The name has been changed slightly.) Hi, Ortega; Mike Ortega. I should have a ticket for pick-up.

Clerk: As he begins to look on the shelf. Ortega.

Stephon: Yeah, Mike Ortega.

Clerk: He looks at me kinda funny ....hmm, do you have ID on you?

Stephon: Ah no, I left it in the car.

Clerk: He starts looking again. How do you spell it?

Stephon: I'm starting to sweat bullets at this point. I wasn't sure how to spell it(again, the actual name has been changed). Looking into the glass I could see Denice's reflection behind me, but of course I couldn't ask her how to spell "my" last name. O-R; it could be under "Mike".

Clerk: Oh, there it is.

Stephon: Cool. Yeah, that happens all the time. (cough, cough) It could have been me though, my voice is kinda hoarse. Thanks.

Clerk: Enjoy the show.

I quickly made my way over to Denice and we slipped inside. We laughed and she said.

Denice: You deserve an Oscar for that performance.

Stephon: OMG! I thought I was so busted!

Denice: He didn't even ask me for ID.

Stephon: Well, things are different for women like you. I don't get the perks that you get. We are in Hollywood afterall.

Speaking of Denice, outside of being an outstanding actress she is also a professional organizer. So if you have a mess that you can't seem to straighten out she might be able to help. It's called Goddess Organizing with Denice Sealy if you get a chance check her out.

Oh yeah, the show was great and the space was beautiful. Makes me want to get back on stage.

...hmm...what to do...what to do? Here is my dilemma. I know Debra Zane is casting "Ocean's Thirteen" and of course, I'd like to audition. I have great reason to believe Debra & Tannis will call me in if I'm right for anything, but I'm a hustler at heart, so hustle I must.

Part of my dilemma is that I'm leaving town soon and would hate to possibly miss the call......if they call me at all. So maybe I'm sorta nudging things a bit…at least in my mind. Debra cast me in "The Terminal" and "Ocean's Twelve", but my scene in "O12" was cut before I got a chance to shoot it; so I'm back with a vengeance. Maybe Mr. Soderbergh will give me another shot.

....what to do...what to do...

Well, this wouldn't hurt. My newest agent, Caleigh, isn't aware of my relationship with Debra & Tannis. This would be a perfect time to fill her in.

I didn’t call to ask her to "put in a call". Matter of fact I didn't want her to; I really just wanted to bring her up to speed and complete the equation of what my connection was with this particular casting office.

The conversation with Caleigh went great as I filled her in with the details. I mean it's not a big deal, but it's more significant than the relationship I have with most casting offices in town. She agreed to not call on my behalf, but we’d give it time and then figure out what the next step would be.

tick tick tick tick - time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.

After talking to her and hearing her enthusiasm for making it happen I didn't want her to "not" call the casting office if she thought that was the best way to go about it; she is the agent afterall. I also didn't want her to call to "pitch me" per se because, I don't know, it would be just weird because I know them so well. At that point I said "there you have it; do whatever you think will work". She said "okay, I'll call and let you know what comes of it, if anything. I said, "Cool, sounds great."

A couple of hours later she e-mailed me back with an update; which was great, funny news. Not an appointment, but great, funny news nonetheless. So there isn't much more I can do at this point, we'll see what happens...or not.

Shooting: “Monk” on location in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. Today is my second and final day on the show. Again I arrive at basecamp and the usual “hurry and wait” thing was nowhere to be found. I barely had time to get into wardrobe and make-up before the van was ready to take us to set. No complaints; I’m just used to sitting around passing lots of time on set. So anyway, my scene partner, Craig Patton, and I were surprised with all the coverage they were doing on us. I’m sure it’ll be a flash when it airs, or “if” it even makes the final cut, but one can hope. The house we were shooting in was amazing; not really, really huge but beautiful…and with a nice sized yard. Between shots Craig and I got a chance to chat with the director, Mike Listo, who has been working non-stop for months straight producing and directing television. Mike is also a producer/director on “Boston Legal”. Matter-of-fact he noticed on Craig’s resume at the audition that he had worked on “Boston Legal”. So I guess it’s true that they do read resumes; at least in some cases. After 4 or 5 hours we were wrapped and done for the night. This was another great work experience and I am thrilled that I finally booked “Monk” on my 6th attempt. I guess that means NEXT! Me and my scene partner Craig Patton working on set on "Monk"