So Much More to Do!

6/2011 Rehearsals begin for "Speakeasy" with Theater Unleashed
5/2011 "Entropy General" opens
4/2011 Print Job for Invisalign international
4/2011 Shot "Heart and Soles" with director/writer Yudho Aditya
3/2011 Rehearsals for "Entropy General" begin with Alive Theater
2/2011 Shot "Greener" with director/writer Kyle Lau
2/2011 Voiceover for "Blade of Solitude" with Eric Marks
2/2011 Shooting "I Like it Rare" with director Jay B. Julio from CSULA
2/2011 Shooting pilot for "Rock This" as Marcus
1/2011 Started improv classes at Second City with Rebecca Sage Allen
1/2011 Continuing my personal education with a Shakespeare literature class
1/2011 Photo shoot with Keith Park for State Farm
11/2010 Performed in a Hereandnow production in Wichita, Kansas
10/2010 Filmed "Night Shift" with director Christopher Kurose from USC
9/2010 Table read for "A Love Like This"
9/2010 Invited to join Hereandnow Theater Company
8/2010 Performed in Boba Stories with Hereandnow Theater Company
7/2010 Cast in Boba Stories with Hereandnow Theater Company
6/2010 Signed with Angel City Talent Agency
5/2010 Table read for a Matthew Barry & Nick Cassavettes project

Greener

I had the opportunity to be involved in a short film that shot over the weekend called "Greener." It was written and directed by Kyle Lau and I do have to say that he is truly inspiring. A young man who wrote something and got it financed, produced, and shot! Although the script was cut down from it's original size do to budget reasons, it is still amazing what was accomplished over the course of the weekend. Kyle had a professional crew (many, if not all, UCLA film students or alumni) that worked around the clock to make sure that his vision remained his vision. But Kyle was very open to input from the cast and crew and over the short weekend, we all had fun and developed a type of cohesive unit that I'm sure many other film crews don't have. I'm not trying to sound corny or anything, but honestly, Kyle had his shit together and even though I personally didn't have a big role in the film due to the cuts, I wanted to make sure to give it my all the entire time... and it seemed tough at times because Saturday night, although I thought I was prepared for the 39 degree weather, I was not. I underestimated how cold it would be and I couldn't feel my toes, my fingers, my ears, or anything else for that matter... but you know what? I don't have a complaint except I didn't come prepared and that was my own damn fault.

I'll tell you, we had a big rumble scene where two crews went at it. Even though it was professionally choreographed by the stunt coordinator Steve Rizzo who has doubled for Seth Rogen in such films as "Observe & Report," "The Green Hornet," and "Pineapple Express..." we still got our asses kicked from rolling around on the ground, throwing punches, and receiving "stunt" punches... and I can't stop thinking how incredible it is to be on a film set. Anyway, as carefully choreographed as the fight was, there were accidents galore. Two crews that were supposed to hate each other... the tensions rose when Kyle called action and you let emotions run high and the next thing you know, I punched Kyle Garibaldi across the chin. We were professionals and both stayed in character but as soon as Kyle (Lau) yelled out cut, I had to go make sure that Garibaldi was okay and man, he handled it like a champ. He certainly got his pay back though because the next day, he punched me across the nose and yep, you guessed it, I bled!!! Again, we were both pros about it and stayed in character... the camera was on us at the exact moment so I had to milk it and turn to the camera, blood and all!!!

Speaking of the next day... I came super prepared with thermals on, gloves, an extra layer of clothing underneath, and everything else! You would have thought I was getting ready to go on a trek into the mountains of the Himalayas or something.

The overall experience was wonderful and it's a simple reminder of why I am in this business. I enjoy doing it and I enjoy being a part of a story... especially one that was dear to Kyle. There wasn't much acting involved for me, but watching the other actors work and watching Kyle work has certainly contributed to my growth as an actor. There's a cast and crew party this Thursday I hope I can make it to and I'll be looking forward to seeing the movie in a few months as well!

So far...

