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© 1993 - 2006 stephonfuller.com All Rights Reserved
The Business of the Acting Business Consultations!!!
Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to sign my guestbook. Chapter 1 is waiting for you!
What follows is a step-by-step account of my continuing journey to fulfill my dreams of being successful in the entertainment business. Obviously it is not finished and it won't be. It will remain a work in progress.
I was born in Lemoore, California @ 5:15 on a Monday morning. Being a military family, we moved around a lot, but by the time I was five our family settled in Virginia Beach, VA.
I was the third of six kids. After my father retired from the Navy he bought a small deli and the family business was born. Actually, it was born two years prior in our own kitchen with my mom making Philly-style hoagies for my father's lunch. He, we the help of the family, turned it into a very successful business. I worked in the establishment for many years, but I knew early on it wasn't my calling. My father and I were never able to see eye-to-eye on anything it seemed, so I made other plans.
I always wanted to work in the entertainment field, it was fascinating to me. Not only the performers, but the business side as well. It didn't matter if it was a new studio deal, an Oscar winning performance, a Hip-Hop star crossing over into TV/Film and especially the whole "smoke & mirrors" aspect of the business. I loved it all. Since I lived in Virginia Beach I figured I would have to move to LA or NYC first. I had no idea how to get "in", but I was determined to figure it out.
Working in the deli I spent a lot of time looking out that front window while slicing turkey, onions or pastrami. My family's business is quite successful, but it was clear to me that I couldn't stay there. The question was how was this going to materialize. I have always been a result-oriented thinker, so I already pictured myself in the big cities of LA or NYC making big moves. A friend of mine, Jonathan Julian, had told me about this acting teacher in town that was really good. I had never taken an acting class in my life. I set up an appointment with "procrastination". I sat on the info for a time.
MAY '93*I have always been interested in photography, so I am taking a summer photography course at local community college. It was a fun class, I even got to develop and print my own photos. About 2 weeks from the end of the course I told my instructor that I was going to start taking acting classes. Of course he laughed and didn't think I was serious. I still hadn't made any real plans as far contacting that teacher or anything.
JULY 20th '93*Today was seemingly just another day at the slicer, but ended up being somewhat of a turning point in my life. I have always listened to a lot of AM Talk radio. On this particular day the host was interviewing a state politician. Somehow they got on the subject of his son who is an actor. They were saying that he had a part in a Sissy Spacek movie, sounds good to me. For whatever reason, they mentioned who the young actor was represented by. I wrote it down and said to myself "I have to call them, TODAY!!!!!!" I looked it up in the phonebook and 20 minutes later I found the courage to cold call. A very distinguished sounding man answered the phone. I asked how I could find out about auditions for movies or commercials. He replied "If you are not a professional you wouldn't know". Not what I wanted to hear, but it kinda made sense. We continued to make small talk and were about to end the conversation when somehow, in a very natural way, it came up that I was Black. HUH??????? When he found that out, he immediately set up an appointment for me to come in and read. He didn't think I sounded "Black", whatever that means. He said the agency needed black actors who weren't too ethnic sounding. Okay??? The appointment was set for 3 weeks later.
AUGUST 10th '93*Today was the big day for my meeting with this agency. I arrive and they have me fill out a bunch of paperwork. I was then taken to another room and read commercial, on camera. OMIGOD!!!!!! I had no idea it was so difficult, that camera was so intimidating. Anyway, I was horrible and it was okay. I told the gentleman that I was going to start classes with a local teacher next month. He agreed that this teacher was probably the best in town. I couldn't wait to get out of that office. I knew I would never hear from these people again. I finally called that teacher and signed up for her classes.
AUGUST 25th '93*Remember that agency that was never going to call me? THEY CALLED!!!!!!! They wanted to know if I would be interested in doing background work on a TV show. The show was called "Big Brother Jake" starring Jake Steinfeld of "Body by Jake" fame. It was filmed locally at The Family Channel studios. They wanted a young black actor who had a little edge. "Edge?" Maybe it was my shoulder-length dreadlocks. The person that they would have normally called had cut his dreadlocks for a movie recently. The agent told the Casting Director that I had no experience, but a great attitude.
AUGUST 26th-27th '93*Family Channel Studios-I am sold on this business, I think. I was having a great time. This was my first real view into the process of how a real production is made. The lights, the camera, the actors, hearing the director yell "ACTION!" and the live audience. It was a great intro to the business. Oh yeah, one of the guest stars of this episodes was indie queen Hope Davis.
SEPTEMBER 22nd '93*I didn't have the slightest idea how to get started in the business since I lived in Virginia Beach, VA; not exactly Hollywood East. A friend had turned me on to me on to an acting teacher in town named Sylvia Harman at The Actor's Place. Her private classes were the perfect place for me to start; she was a teacher that was experienced and thorough. I quickly found that Virginia Beach was not a bad place to start. The first night in class I met William Gregory Lee, who like me, was hungry as hell. He was not about to be denied his turn at success. It was a great match, two guys who were on the same page as far as what it would take to "really" do this. In this same class I eventually met actresses Joanna Canton & Michelle Krusiec.
The very next week in class he was already asking me "when was I leaving for NYC or LA" I didn't have an answer I just said that I was gonna work as hard as I could everyday and it would happen in due time. It could be 6 months or 3 years, but I knew it was gonna happen. Within months we both started to expand our horizons as far as keeping on top of the business. I remember driving 40 miles round-trip to get Variety Magazine. At the time, I really couldn't even afford the gas to make the trip, but at the same time I couldn't afford "not" to make those trips. I felt like I was in college, even though in reality I have never been. It was around this same time that Greg and I had our first professional audition. It was for an episode of "America's Most Wanted". Greg booked a principal role and I was hired for background.
OCTOBER 11th '93*I started a new job at the Lillian Vernon distribution center in Virginia Beach. It was not a very good experience, but I did meet a very, very sweet young lady named Ellen that I enjoyed spending time with. She was definitely a breath of fresh air in that place. Just meeting her made it worth it, almost everything else was forgettable. I do remember that actor River Phoenix passed away during my time there.
JANUARY 9th '94*I worked my way into assisting the extras casting director on a 4-part mini-series called "Vanishing Son" to be shot locally. I had gone to the open call at a local mall and was DETERMINED to get on board somehow. I told the extras casting director, Pam Plummer, that I would do anything to help out. The next day she called and took me up on my offer. It was a great experience for me. I got to be on the inside of a real Hollywood production for 6-7 weeks. I really liked what I saw and Pam was the coolest. I was even able to call in several of my classmates for background work. One guy even got a line and became SAG eligible. A few of the actors that were a part of the project were Rebecca Gayheart, Russell Wong, Dean Stockwell & Matthew Lillard.
MARCH 16th '94*I'm still in class with Sylvia at The Actor's Place. I found that this acting stuff isn't as easy as it looks. That is a compliment to so many actor's who make it look easy. Around this time we started to audition for industrials and student projects. We actually started booking things as well, it was a fun time.
JULY 15th '94*Slowly we started getting auditions for TV movies and films around town and in Wilmington, North Carolina. Even though we were 300+ miles away we were considered local for the productions down there. Within the next month or so Greg and I earned our SAG eligibility. He got his in a movie-of-the-week in North Carolina and I got mine after being cast in a commercial for "Hardee's".
OCTOBER 1st '94*Around this time Greg and I were really itching to get out of Virginia Beach to further our careers. Once we flew to New York for an open call for the film "Dead Presidents". The whole thing consisted of a Polaroid being taken. It was I, Greg and my little brother Todd. On the way back we stopped by my friend Genine's place in Harlem. Greg was freaked about being in Harlem and on the way to the airport the cab broke down and we missed our flight.
DECEMBER 10th '94*We were making plans to either move to LA or NYC. Mind you I was completely broke. I had no idea how this was really going to happen, yet I knew it "had" to happen. Anyway, we started doing mailings to New York and Los Angeles. I remember getting a call from a commercial agent in LA; it was Doug Murphy @ Media Artists Group. Greg got a call from a manager in New York; she wanted him to come to New York for an interview right after Christmas. I was much more familiar with NYC than he was so he wanted me to go with him. I couldn't afford to go unless I was going to get seen as well. So I called her up and she was cool with me coming up to interview. I had just booked my 2nd national commercial; it was for "Jackson-Hewitt Tax Service".
JANUARY 5th '95*In early January Greg and I made the trip up to NYC. We didn't really know what to expect, we just knew that someone in New York was interested in us. We both did monologues and they were pretty bad, but she wanted to sign us anyway. I guess she saw potential in us, she gave both of us contracts and we were on our way back home to Virginia Beach. We were so excited that we don't even remember the trip back home. We really felt as though we were on our way and we were!! The kicker was that she wanted us to move to New York within 2 weeks. What!!! We knew we couldn't get there that soon, but we were working on it. In the couple of months that followed we both got a few calls for auditions in New York. It was a taste of things to come.
APRIL 15th '95*I made my decision to move today. I am really going to do it. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The longer I stay in Virginia Beach the more time I put between now and obtaining my goals. Again I get a nudge from talk radio. I was on my way back from a long trip to North Carolina for an audition and I was listening to an interview with Sandra Bullock. Sandra was talking about her journey and how things had worked for her and she said "..........and then I moved to New York." Right at that point I answered the radio and said "I'm moving too!!!" I got home that night and called Greg and he was thinking the same thing. The big question was how we would make this happen. We had a mutual friend, Dalbe Markman, who had friends in New York who were willing to let two strangers come to stay with them. I put in my two weeks notice at both of my jobs. That night I lay not able to believe what I had just done. I guess I had to move now.
MAY 9th '95*It's time!!! The moment of truth is here. We had finished a year and a half with our private teacher and we were leaving. Our friend Dalbe Markman had set us up with two girls who were willing to let us stay with them in New York on a temporary basis. We traveled to NYC by Greyhound. While we were waiting for the bus to leave I felt like I had been released from prison. I just didn't feel like I was going to get what I wanted if I stayed in Virginia Beach. We sat at the very back of the bus 3 seats across for the 6+hr journey. I turned to Greg to see if he was feeling the same. He wasn't. As I was getting ready to speak I saw that he was crying his heart out. He was leaving a girlfriend and close friends and it's just hard. He was fine moments later. NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!! We arrive. Greg and I actually had to share a bed for 4 months!! The shower was in the kitchen!!! This apartment was a trip, it was in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan (46th bet. 9th & 10th). I only had two-hundred dollars to my name. In New York City!!! We hit the ground running, I starting auditioning right away mostly for commercials. Within 3 weeks Greg almost booked a role on "All My Children", he got down to the last 5 guys who tested at the network. It was an interesting time and I wanna thank Lindsay Dickon & Shaunda Bradley for letting us stay with them and Dalbe Markman for setting it all up.
