Back in the saddle as a reader for "Privileged" @ Cathy Henderson-Martin Casting. It's always interesting and today was no exception. These were final callbacks; the director had seen some of the actors before and others only on tape. There was a lot talent in the room.

One of the most interesting things was the actor that had a tremendous amount of white space on his resume. Actually, he only had one credit. Seriously; one, single credit. That one credit is the lead in a yet to be released film. The director of this film is a known actor and this is his feature film directorial debut. The agency this actor is repped by is.............ICM. Yup, the kid is with ICM with only one professional credit. Simply amazing.....or is it? I don't think it's all that amazing, but it is rare.

Did he get the film and then land at ICM or was it the other way around? I’m sure the film was shot about a year ago, but there isn’t any more credits listed from that time to now. Who knows? It’s one of the things I love about this business; you just never know.

I read with the young actor last week, but this was his first time with the director. The buzz from his one professional credit preceded him in the room. It was amazing to watch as it all went down.

I passed the Xeroxed headshot (with the single credit on the back) to the director and Cathy relayed the buzz and informed the director that she could get a copy of the film. The actor read and he was really solid again; I don’t think he’s perfect for the role though.

There were only two roles being cast today and the actress who is playing the girlfriend of one of them was there. I guess she'll have an opinion on who gets the role of her boyfriend. I know who I think is the right guy for the role, but of course what I think doesn't matter.

I don't think I've ever seen so many actors take complete control of the room. The guys owned their performances today. By contrast there was another actor who just wasn’t having a great day. He didn’t feel like he was “getting it” although I think he was right for the role; which sometimes is more important. He came back like 20 minutes after his audition and asked to read again; he was allowed to.

Oh yeah, when I showed up this morning Cathy let me know that she pitched me for one of the leads in the film. I thanked her, but I didn’t feel I was right for it and way too old. It interesting that I could be seen as that young though – wow. So just a bit later when the director arrived he said the same thing. I thanked him for thinking of me and assured him that I my position was the reader and if anything else came out of it – great. I was building a relationship and learning; not trying to get a particular job – besides, I had already been offered a role in the film.

Anyway, when the day was almost over the director wanted me to read for this other, larger role. We had one more actor to read and then it was to be me. Let’s not forget that I’d been reading opposite this role for days as the reader. I had to unwind all that and sneak out to prepare. I came back in and read and felt great about it – wrong, but great. The director said the same thing and asked for my direct contact information; so I gave him a headshot and resume and a business card.
So I guess that’s it for this project until I go to work on it next month – that means I’ll have to pay my SAG dues before Christmas vacation.

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

Audition: “Kellogg’s Raisin Bran” @ Kathy Knowles. I get to this appointment about 3 hours early in Santa Monica so I can make it to Burbank on time to be a reader. I don’t usually like to be in the first group when being put on tape, but today I was and I was in with two other fun guys. I was the third actor there and I saw that the spot had 3 guys so when they walked in I asked them if they wanted to read it together. They did and we clicked immediately.

This is a big campaign. The contract is for up to 6 spots at scale during the first 21 months and 6 more spots at an overscale rate for the second 21 month period. Whoa! Wouldn’t I love to be a part of this.

The actual audition went great! I am so excited, not only because this went well, but a lot have gone well lately. I haven’t booked much, but that will come in due time.

So I make my way over to Burbank with a little time to spare and as soon as I arrived my print agent calls with an appointment for this afternoon. They wanted couples, so I called someone I’ve clicked with at workshops. Fortunately, she was able to make it last minute.

The reader session is usually a great real world workout. Today was no exception. I saw some really talented people for these callbacks. It’s interesting when you see an actor that literally only has two credits and they are repped by Innovative, ICM or UTA. How does that happen? They are a zillion ways it can happen. Young and pretty is one of them. Let me tell you some of these youngsters are really talented, serious artists.

I love to watch these actors break “the rules” – you know the things that “they” say you cannot do. Another thing it shows me is that I am on the right track, doing the right thing. Sometimes the right thing is poising yourself for the next step and the next set of strategies. Things are good for me.

The really cool thing is knowing, absolutely, without exception that I am seeing the next Hilary Swank, Derek Luke, Leonardo DiCaprio, in these sessions right now. I guarantee you that some of these actors I am reading today will be stars in five years.

Afterwards I went to the print go-see with my friend and it went great! They probably thought we were really a couple; we had a ball on camera.

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

So I get an e-mail from Casting Director Cathy Henderson checking to see if I can be a reader for the film she is casting tomorrow. Of course I’ll do it. I tell her I’m available, but it’s been pretty quiet lately audition-wise, which means things are going to pick up; I just don’t know when.

Of course, two hours later, my commercial agent calls with an appointment right in the middle of when I am supposed to be reading actors. I call back and check time frames for the audition and I think I can do both.

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

AHH! I'm so pissed. Well, maybe irritated is more accurate - really irritated. I received my SAG dues statement in the mail today. My dues for this 6-month period are $469. This wasn't unexpected; I had the same irritation 6-months ago.

The thing is that SAG wants (and gets) 1.85% of every dollar I make up to $200,000 and between $200,001 and $500,000 they want another .50%. That extra .50% really gets me. Not really because I’ve never made over $200,000, but when I do I’ll know I’m getting off easy. Why do I say that? Well, because my dues for the year are $938 and Julia, Tom, Brad, Reese, Denzel, Leonardo, are only $5,300. Wow. Talk about unbalanced. I am not saying that the big stars should pay 1.85% on every dollar, but the current percentages are really out of wack in my opinion.

Oh yeah and SAG has a dues increase proposal on the horizon. Supposedly, it’s mostly to keep ahead of “new technologies” which is very important. I don’t have a problem with the increase they are asking for if it’s truly to help SAG get out from behind the curve and be more aggressive and forward thinking. These contract negotiations are so very important to our futures.

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

If you don't blink you might catch me on "Criminal Minds" tonight @ 9pm on CBS.

What a great surprise!! My little brother, Todd, who lives in Virginia Beach, is coming out to Los Angeles on business for an entire week! It's around the same time my older brother, Thomas, who lives in Prague, Czech Republic will be visiting Virginia Beach. I was hoping to get back there to meet Thomas' daughter, my almost one year-old niece, Nikita.


Nikita F - hiding out in Prague...for now.

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

Print go-see: “Microsoft Windows” @ Paula Van Norden Casting. This go-see felt like a commercial audition; it went great. I would love to book one of these one day...I will...I have, but it's been a while.

Auditon: “Jack-in-the-Box” @ Alyson Horn Casting. This goes really well and I think I’m perfect it. I’ve booked through Alyson in the past and have gotten close numerous other times. Callbacks are Friday.

Audition/Pilot: “The Minister of Divine” @ Susan Edelman Casting. This is a series regular role. I felt great about this one too. I don’t go in on series regular roles that often, but I wasn’t nervous. I did have to work on getting out of the “movin’ the story along” mindset of the smaller co-star roles. This character is one of the stars of the show so I was able to take my time a bit with the dialogue.

It’s funny because I’ve worked with, Suzanne Martin, the creator of this pilot during pilot season ’05. She created and executive produced “Hot Properties” and I was in the pilot, but that credit was removed from my resume when I revamped it several weeks ago. But you better believe I put the credit back on for this particular audition. Sure enough, Susan saw it and asked about it.

She also asked where I was from and I told her Virginia Beach and that I moved to LA from New York. She asked what I did in New York and I told her a little film, a little TV, a lot of background, several commercials, a little stage and I waiting on A LOT of tables at the Harley-Davidson Café. She saw my eyes light up when I spoke of my old job waiting tables and really wanted to hear more. I don’t think she’d ever heard an actor speak so highly about being a waiter. She wanted to know why it was such a great experience and you better believe I told her. I went on and on about the Harley-Davidson Café. She was very surprised to say the least.

I read the scene once, thanked her and left. So we’ll see what happens…hopefully something.

Afterwards I returned a call to my agent, Erin, about the offer from casting director Cathy Henderson for the film “Privileged”. She gave me the run-down of what Cathy said, told me the scene is with Tatyana Ali and asked if I was interested in doing it. Oh, and this was the best part. She said, “Cathy, said she would consider it a favor if I’d do it.” “Sure, I’ll do it” I replied. So that’s a booking, they are sending a script and I work on December 22nd.

I did a bunch of running around today inquiring about advertising for my new consulting venture. It’s weird because I’m having to pitch myself to total strangers. The really cool thing is that I’m totally confidant in what I have to offer; which is a great feeling. I would think it’s like what a Honda salesperson must feel like – totally confident.

I just think what I offer is more unique than most of what’s out there because I’m a working actor that is currently in the game on a daily basis. Most that are teaching about the business don’t have that same perspective – I don’t think. Anyway, I should probably start getting on some panels around town to speak and get the word out.

Dag! I passed on another co-star audition on a show I really wanna get on. My agents and I are trying to get more guest-star and series regular appointments. There was an extra twist in this particular situation that made me decline because I might have gone in on it, but I felt it was more important to sit this one out. It’s always hard to turn down an appointment because I would rather be auditioning or on set than not. It’s also important know when to rely on the advice of the agents that I have hired to work for my company; they help to “save me from myself”.

Reader: “Privileged” @ Cathy Henderson Casting. I read 35-40 actors today; women and men, mostly adults. I’ve read hundreds, if not a thousand actors over the years, and I always see something new. What I saw today amazed me. I kid you not; it’s very interesting how these productions come together.