MAY 22nd '95*Okay, this is the deal. Greg and I have been searching for jobs since we arrived in NYC two weeks ago. We haven't been very successful, thus far. On Friday we applied at a "TGI Fridays" in mid-town Manhattan. The gentleman we spoke to, 'Rocco' was very encouraging. He said that it didn't matter that we didn't have experience as waiters because "we train all of our staff anyway." Cool!!! He told us to go to another location and see another 'Rocco' and he would take care of us. The first mistake we made was to think that this would actually work and the second was to stop looking elsewhere for employment. Today, Monday, we show up to see 'Rocco' and he totally dissed us, New York style. Welcome to the big city kids!! I just sat there and laughed because he was so rude to us.
Afterwards Greg had an appointment with a photographer for headshots and I decided to go back to the Harley-Davidson Cafe, alone, where we had inquired twice about employment. The two previous times we were there I felt the GM, Scott Young, liked us but couldn't do much with us since we didn't have experience. I walk in and see Scott and I think he was surprised to see me AGAIN, so I told him my situation. I said "Scott we'll do anything". He says "I know". I say "No, you don't know. We'll do ANYTHING". He sees that I am serious and just looks at me for a moment. He motions for me to hold on a second and disappears downstairs. A second later he returns and says to "come in tomorrow @ 4:30pm, wear all black." YES!!! We finally got jobs, both of us. Did I mention that we were hired as bussers?
AUGUST 15th '95*It was rough, bussing tables at a theme restaurant in NYC. The money sucked!!! I was so broke that I had to wash my uniform in the sink. The neighborhood in Hell's Kitchen, where we lived, was another story. Can you say "crackhead city?"
Greg couldn't seem to understand that we were "no longer in Kansas". This was "HELL'S KITCHEN, NYC"!!! NOT Virginia Beach, VA!! You don't have to talk "every" crack head. I remember one night on the block a guy thought Greg said something to his girlfriend. I think it was a set-up of some sort. He could tell that we were new in town. I was like "Greg c'mon!! Let's go!!"
Anyway, we both started taking classes at New York Performance Works downtown in Tribeca. I booked my first New York acting job in September; it was a promo/trailer for a pilot. At this point I was sleeping on cushions on my brother's floor in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This is also when I decided that living in Brooklyn was NOT going to work for me. Nothing against the planet Brooklyn it's just working the hours that I do I was spending way too much time on the train.
Greg had decided to go back to Virginia to regroup. New York was much more difficult than he expected. Also, I think getting so close on that soap gig kinda got to him.
Meanwhile, at work I was having some "issues" with my pay. I confronted the GM about it a couple of times and the second time he said he was thinking about promoting me from a busser to a server. Hmmm...I was very skeptical. I knew I was a good worker and I thought he was going to keep me through the Summer and then fire me when business slowed down. I'm in New York, now I don't trust anyone!! Lo and behold Scott Young was true to his word and one of the worst jobs I ever had turned into the best job I ever had.
Waiting tables was quite a challenge for me. I didn't know how to balance a tray of drinks very well and I had NEVER had a drink of alcohol in my entire life. I had alot to learn, but I had so much fun being there. I met so many people that I really liked; it was a very good time. Thank you Harley-Davidson Cafe management & staff.
NOVEMBER 1st '95*I finally found a place to live in Manhattan!! I moved into a 3 bedroom apartment with 3 other people. There was a Korean girl and Chinese guy; they were a couple, a Jewish girl and I. We were like the United Nations.
My room was so small it was unbelievable. It was the size of a walk-in closet with the bed built up on a loft. I could barely stand up under the bed and I'm on 5'8". It served its purpose for eleven months. It also had plenty of mice. I would hear little noises at night. At first I didn't know what it was. I soon caught onto their game.
DECEMBER 7th '95*MY EYE!!! MY EYE!!! Something is going on with my eyes. I've been wearing contact lenses for the last several years and...... I've been slipping on the maintenance part. Well, now it's time to pay the band. The pain had been brewing for a day or two.
It started with the feeling that I had a grain of sand in my eye. It quickly progressed to downright terrifying, I mean unbelievable. Any sort of light absolutely killed me. I didn't have any health insurance, but I had to go get checked out. I actually had to wait until the sun went down to go to the hospital.
So I go out and it's snowing, I like really cannot see. The first cab I hail wouldn't take me to the Westside; he said the roads were too bad. That was crap; he was just being a jerk. I get another cab to take me to the hospital. He takes me to the wrong place; the right place is a couple of blocks over. I am in unbelievable pain, it's snowing, I'm in the wrong place AND I can't see. I am a sitting duck.
I finally make it to the right place and am quickly diagnosed with ????? I am prescribed an ointment sent on my way.
I call my manager at the Harley-Davidson Cafe and inform him that I will not be able work the following day. It's the first time in my life that I have ever called in sick.
I had many friends in my room at night in the form of bats without wings.....RATS!!! Or mice, they are all the same to me. Get this I had a reading light up on my fancy loft bed. Well, it wasn't really all that fancy. The light cord ran down to the floor. One night I woke up and saw 3 or 4 mice scurrying. One was literally running down the cord of the light, another on top of the TV and another on the floor. I was officially freaked out. I mean, in one sense, it was really cool because it was clear that I was doing for my future. They added character. I guess.
APRIL 11th '96*After being in NYC for 11 months things were coming along slowly but surely. I was getting auditions, even though I wasn't really right for most of them. I was figuring out how it all worked. I was also having second thoughts about my management; I wasn't working directly any agents so she was all I had. Normally, I am a hands-on type a guy and this felt kinda weird. When I signed with her I felt that Greg was who she really wanted. She told me that she felt I was the "brains of the duo" and I would determine if "we" signed or not. Not true at all, Greg did his own thing. I felt like I didn't have anything to lose, at the very least it was a major factor in getting me to New York.
At the restuarant they hired a stunning, vibrant new hostess named Keilana. She was beautifully radiant, but I was trying to "get my hustle on" with my career and not really interested in dating anyone. She eventually suggested that we get together a few times and finally we did. We spent a lot of time together and I have to say, up to that point, I hadn't really clicked that well with anyone I dated before. I really thought she could be the one. Those were some really fond memories.
JUNE 6th '96*I had had it with my talent manager; she couldn't even get my name right and almost rarely were any of my auditions right for me. I asked for and received a release from my contract. She told some others that she didn't feel I would get work in New York. Cool, I was free.
It was then that my career in New York really started. I did my resume over and bought a word processor. When I re-did my resume without the manager's logo on it I felt like I had taken a shower. I had taken the power back in my career. I did a mass mailing to CD's and agents with some success. I also took the initiative to make follow-up calls. I did this because I knew most other actors wouldn't and I also had nothing to lose. I got numerous meetings with agents this way. Within a year I was freelancing commercially with Abrams, Acme, SEM&M, Paradigm, William Morris, Carol Baker, Gilla-Roos, The Gage Group and several others. Things were looking good.
AUGUST 4th '96*I slowly started getting auditions through these new connections that I was making on my own and I also felt that I was right for most of the stuff that I was getting appointments for. Around this time I got my first callback for a commercial in New York and it felt good. Things were going well, my job at Harley was working and I was making headway in business.
OCTOBER 8th '96*Around this time I landed a theatrical agent Penny Luedtke @ The Luedtke Agency. I really liked her; she listened and believed in me. I was freelancing commercially with a couple of agencies and getting a few appointments theatrically as well. I started attending CD and agent workshops at The Actor's Connection and these really made things happen. I was learning a lot about how things worked and getting an opportunity to meet CD's and agents directly and it was encouraging because it helped me understand how things worked. Soon agents started calling me for auditions. Things were looking great.
JANUARY 10th '97*I didn't go home for Christmas, I opted to stay in New York and make money at the restuarant. A week after Christmas I took my vacation and Keilana came with me to meet my family. I had never done anything like this before, it was a big deal for me. She really enjoyed my family and they loved having her. We had a great time until I fell on my face while ice skating. I don't know how I didn't break my nose, because a week later I had two black eyes.
Starting the year off with a bang I had two callbacks for films. They both went really well. I was really getting used to auditioning, working out the nervous energy and figuring out what the hell I was doing. I was already SAG eligible and decided to take the step to become a member of the union. I knew it was just a matter of time before I was booking and I just wanted to be ready.
MARCH 3rd '97*I finally get the word that I booked one of those films from January. It was a small role as a crack head in a film titled "Hell's Kitchen" with Mekhi Phifer, Angelina Jolie, William Forsythe and Rosanna Arquette. I actually got to work on the streets of New York City 54th between 9th & 10th!! My scene was with Mekhi, ironically he got the role from the open call that Greg and I had gone to for "Clockers" a couple of years earlier. I also booked a big national commercial for "Burger King/The Lost World/Jurassic Park". The agent I was freelancing with at Paradigm was Stacye Meyer; I'd met her at a workshop at The Actor's Connection. Thanks for taking a chance on me Stacye. Both shoots were a lot of fun.
APRIL 10th '97*Today I had an audition for a Pepsi commercial that is shooting in Madrid, Spain. It had a different kind of feel because it was for Spain and they are a bit more edgy over there as far as advertising. The audition went really well.
APRIL 17th '97*Oh Snap!!! They called today to put me on avail for the "Pepsi" gig in Spain!! They even requested my sizes. WHAT!!! I don't even have a passport. I'd been meaning to get one, but kept putting it off. I didn't want to start the process after getting the audition because I didn't want to be "caught in the passport system" in case I booked the job. I figure, if I get the job I can get a passport in a day......at least that's what I've heard. They said they would make their choices next week on the 24th.
APRIL 24th '97*I knew today was the day I'd get the news on whether I booked the "Pepsi" gig or not.
INT. Harley-Davidson Cafe 11:15am
15-20 employees are attending a staff meeting before the lunch rush. STEPHON, an African-American male, mid 20's sits eating a breakfast sandwich in a booth with 3 employees. Lance, the manager, briefs the staff.
LANCE
We have a group of 30 in the middle @ 12:15. Who's the HOG?
STEPHON
Right here.
Stephon's pager starts to vibrate. He immediately recognizes the number as Paradigm Talent Agency. He starts to feel numb. "Did I get the gig in Spain?"
LANCE
The soup of the day is Lentl.
MICHAEL
Again.
Stephon's pager goes off a second time and he reluctantly makes a call to his agent while hiding under the table.
ASSISTANT
Commercials.
STEPHON
Good morning, Doug Kesten please.
DOUG
Stephon! Congratulations. You booked the job in Spain.
STEPHON
You're kidding right?
DOUG
No, they loved your tape. So....what's going on with your
passport?
STEPHON
I can get one right away.
DOUG
Good, because they think you already have one.
STEPHON
Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem.
DOUG
Let me give you the rundown. You leave Saturday afternoon
arriving in Madrid Sunday morning. You'll have most of Sunday
to rest, possibly a fitting and you'll work Monday thru Friday.
Leaving Madrid Saturday morning returning to New York that
evening.
STEPHON
Okay, I can deal with that. I can't believe this.
DOUG
It'll be $1500 a day, plus $500 a day for travel and rest days
and $1500 buyout for one year. They are faxing the itinerary
here this afternoon. You can stop by and pick it up and we'll
finally get to meet.
STEPHON
Okay, I'll see you this afternoon.
Stephon sits back up in his seat white as a ghost.
BILL
Dude, what's up? You alright?
CUT TO: Staff meeting
LANCE
The beer of the month contest winner was Monica and
she gets to go on the company ski trip for free. The new
uniforms are scheduled to arrive around the first of the
month......and I think that's about it. Have a great shift
everyone.
Bill and Stephon walk approach Lance, the manager.
BILL
Lance, Stephon has a situation he has to deal with.
LANCE
What happened? Did you cut yourself?
STEPHON
No, remember that gig I was telling you about last week that
shoots in Spain?
LANCE
Yeah.
BILL
He booked it.
LANCE
No shit?
STEPHON
Yeah, I need to go get a passport.
LANCE
Congratulations! Do what you have to do, we'll handle this here.
STEPHON
Thanks Lance, I really appreciate it.
Bill and Stephon walk away.
STEPHON
Bill, I've never even met the agent before. That was the first
time I've ever spoken to him.
BILL
No shit?
STEPHON
No shit.
So I leave on my journey to somehow get a passport. I tell Keilana and share my news with the rest of the crew at work and call my family. By time I get back my "Burger King" spot is running everywhere in the country.
JULY 15th '97*My "Burger King" residuals are now coming in and I get a couple of gifts for myself. One is a mountain bike and the other is a bed. Yeah, a bed!!! Since moving to NYC 2 years ago I had been sleeping on cushions or futon mattresses (except for the 4 months of sharing a bed with Greg). At least now I won't be down on the floor, I'll still have to deal with mice though.
AUGUST 8th '97*Now was the time to concentrate on getting on stage. I had participated in a couple of staged readings at NYU and Columbia, but I had never been in a full-fledged stage production. I figured I would be performing in some hole-in-the-wall spot downtown and get seen by very, very few people. That would be fine; I just needed to get onstage. So I get this audition for a play and it goes really well. The director stopped me before we were even half way finished and gave me a same day callback.
I go to the callback and see the other guys warming up their voices and stretching in preparation to sing and dance. WHAT!!! I don't sing or dance--at least not for money. We are paired up in groups of three and are given pieces to sing as well as movements to act out. I was horrified at first to be expected to do these things at the same time. I did the best I could and got another callback two days later. This time it was just scene work. The next day I was booked!!
I had no idea what the magnitude of this show was. I was working with an award winning director & choreographer, an amazing musical director, getting my Equity card, performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as well as in New Jersey and on salary!! I was tripping out. The cast was incredible, I was fortunate to be working with them. I remember asking some of the other cast members "if it was normal to get a standing ovation every night" they assured me that it was not normal. While performing in DC all of the cast members had our own apartments. We were living better than we did in NYC in our regular apartments!!
The husband of Oscar nominee Laura Linney was in the show, so I got to meet her a couple of times. Oh yeah, the best job I ever had gave me 3 months off to do this show! The Harley Davidson Cafe in NYC was definitely important to my progress.
JANUARY 10th '98*Trying to keep the momentum going after coming off of the play. The year started pretty well, mostly commercials. That was okay for me at that point, but I did want to get more chances in TV/Film. Commercially, I was freelancing with The Gage Group, Acme, Paradigm, William Morris, Abrams Artist, SEM&M, The Krasny Office, J. Michael Bloom, Gilla Roos, Fifi Oscard & others. Almost all of these connections came through workshops. I was sometimes getting 3, 4 or 5 calls for one audition. It felt good to have a little demand, but I was ready to sign with a top commercial agency. I research the market, I had experience with most of the top agencies and I knew who I was interested in. At the top of my list was Don Buchwald & Associates. I had no experience with them because they didn't freelance. Then why was I interested in them? They only worked with signed clients, one of the few in NYC to do business that way. I didn't want to have to compete with a hustler like myself. I am my fellow actors' worst nightmare. I say that because I am relentless and just won't stop because I love the business side as well. I was on a mission.
FEBRUARY 13th '98*WHY IS IT SO SLOW? I haven't had an audition in 3 1/2 weeks and it is Friday the 13th @ 4pm, another week almost over. Then the pager started buzzing, in the next two hours I got 5 calls and 4 appointments for Monday. One was for "Wendy's" at the same CD's office that booked me on the Spain job.
Me and the late Dave Thomas of "Wendy's" in Miami.
I was booked on this and it was to shoot in Miami. YEAH!! Miami in February!! Escape from New York for a couple of days!! First-class flights and five-star hotels was the order of the day. Someone from the production office actually called me to ask "what airport I preferred to fly out of". Are you kidding me? "One with planes" I answered. Anyway, the spot was with Dave Thomas and pro baseball player Chipper Jones. Meanwhile my buddy Greg who had moved to LA booked the lead in an NBC pilot.
Chillin' on my balcony @ the Five-Star Grand Bay Hotel in Miami.
MARCH 13th '98*A week after returning to New York from Miami I had an upcoming workshop with an agent from my target agency Don Buchwald & Associates. I choose them partially because they only dealt with signed clients. I didn't want to sign with an agency that freelanced because I didn't wanna compete with someone like myself-a hustla. The workshop was a total success; he called me the next day to come in for a meeting for the following week. The meeting was "smooth like butta" I had my commercial demo, my bio (not "my long ass bio"), a list of CD's in the city who I had auditioned or had callbacks or bookings. They responded 3 hours later saying they wanted to sign. YES!!! It worked.
APRIL 8th '98*Again it is dead. Did I make a mistake in signing? Nah, it's just slow right now. Eventually, things got going with DBA and I was very happy, booking 3 jobs over the next 4 months. One of the first auditions was for a v/o test for what may turn into an on-camera spot. I booked the v/o and the producers were hopeful that it would be on-camera spot as well.
Commercially things were going well, but I couldn't seem to get many TV/Film appointments. I started thinking about bouncing out to LA; Greg was also telling me to come out. Early May he gets the word that his show is on the fall schedule and that he will be flown to New York for the announcements. When he arrives he tells me that his agent will meet with me if I come out to LA. The wheels start turning......I do a 50 piece mailing to agents, the calls started right away.
JUNE 23rd '98*I arrive in LA with 6 appointments 3 theatrically and 3 commercially. The day after I arrive in LA I get a call from DBA for a v/o audition, but I was able to do it over the phone.
The next day my theatrical agent call with an audition, but it wasn't until the next week. Now my commercial agent calls again with a callback for a different spot. This cuts my 11 day trip down to five. I had not yet met with my target commercial agency, so I called them asked to reschedule my appointment because I needed to return to NYC sooner than expected for the callback. The assistant said she would "pass the word" (yea right); 10 minutes later she called back with a new appointment time. The meeting went well and they wanted to sign on the spot. I felt good about them as well.
Of my theatrical meetings 2 of them were about even and the other had me concerned about the "favor factor". It was my friend's agent, and they are really good, but I didn't want to feel like a "favor". They all offered me 2nd meetings when I actually moved here permanently. I looked at an apartment on Sunday and left on the red-eye that night for my Monday morning callback. While in LA my friend Marvin Bang made sure I got everywhere on time and let me stay with him. It was my birthday, June 28th, I had no idea that I would be living in LA 30 days later.
JUNE 29th '98*I returned to New York early for my callback which went really well. The next day I found out that I had been approved for the apartment. WHAT!!! This is really happening and fast!!! The next week I had ANOTHER callback for the same spot and I booked it. It was that same Ford v/o demo from months earlier it had turned into an on-camera spot. I put in my notice at work and with my roommates. I shot the "Ford" spot less than a week before I moved. LA here I come!!
JULY 28th '98*I left New York and had a layover in Chicago, I called my new commercial agent from the airport to tell her that I was ready to get started and she already had an appointment for me. I arrived at LAX @ 10:30 that night and had my first audition @ 11am the next morning. I had sent my photos prior to arriving so I could get started right away. In the first week I had 3 auditions and 3 callbacks. On the theatrical side I started with my number 1 prospect of the 3 TV/Film agents, they wanted to see a monologue or scene. The first week I was here I took care of that and the deal was done. 7 days in LA and I was fully repped and ready to go.
SEPTEMBER 6th '98*With money running out, I needed a job. I couldn't work days because I was already auditioning. I figured it would be next to impossible to get night shifts in a restaurant, I tried unsuccessfully.
Finally I got a job working at Old Navy doing shipments 10pm-7am. It was not a good experience, but I was free during the day and able to do my workshops and study at night. By the end of October I was running out of my money. The "Ford" spot was starting to run, but I had not seen any money yet. Finally, I totally ran out of money. I specifically remember one night when I couldn't buy a soda at work....BROKE. The soda was .55 and I only had .45. It felt good though, I was risking it all for my future.
My car situation was a disaster. I had taken over Greg's old Honda (bless him) because, after all his show got picked up, and it was shooting in Hawaii. It was an older car and he would just buy himself a new one whenever he came back. After he left for Hawaii, it was still registered to him. The Virginia plates expired two weeks later. To be safe, I rode my bike back & forth to work. I was too paranoid to drive most of the time. I was having a rough time, but it was all good and did not lose my faith.
NOVEMBER 20th '98*I had to do something and quickly!! I wanted to go home for the holidays, but I couldn't afford to take off from work. Slowly, the "Ford" residuals started coming in. I knew I would go insane if I had to go through Holiday season at Old Navy for minimum wage. It was not an option. So I hatched a plan. I would go home to Virginia for Thanksgiving for 5 days, then to New York and my old job at The Harley Davidson Cafe for 5 weeks and then back to Virginia for a couple of days and return to LA on January 5th. With 4 phone calls I had both of my NY agents, a place to stay in Brooklyn with my brother and a full-time schedule at Harley. I had never had to scramble like this, but things were looking good.