I read actors from ICM and down to actors that had no representation at all. There were some higher profile people who came in for meetings that don’t actually read for all projects. Surprisingly enough, some of them who were only scheduled for meetings, volunteered to read.

Shooting "Michelin" @ Hayvenhurst Studios, Van Nuys, CA. My call this morning was a very casual 10:30am; which was nice, but even if the call was 4:30am I would've been there with a smile.

So arrived, checked in, got settled and, of course, found the craft services table. Gotta get my junk food fix. After a while it's into wardrobe for client/ad agency/director approvals; then it's "hurry up a wait".

Soon enough, our contracts were presented to me and the other two engineers in the commercial. Ooops…There is an issue on the contract. The “Dealer A” box is checked, but it doesn’t say “National Network” anywhere. It doesn’t usually say “National Network” on the contract, so that didn’t concern me, but it did concern me a bit that “Dealer A” was checked.

My agent, Alicia, explicitly told me what the booking was: National network and cable - intended use; new media to be negotiated (written in the ‘special provisions’ area of the contract); internet, if used to be paid at scale.

Now, in reality, it doesn’t mean much when we actors are told that a commercial audition is for national network, cable, regional, seasonal, foreign use, etc. Why? Because it’s all “intended use”. In the end, they can run it however they see fit – and that goes both ways. After booking my “IBM” last year as a national network spot they added an internet spot to shoot two days later. It paid triple scale and shot on a Saturday which is double pay – I made a lot of money for 2 ½ hours of work.

When I called the ad agency to find out when it would run I was told that it would not be running on network, just cable. In the end, not only did it run a lot on network, it also ran in a whole bunch of foreign territories – THAT was a very nice surprise of a check. I was told that they ended up using it on network because their next campaign was behind schedule. So you never know how it’s gonna turn out.

Anyway, me and the other two actors were on the phone to our agents to figure out what to do. Alicia, was unavailable, so my other agent, Brooke, was right there to help. I told Brooke what Alicia said at the time of booking and what I was going to write on the contract. I did that and faxed it to her from the studio and she approved.

This part was a little funny. After I got off the phone with Brooke I went to the production office to turn in my contract. My fellow actors in the spot were already there. They were talking to the 2nd AD who was handling the paperwork and “another gentleman”. I didn’t know who the “other gentleman” was. Mind you, out of the three actors, I was the youngest looking and probably, based on appearance, the least likely to understand the contract – judging by the cool a** hat I was wearing and phat a** phone I was carrying – no Bluetooth earpiece though, I ain’t THAT cool.

I just remember the 2nd AD saying something to me and me responding “No, I’m going to put what my agent told me to put. I’ve written in the special provisions section “new media to be negotiated”.

Complete silence followed......I could feel everyone looking at me.

Then the “other gentleman” said “that’s the internet”. I said, very firmly while looking him directly in the eye, “No, it’s not. The internet is not the same as ‘new media’. The internet already has recognized jurisdiction, ‘new media’ does not. “New media is webisodes, mobisodes, things playing on ipod’s, etc. That is not the internet, the internet scale rate is, I believe, $1,500 for 1 year, ‘new media’ doesn’t have a scale rate as of yet.

“New media” is covered in the new two-year extension to the commercial contract going into effect at the end of the month, but it still won’t have a scale rate. That is up to our agents to get us the best deal they can get.

I later found out that gentleman was the person listed as “producer” on the contract. He is the Senior VP/Executive Producer for the advertising agency. Ooops!!

Not Ooops, I was very respectful, just firm. I knew what I was talking about. Then the other two actors had more questions about it and added the same to their contracts. I ended having a great conversation about the advertising business with the Senior VP.

Since I didn’t get in front of the cameras until after 4pm I couldn’t help but think “I could have been at Warner Bros. shooting “Ocean’s Thirteen” and chillin’ with Al Pacino”, LOL!!! Just kidding. No, of course that crossed my mind. Would you believe me if I said I never thought about it – trust me, I’ll continue to think about it, just like I think about “Ocean’s Twelve”. It doesn’t have a negative effect on me though.

The shoot went great. The director, Cris Blyth, was wonderful to work with and I had long conversations with the art director and copywriter of the spot. They were very open with their part of the process which I am fascinated by.

The spot has a tremendous amount of special effects and isn’t scheduled to run until mid-February. For some reason I have a really good feeling about this one. I’m not sure why, it just seems that all of the elements are there for it to be one those really good ones.

Gustova Rex, Ajay Mehta and myself.

Getting ready for some green screen shooting.

Well, my work is done. Now, I would love to book more spots before this one airs.

Audition: “Two and a Half Men” @ Valko/Miller Casting. I went in for two different co-star roles and felt good about both of them. Ooops, that's not totally true, there was one thing I wanted to ask about before I read, but I forgot. Ya know when you get sides that have a bunch of stuff crossed out and your character is sprinkled throughout the scene? I've been tripped up by that in the past, but this time I paid close attention to the drops and pick-ups, but there was one line that wasn't crossed out; I wasn’t sure if the reading was to read it or not. When that line came up I waited a beat before responding and it came off kinda funny.

In my experience with this office they usually give callbacks in the room. I didn't get a callback, but I didn't get a sense that anybody else got one either. My understanding of the casting process is pretty keen. So maybe it's not next week's episode or they are a little ahead in the casting process. It doesn't really matter, if I get a callback I'm sure I'll hear about it.

Shortly after I left that audition my commercial agent called with an appointment for this afternoon - gotta love the same day calls.

Audition: "Wal-Mart" @ Barbara Divisek Casting. This is a holiday spot and it goes well. Callbacks are tomorrow; hopefully I'll get one.

This "Ocean's Thirteen" thing keeps getting cooler and cooler. When my scene was cut from "Ocean's Twelve" I left myself on IMDB until they removed it. This time, for "Ocean's Thirteen"; I wanted to remove it myself. I think that is a sign of growth. The role is no longer mine; it belongs to Paul Walia and I look forward to seeing his name listed.

Okay, to the supercool part. When I was navigating through the menus of the imdb site to delete the credit; there was a box where I had to explain why I was deleting the credit. Without thinking I wrote, "I had to back out because of scheduling conflicts". Right then, at that very moment, it resonated with me. "scheduling conflicts" are you kidding me!? I LOVE that! I've seen that very phrase in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter for years. Wow, Stephon Fuller pulled out of a studio film because of scheduling conflicts. I won't make it a habit, but it sure sounds interesting. I think this "rite of passage" and "earning my stripes" thing is very real.

Reader: “Privileged” @ Cathy Henderson-Martin Casting.

As I’ve said in the past being a reader is an unbelievably, eye-opening experience. I had a lot of fun reading today for casting director Cathy Henderson. Most of the actor were late teens to early 20’s. Many of them were represented by agents and managers in the upper echelon of the business: ICM, Gersh, Innovative, Brillstein/Grey, APA, etc. It was quite obvious why some of them had the representation that they did, others not so obvious. Not that any were really bad, just inexperienced. It’s amazing how few credits some of them have, but others have been working for a long time.

After about two hours there I was offered a small part in the film; which I said yes to. Later I thought I might have made a mistake, thinking maybe it wasn’t the right decision…hmm. Not to worry. It’s a young director who will do more in the future I’m sure.

After leaving the casting office I stopped by KSA and talked with my commercial and print agents and filled them in on my consulting plan. They were very supportive and excited for me. I’m excited too. I made some phone calls inquiring about studio rental in New York; so I am trying to make things happen.

STEPHON FULLER launches consulting firm!

How well do you know "The Business of the Acting Business"?

Working actor, Stephon Fuller, is now available for group consultations.

Are you working hard enough?
More importantly, are you working smart enough?
How to use casting director workshops?
What about drop-offs?
Are you targeting the right shows?
Who has the power in your career?
What are your expectations - realistically?
What about the 90%/10% theory?
Are you "really" putting it out there to give yourself a fair chance?
Are you kidding yourself?

Learn from someone who is currently working, making a living in the acting business. Speak to someone who truly understands what an actor experiences on a daily basis. Learn alternative methods to build a solid foundation for your career.

The first seminar in Los Angeles will be Sunday, October 22nd, 11am-2pm - $100 per person.

Also - Attention New York actors planning to move to Los Angeles. Get current insight on what to expect in the LA market. Don't spend 2 or 3 years figuring it out? A workshop for New York actors planning to move to the LA market is in the planning stages. Let me know if you're interested. Please pass this onto any actors you think it may be useful for in any market.

Audition: "Lincoln" @ Sheila Manning Casting. Another same-day call; I seem to be getting more and more of those. Cool, no complaints from me. I'm just glad I have such flexibilty with being able to be totally available. Afterall, this IS what I moved here for.

The audition went great! It was four different holiday spots that we were reading for and I felt great about all of them. The session runner was the same gentleman who ran the initial audition and callback for the “Michelin” spot. He was happy for me that they actually booked me.

This “O13” plot keeps getting thicker. Well not really thicker; “better” might be a more accurate term. Remember yesterday when I mentioned that I read a post on Backstage.com that another actor had his availability checked for what I thought to be my role in “O13”? Part of his post about a certain agent included:

“In fact I just got a call this morning from them checking my availability for Ocean's 13 next week.”

I responded to the post “good luck with “O13” – and I meant it sincerely, I had already pulled out. I had no reason to beieve that this actor had any idea who I was.