DECEMBER 1st '98*Back in New York City and it feels good!! Holiday season at the restaurant and it's busy. I'm making money; I'm auditioning a little and seeing my old friends. It was a very nice Holiday season.
JANUARY 4th '99*Back in LA and ready to rock & roll!!! I remember talking to one of my buddies about the lack of minorities on certain shows, particularly "Friends", I had never even seen the show. I knew it was set in NYC, but where were the Latinos, Dominicans, Blacks, Asians, and Indians, etc? Later that same day I get an appointment for the show. I booked a co-star on the show. My agent called me at 7:30 in the morning and said that they needed me at the studio ASAP by 9am I was face to face with Lisa Kudrow. It was my first TV gig and it goes down as one of the many highlights in my career. Being in hair & make-up with the 6 of them doing a line reading as the live audience went crazy was some kind of experience.
FEBRUARY 8th '99*My commercial appointments are coming along fine, but those theatrical ones are MIA. I had a callback for "3Dfx" a computer software company, they had me on avail. The next day they called and released me and asked if I would do background work. I declined and my agent thanked me. The next day they called back and booked me as a principal. She said she wasn't allowed to urge me to decline, but she had a feeling that they were bluffing.
APRIL 23rd '99*DRAMA DRAMA & MORE DRAMA Remember that car situation I mentioned months ago. Well it was about to get interesting. Even though I knew quite a few people in LA I didn't really do much other than pursue my career and work at Old Navy. For one thing I was broke and the car kinda held me hostage. Often times I wouldn't even leave the house until work @ 10pm or going to a workshop. My life was closing in and I was feeling it. I'm a bicycle enthusiast, so I decided to go to a bike convention that was in town. I figured I would get off at 7am get some sleep and then go to the event. As usual I had ridden my bike to work the previous night. So I go out my car and it is gone. WHAT!!! Yep, it had been impounded. At first I thought it was stolen. I guess the expired Virginia tags caught up with me. No car in LA gotta think fast.
MAY 1st '99*This is the plan. I had "my" car back in Virginia Beach; it had been sitting in my brother's driveway for 4 years while I lived in New York. I figured I would go home; get it fixed and either drive or ship it out here to Los Angeles.
My "Ford" spot was running pretty well, but I made "high school freshman money" at Old Navy so I was living pretty low on the hog. A friend in Virginia Beach, John Dail, worked for USAir. He got me a cheap ticket back home. I was to leave LA on May 5th and return the 15th. When I got to Virginia a letter is waiting for me from VA DMV saying that my license is suspended. WHAT!!! I call DMV and they say that I have a warrant out for my arrest. WHAT!!! She says I have to go see the judge the next day. WHAT!!! "I had never been in front of a judge!!!"
I go to court the next day. After watching hours of cases being heard I was sweating bullets. They hear what I have to say and then I am arrested. WHAT!!! They give me a court date of May 26th. I am supposed to be back in LA on May 15th!!! They lead me thru the door that I had seen so many people go through.
The whole nine kid!!!
"Take out your shoe laces".
"Empty your pockets.........completely".
They search and document everything in my bag and then they put me in a holding cell with 5 guys and stainless-steel toilet. WHAT!!! At first I am tripping out and then settled into an observational mode. After 3 hours they handcuff me together with 3 other guys and walk us underground to the jail.
I was wearing a nice, pressed white oxford shirt to look presentable to the judge. As I was being led to the jail I untucked and unbuttoned my shirt to try and fit in, ya know, "look the part". It's all about survival baby! Then they separated me from the other 3 guys. WWWHY!!! I didn't know if I was better off or worse off. You always think the grass is greener on the other side. Turns out the other guys were going to jail and me to another holding cell. After 2 hours I saw the magistrate. My bail was five-hundred bucks. She also changed my court date to May 12th. As I was lacing my boots back up one of the inmates asked me why I was there. I told him and he said "man you look like you should be in college or somethin". I called a bondsman and was free.
MAY 12th '99*The moment of truth. I arrive in court and after waiting for 2 hours. I am informed that the magistrate gave me the wrong info. The correct date was the 26th. WHAT!!! So I decided to roll up to New York for a week and work at my old job to make some dough. Bless those managers, they had no idea how much they were helping me out. Obviously I wasn't supposed to leave the state, but "you gotta do watcha gotta do".
So I work for the week then go back to Virginia a few days before my court date. Here is where I really add to my problems. While working at the family deli with my brother & mom I get upset about something and leave upset. I decide to drive to another city and pick-up some parts for my car. I get stopped by the police. Remember that suspended license? Yeah. Oh Snap!! I'm thinking this guy is definitely taking me straight to jail for driving with a suspended license, expired registration and no city sticker. I couldn't get those things because of the "suspended" license. I received 3 tickets, but he didn't take me to jail. I also got another court date of June 29th '99. WHAT!!! I'm never gonna get back to LA!!!
A couple of days later I go back to court for the original suspended license charge and it is all dismissed. The only charge me a twenty-five dollar failure to appear charge. It was suspended by mistake. I left the courthouse walked a couple of miles to DMV and made everything legal. Yo, I'm outta here!! I blaze back to New York to work in the restaurant for 3 1/2 weeks.
JUNE 28th '99*After three weeks in New York I am back to face those other charges. My car is almost ready for the trip and I have two friends to drive across country with. I was a little skeptical about my car; it's a '89 Honda Accord with 165,000 miles on it. I just had to trust it; she never let me down before. I had so much stuff going on that my nose would start bleeding for no reason. I went to my other court date and again everything was dropped. I had everything I needed a new license, current registration & a new city decal. The judge told me that if I didn't have that new license he would have given me ten days in jail. WHAT!!!
Three days later I was on the road to LA. It was a great drive with my friend Patrick Mylod and former girlfriend Keilana Smith. Keilana and I had been on and off for some time. More "off" than "on" but we had always been there for each other. During the beautiful drive across this great country I actually started to feel that, one day, I will marry her. WHAT!!!
JULY 4th '99*Back in LA finally!!! A 2 week trip ends up being 2 months, what a story. I've got my car and I'm feeling good. I don't go back to Old Navy, I just couldn't do it. I got a job in the valet department at The Standard a "Hollywood Hot Spot" on the Sunset Strip. At first it was interesting driving those expensive cars. I think the most expensive one was a Bentley that this guy had shipped over from London he said it was worth $500,000. It was customized to the nines, it even had right-hand drive. I have never driven a right-hand drive car, but I acted like it. I encountered lots of industry people.
SEPTEMBER 8th '99*Things are pretty routine for me, a good number of commercials auditions and a few theatrical ones. One of my buddies tells me about a "Pizza Hut" audition in the valley. I had already done drop-offs over there and was on my way to Santa Monica when he calls to say I should check it out. I say "sure I have nothing to lose". I go back and scope it out and before I even feel it out the CD is bringing me in. Obviously I'm right for it. I sign in and he brings me in and I have good read and he says "that has callback written all over it", cool.
A couple of days later I have a callback (my agent was wondering where it came from, they didn't know I went in on it). The callback is for a different spot and I am first to go in. The other guys already new what the spot was about, so the CD pulls me out of line and gives me the heads up. The call flows "smoove like butta" I get the call that I'm booked!!! We shoot at Sony Studios, they built a "Pizza Hut" in the inside one of the stages. It was so real. Anyway, it was a fun shoot. It didn't run too much I think I saw it once on cable, too bad, it was funny spot.
NOVEMBER 16th '99*Today I taped my first voiceover in LA. It is for "The Famous Jett Jackson Show" I was playing the star for two episodes with hopes of doing more.
JANUARY 3rd '00* It's the first business day of the New Year and I already have my first appointment. It's for "The Time of Your Life", the new Jennifer Love Hewitt drama show on FOX. I'm going straight to producers for a couple of lines. Get the word the next day I'm booked. The character walks up on a murder scene. The next day is the table read; my first for a TV show. The cast is very nice and involved in the reading. A couple of days later I'm shooting in downtown LA in an alley with real, big, nasty rats!!! WHAT!!! These were the first rats I had seen since leaving New York!!! I didn't know LA had rats. Anyway it was good way to start off the year.
FEBRUARY 7th '00*Casting director Jerry Whitworth calls me in to be a reader for a film. I had just met him days earlier at a workshop. I had a great time doing it. Days later I get a call from my commercial agent for a "callback" with the director of the "Pizza Hut" spot I did back in September. "Callback?" I hadn't been in yet. It's only me and two other girls; they had worked for "Pizza Hut" before as well. We go in and do some improv. He tells us that he wants to make us recurring characters. WHAT!!! As I am leaving the meeting Jerry calls me to come back in for the director for the film that I was the reader for, I was one of 3 choices. It starts the same day as the "Pizza Hut" spot would shoot. Anyway, 2 days later I and 1 of the other girls are shooting. We have our scene together with the lead guy and I was in the background in another scene. I'm thankful for that background shot, because they didn't use my shot with the lead guy. When the spot aired, and it aired often, you barely saw me in the background. I wasn't "cut out" even though you would not have recognized me in the spot. Those residuals helped me through the strike. I didn't get the film.
APRIL 11th '00*With Pilot season coming to a close, I was trying see how I could get seen more. I had been going back and forth with the manager thing. Now, I felt I was ready to really pursue it. I had been compiling info about talent managers from various sources for years and knew a bit of who was who. I had done a mailing a couple of months earlier with not much success. I did get a call from a company that asked for a demo. I don't have a demo, just a couple a commercials on a tape. I went and dropped it off and got to meet with him, I would have signed with them on the spot, but I wasn't far enough along for them. I'm tired I wanna go home, to Virginia, so I do just that.
MAY 1st '00*Back in town and we are on strike. This is not good. I am not one to take commercial auditions for granted, but it made me appreciate them even more. It really showed me how much I depend on my acting income which, thus far, has been mostly commercials. One good thing about the strike was that I got to know my commercial agents a lot better. I would see them on the picket lines, out in the hot sun like the rest of us.
Also, episodics are shutting down and it is just slow. I still have the manager thing on my head as well. Not a whole lot going on, just continuing with my workshops. I'm not making much dough at my night job... gonna have to do something soon to bring in some cash.
JUNE 22nd '00*Do I need to check my pager battery? Nobody's calling. I start working out, riding my, mountain bike, going to the beach - whatever to keep busy. I'm still doing casting director workshops to keep myself in the mix. At the beginning of the strike I had 2 "Pizza Hut" spots out there and they dropped them both. Not good news.
Also, I booked a role in a short film that involved a lot of dancing and singing. What were they thinking? Anyway, after several rehearsals the producers decide to "go another way". Thankfully, because without the proper dance/voice training I would not have been able to get up to speed in time. They did me a favor; I didn't want to be the weakest link.