Well, this afternon I get an email from him saying that he’d been reading my blog for a LONG time. What? Yeah, he also auditioned for the role I got in “The Terminal”. WHAT? This is too crazy. He knew he didn’t get the “O13” job back in June because he read in my blog that I got it. He was disappointed, but happy for me – even though we didn’t know each other.

Anyway, he wrote because he felt guilty because it was my job to begin with and now he’s been booked on it because of my situation. His name is Paul Walia and fortunately he included his phone number in the e-mail. I decided to give him a call.

He really thought I was having a hard time dealing with it, but I quickly cleared that up. I mean sure, it wasn’t so great two days ago, but once I stepped back I knew someone else was going to get a great phone call – that made me smile.

I demanded that he shed no tears for me. There are many other ”O12” and “O13”’s out there for me – I know it. I didn’t even start focusing on studio films until 2003 and since then I’ve booked 3 of them – there are many, many more in my future. I really believe the “rite of passage” and “earning my stripes” angle. I said to Paul “enjoy it, man. Have fun!”, afterall we’ll both be working at the same time. Paul Walia is a great guy and I trust that he’s going to make the most of this opportunity.

Later I stopped by to see my agent Caleigh so I could give her a hug after all of this “stuff”. She felt much better after she talked to Debra herself. Deb assured her that my status in her office is not in danger in any way, shape or form. The dynamic was a little odd because I chose to handle it myself with the casting office where typically the agent would have handled it and informed the actor. I HAD to step up to the plate on this and be very hands on to ease my mind. I can’t think of another office where I would have done the same, this was a very unique situation.

When I think about it, it kinda makes sense that I was very hands on because when I got the booking Debra called me directly on my cell phone with it. She said, “Stephon, I don’t have very many numbers in my cell phone, but I have yours and I want you to be the first to know that you booked “Ocean’s Thirteen”!! And you have a scene with Al Pacino”. THAT was personal service, so I think it’s full circle that I acted in the same manner. We actors have to “drive the car versus being driven”. I’m a driver.

OMG!! I slept HORRIBLY most of the night. I tossed and turned until about 5:37 am when I woke up and got on the internet to double check exactly who it was who called me from production. I had a bright idea. So bright that I got back in the bed and slept like a baby until 9:14 am. I had a dream that I was on a movie set. Not just any movie set, but the set of “OCEAN’S FREAKIN’ THIRTEEN!!” I even had a wardrobe fitting. I woke up with a smile on my face thinking it had all worked itself out. Well, after being up for about 45 minutes I figured out that I wasn’t in a makeup chair with some hot female all up in my grill making sure I was camera ready. It was just a dream, actually I was sitting at my desk in the same great predicament I was in last night.

Yes, I said “great predicament” and I mean it too. No matter what happens, this is a beautiful thing. I look at it as a “rite of passage” or “the earning of my stripes”; meaning that if you work enough in this town this WILL eventually happen. You WILL find yourself in situations like this. It WILL suck and you WILL move on. So maybe “I have arrived” and this is a gateway to bigger and better things. So, what to do, what to do.

I’m out. Yeah, I’m out. I’m stepping down. Peace, I’ll catch you next time. Release it. I would say “I can’t believe I’m pulling out of this film”, but you know what? “I CAN believe I’m pulling out of this film” and it’s okay – I think. I need to be very hands on with this one – I think. I’m gonna drive my narrow tail to Debra Zane’s office and do it myself, in person – I think. Unless my friend Jon “saves me from myself”. He lives on the way to the office – I think.

10:22am:

I arrive at Jon’s place and tell him what my plan is. He’s like “whoa, whoa, whoa”. I then bring him up to speed with what has gone on in my head and he’s pretty much in agreement. As I’m leaving his house I tell him for some reason I don’t think Deb and Tannis are in the office today so I don’t really know where I’m going and he says “why don’t you just call instead of driving over? Especially if you don’t think they’re there?” “Good question”, I reply. I pondered for a moment and replied, “because I’m a ‘get out there in it kinda guy’.

“Yeah, sometimes picking up the phone is just too easy. I like being out in the field and actually living it”. I said, “the whole reason we are even having this conversation is because I’d rather be out in it than just pick up the phone. That’s how I got “The Terminal” in the first place which has lead to “O12” and “O13”. Jon nodded in agreement; we’ve known each for more than 20 years. I got “The Terminal” from walking to Deb’s office and dropping of my headshot – through the slot in the door. With that, I was on my way.

11:02am:

I’m about a mile from Deb’s office and my cell phone rings; it’s the ‘619’ area code. What? 619? I answer and it’s wardrobe from the “Michelin” spot asking me to bring a couple of things to my fitting this afternoon. What fitting??? I TOTALLY forgot that I have a fitting this afternoon in Santa Monica. I don’t usually forget things I’m getting paid for, but this slipped completely off my radar. My heart is beating a mile a minute because I didn’t know what else I might have forgotten. When I got the “O13” call yesterday I was in the middle of putting together advertising materials for my new consulting endeavor and that just went completely went out the window – I had some momentum going too. I actually had a meeting last week with the owner of TVI Studios – don’t know where that will go, if anywhere.

Anyway, I was reminded that I’m being paid to try on clothes this afternoon – good, no great! For the second time in 24 hours I find myself in Debra Zane’s parking, just sitting in my car. What to do, what to do. I’ve been looking forward to this job for 4 months and here I am getting ready to tell the casting director that I can’t do it. What?! Yeah, it’s time to handle my business.

I walked through the beautiful atrium with my head held high and stopped at the front door. I looked at the door handle, took a deep breath and attempted to turn it - it’s locked - as expected, but the lights are on. I wanted them to be there today because I needed to get this taken care of for all parties involved – it was wearing on me, but I was confidant – until I saw Tannis peek her head out of the back office. She saw that I was at the door, but I was in a shadow so she didn’t know who I was until she got closer. Tannis was 10 feet away, walking to let me in and I didn’t look so confident – in fact, I looked pathetic. Tannis, a former child star herself, sensed something was wrong.

She greeted me and asked what was the matter. I told her I booked the commercial and the whole date change thing – they were kinda aware of it because my agent had called last week. Deb came out, gave me a hug, told me not to worry and that these things happen. We talked about scenarios that could work and couldn’t come up with anything. It just wasn’t meant to be. They assured me that I’d be back in their office; which I never doubted. A load had been taken off of me; I immediately felt better.

We proceeded to talk for 30 minutes and I knew I had done the right thing to handle this myself, in person. Ironically, the actress I was scheduled to work with in “Ocean’s Twelve”, Margaret Travolta, was working today on “Ocean’s Thirteen”! Funny.

They were so understanding, supportive and happy that booked a national commercial. I’m glad I didn’t “just pick up the phone and call” instead of showing up in the flesh. We talked and we laughed and they shared stories with me, as they usually do. I really wish I could write, in depth, about the things I learn from them, but I think I run my mouth enough as it is.

We talked about so many things, one of which was my plans to start consulting on “The Business of the Acting Business”. Deb and Tannis were VERY supportive of that idea. So it worked out really well and I am moving on to the next project – which is a NATIONAL COMMERCIAL on Monday!! I am really excited.

It’s funny, at first I was thinking if there was any casting office I wouldn’t have wanted this to have happened to it would have been Deb’s office. In hindsight, this was the best office that it could have happened at because of my relationship with them. I feel great about what I did and they way I handled it.

While talking with Deb and Tannis my friend, Gwendolyn Oliver, left a voicemail. Gwen and I interned and were readers at Henderson/Zuckerman casting a long time ago. She had recently spoken to Cathy Henderson and mentioned my name. She gave me Cathy’s number to give her a call to catch up a maybe help out with a project she is working on.

Afterwards, I drove to my theatrical agents’ office to tell Caleigh how it went, but they were gone for lunch. She called me later and was not happy with losing the booking, but very understanding nonetheless. We’ll get another one soon.

Before I even got a chance to call Cathy she called me. It was great to catch up with her and I’m going to be her reader on Thursday; if I don’t have any conflicts. It’s been a little quiet this week audition-wise, so I have a feeling I might get a call for Thursday. Hopefully, it will all work out.

This makes me think of something. One time when I was a reader for them back in 2000 I got an audition for “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, but I had already committed to be a reader and I didn’t want to cancel. Plus, there was a role I was right for in the project and since I was in the room with the producers I almost felt like it was a callback. They couldn’t change the time of the “Sabrina” audition so I passed; my agent at the time trusted my judgment and was understanding. Well, Dori Zuckerman; overheard from the office assistant that I passed on an audition and offered to call Rick Milliken’s office to make sure I was seen. She called and got me seen and I ended up booking the role on “Sabrina” AND getting a part in the project I was a reader for. How cool is that?

My next call was to Alicia, my commercial agent. She had been trying to help the situation so that I might be able to do both, but it wasn’t to be. I told her I pulled out of “O13”. She was saddened that I had to do that, but happy things were settled. I told her about my “right of passage” and “earning my stripes” outlook and she agreed wholeheartedly. We also talked about me being a consultant on “The Business of the Business of Acting” and she was also very supportive.

So, to the fitting for “Michelin”. It goes fairly quick. I have a sneaking feeling that this is going to be a good spot for me. I don’t know why, but I do. There are 8 people and I am the only African-American male – there are other elements that give me a good feeling too.

So, I guess it’s truly on to the next.

The plot gets thicker.... I had a feeling this could happen. Well, I knew it could happen, but I had a feeling it actually might happen. My shoot date for "O13" is still moving in a not so great direction and looking to collide with my shoot date for the "Michelin" commercial. In fact, it has collided.

There are injuries; some minor some major. I tried to be safe, wore my seatbelt, obeyed speed limits, checked my tire pressure, etc. I saw this accident as it was happening and was hoping I could swerve to avoid it.

The exact time of the impact was 11:53 this morning when the UPM of "O13" called to say that another day had been added to my booking. I gripped the steering wheel tight.

He added that the additional date was Monday. I slammed on the brakes and started sliding sideways. That's when I hit the wall; the airbag immediately deployed and the car burst into flames. I was able to get out of the vehicle before the explosion that followed. As paramedics arrived on the scene I sat dazed & confused; I was shook.

This wasn't supposed to happen this way...or maybe this is exactly how it's supposed to happen. I auditioned for "Ocean's Thirteen" on June 7th and got the booking phone call directly from the casting director, Debra Zane, on June 20th while on vacation in Virginia Beach.

Several weeks later I got my work date of October 12th. Great! Since my part in “Ocean’s Twelve” was cut from the script I was especially excited to be a part of the project and to get a second chance at working with director Steven Soderbergh.


CUT TO - STEPHON'S APARTMENT - MORNING

SFX: Cell phone ringing...

Stephon: Hello?

UPM: Hey Stephon, it's Basti from "Ocean's Thirteen" production.

Stephon: Good morning; how are you?

UPM: I’m good thanks. Hey, it looks like we’re going to get into your stuff on Monday and most likely Tuesday.

Stephon: Really? You’re kidding.

UPM: No, that’s the way the boards look.

Stephon: Wow, I’m already working on that day.

UPM: That’s why I wanted to contact you early to give you a chance to figure out what you wanted to do.

Stephon: I appreciate that. Alright, I’ll figure it out……..

SMASH CUT – ANGLE ON -

Back to me sitting on the curb surrounded by paramedics. I've got a serious gash on my left leg, but other than that I'm okay. I’ve lost a bit of blood, but I think I’m gonna make it.

AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first call goes to Caleigh, my theatrical agent handling this job. I give her the news and of course she is not happy. Then I ring Alicia, my commercial agent. Of course she isn’t happy either, but she also knows that the commercial booking is in first position since I was clear when I committed to the date. We discuss the legalities of this situation - and trust me, there are legalities. It’s “O13” that’s ahead of schedule.

After hanging up the phone I just sat at my desk and thought…and thought…and thought…and thought some more. How could I get this to work out? Honestly, considering the news and knowing what needs to be shot I didn’t think it would work out. The elements just weren’t there, but I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

Things have worked so well for me, in my life in general, that I had a feeling that this time I was gonna feel a little pain…and I was ready – at least I think so. I didn’t know what to do. I thought of a zillion different scenarios and none of them seemed to really work – even in my head. It was slipping through my fingers – “like sand slipping through the hour-glass, this is a day in my life.”

So I hop in my car and drive aimlessly; I stop by my friend Jon’s spot – he wasn’t home. I usually bounce things off Jon. It’s funny because we have totally different thought processes so I have to constantly fight to make my point. It’s a good thing because it forces me to challenge my way of thinking and you’d be shocked at what goes through my head. But he wasn’t home and I was on my own – hey, that kinda rhymes…..

15 minutes later I found myself in casting director Debra Zane’s parking lot just sitting in my car. I wasn’t even sure why I was there. I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. I walked up to the office and it was dark and the door was locked – good. The locked door was “saving me from myself” – I think. I didn’t knock or ring the bell. Deep down, I knew that the door is usually locked and they may be in the back, but I needed an excuse to not push a situation that I wasn’t sure about.

I could have just had my agents handle things, but I knew I needed to be very, very hands on with this one. Debra and Tannis and very, very special to me.

I just stood outside the door for a while just sorta pacing and probably looking mad suspicious. After a while I went back to sit in my car.

This isn’t something I would want to happen with any casting office in town, but Debra Zane and Ross Lacy???? WHAT!!! These are two of my biggest supporters in casting. In 2006 I have had auditions, callbacks or 2nd callbacks a total of 20 times at just Ross Lacy casting. Debra has booked me on 3 studio films. Finally, I get my head together and get on my way.

This is funny – really funny. Late tonight, I was on the Backstage.com forum reading a post about agents. An actor had responded to a topic and in his post this was included:

“In fact I just got a call this morning from them checking my availability for Ocean's 13 next week.”

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I betcha that is my freakin role!! LOL!!!! How funny is that? I couldn’t do anything but laugh – out loud. Here is an actor who auditioned for this movie BACK IN JUNE and didn’t get the role, but now he gets a call because of my drama. This is the casting process at work and I love it – even if I may lose something in the process. I don’t know what’s going to happen at this point, but I’m really happy that somebody just might get a great surprise of working with Al Pacino – I wish it was me, but You can’t have everything. I’ve been the recipient of the wonderfulness of this business so many times and I’m willing to share – if I have to, lol!

Make no mistake, I have NOT given up. Not yet!

Audition: “Comcast” @ Cathi Carlton Casting. This one went really well. I have not been to Cathi’s office in a while; so hopefully this is the start of me getting back in on a regular basis.

I re-signed with my theatrical agents for 3 years today – wow, that’s a commitment. It feels right though – that will take me to 11 years with them. I must have a lot of confidence in them huh? They in me too.

My next stop was to Warner Bros Studios for my “Ocean’s Thirteen” fitting. I auditioned for this project on June 7th and got word I booked on June 20th. Three months ago and I still have two weeks to go. I’m not complaining; it’s been really cool knowing that I had this job to look forward to from so long ago. My experience with “Ocean’s Twelve” was similar with the long lead time, but my scene was cut before shooting.

While trying to find the correct room I ran into Jason Killalee. Jason and I worked together back in New York at The Harley-Davidson Café. Just thinking of that place makes me smile; I had such a great time. Waiting tables there, with that group of people definitely did not suck. Here we are all of these years later still making it happen. Jason just booked a role on new CBS drama “Smith” and was there for a fitting too. I was in and in out in a flash.

Oh yeah, I finally got my pages for my character. It looks like I am in 4 scenes with a little bit of dialogue in two of them. Al Pacino is in one or two of them, but I don’t think I have dialogue with him anymore.

It finally happened again! I knew it would, I just didn’t know when. Now that I think about it; it happened in the same place as before – years ago!

This morning I’m on my way to move my car so I don’t get a parking ticket; this is where it starts getting fun – or funny. Since I don’t have parking where I live I have to move my car way more often than what is normal. I am a pretty even keeled person in most situations, but parking in Los Angeles drives me up the freakin’ wall. To keep me somewhat sane I have a skateboard so I can skate back forth to my car; it helps me forget having to park a half mile away. I love riding my skateboard.

So I’m skateboarding and I’m almost all the way to my car going from the street back to the sidewalk. There was a little lip on the curb; nothing the skateboard or I couldn’t handle, but I was hitting it at the wrong angle – and I knew it, but it was too late, I was going too fast.

The two front wheels of the skateboard hit the lip on the curb and stopped cold. The problem was that my body didn’t stop. At this point my life went into slow-motion and everything was completely silent. In an instant my body was 4 feet off the ground and perfectly horizontal. I could see the red curb clear in my view but it was too far away too for me to reach. About this time I began to descend back to earth and my glasses started to fall away from my face. I reached for them and touched them but they got away. At this point I had to use my hands to break my fall; hopefully my glasses would survive to guide me through another day.

I got my hands out (including my wrist that has been sore for months) to break my fall, but I kinda landed in that weird running position were you’re trying to get your feet under you. It didn’t work. I ended up “running” for a spell and then I did this weird, but cool as heck spin in the air. I spun around and landed on my back with a thud. I spun two more times on the asphalt and popped up and landed on my feet like I did it on purpose. I must’ve looked like a circus act; I wish I could’ve seen it.

So I land, gather my head back together and find my glasses. Cars are slowing down looking at me. I had the biggest smile on my face; it was an exhilarating feeling. At that point I realized that this whole thing happened because I was riding a skateboard. Where was that skateboard? Ummmm… I’m frantically looking around and there it is; in the distance in the middle of the street with cars slowing to dodge it. I sprint over, looking both ways and creep in the street to retrieve it.

I skated the rest of the way to my car with the biggest smile on my face. I so wish I could see the whole thing on tape – it had to have been hilarious. I scraped my knee up a little and my wrist is sore, but I came away okay. It could have been real ugly if a car would have been coming around that corner. I’m pretty careful, on my skateboard, bike, motorcycle and snowboard. I am a bit of risking taker – I can’t help it.
Not too long after getting back to my apartment and letting my heartbeat go back to normal my commercial agent calls with a callback for this afternoon for the spot I went out on yesterday.

Callback: “Miller Beer” @ Kathy Knowles Casting. This went great. They took us in in groups of 3, but we performed on our own. I went first and was really happy with how it went, but the guy who went after me was sooooo funny. To be honest I don’t think he knew what was going on – or maybe he was faking it. I don’t know, but that dude was funny. I still think they should cast me though – I love “Miller Beer”; I just don’t drink it.

Audition: “Miller Beer” @ Kathy Knowles. I thought I was going to be totally free to just hustle drops today/Monday since I hadn’t gotten any appointments by 8pm on Friday. Actually, I didn’t go out of the house the entire day on Friday. I was exhausted.

Sure enough, @ 4:18pm on Saturday I get an email from KSA for an appointment for this morning. KSA rocks!!