JULY 10th '00*Not a whole lot happening, just keeping busy to stay prepared for any opportunities that may arise. My night job, workshops and picket lines take up most of my time. I did a workshop on July 10th with Dori Zuckerman @ Henderson/Zuckerman Casting and 2 weeks later she asked me to be a reader.
Also at this time I called one of my theatrical agents and discussed management with her. I told her I was committed and ready to do it. She called back the next day with 3 appointments. I did research on them and took the meetings. The first meeting, Daniel Rojo Management was cool, he seemed really excited about me and he "got" me. The 2nd meeting with Reaves/D'Andrea Entertainment was cool with a bit less of a connection. The 3rd meeting @ Bohemia Entertainment was different; this guy was really aggressive and edgy. He seemed to like my style but he felt I needed too much work for his company.
AUGUST 10th '00*I go with Daniel Rojo Management from the first meeting after doing a scene for him with Keilana. I felt really good about this. He ended up taking on Keilana as well. I would tell him about my workshops and he gave me his opinions. I was able to stop by and chat about whatever I had heard in town. My buddy Greg had an audition for a film, "XCU", at Ricki Maslar's office and he thought there might be something in it for me. I told my manager and he got on the phone right then and there to see if I was right for anything in the film. Yes, there was something but it was weeks away. I went back to my buddy found it in the script. That felt good. Things were already good, but now they are looking even better. CD Jerry Whitworth called me for an audition for "Arrest & Trial". I book it and worked the next day. It is fun, I get to drive a car with the cops in pursuit, get shaken down and then interrogated. How I afforded to go to Virginia again I don't know, but I went.
SEPTEMBER 7th '00*Here was my plan. At my night job I was gonna transfer from the valet department to the restaurant. This way I would make more money and have slightly shorter hours. I made it coincide with my vacation. The switch was pretty smooth although a few tried to block it because I had worked that overnight thing for over a year faithfully. It was a difficult shift to fill and they didn't want lose me, but it was not my problem. I had driven enough Porsches', Benz', Rolls Royces', Bentleys', Lexus' BMWs' Ferraris' etc. My first night I waited on David Spade & Peta Wilson from "La Femme Nikita". They were very nice, David forgot his wallet. After Peta spilled cream on her clothing she was so happy that I brought soda water to her that she kissed me on the cheek. I guess it is the little things that count.
OCTOBER 12th '00*For the last month I have been a reader for Henderson/Zuckerman Casting. This has been one of the best opportunities I have had as an actor. I was getting to see and hear everything. It really showed me where I need to be to even be considered for a film or TV project. THIS JUST IN!! I am abruptly dropped by my manager!!! Yeah, what the F!&#$!! He had been working on becoming a producer and now was the time. So he only kept a couple of clients that were really moving along well. Totally caught me by surprise, I thought some good things were going to happen for the both of us.
Meanwhile I have to say that the new position at my night job is working out well. It accomplished 2 things: I made more money in less time and I didn't have to get another job and "act" like I really wanted to be there. I was just trying to make my situation better, I had been doing this overnight thing for over 2 years and it was killing me. I knew I had to continue because it was my ticket out of doing it. So, I guess I was "doing it so I wouldn't have to do it". There are times when I fall asleep in my car after getting home from work at 6 or 7 in the morning. Not good.
On the other hand October was heating up nicely. We were still on strike, but the end "had" to be near I thought. I was getting theatrical auditions. WHAT!!! I don't get that many TV/Film auditions, but I was getting them now.
Being a reader it was an eye-opening experience, I highly recommend it. The first project I worked on was "Bluehill Ave" it shot in Canada. The leads are William Forsythe, Clarence Williams III and Allen Payne. There was some talk of me possibly landing a role, but the director could only take so many to Canada for budget reasons. In all honesty I didn't think I was really right for anything in the film. I was just happy to be there and be part of the process and hear the business talk. I really got a chance to know the director and he asked my opinion on some things. The project that I am working on now with them is called "Smash" it is a VH-1 comedy pilot. It is kinda like Fox's "Action" set to the music industry. There is a small role in the pilot that I have my eye on, that is possibly recurring if the series is picked up.
After reading hundreds of actors I really can now understand when a casting director says do not touch them or break that circle of their space. Some of the material that I've been reading has been pretty provocative, and the young women that are coming in are like "WHAT!!!" let's just say some of "Hollywood's Finest". Anyway, I have been touched, groped even kissed smack on the mouth (yes, by a woman); and there was no kiss in the scene!! That's cool whatever works, I am there for them. The actors have really been great; they really appreciate having another actor to read with. Some I have read with 2 or 3 times and they have made comments to the producers/director that "they should hire this guy" meaning me. We'll see about that. It really has shown me what it takes to light up the room, especially in comedy. In most cases you can really tell the people who have worked.
After being in there over a dozen times, I can tell you at least at that office that they call people in without representation, from workshops and without extensive credits. At the same time there are a lot of people who have worked a lot and are with top agencies. As an actor who has to beg, borrow and steal to get a theatrical audition the chance to be a reader is a way to stay in and be around the game.
Usually when I am a reader I start to get appointments. So this one time I am scheduled for a short producer/director session, just from 11am-12:30pm, of course I get a call for an audition @12 noon. I tried to reschedule, but they were only going until noon. After thinking long and hard I tell my agent that I won't be able to make it.
My agents know that I have been reading for them, but they don't really know to what extent. My agent trusted that I was making the right decision and left it at that. I know it sounds crazy that I would turn down a pre-read for "Sabrina" with Rick Millikan for a co-star to be a reader. I kinda feel like I have a lot invested now in this project, I have been reading with the producers/director, I am right for the role, it is possibly recurring and Cathy & Dori will push hard for me after the leads are set. After telling my agent that I cannot make the audition I figured I would call Henderson/Zuckerman just to make sure that everything was on schedule and that I indeed could not make it. Cathy & Dori heard in the background that I had an audition and were adamant about me not missing it; they would find a replacement for me. I told them my angle on the whole thing and they agreed, but then they offered to call Rick Millikan and see what they could do. They were able to get me rescheduled. I had a really good read and got a callback to producers and found out today that I have been booked for Wednesday of next week. Nothing huge and that's fine with me, it's a co-star about 4 lines and believe it or not my quote inched up a little higher. (I can't believe I have a quote). Oh, and it's directed by Melissa Joan Hart. Back at the job, I waited on Martin Lawrence and he left me $185 on an $85 check. He was very, very cool and low-key.
OCTOBER 28th '00*You might not believe this one. Here it goes. I work the graveyard shift. So I am at work and it's a pretty routine evening/morning. I get home @ 6:30am ready to hop in the bed so that I can catch a 10am workshop. I figure I'll check my e-mail quickly before hitting the sack. I was amazed that I was able to get my computer started because it's been giving me quite the headache lately. So as I'm surfing the Actorsite forum and nodding at my desk because I am exhausted I see my name. It says "Urgent!! Stephon Fuller.......If you know him call him...............Suddenly my heart is racing, I'm wondering what the heck happened. It was posted @ 11:24pm the previous night, obviously I was at work. It is from a fellow actor, John Jabaley, he reports that he is locations managing a BET m.o.w. and a role needed to be cast right away and @ 11pm last night and he thought of me. He left numbers and times where I could reach him. At this point it is almost 7am; I figure I can get an hour of sleep before I call John (In hindsight I should have called right away). So I set 2 alarms on my pager, at 8 and 8:05am, of course I sleep through both of them. I wake up in cold sweat @ 8:25am and call John, he gives me the lowdown. In and out of the shower in a flash and off I go to Sun Valley, about 30 minutes away.
I arrive, they called John on the radio and he introduces me to the producer and director and took me upstairs. At this point it was just like being at a workshop. I got the sides and ten minutes later I was reading for the director with John as the reader. It wasn't a lot of material, but my head was still spinning. It was only I and one other actress, a person that John knew as well. So I go in and read and it goes well, then I could hear the actress reading through the door and she sounded great. I really thought that they would go with her; she played a little older and really looked the part. At this point I was thinking that I could still make it to that 10am workshop.
After about five minutes they came out and the director said "you both were great, thank you very much" I didn't they were going to take either of us. So I was cool, by now me and the other actress were talking about all kinds of things. We were both gathering our things to leave and John asked me to stay. I was shocked; it came down to me being a man. There was already a woman reporter in the film. I was taken straight to wardrobe & make-up. An hour later I was doing a scene with Kadeem Hardison (A Different World) and Lark Voorhies (Saved by the Bell). They were unbelievably nice and fun to work with, I had a great time.
When we broke for lunch I made a couple of phone calls, so I didn't get my food right away. As I was patiently waiting my turn in line one of AD's forced me to go to the front of the line. Weird. They were just making sure I was taken care of. The shoot was great, definitely the most attention I have ever had on set. I did one scene and I cannot say enough about Kadeem & Lark they were the best, funny & very engaging. The crew really took care of me as well. I also had a chance to ask him a question that I had been waiting for 5 years to ask him. We had the same manager years ago-him years & years ago and me-just years ago (Jan '95-June '96 while I lived NYC). When I signed with her she told me that she used to rep Kadeem, Giancarlo Esposito & Tom Cruise. She said she was the one who changed Tom's name from Thomas Mapother IV to Tom Cruise. Tom supposedly did his first two films with her and Kadeem booked "A Different World" thru her. I believed her, but Kadeem quickly confirmed that it was all true.
You never know where the day will take you, at 4:30 this morning I was waiting on Val Kilmer at the restaurant anticipating getting off to rest. It was not to be-Thankfully. I want to shout a huge "THANK YOU" out to John Jabaley - what you did was too cool for words. This month I waited on Benicio Del Toro (very cool @ 4am) & Mark Wahlberg (very polite) & Jordana Brewster (very polite & beautiful).
OCTOBER 30th '00*(This continues from several weeks ago when my buddy told me about the film I mentioned before - XCU).
Buddy tells me about film.
Three of my friends had appointments.
Talk to my manager.
He calls CD Ricki Maslar, she informs him about a role that is African-American (the brother of one of the leads).
It is a small role and a couple weeks away.
Read script; find out which photos to send.
Weeks later I remind my manager, he puts in another call and leaves a message.