When I signed in I scanned over the list of actors who had appointments throughout the day for this commercial and was amazed that I was one of them - I'm ALWAYS amazed and grateful for the appointments I get. I mean, I shouldn't be amazed, I have great agents, the right photos, I've trained - I've definitely done my part to make it happen, but it's still surreal to me that it's actually working. I should be used to it by now.

The audition goes well. I got great direction from the session runner and I was on my way. Good thing they didn't need headshots for this one because the last line on my resume says:

"Guess What. You're not gonna believe this, but I've never had coffee or any kind of alcohol. Never. Ever."

Nope, I've never had a beer, but I've done commercials for "Icehouse", "Michelob Ultra" and sold a lot of it when I was a waiter. I need to book a Starbucks commercial too.

Uh, no!! My work date for "Ocean's Thirteen" is changing a little and it's encroaching on the date that I shoot the Michelin" commercial. At first it was Monday for the commercial and Thursday of the same week for “O13”, but now my date for “O13” has changed from Thursday to Tuesday with no guarantee that it won’t change even more. Ooops, I would hate to miss out on one of these jobs. That would not be good. I trust that it will all work out. It's a great problem to have.

You don't really think about what "O/A" means in contractual terms until it seems like it might affect you. "O/A" means "On or about" as in start of employment. I'm not sure what the window is, but in these situations employers have some leeway. I don't think it's going to be a problem. It's great to have your agent making phone calls because you've booked other jobs that may conflict with previous bookings.

I remember in October of 2002; a couple of months after shooting the ‘Honda of Japan” commercials. I had flown back to Virginia Beach to see my mother who was ill.

I landed on a Friday afternoon and checked my voicemail. I had a message from my commercial agent saying that the production of the Honda spots was checking my availability to be in Tokyo the following Wednesday through Sunday, but they wouldn't know until Monday. Okaay.

Cut to: Monday afternoon - East Coast

The word comes in that everything is a go. A couple of hours later I’m on a plane back to Los Angeles and arrive late Monday night. Tuesday morning I go to Susan Haven's casting office to pickup my plane ticket to the Far East.

Wednesday morning I leave for Tokyo, Japan! WHAT! Yeah. We land, go straight to a fitting, dinner and check into the Tokyo Prince Hotel. I check my voicemail and my theatrical agent has left a message saying "Frasier" is checking your availability for next Tuesday and Wednesday.

I finish shooting the "Honda" spots, fly back to LA Sunday afternoon and Monday morning I get the booking for Tuesday/Wednesday on "Frasier". That afternoon "Good Morning, Miami" calls to book me for Wednesday/Thursday. Obviously, I was already booked on "Frasier" for Wednesday “GMM” and said it would be cool if I could only work on Thursday. All that worked out – I’m confident that the "Michelin" vs. “Ocean’s Thirteen” chronicles will work out too. I must say, it feels good to have a couple of things on my plate.

Do I have a job? ...hmmm. Good question...or maybe not. Or maybe a better question is "how long have I had this job?" I mean, obviously I've made my living solely as an actor for the last 5 ½ years - so maybe "acting" has been my job since the day I left The Standard as a waiter/valet guy – 5 ½ years ago. That was March 25th 2001 on a shift that began @ 11pm - yup, I worked graveyard.

I guess it kinda depends on what your definition as a "job or profession" is. I'm sure some of our parents or family members would say it’s not a “job or profession” if it cost you money to do it. I don’t necessarily agree with that.

I remember, years ago, when I worked at The Harley-Davidson Café in New York; the servers would talk during the shift and this always stood out to me. If you had been off for a day or a period of time, of course, people would ask what you did on your days off. In my case, I was off on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays; so it seemed like I was gone for a bit. Other times I was picking up shifts like crazy because I am a self-described workaholic.

Anyway, when the question of “what did you do on your days off?” was asked of me by other actors I would naturally answer that I’ve been “ya know, just working, trying to get it done” or “trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents” or “working the corner like a street walker” or whatever rhymed….or didn’t. Then they would say “you’ve been here? (meaning the restaurant) wow, it seems like I haven’t seen you for days”.

After that happened a couple of times it dawned on me that many actors (this was back in ’95-97) weren’t looking at their careers as a job. It seemed they thought of the “actor stuff” as simply “funtime”. They thought it was weird that I would say I was “working” when I hadn’t been at the restaurant for 3 days. By contrast, I thought I was weird that they didn’t seem to think that my workshops, mailings, postcarding, drop-offs, background, auditions, research, callbacks, etc – everything other than actually booking a job was “work”. I would just smile.

Another thing I would often hear is “wow….you run your career like a business”. Again, I would just smile. Trust me, holding my tongue was doing them a favor because I am so passionate about business and marketing I can go on and on and on ………and this was 10 years ago. Another thing that was subtle about that comment was that back then I didn’t “run my career like a business”. I ran a business…period, end of story. It’s kinda like Jay-Z said, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a BUSINESS MAN!” When I first heard that on the CD I was like “Whoa!” That’s hot!; as Paris Hilton would say. I also remember Ice Cube talking about his boys in the neighborhood growing up in Compton. He said, “everybody wanted to play for the Lakers”. Cube was like “why play for The Lakers when you can own them”. WHAT!!! That is some influential #^&*( right there! Perspective is huge.

I am not completely innocent in this; it took me a while before I could say “I’m an actor” without sorta laughing at the same time. Even today, when asked, I will often water it down by saying “I’m pursuing a career as an actor”. There is no question and never has been in my mind, but for some reason I say that. It’s odd because I’m very proud of my accomplishments.

In 1993 in Virginia Beach I had 3 jobs. I worked at my parent’s deli, Philadelphia Cold Cuts; in a surf shop in the local mall and I was an actor.

In 1995 in New York I had 2 jobs. I waited tables at The Harley-Davidson Café and was an actor.

In 1998 in Los Angeles I also had 2 jobs. I worked at Old Navy at the Beverly Connection and I was an actor. In late ’98 I completely, COMPLETELY ran out of money and had to go back to New York to work at the restaurant for a month or so to earn some cash – I was still an actor. I did workshops, drops and auditioned through my New York agents.

In April ’99, my car was impounded – long story – AGAIN, I had to go back to my job in New York at The Harley-Davidson Café to earn some cash. My 2 week trip, turned into 2 months – even longer story – I had my first and only experience with handcuffs…well, maybe not only…..ANYWAY, I was still an actor.

In 2001, I gave the two job thing “’da finga” and said, “peace, I’m outta here”. So the answer is a resounding “YES!!! I have a job” and it’s one of the coolest jobs in the world – I am an actor – period

Today is my anniversary of the beginning of my career. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 13 years! I vividly remember that first night in class. I made a commitment then that I was going for it – like seriously. I had no idea how it was going to materialize, but I knew it was going to happen. I knew I had to study, learn the Mid-Atlantic market, move to New York, study, learn the New York market, move to Los Angeles, study, learn the Los Angeles market – all while creating my own way. I’ve got a long way to go, but I think I’ve made progress.

New York City, Hell's Kitchen, 46th btw. 9th & 10th - May '95

I didn’t have any reason to believe that I would ever live a freelance lifestyle. My family, for the last 26 years, has had a very successful business back at home, but for several reason I felt I needed to do my own thing. I think my entrepreneurial spirit has been a big factor in being able to move ahead in my career.

I’ve learned a lot along the way; I’ve been tested like never before. Sometimes I don’t know how I keep it all together; probably because I don’t always keep it all together. I do the best I can. It has been a journey, it has been a ride. I’ve had some amazing experiences, met some amazing people and gone to some amazing places. I’m excited about the future. I definitely don’t have the answer to how this business works, but I am an expert on my opinion. I look forward to sharing the things I’ve learned with other actors on a larger scale. Maybe I’ll conduct seminars across the country and call it “My Long Ass Opinion”. Catchy huh?

No rest for me and I’m not complaining! I thought I was gonna chill today and figure out my new phone and my new printer. NOT!!

At 10:39 KSA calls with an apointment for this afternoon. Cool. Then at 11:59 KSA calls again. I let it go to voicemail. When I checked it the first thing that surprised me was hearing my agent Alicia’s voice and not Donn who normally puts out the calls/emails for appointments. I always smile when I hear from KSA because I really like them and they usually have opportunities for me. BUT when I hear Alicia or Brooke’s voice on the phone it often means something else…….and this time it meant that I booked a national and cable commercial for “Michelin” for Ross Lacy Casting! It's about time I booked something for Ross' office; he calls me in commercially more than anyone else in this town. Thanks for continuing to believe in me Ross!

This is the one that was a same-day call last Thursday when I wanted to go home and sleep. The next day, Friday, I had a same day call for the callback – when I wanted to sleep. I’m glad I have people in my life to “save me from me”. Besides “sleep is for suckers” or normal people, lol! Okay, now that I booked it, the next step is getting to actually shoot it.

Audition: “US Cellular” @ Pamela Starks Casting. Ooops! When they brought us in for the group explanation I thought I understood the spot and what was going on. Well, I did, but when I auditioned I totally forgot the major conflict that the character was dealing with. Fortunately the session runner stopped the tape and told me what I was missing and he let me start over. I really appreciated that; he could've just kept going. The second take went much better. Now, I hope they edit out the first take.

Callback: “AMP’D Mobile” @ Francene Selkirk Casting. This callback went great and I think I'm really right for it. I would love to book this spot, especially since it's for the Supercross and I'm a huge Supercross fan.

Audition: "Boston Legal" @ Valko/Miller Casting. I only felt okay about this one. The funny thing is that I used to better able to nail these small co-star roles with great precision. That day may be done. I hope not because I still want to work and I’d rather be on-set than at home watching Jerry Springer. I mean there is a fine line, but still, I need to get that precision back. No big deal, I didn’t make a fool of myself or anything like that, but I’d like to work on this show.

Audition: "UPS" @ Jeff Rosenman Casting. This one went pretty well. It had a lot of dialogue for a commercial.

So I did a bit of surgery on my resume and I’m really happy with the results. Steve, one of the assistants, recommended that I remove the billing column from my TV credits. I’ve seen this a lot in my time working as a reader. I just never knew when I would make the transistion of doing it myself. So I was really excited when he suggested I do it. I was also glad to be included by them in a category of someone who has “worked so much”. I don’t normally feel that way. They have many clients with great credits and I am honored to be looked at as one of them.

So after I removed the billing column of the TV credits I wasn’t happy with the look of the resume since the billing column of my film was still there. I seemed off balance. I then removed my film and theatre billing as well. I like the result. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best in the industry and it’s right there on the page. So it kinda say’s “he’s already worked with these people on these projects; maybe you should give him a shot too”. This may help me get more guest-star/film appointments. I don’t want it to kill my co-star appointments because I still need to work as much as possible and there are plenty of great co-star roles out there.

It’s just that my resume had so many co-star credits and me and my team wanna move forward. I also toned down the overall feel of the resume. I used to have a lot of bells and whistles on it, but once a year or so I scale it down. So we’ll see what happens.

I’ve also considered shooting some new photos; so I asked Caleigh. She thinks my photos are great and she took them in two ask my other two agents and think they are great too. Once again, a great example of others “saving me from me”. So maybe I’ll still shoot some stuff for my commercial agents. I love having such a connection with my agents – I’m quite fortunate in that.

Audition “AMP’D Mobile” @ Francene Selkirk Casting. This went well. I remember their spots from last year; they were pretty edgy and this is the same. They run constantly during the Supercross races. That would be cool to have a spot running during my favorite sport. How about a callback guys?

Audition/Producers: “Dirt” @ FMW Casting. This is a pilot for F/X; I think it’s a reshoot. I don’t know if they are reshooting the entire pilot or just part of it. It doesn’t matter too much to me I would just like to be a part of whatever they are doing. This is a recurring co-star role that is part of the office staff.

This call came not less than an hour after I dropped off a photo to the studio. I did a general drops for “Dirt” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. To be honest, I don’t think they had even seen my drop yet. I left it at the mailroom so it was probably something my agent submitted me for. Again, I don’t care, I’m just happy to get a shot.
My printer has been giving my trouble for a while now, but it hadn’t been in my new budget to get a new one just yet. So when I tried to print the sides for this audition my printer wasn’t interested in participating. I actually had to write the scene in my horrible handwriting. It looked pretty funny; especially since I highlighted my lines.

The audition was going well until I totally flubbed the lines at the end. So I took my power and I started over and did it again. It didn’t ask; I just did it. I don’t know; I think it went good. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, I ordered a new printer. It should be delivered tomorrow and I finally got a new phone! I can text message again! I never really told anyone I couldn’t send or receive text messages when my old phone died two months ago. Ooops, I hope know one sent any because I didn’t get any after July 7th, but I’m back in business.

I stopped by agent this evening to drop-off an embarrassingly small stack of photos to them. Between my printer woes and needing to order more reprints I’m a little unsure as to what I’m going to do. I think I’m going to re-shoot, so I don’t really want to order more, but I might have to.

Anyway, Steve, one of the great assistants at my theatrical agency suggested I make some changes to my resume. I really liked his ideas and I am going to perform a little reconstructive surgery on it. I think these changes are going to help me get auditions for more substantial roles. It was great to be able to walk in, without an appointment, and be able to talk to all 3 of my agents about whatever. I also asked if I'll be going any further for “Who’s Your Caddy”. He’s going to put in a call.

Audition: “PSA: Anti-Obesity” @ Sheila Manning Casting. This went well and I had fun. I portrayed an aerobics instructor for kids ages 6-10. There weren’t any kids there, but I made them up in my mind. I even gave them names; I used my neice and nephews and their friends’ names back home in Virginia. This PSA doesn’t pay residuals, just a session fee. That’s okay, I would love to book it and get to work with a bunch kids. I should probably just hope for a callback at this point huh?

The session runner for this spot was the same gentleman who ran the session for the “Michelin” callback for Ross Lacy. He asked me if I’d heard anything (I haven’t) and said that they liked me for the role. That’s good news; it doesn’t shoot until next month so it could be a while before they book. Then again, they could have already booked because I don’t get word that I’ve been released. I guess time will tell.

I also ran into a lady who works at TLC/Booth Casting quite often. She gave me some insight into how things work over there with legendary commercial Joe Pytka. I think I’m in good hands and in a good place in general.

OMG! My head is pounding! Maybe I got too much sleep. I went to bed before midnight last night and got more than 8 hours of sleep; which I rarely do. I also had an interesting dream that was a little concerning to me – no, it didn’t involve bats in my apartment.

I got up a couple of times and couldn’t really do anything, so I took an ibuprofen and laid back down – a couple of times. Then @ 12:34 my commercial agent calls. They have a callback for me for 3:15 this afternoon for yesterday’s “Michelin” spot @ Ross Lacy Casting. Okay, I HAD to get moving now. So I decided to head over to Studio City to check-in with the Actor’s Connection New York group that is in town this week. They usually have things they wanna discuss about the LA market. That would get me up to speed and it wouldn’t seem like I rolled out of bed to show up at the callback.

Callback: “Michelin” @ Ross Lacy Casting. It went GREAT!!! I couldn’t have imagined it going any better than it did. I took the direction from the session runner, kept it real and rooted and conveyed it in the room and knew when to leave. This happens a lot at Ross’ office for me. I do well for him; not usually enough to book, but well enough to get callback and avails – and we know how well callbacks and avails pay the bills.

My head is still pounding, not as bad as before, but enough to mention. I am wiped out. I wanna get a nap in before I go to see the new CW pilots at the Museum of Television and Radio. Thankfully, there were only two pilots to see and it would be a short night. “Runaway” was pretty cool I guess; I was able to watch it without a problem. “The Game” was pretty funny.

4:52pm: There goes that cell phone again – it’s KSA. Two things; an audition for Monday AND I’m on avail for “Michelin” Cool! I’m gonna book one of these commercial jobs one day. I don’t worry about it, I just keep showing up and I’ll be shocked and be the choice when I least expect it. Right?

How funny is this? I’ve been out commercially everyday since I stopped by to see my agents last Thursday. I hadn’t been out in two weeks and in the last week I’ve had 7 commercial appointments plus another on Monday. I don’t think it’s “out of sight, out of mind” I think it’s just a coincidence really – I don’t think they forgot about me for a second; it just comes and goes in waves. My agents are the best.

I'm beat. I'm really tired from all of the running around I do and my December vacation is still several months away. This acting thing is a lot of work, trust me.

The amount of effort I have and continue to put into my career is overwhelming. Fortunately, I love business - any kind of business, especially the entertainment business. The "show" part is equally thrilling and I've had the opportunity to work some of the best in the business. Don't get me wrong, many aspects of the business are completely absurd, but that is part of what makes it such a great business to be in.

As I was thinking about how tired I was a huge smile began to form. Why? Because I’m working at exactly what I moved across the country to work on. Being tired for these reasons is music to my ears. I am quite fortunate; not necessarily lucky, fortunate. Anyway, I have two appointments early today and then I plan to go home sleep until my workshop tonight.

Audition: “Nissan Altima” @ Melissa Martin Casting. When I walked in the audition room I was a little thrown to see director/ad people/client/whoever sitting there. Ooops! I didn’t know this was a “callback”. Anyway, I didn’t go all that well. I was just boring and I think they needed more – I didn’t have it. Oh well, sorry.

As soon as I left the office my phone rang and it was KSA. As usual I let it go voicemail. I was thinking maybe they needed me to return for some reason and I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was. Nope, it was another commercial appointment for this afternoon. I guess I won’t be getting all that sleep I was talking about huh?

Print go-see: “My Best Friend” @ Connie Conway Casting. This is actually a new pet pharmaceutical that they don’t have a name for yet. I was in and out in about 2 minutes. I’m gonna book one of these print jobs one day. I don’t worry about it, I just keep showing up and I’ll be shocked and be the choice when I least expect it. Right?

Audition: “Michelin” @ Ross Lacy Casting. This is the one that is cutting into my sleep time. I guess I can sleep later; actually I did squeeze a 35 minute nap in before I went. Ross calls me in more than anyone else in this town for commercials and I am very thankful for it. The role is perfect for me – a research scientist. I goes well. So we’ll see – or not.

What a day and I still have a workshop tonight. I spend so much time in the car it’s crazy, but it’s paying off – always has. I’d much rather be doing this than some of the other things I’ve done for money. Well, it looks like tomorrow is clear and since I’m not feeling to well I can sleep ALL DAY if I want – I probably won’t though.

Callback: "Statefarm" @ Kathy Knowles Casting. Oh yeah! This callback went really, really well. Let me back up; I had a lot of fun. That doesn't mean, it necessarily went well, but it felt great. I’m ready for some of that “Hollywood Theory”.