Then I'm dropped by Manager
Anyway, last week my agent called with an appointment for the film. I go in and Ricki and her staff are apologizing for bringing me in for such a small role. They say that I am their favorite actor from the workshops. WHO KNEW!!!! In all honesty it must have been my charm (ha ha!) because I do not recall having a stellar performance when I met them. After assuring them I would come in for almost anything she told me that I was really right for this and it was going to be cast from the tape. My agency is a guest-star agency and I have never been a guest star. I have no problem with the smaller stuff at this point in my career. The series regular auditions are great, but I need to be the clerk, the pizza guy, the waiter, etc. right now. Then I'll be a guest-star. I just don't want to skip any steps. I got the part.
NOVEMBER 1st '00*Today I am shooting an episode of "Sabrina" as a guest in an art gallery. It was a quick day and Melissa Joan Hart is also directing. Since the strike ended I haven't had any commercial auditions, but I am sure it will pick-up over the coming weeks and months. Theatrically, I have been so busy that I have had to have my agents reschedule appointments for me. I am not usually that busy theatrically, I guess meeting all of these CD's is really coming back to me in a big way. Anyway today I missed an audition for an "Icehouse" beer spot because I was shooting. My agents got me rescheduled for tomorrow.
Tonight I went to a screening for "Echos of Enlightenment", a feature that I had a small part in written/directed by Dan Coplan. I portrayed a writer who said his script had been stolen. It was the first time I got to see myself on the big screen. Thanks Dan. I also saw Terry George at the screening; he is the executive producer, creator, writer & director of "The District". I had met him over the summer so I spoke to him; he gave me his card and said to call him.
NOVEMBER 2nd '00*Today I went in for that "Icehouse" beer spot. I hope I get a callback since I got a parking ticket in the process.
NOVEMBER 8th '00*I've got a busy day in store. I have a 10am appointment for "Ally McBeal" down in Manhattan Beach. Then at 12:25pm callback for "Icehouse" back up in Hollywood. I got a same day callback for "Ally" @ 4pm back down in Manhattan Beach. It took a lot of driving, but there will be no complaining from me. The "Icehouse" callback was one of the best I've ever had. I felt like the director knew he was going to hire me before I even got there. Back down for the "Ally" callback, it doesn't go all that great. Before I get home I get a "strong avail" for "Icehouse", yeah!!
NOVEMBER 9th '00*Today I am shooting "X.C.U.(Extreme Close-Up)" in studio City, a feature directed by Sean S. Cunningham. Sean directed "Friday the 13th"; I had a cool scene with leads AJ Buckley, Jay Michael Ferguson & Essence Atkins. It was a lot of fun with some stunts involved. Hope to see it on the big screen!!
NOVEMBER 17th '00*Today I shoot the "Icehouse" Beer spot in Glendale, and have a ball. I cannot wait to see this spot on the air.
I see Rosanna Arquette @ the restaurant and tell her that I was in a movie that she starred in ("Hell's Kitchen"). She was very nice and commented that "Angelina is huge now" and that it was running on cable. She looked great.
NOVEMBER 21st '00*Today, I participated in my first table read for "Smash" a VH-1 comedy pilot. It was very interesting to watch the process since I was the reader from the beginning of the project. I have had a chance to see the project grow from the first day of casting to today's table read. During the process I saw & heard a lot of stuff. Who likes who (not personally) and why and how the whole package comes together. I must say that Cathy Henderson & Dori Zuckerman did a great job of casting. They brought in lots of interesting choices and all three of the leads were against the prototypes from the producers. Two of the leads were actors that Cathy & Dori did not already know. Matter of fact they even had to change the names of two of the leads because they were so different from what was originally projected. One of those leads is known by the industry and is definitely on the rise. I don't know what the buzz is on the others. All the networks and several production companies are eager to sign the female lead to a development deal. Interestingly enough she has been turning down huge sums of money for these deals, but she really liked this project and they are fortunate to have her.
Today's reading was attended by both of the writers, all of the producers with the exception of Gene Simmons (yes, of KISS), the wardrobe department and all of the cast members with the exception of the celebrity cameos. I was to read my part as a musician and the celebrity cameos. We proceeded to read the entire script just kinda straight thru and it came together really nice. The second read was with more energy, quick changes within the script and also the VH-1 executives listening in on a conference call from New York. Everyone involved seemed very pleased with results. After that the leads were kept for scene work and the rest of us were released.
NOVEMBER 28th '00*Today I get into a car accident on my way to an audition. I guess it was my time -195,000 miles without one in my trusty Honda. Anyway, my fault and I became friends with one of the driver's. We now do CD workshops together, only in LA!!
DECEMBER 3rd '00*Today I shoot "Smash" the VH-1 comedy pilot. Within 14 minutes of getting out of the car I was in and out of make-up and shooting. This director was not playing. Background players didn't even have time to put their bags down when they arrived on set.
DECEMBER 5th '00*Today I went in for "Angel" - not too cute. I hope I get back in that office to redeem myself.
DECEMBER 27th '00*I'm outta here!! Back to Virginia for the Holidays.
JANUARY 12th '01*Today I had a callback for the "Huntress" and an audition for "The Tick" @ UDK Casting, I think it was the worst audition that I have ever had. All of the partners of the company were there as well. It was bad, really bad.
JANUARY 30th '01*Today a good friend, Jonathan Julian moves to LA from New York. He is a friend from Virginia Beach, and I knew him way before we started acting. I pick him up @ the airport and didn't stop. 12 hours later we were looking at an apartment for him. In the first week he had done 3-4 workshops, had a manager interested in him, had met all of my agents, followed me to 4 auditions and was set to do a staged reading.
FEBRUARY 6th '01*Hey, I did a workshop with Shaunda Jones @ London/Stroud Casting on November 18th and had a great feeling from her. This past November was the busiest month I have ever had and I was also going thru computer Hell. After the workshop I had to explain to Shaunda that my resume looked like crap because I had booked several jobs in a very short amount of time and I had to write in 4 new credits. I never write on my resume. She was cool about it and told me to bring 5 fresh resumes to her office the next day because she knew of some other shows that her friends cast that I was right for. Of course I did that the next morning. She called me in today for "Arli$$". I had a "Burger King" audition scheduled as well for later in the day. Then the "Arli$$" people called and changed the time and it conflicted with the commercial audition. So I am on the phone with both of my agents and it didn't look good. I figured all I could do was the best I could since the "Arli$$" offices are way, way out in...I don't know, way out there.
I got there and since Shaunda had spoken to my agent she made sure I got in and out. I go in and the star of the series, Robert Wuhl, the director John Murray, casting along with 6 or 7 other people AND they taped us. It went perfect. Afterwards I raced back to Hollywood for my commercial audition which went very well also. Two hours later I get the word that I booked. I shoot on the 6th, I have a scene with Sandra Oh and she is the best. I think it airs in June 10th. I also got a callback for the "Burger King" spot. I had worked with one of the producers on a "BK" spot in NYC back in March '97. I didn't book this one though. I'll get 'em next time.
FEBRUARY 26th '01*Tomorrow I am shooting a "US Postal Service" spot. Today as I am driving in the rain trying to be careful getting to my fitting for my "USPS" shoot tomorrow my cell phone rings. I don't get many calls on my cell phone, but lately the ones that I have gotten have been "'nuttin but love". It is my Theatrical agent; she is telling me that she has an offer for "The District" for me. I had auditioned a week ago and had thrown the sides out thinking it was over. I was totally shocked, she kinda thought I was hesitating on accepting because...well I was hesitating....because I was shocked. Anyway I shoot the "USPS" commercial tomorrow and start on "The District" Wednesday. It is for 4 days out of 5. I have never had that much time on a Theatrical gig. What a start to the week.
MARCH 2nd '01*It was my second night working on "The District" and I am learning a lot. I am one of 3 reporters. It isn't a tremendous amount of dialogue, but they do have us around a lot. Of course the dialogue wasn't as it was scripted. We did a quick rehearsal and the director just split the lines between us all. Those cold-reading-think-on-your-feet-skills really came into play.
At one point, for another scene, the director gave all of the reporters a speech to do; it was a good chunk of dialogue. It was a live report from the shooting that happened in the episode. We ended up not shooting it that night as we wrapped about 1am. So I got to my restaurant job 2 1/2 hours late. OOOOPS!!! They say we'll shoot it next week. This is exciting. I have heard that people come back on that show often. Matter-of-fact one of the actresses was telling me that she did an episode last Fall and they asked her to come back. So she is working this week as well, and as a different character than before. I was surprised that they brought her back in the same season as a different character. She and I are with the same agency as well.
So guys and gals I would say to keep Thom Klohn & Karen Rea at the top of your postcarding list. They were both on set at different times. I got a chance to talk to Karen, who was still casting @ 9pm, and she knew all of us by name. All of the regulars and the rest of the guest cast are really nice. So that's it.
MARCH 25th '01*This is a moment of truth for me. It is my last night waiting tables, hopefully forever. It put in for a 3-month leave of absence; I am due back June 29. I don't plan on coming back, time will tell.
APRIL 4th '01*I have an audition today for "Pizza Hut" @ Deborah Kurtz Casting. That is an office that I don't get into that often, but since doing a lot of commercial drop-offs I have gotten into a lot of offices that I have never been to or haven't in a while. Anyway I have a callback Friday, avail Friday night and am booked Sunday afternoon. Now I had done two other "Pizza Hut" spots for another director. I didn't think this one was connected to the other creative people. There are so many people in the room that it is hard to really focus on anyone. I go to the fitting Monday afternoon and I am thinking I'm anonymous, and then they tell me that the art director has my photo on his wall from the first spot. These are some of the same creative people as before. The spot stars Carmen Electra and is directed by Bob Dylan's son Jesse Dylan. It felt really good to be on somebody's list.
MAY 5th '01*One potential strike averted, one more to go!! Thankfully, there wasn't a WGA work stoppage. Now I'm hoping that the SAG/AFTRA negotiations are settled without a work stoppage. Last fall was very busy for me as a result of beefed up productions among other things.
MAY 11th '01*Me, My ADR Session & Carmen Electra............I gotta say it is pretty cool to have Carmen Electra inquire about me. Even if it is just in a commercial. I was able to see a cut of the "Pizza Hut" spot yesterday while doing ADR. I had to re-record one word, and a short word at that. In and out in 14 minutes including waiting for the NYC people to get set up. Of course I wasn't getting paid what Ms. Electra was getting for 2 days work. Let me tell ya she got PAID!! It should break in about 10 days.
MAY 31st '01*Steve Julian, of KPCC 89.3 radio, sends me an e-mail message asking if I was willing to be interviewed for a story he is doing on paid CD Workshops. "Ugh, ugh, well I guess so. What do you want me to say?" I agree and we proceed. Basically, we just had a conversation on the phone that was taped. Ninety minutes later Back Stage West calls and asks me to participate in a roundtable discussion on paid Casting Director Workshops. What!!!! Why in the heck are they calling me?!?! "Ugh, ugh, well I guess so. What do you want me to say?"