Audition: "Wendy's" @ Craig Colvin Casting. This went really well and I had a great time. I portrayed a husband giving birth. I've had numerous auditions, callbacks and avails at Craig’s office over the years, but have yet to book anything. By contrast, I did book a "Wendy's" spot that shot in Miami back when I lived in New York.

I have to say that my patience and optimism is amazing – even to me. I truly believe that I'll book again - soon, but I've been saying that for a loooong time. The last commercial I booked was 15 months ago in June '05; before that April '04 and December '03 before that.

The time frame curve is not encouraging, but I remain optimistic. In theory it would make sense that I won't book again until sometime next year. Could be, could be not. This is the where the beauty of our business comes in.

"theory" and "Hollywood Theory" are two completely different things. I understand "Hollywood Theory"; and of course I understand "theory". BUT, not only do I understand "Hollywood Theory", I live in it. I better, because if I don't understand it I should find another line of work.

When "Hollywood Theory" is working in your favor it’s a beautiful thing. I've experienced it; I am experiencing. "Hollywood Theory" really only makes sense in Hollywood.

In "theory" it doesn't make sense that I could book a "Pizza Hut" national commercial without appointment and then subsequently be hired for 2 additional ones.

It also doesn't make sense that I could seek out my two target LA agencies, send them a headshot/resume/cover letter from New York, fly out for meetings, sign contracts AND be happy after eight years of being represented by them.

Lastly, it doesn't make sense that I could book a job with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks that would lead to another job with Steven Soderbergh and Al Pacino from simply walking to a casting office and dropping off my photo – actually putting it through the slot in the door.

Ooops, sorry - one more. It doesn't make sense that I could be working on one pilot, get a call for another pilot on the other side of town for a 3-line co-star role, be told that "they really just want to see you", show up and "get seen", read, get word that I have the job (without going to producers), before I even get home and have those 3-lines turn into 14 episodes over two seasons.

"Hollywood Theory" is a friend of mine! A good friend too. Why I am talking so much about it? It’s this same “Hollywood Theory” that will be responsible for me booking a commercial before “sometime next year”.

It’s kinda like “they” saying you have to “Pay your dues”, “it takes time for casting to want to see you” or “get in line”. Is that stuff true? I don’t know, maybe. It wasn’t all that true for me. I had 3 audition and three callbacks in my first week of being in Los Angeles and booked a TV gig and a commercial in my first 4 months. What line did I not get in?

I always wonder, who is “they”. The people that say:

“drop-offs are a waste of time”
“mailings don’t work”
“the only thing you’ll learn in a CD workshop is ‘don’t ask to use my stapler’”
“you have to have an agent to get work”
“commercials are just about a look”

The list goes on and on. I would love to meet “they”, but I can never find them. Don’t get me wrong, I am part of “they” too. But, I think the difference is that I’m not going to just pass on information that isn’t based in anything concrete. Bring on that “Hollywood Theory!!”

Audition: “Bahamas Tourism” @ Melissa Martin Casting.

Tonight I’m speaking to the Actor’s Connection “LA Connection” group of actors; which are actors on a week scouting trip to see what LA is all about. Should be fun. I may be going back East to speak in the near future as well.

I went to a motocross race today in San Bernardino. I almost didn’t go because since I’ve been using my new Quicken financial program I can look at my spending and see the numbers. So now I justify every dollar that goes out. I’m pretty hard on myself too. Even up to last night I still wasn’t sure I was going to spend the money on “entertainment” to attend the event. I also had to consider the “gas budget” for the 140 mile round trip.

So I decided to cancel my three CD workshops I have scheduled for this coming week to equal out the gas a little. Driving to the workshop is 26 miles roundtrip, that’s 78 miles for three days. Instead, I’ll go see the new ABC, NBC, CBS and CW pilots being shown at the MTR; it’s a much closer drive.

I haven’t even bought a new cell phone yet. My phone broke when I was on vacation in July and I’ve been using a back up phone. I can’t send or receive text messages on my back-up phone. Normally, I would have gotten a new phone by now – I kinda like gadgets, not that I have many – I don’t, but Quicken has curbed my appetite.

I justified going because I’ve been really good with the budget, plus it’s something that I enjoy tremendously. I had a lot fun today and the drive wasn’t bad at all. For some reason I like being out in the dirt and getting all sweaty. My mom told me when I was a kid I would pour dirt on my head, fortunately I also like to shower and smell fresh.

I wish I could ride a motorcycle like those guys. Well sorta, it’s really dangerous and my bouncing off the dirt days are hopefully behind me. I didn’t spend any extra money at the park; I brought my own water and made sandwiches to keep cost in order.

Something really funny happened too. Normally, at the races I am one of relatively few African-Americans in attendance. Out of 23,000 people I would guess that maybe 200-300 are Black. I always meet people to “talk motocross” with; I am an avid fan of the sport and love to talk about it.

Most of the day I spent with these two guys and their sons on my right and after a while this other guy and his wife on my left starting asking me question about riders and stuff – all Caucasian on both sides. I must say when the young husband of the couple on my left asked me if I had any sunscreen I was a little caught of guard. For some reason I got a real chuckle out of that. Not that black people shouldn’t use sunscreen, we should, just like our more fair-skinned brethren – White folks.

I grew up riding BMX and bodyboarding/surfing. I spent a lot of days at the track, a lot of days at the beach; with a lot of White folks. None of those White folks EVER asked me if I had any sunscreen!!!! On the outside, I answered like it was a routine question and said, “No, sorry, I don’t”. Like I usually had some of me or I had used it all or something. Inside I was laughing my a** off. I thought it was great that he asked me. I mean why not? Maybe I’m a closet racist or something. I mean really, why am I so surprised by that question? Anyway, I got such a kick out of that and a tan too!

Audition: Statefarm @ Kathy Knowles Casting. I knew I’d start going out commercially soon.

Gotta love those Saturday auditions! It's been quiet commercially for the last couple of weeks and then I get two calls in 10 minutes. Cool, I'm back in the game! I feel a booking soon, I am sooo overdue.

I received my new SAG Insurance information the other day in the mail. I didn’t think I was going to qualify for Plan I this time; I thought I would only qualify for the lower Plan II. I made it somehow; that “IBM” commercial was golden for me. This is good news because the coverage is better and the premiums are lower. I first qualified for Plan I coverage in 1998 I have never lost it; although I have come close. One year in New York I qualified by the difference of one day of SAG Commercial background work. Every dollar counts.

Audition: "The Game" @ Suzanne Goddard-Smythe Casting. I'm glad to get back in this office! Why? Well, last time I was there, several weeks ago, things went "just okay". Not at all bad, just "neither here nor there". So it’s a small victory to get back in so soon.

I used to be great at nailing the smaller co-star roles, but in recent years it has become much more challenging. I'm not sure why, but it has. So here I am pre-reading for a very small co-star role...without any complaints - oh yeah, it's possibly recurring.

After signing in I couldn't help but notice the actors that were there for the roles of "Girls #1 & 2". Five of "LA’s Finest"; these women were soooo.......nice and polite.

Anyway, after a while it was my turn. I read for associate Danielle Diller again, but I saw Suzanne on the way in and she remembered me. I didn’t feel I was all that right for the character because they said he was “really Hip-Hop”, but the read went great. LOL!! I’m as nerdy as they come – not too hip-hop. I listen to hip-hop music, but those guys are real trend-setters and I am not. Plus, I forgot my cool hat that I was gonna wear to show that I was on the cutting edge of…something.

I chose to use props this time. I had my cell phone and a brace for my wrist. I added some activity at the beginning and the end of the scene and it worked…I think. I have to be careful of that because sometimes you can squeeze in too much and it can come off as trying too hard when it’s such a short scene. I can’t forget that it was a pre-read so I guess I’ll find out if it “really” worked. I read it the first time and they liked the business I added. We did it again and I got carried away. Danielle instructed me to tone it down and we did it a third time and they seemed to be happy. I believe it shoots the week of the 18th. So maybe I’ll get a callback.

My commercial and print agents are right next door to CBS Radford Studios where the audition was so I stopped by to say “hello”. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had an audition through them, which is rare, but that isn’t the main reason I stopped by. I “like” them; they are really great people and I enjoy talking to them – even if it is 5-10 minutes at a time.

I thought this was great. Immediately after greeting each other my agent Brooke commented that I hadn’t been out lately. I just love that; it’s not like it’s been months. I can’t believe that she specifically knows how active I am right off the top of her head. Funny, back in the day when I was preparing to move from New York to Los Angeles some other actor’s where saying that I shouldn’t sign with KSA because they are too big and I’ll get “lost in the shuffle”. Yes, they are a very large agency, but they have a lot of people running the operation. I have never felt, even for a day, that they didn’t know who I was. They have an open-door policy for their clients and I have always taken full advantage of it.

Anyway, Brooke brought up the topic of headshots and that it might be time for me to update or just look at my old session and get another shot that hasn’t been circulated. I had been thinking of shooting new shots anyway so it didn’t come as a surprise. She recommended a photographer they use a lot, but he is SUPER expensive. I don’t have a problem with the cost really, but he is the most expensive headshot photographer I’ve heard of in LA. I got better than the best deal you can get on my comp card so if I average that and a really expensive shoot I’ll have a good average, but it’s just not in the budget right now. I’ll get it together soon.