JUNE 8th '01*Today is the BSW roundtable discussion. It was interesting, to say the least. I got a chance to hear several sides of the debate. I don't feel like a lot was accomplished as far as changing anyone's position on the subject. If anything it gave me more information on workshops that I haven't been to. Go figure.
Callback: "California Lottery" @ Cathi Carlton Casting. Okay this HAD to be the worst callback I've ever had. The spot has me and a few others on stationary bikes in a spinning class. First, I don't spin in my real life and I think I looked like a complete loser in my acting life.
Typically, in a spin class the instructor is in front, facing the class. That wasn't the case for audition; the instuctor was beside me. I was sneaking glances at the instuctor to see what the next move was. I wasn't stopping and going into full profile or anything like that I was just trying to see what was going on.
Here is where it got interesting for me. The director, Brian Aldrich, was relentless with giving me direction and asking me questions, and I don't feel like I delivered at all. He said to me, "if you were in a real spin-class would you be looking over at the instuctor?" Okay, I wanted to answer honestly, but I also wanted this job and didn't want to embarrass the CD Cathi Carlton and become an example of "how actors talk themselves out of jobs". I decided to split the difference. I kinda answered by giving him the look that he was right, but not saying so verbally. The director seemed to be trying to embarrass me.
When I left the room, myself and the 3 others, felt like it was the worst callback of our careers. I was thinking that Cathi wouldn't ever call me in again. NEXT!!!
JUNE 9th '01*I just got back from an "audition" even though I didn't actually get to read. My 4th Saturday audition in 6 weeks. No, I wasn't turned away because I do workshops. It was because the damn building caught on fire! Yeah, it was Lien/Cowan Casting on Beverly and we were waiting to go in and the joint starts billowing with black smoke & flames right below the casting office on the 2nd floor. I mean crazy fire trucks, chainsaws, an ax and a lot of water. It was really sad to see people stuff go up in flames, but more importantly everyone got out safely. Firefighters have always been really high on my list and it was cool to see them @ work. Remember, check those smoke detector batteries!!
JUNE 12th '01*Okay, big surprise. I booked the "California Lottery" commercial. WHAT!!! How they heck did that happen? I don't know and I don't care I'm just glad to be working!!
JUNE 14th '01*Tonight is the first night of my dance classes. OMIGOD!!!! Keilana bought me gift certificates for several classes. They were getting ready to expire so I had to jump in. I have 2 left feet. I mean seriously. I have been known to go out and "shake a leg", but I don't dance for money. It is a Modern Jazz class and I am so far away from being graceful. I'll keep trying though.
JUNE 15th '01*Today is my shoot for the "California Lottery" commercial. When I arrived at the location, to my surprise, I saw everyone that was in my callback session. WHAT!!! Needless to say we were shocked that we all had booked after having, what we thought, was such a horrible callback. We figured that maybe he really liked us at the audition and was making sure he could get us to the place he needed us for the shoot.
It was a short day, call time 9am and I'm wrapped @ noon. Yeah, only 3 hours. It almost killed me and I mean DEAD!!!!!! I was one of a group of "spinners" and one "spin instructor". This spin instructor was no joke. Was she, in fact, trying to kill us? Or maybe she was just trying killing me. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I am so out of shape. Anyway, nice people, and I had worked with the DP on the last "Pizza Hut" spot. It felt good to be working again.
JUNE 19th '01*Today I have an audition for "East of Harlem"(later changed to "In America") for acclaimed Irish director Jim Sheridan. I know Jim through Keilana Smith. This is where it really happens, the big moves. I get there and see Sean "P-Diddy" Combs and Terrence Howard. It felt good to get seen for a project like this. Of course, it's a long, long shot, but slowly it's happening for me.
JULY 6th-7th '01*This weekend I attend 8 workshops at the SAG Conservatory. I am glad I attended, met some new people and learned a lot. Not bad for 10 bucks. Oh yeah, I went to see Pat Benatar in concert in Anaheim. She's still got it!!
JULY 14th & 21st '01*Today and next Saturday morning I attend the Broadcast & Cable previews of shows for the coming season. It was held at the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences. It was really cool to see previews of all of the shows at the same time.
JULY 16th '01*Today I have a meeting with a manager that caught me on "Arli$$". WOW, it really does happen like that!!! He requested a meeting with me!! Mind you, I am not looking for management at this time so it really felt good to have someone interested. The meeting goes well and he wants to work with me. The next day he calls and wants to have lunch, I thank him and let him know that I am gonna stay with my present situation of my current representation and managing myself. Managers typically take 15%, I cannot afford that. I have found that many managers take only 10%. I am waiting on a 10% manager and I'll let them contact me. That means I have work to do!!!
JULY 27th '01*I have a general meeting scheduled with Lucy Cavallo, VP of Casting Dramas @ CBS. I got this through mailing a postcard. It was quick about 15 minutes, but that is enough. She was very nice and seemed to really listen to what I was saying. She joked that they (CBS) need to get me on more of their shows so that I can go home to Virginia Beach more often.
JULY 28th '01*I have a friend who is in town from NYC staying with me for a week. He is working at a different level than me. It is a window into how it really happens on a day-to-day basis. I surf several of the acting forums and right now there is a lot of controversy going on with paid casting director workshops. It is known that I attend many workshops in addition to many other things that I do to advance my career. It has been said that I am hurting myself by being associated with these establishments. Do these people think that CD's ask me what workshops I go to when I come in to audition? They don't. It's mostly like apples and oranges. I think some of their points are valid, but I am not convinced that workshops are the evil thing that they are proposed to be.
AUGUST 3rd '01*"Foot in mouth syndrome" Around 11am I get a call for an appointment for "The Guardian" at 1:45pm. It is a fun role as a guy in a gay club. I call my buddy, Greg Lee, to help me go over the material. We work on it and come up in a strong choice. I go in for the pre-read with Chuck McCollum and Jeanne Bacharach at Sony Studios. It goes well, they give me a re-direct and I deliver. I get a callback on the spot for an hour later with the director and writer. I get to the callback and wait another hour, which is no problem. I finally get in the room; I am usually pretty good about getting in the room and getting to work. The director got up to introduce himself and then the writer did the same. This is where things go really, really bad. I continue to the other woman (Jeanne Bacharach, the CD) as if I am meeting her for the first time. IT'S THE CASTING DIRECTOR WHO GAVE ME THE CALLBACK!!! At that point I figured out that I had really screwed up. I was so embarrassed and I went down in flames. I felt so stupid, because I was right for the part and I nailed the pre-read. I guess it happens, huh.
AUGUST 14th '01*Today I shot a co-starring role on "Ally McBeal". They treated me very well. I got to work with Ally, Ling, Fish & Glenn (James Marsden). I even had a stand-in!! It was definitely the nicest trailer I've ever had. When I arrived on-set the director and producer greeted me and said they were glad I was able to do it, I got the same greeting from Ken Miller & Kara Lipson from Valko/Miller Casting. Since I knew there would be lots waiting, I prepared packages for the two other David E. Kelley shows that shoot/cast at Raleigh Studios "Boston Public" & "The Practice". So, I'll see how it turns out. It could be a nice, quick, funny shot. I'm trying to get a nice reel together for pilot season. It airs Monday November 5th.
AUGUST 16th '01*Today a story about paid Casting Director Workshops is to run on an LA radio station. Most people know that I am someone who finds these workshops useful in my pursuit of the business. There are several different views on this subject. Some find it to be extremely disturbing, others feel like it is a tool that is at their disposal if they so choose.
Anyway, after the story ran one of the more popular forums that I routinely go to is heating up with comments. I post that, in short, I don't feel like either side is making much progress in the winning people over to their respective sides. It didn't take long for this thread to get really hot and some of it was directed at me. That's cool with me I can take the heat. After a couple shots back and forth I was shown the door. Meaning get out, "ya can't visit no mo". I had been banned. WHAT!!! Yeah, they banned me until December 31st '01. The way I saw it was that the owner of the board took shots at me with crazy figures of what I had "supposedly" invested in workshops over a specific period of time. I shot back that I felt that it didn't really matter. I don't think he liked that. OOPS!!!
SEPTEMBER 11th '01*A day that no one will ever forget. Depressing, sad and tragic to say the least.
SEPTEMBER 21st '01*I attended the SAG/CSA Joint Seminar this past Saturday put together by the SAG Casting Committee. It was hosted by Matthew Barry of Barry Green-Keyes Casting. Other CD's in attendance were April Webster, Donna Dockstader, Mark Teschner, Mark Paladini and Cami Patton. I attended the noon session, but they had a 10am & a 2pm session. Other CD's were Lisa Beach, Mary V. Buck, Eric Dawson, Jane Jenkins, Meg Liberman, Nancy Green-Keyes, Ruth Lambert, Katy Wallin & Gary Zuckerbrod. We didn't get to read, but we did get to give them our photos. My agent just called me with appointment for Matthew Barry for the Film "Friday after Next" starring Ice Cube. I also have a callback for the film "Exposed" through Erica Arvold. After it being slow for several weeks this week has been really busy. Keep it coming!!
SEPTEMBER 23rd '01*SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! My cash flow is getting low. I left my restaurant gig six months ago not because I was making a lot of money, but more of a leap of faith. I felt that I had to leave in order to move up to the next level. In the last year I have booked 14 jobs in TV, Film & Commercials, but it hasn't added up to a lot of money. It really makes a difference when you are totally relying on acting income. For the last month it has been looking like I might have to consider going back to that part-time gig. I'm not going to do it without a fight though. Today I actually called my former manager to see what the deal was. She said she had been waiting for me to come back. It had been really slow since September 11th, but to call her in a week. NOOOOOOOO!!! I don't want to!!
OCTOBER 1st '01*Today I had a co-star role on the new CBS comedy "Danny" starring Daniel Stern. It was the hardest I have ever worked for 1 line. No complaints from me and I was able to turn 1 line into 3 or so. Depends on how they edit and what they use. I didn't feel like I got a lot of coverage, but that's okay too. The main thing is that I had a ball, there was a bit a rough-housing going between Daniel, myself and one other actor. He was great and more than willing get rough with us. This should be a fun scene to watch.
The way I got the role was I dropped off a photo to Rebecca Quiroz, associate @ Ted Hann Casting, who I hadn't seen in a while. They weren't in session when I showed up so I had a chance to chat with them. They sized me up for an upcoming role of "Larry", an hour later my agent called with an appointment for the next day. The next day I read for "Larry" it goes alright. "Larry" ended up getting cut and I got the role of the usher.