Audition/Producers: “The George Lopez Show” @ Stacey Levy Casting. I arrived at this audition and almost everyone there it seemed was from Actorsite. I saw Tanika McKelvy Brown, Julia Flint, Ingrid Sanai Buron, Joan Blair and Angel Oquendo. The audition went well I thought. I asked a question about the scene before I started which helped to clear things up a bit; it wasn’t all on the page. That bit of information changed the way I read it, I’m glad I asked.

It was great to see some fellow acting friends out in the mix, reading for roles on major shows. I think at least one of us will book.

Afterwards Angel and I walked around on the Warner Bros lot and I showed him where the “Ocean’s Thirteen” set was. He also booked a role in it and worked a couple of weeks ago at another location. The first thing we saw when we found the soundstage was George Clooney playing basketball with a few members of the crew. I must admit, it was a little surreal seeing him right there. Seems like a really cool guy.

I did a couple of general drop-offs on the lot and ran into Lanre Idewu; we did a play together in downtown LA a couple of years ago. I also ran into Brandon Molale; I met Brandon at Actorsite several years ago. He was working on “Dodgeball” the same time I was working on “The Terminal” both in Palmdale. Brandon is a really nice guy who works CONSTANTLY in big films. Actually, I saw him on “The Jay Leno Show” tonight; that guy is everywhere.

I rarely/never ask my agents to get feedback from an audition. Part of the reason is that I have a serious fear of rejection. It’s kinda funny actually. Another reason is that I don’t want to be just bothering my agents…just…because. So I try to be patient and just move on to the next thing. Well, this “patiently impatient” guy wasn’t so patient today. Yeah, I called my agent to see if I could get any word on, “Who’s Your Caddy”, the film I read for the other day. One of the great assistants, Steve, called the casting office and got the low-down. He didn’t get to speak with the casting director, but he did talk to the associate. The associate checked the notes on my resume and “good actor” was written with a star by it. The associate said that, most likely, means that I will get a callback. Cool. I’m really excited by that possibility. At minimum, I had a great audition for a busy casting director and film director.

Cool, the maintenance man came this morning and was very confident about were the bats are getting in. I was right, it was above the stove. He stuffed a bunch of screen in there to plug it up. I feel much better.

License and registration please....

Audition/Director: “Who’s Your Caddy” @ Jeff Gerrard Casting.
Yeah, this went really well. I sorta complicated it for myself because I think I knew what was going on - at least I thought I did. The role I read for is one the leads in the film, but for the audition there was just one small scene – a monologue really. I thought that was odd. Also, there were about 3-4 other, similar characters reading the same sides. Odd again; I mean these were leads and supporting leads.

In my mind it meant they were just trying to find out who was funny at all. Then they would dig deeper and really try to put a cast of characters together. So, drawing on my experience as a reader I figured I needed to really think outside of the box and bring something fresh. I mean you always want to do that, but I felt this needed to be a couple of degrees off of the normal freshness you wanna bring in the room. After all they’re going to be hearing these same sides from about four different characters. I didn’t want to put them asleep.

I didn’t want it to be so off the mark that they would wonder if I even read it, but enough that there was an unlikely twist for this character. I read it over and over and found my take on it. My take had absolutely nothing to do with what the character arch was in the script – nothing at all, but interesting nonetheless.

I went to my buddy Jon’s place to read it over and discuss my plan. He wasn’t feeling it at first – not even a little bit. I asked him to be really patient and hear me out. I also begged him to tell me if he thought I was completely out of my mind. I felt really strong about what I was thinking, but I needed someone to potentially save me from myself and my “great” idea.

Slowly, I was able to convince him that I was making sense and he got on board and gave me some great ideas to incorporate into the piece. It’s amazing what you can come up with in 20-25 minutes. I left his place feeling like I was on top of the world. I feel like I’m really right for this and I enjoyed the script.

So I arrive at the casting office, sign-in and have a seat. After 30 minutes or so it’s my turn. First I meet the director Don Michael Paul and I’m re-introduced to Casting Director Jeff Gerrard. I know Jeff from auditioning for commercials. Actually, the first time I auditioned for him back in ’99; I didn’t even have an appointment. A buddy gave me a tip on it because he had an appointment and thought I was right for it too. I went to check it out and was able to get seen. It was for “Pizza Hut”, I got a callback and booked the job. That led to two more “Pizza Hut”. I also remember one day doing a commercial drop when his office was in the Valley on Lankershim; commercial drops – THAT was a long time ago. I rarely, if ever do those anymore. Anyway, I ended up seeing him and he said I didn’t need to drop a photo because he had one on the wall in his office. Needless to say I was very surprised to hear that.

Before starting the read Don really checked out my credits. I gotta tell you it felt great to hear him associate me with people like Mekhi Phifer, Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino and Steven Soderbergh. Finally, it was time to read. They started laughing from the opening beat; which was a little thing that my friend Jon suggested. It went great!! The first thing Don said after I finished was “WHY DID YOU CUT YOUR DREADS!!!?!?! There is a guy in the movie with dreadlocks and his name is ‘Dread’.” He said he’s seen “The Terminal” and I mentioned that I had dreads back then.

ire mon!

We talked about that for a bit then he gave me some direction. I did it again, totally different and was happy with the outcome. He complimented me and I was on my way.

While I was driving away it suddenly dawned on me that I could have performed the re-direct even better. I could have added a slight accent for the dread guy. It was at that moment that I needed someone to “save me from myself”. Yup. I was going to go back and ask to do it again. Fortunately, I needed to go to my agency to pick up material for another appointment. My mind was racing. I was actually driving away from audition, but I was strongly thinking about going back. I really wanted go back, but I knew I needed time to think. I stopped at one of my favorite places, Panera Bread, check my e-mail on my PDA using their free Wi-Fi connection and assessed the situation.

Fifteen minutes later I got back in the car and headed in the direction of the audition. I didn’t think I would actually park, get out of the car, get in the elevator and go back to the office to ask to do it again, but I knew there was a chance that I would. I used a “lifeline” I called Jon and explained what was on my mind. He said, “no, don’t go back, let it ride”. That was what I needed to hear, so I “let it ride’ and heading to my agents’ office instead.

I spoke to David, the agent handling the office for the audition, and gave him the run-down. He was very excited to hear that it went well for me. He’s got a good feeling about it; who knows maybe they find something for me in the project. With that being said, I don’t expect to hear another thing about it. I’m not gonna wait by the phone, but I will pick up the phone in 10 days or so if I don’t hear anything. I really would like to work on this project.

Ooops, I ain’t feeling so good right now. Actually, I’m feeling pretty bad. Why? Well, I think it’s a combination of things. The major one is that I miss my mother so much. I can’t believe she’s been gone almost four years. I’m usually pretty good, but I’m pissed that I can’t even share my bat stories with her. She would, without a doubt, have something hilarious to say about. I know I’ve written about it and laughed, but I haven’t really told the whole story. For instance, I was out with friends Friday night and we laughed a lot about it, but I didn’t share with them that I had had another encounter right before I left home to meet them.

Yeah, I was getting ready to get in the shower to go catch up with them. I reached to pull back the shower curtain to turn on the water and to my surprised there was a bat moving in the drain. WHAT!? You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but I don’t think you’re ever really ready for it – it’s a freakin’ bat!! It took me a second to gather my bearings. Needless to say that bat is missing like Jimmy Hoffa. I drowned his/her a** - with hot water. I think that’s the first one I’ve straight up murdered – it was self defense – I thought it had a gun. I don’t make it a habit to hurt animals by any means, but it’s kinda like survival of the fittest. Don’t get me wrong it’s funny – sorta. It’s also potentially really, really dangerous.

I reported it to the rental office and with the holiday weekend it’s gonna be a minute before someone gets to check things out, probably Tuesday. Let me tell you, it’s spooky trying to sleep in my spot right about now.

I asked several people who live in the building about it and most weren’t of the issue. There were a few that had had incidents or heard about them. One guy had one in his apartment and said it took him 30 minutes to get it out. 30 MINUTES?!?! What the heck was he doing for 30 minutes? When I see one it’s over and done in 2-3 minutes max.

I stuffed rags in the non-working exhaust vent over the stove where I think they might be getting in. But really got me down was the notion of possibly having to move over this before I am ready to buy a condo. That would suck.

Another thing is the basis of how much I am paying in rent. I have found that many people in the building are paying less rent than me for the same space and I have been here longer. Maybe it’s on the up an up, but I am going to speak with the LA renter’s board or something like that to ease my mind – or take action.

So that got me kinda down and out today, but it’s nothing that a good bike ride couldn’t cure. I LOVE riding my bike. It brings me a lot of joy; I wish I had someone to ride with on a regular basis. Someone that would go out in the mountains and stuff.

If you ever see a bat flying in your home DO NOT call
me. Put a pair of pants around your neck for protection
and go to war. Good luck! - Stephon Fuller

Since I didn’t hear anything yesterday about the film audition I missed, I’m on the phone bright and early to see what I can do to make it happen. The thing is that the agent who handles this particular office is gone for the weekend, so one of the other agents is handling it. So I leave a message with one of the very capable assistants in the office.

BINGO! 25 minutes later the assistant, Steve, calls back with an appointment, sides and script and says they are considering me for several roles. That is great news. Ok, now to read the script and prepare. Sometimes you can put so much energy into getting the opportunity that you blow the opportunity. I can’t let that happen.

The great thing was that I had no idea this project even existed; I included my photo as a general submission while dropping a photo for my friend, Denice. It’s fun to think it was all me, me, me who got the audition, but I’m sure my agent submitted me too. That is the team at work! Now I have to go in deliver.