Something else that caught my attention were the dailies. There was a point when one of the regulars was having a tough time with the dialogue and I heard someone say "...are we still rolling? I can't show these dailies...." He was half-joking, but it made me think about who sees all the raw footage. I don't know. It just made me think. I've heard of the dailies helping to create a buzz for actors before, I've also heard of them giving bad buzz to an entire project.
OCTOBER 3rd '01*Every time I do a postcard blast things happen. Who knows, but I like to think that they help. I sent out 150 last week and today I get three calls for auditions: "Gilmore Girls", a "Sears" national & "Frasier". The last month has been pretty slow for me, but most everything that has come up has been through postcards, drop-offs, mailings & workshops. That is all the more reason to keep going.
OCTOBER 4th '01*Okay, I had a pre-read yesterday for "Frasier" that went pretty well, 2 hours later my agent calls to tell me that I have a callback. I am told that whoever they book goes straight to the stage to work. I get to the studio early because I am told that they might add another scene.
I get there and get the new material, go outside to look over it because I didn't wanna go in too early. I go in and read with Colin Daniel, it goes well (I know Colin from attending his workshop). Everyone had to wait because it was an immediate booking; I was ready to leave because I had a commercial audition on the other side of town. I'm standing there with my bag on my shoulder, keys in hand reading Variety. They ask one of the other guys to go in a second time. Great. Then they asked me to come in again as well. GREAT!! I did it again just a little different for variety.
After a couple of minutes Colin came out and my life went into slow motions. He announced the names in a blur "Stephon & Jill (the other role they were casting) will be staying)". In a split second I was thinking "wow, good for Jill & Stephon!! At least I'll be able to make my other audition". Then it dawned on me that "I" am Stephon & Jill is right next to me!! WHAT!!!
We went to the casting office to call our agents and shortly after that I was blocking the scenes with Frasier, Daphne, Roz and Niles. It is 4 days of work. This has been a great week, 3 days of work + at least 2 next week and 4 auditions. When I was finished I called my commercial agent and still made my audition that I missed in the morning. These postcards, mailings, drop-offs & workshops are really doing the trick for me. Most of my theatrical credits are from doing all of the above.
OCTOBER 8th '01*I have always had the attitude in my career of not taking the "Peaks & Valleys" too seriously. I think it would drive me crazy. I am saying this because I just found out that "Danny", the CBS comedy starring Daniel Stern that I worked on last week has been cancelled. That's too bad; I would have liked to see that scene we did. Also, the cast & crew were so nice, but that is the nature of the business.
So as I sit here cranking out my 150 postcards highlighting the "Frasier"/"Danny" bookings and the upcoming "Ally McBeal" airing, it's bitter sweet. On the one hand "Danny" is gone and on the other hand the "Frasier" episode that we are shooting tonight is airing very soon, next Tuesday the 16th. I have had too many blessing to be down about anything in this business. Back to the postcards....
OCTOBER 9th '01*I just wrapped up 4 days working "Frasier". What a great time. The pre-read came from meeting Colin Daniel in a workshop (he told my agent). It was interesting to watch and be a part of how one of the hottest comedies on TV does their magic. First, the cast and crew are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. The script was a moving target even while we were shooting. I received a new script everyday I worked. After every run thru the writers would meet & tweak.
The first day of rehearsal we had an audience of 25-30 people. I am not sure who they all were, but they seemed to know what they were doing. The 2nd day they there was even more people. I thought it was interesting that the director was not at the producer session. I met her on-set. It was cool to watch Kelsey's $1.6 mil per episode opinion go up against 25 people. As one of the exec producers he has a very important voice. He is an extremely charismatic man and a joy to work with. Both of my scenes were with him, in the first scene "Roz" greets me by name. That gives me some history; officially I work in the mailroom at the radio station. The rest of the cast John, Peri, Jane, David were wonderful as well. The two recurring players in the episode were hilarious. CD Jeff Greenberg was there everyday including the filming of the show. I had never met him before and he is really nice & personable. Casting associate Collin Daniel was quite visible as well.
At the cast read-thru 12 minutes before going on-stage we still didn't have the new pages in the script. When we received them they were still warm from the copier. In one of my scenes we were shooting material that had never been rehearsed. Can you say cold read improvisation with Kelsey Grammer? I had a fantastic time working with them and wanna take this credit and help me get more gigs thru mailings, postcarding, my agent or whatever. I am definitely not waiting for the phone to ring to get back on the show, but one of the recurring players said he would be surprised if I don't come back. I got other encouraging words as well. Hmmmm. I guess time will tell, huh.
OCTOBER 29th '01*This week I called a meeting with my theatrical agency. I have been with them for 3 years and feel fortunate to be on their roster. I called the meeting because I feel like I am at a crossroads in my career.
I'm trying to look down the road and wanted to get their opinions on a few things. I feel like after 3 years I am just now coming into my own with this agency. They took me on from a mailing from NYC with virtually no credits. They are a guest-star agency and I have never been a guest-star. At the meeting we discussed things like managers, demos, photos, turning down auditions/roles, pilot season and the like. I left the meeting with a really good feeling of being in the right place. The notion of turning down an audition is almost crazy to me, but in order to move to the next step I'm gonna have to. Adding to that is that I do not have a day job and "a brother gotta eat right!!"
Anyway, 3 days later I turned down an audition for a major show that I have been trying to get in for. My agent was very supportive and would have let me go in if I wanted to, but "we" decided not to. We're gonna wait for something a little more substantial on that show. I hope those 180 postcards I sent out this morning for this upcoming "Ally McBeal" airing drum up some business for me, it's been a slow week.
NOVEMBER 5th '01*I have always been very big on the postcarding of CD's/agents/managers or whoever's attention you are trying to get. Recently I changed my strategy a little with my postcards. They were getting kinda jumbled up with info, so I went to larger size. I switched from a 4x6 card to a 6x8 card. It is more expensive all the way around; they cost more, use more ink and are 34 cents to mail. The flip-side is that I get more bang for my buck. Since it is larger I can put a small resume with selected credits "and" callbacks, airdates, representation, another photo and the like. It is a nice cross between a regular postcard and a full H/R. The way some CD's are now about opening envelopes I think postcards are even more valuable to my business, so the investment didn't bother me too much. This morning my agent called with an appointment from Andrea Cohen Casting for a guest-star on "Nikki". She received my postcard this morning and said it was "the most effective postcard she ever received". I have never met her or anyone from her office before, so this feels really, really good. Now I gotta rock da house!! Hopefully, I will get more of these guest-star auditions in the future.
NOVEMBER 8th '01*I just found out that I booked a pilot presentation called "Flipside". It is a fun part that should give me some good film. I was surprised that I got the callback because my pre-read wasn't too hot. I think it was because I was so right for it. I'll take that. I'm not sure which SAG contract it is, but it isn't paying much. That's okay; I just wanna do the work. It felt good to talk to my agent about us possibly not doing it. I'm really looking forward to it. I shoot in early December. Cool, now I get to do another postcarding.
NOVEMBER 13th '01*Today I worked as a reader @ Henderson/Zuckerman Casting. As always it was a great experience. I was reading about 10 different roles, 30-35 actors so it was kinda crazy. It is interesting seeing so many different actors and their choices on the same material. They called actors without representation, from workshops all the way to actors & actresses represented by Endeavor, WMA & ICM, etc. The business talk that I hear is eye-opening as to how this business really works. It makes it so clear that we are in a "business". They asked me to come back on Friday to be the reader for the first director session. I highly recommend being a reader if you get the chance.
NOVEMBER 16th '01*I'm back in the saddle at Henderson/Zuckerman Friday reading for a director session. I read 40-45 actors, some I know from workshops to actors that I often see on TV and in movies. 4 were working, on "The West Wing", "Grounded for Life", "The Parkers" & "Spin City" and snuck over for the audition. Several more were working on films. Today, for the first time, I got to sit in on a meeting with an actor who was being offered a part in the film. When I was there on Tuesday there was an actor being talked about for a certain role, today the director watched his demo and the deal was made.
It is so interesting for me to see how the business works at this level. A lot of what I've seen are actors who work at a level where the little things don't count as much. If I had a dollar for every actor who did not bring a headshot with them I could have filled up my gas tank!! No headshot or resume, no resume, it's not stapled. You know what? I didn't matter one bit, they all got seen just the same and the people in charge didn't even seem annoyed by it. I guess when you are with DBA, ICM, Endeavor, Gersh, AAA, UTA, Innovative, etc you have more pressing matters than photos.
I would say the biggest thing they all had in common was confidence, you can tell that these actors have and are working, and a lot. The director is a dream, giving "clues" before an actor reads, redirecting and even shaking hands when they enter & exit. Oh yeah, I also read with K. Callan, author of the New York & LA agent books and met one of the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Nice!!! That's it.
NOVEMBER 20th '01*Last night we had a table read for the pilot presentation that I am doing. It is called "Flipside" and it is set in a record store. The presentation is a collection of scenes for the BBC in London. It will be presented to them and who knows from after that.
NOVEMBER 22nd '01*COMMERCIALS COMMERCIALS & MORE COMMERCIALS. For the last 3 weeks it has been incredibly busy for me commercially and I love it. Also, my callback ratio seems to have improved greatly. That is something that I have been working on. I have had a callback or avail for almost everything I have gone in for. Now I just want to book something.
NOVEMBER 30th '01*YES!!!! Today I get the word that I booked a "Wrigley's Extra" national commercial. It is through the same casting director, production company, ad agency and director of the "California Lottery" spot I did 6 months ago. When my agent called me with the appointment; she told me I had been requested. This is what I want to happen more often. I shoot on Friday 12/7.
NEWSFLASH!! This evening my agent calls to tell me that I am not to show up on set for "Flipside". WHAT!!!! There had been some mistake in the union paperwork and we can't start shooting this weekend. It has been postponed till January.
DECEMBER 3rd '01*In my quest to move up the food chain in my career I have figured that I have be more selective with the roles that I audition for. This week I turned down auditions for two major shows in offices that I would really like to get into. It feels kinda weird to not audition when a casting director call and request you, but I think I have to say no to some things in order to move up the chain.
DECEMBER 7th '01*YES!! Today I am shooting a "Wrigley's Extra" National commercial. It's the same director that directed the "California Lottery" spot I did in June. I played a grocery store cashier. We actually shot in a grocery that was open. I had numerous customers try to check out in my line. I guess I really looked the part. My buddy Marvin did a "Wrigley's" spot a couple of years ago and he said it ran really, really well. I hope the same for me.
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