2011 is good so far... I'm really enjoying my Shakespeare class and it feels good to be back in school without all the pressure of graduation... I've even toying with the idea of going back and completing an English degree... but for now, I want to focus on my acting career. For obvious reasons, Shakespeare has always intrigued me, call it an excuse, but I just never had any time to sit down and read it... or the formal training or patience to understand it. With this class, I'm 'forced' to read it and I love it. I know in some way or another, it's a direct contribution to my craft as an actor. To be able to read Shakespeare and understand it makes reading or speaking 'regular' English so much easier! That and the fact that we are dissecting the characters and the themes helps me add to my process as an actor. I'm glad I took it.

The State Farm shoot was fun. Simple. I got to use some of my rock climbing skills even though it had nothing to do with rock climbing. I'm excited to see the pictures when they come out. Somewhere in Asia, I will be seen... now let's work on America! I had a broad goal of booking something with Angel City... this was a start... but I'm hungry for more.

I've been prepping for "Heart & Soles" and I have been thinking about Harper a lot. It's an important project for me because the script touches me in a way that I cannot explain. As an actor who currently lacks a process and who is in the process of learning (always), this piece is challenging to me. Plus, it's important to the director/writer Yudho so it's that much more important for me. I'll keep you all updated on it as the time comes nearer to shooting.

Two months into the year and I haven't booked a play yet... 10 months to go! There's a wonderful feeling I get from being on stage that makes me love what I do even more. The rehearsal process, the development of the characters, how everything eventually comes together... I've gotta rock every audition I go on and I'm gonna find a more solid monologue than the one I've currently got.

Improv at Second City is fun, fun, fun. It makes me feel like I'm a kid again, you know? You come in, strip all the cares in the world away and play. As an actor, this is so important to me... to be able to not judge and go with whatever your scene partner is giving you. It allows you to create organically and it brings out the creative side of me even more. Which I need to develop. I'm excited about taking the follow-up class.

My reading has been suffering... although I currently count my readings for my Shakespeare class as reading... but I have to read. I want to read. My thirst for knowledge is un-quenching. I'll finish 'Outliers' and move on to another book!!!

Goals: 2011

I didn't sit down and write a list of goals for 2011... but here's what I have so far in no particular order:

1. Get a legitimate website up... I'm kind of working on one of my own, but I do not have the patience or discipline to learn how to do it... this needs to change.

2. Book a commercial... national would be nice!!!

3. Get a solid reel together to post

4. New headshots with postcards

5. Send out more thank you cards!

6. Do 3 plays but two that are not with hereandnow Theater Company

7. Find a good scene study class that works for me

8. Find a manager... not sure on this one... but it's there and I'll keep my eyes open!

9. Internship somewhere in the industry... preferably in a casting office

10. Wake up at 8am, Monday - Friday... it's not going so well... but I'm working on it!

11. Write some type of a short story

12. Develop Secret Identity Crisis

13. Book 5 short films for my reel (3 down... 2 to go)

I'll add more as the year goes by.

What Have I Done For Me Lately???

2011 is the first official year that I am pursuing my acting career without the burden of worrying about school or anything else. Acting is now my priority and 2011 is going to be the year that I use to build a strong foundation of work... I must say, it's off to a good start... but I gotta stay hungry. I'm eager to learn and build, build, build. Below is a list of steps I've taken towards my career... let's watch this bad boy grow!!!


4/2011 Shooting "Heart and Soles" with director/writer Yudho Aditya
2/2011 Shooting "Greener" with director/writer Kyle Lau
2/2011 Voiceover for "Blade of Solitude" with Eric Marks
2/2011 Shooting "I Like it Rare" with director Jay B. Julio from CSULA
2/2011 Shooting pilot for "Rock This" as Marcus
1/2011 Started improv classes at Second City with Rebecca Sage Allen
1/2011 Continuing my personal education with a Shakespeare literature class
1/2011 Photo shoot with Keith Park for State Farm
11/2010 Performed in a Hereandnow production in Wichita, Kansas
10/2010 Filmed "Night Shift" with director Christopher Kurose from USC
9/2010 Table read for "A Love Like This"
9/2010 Invited to join Hereandnow Theater Company
8/2010 Performed in Boba Stories with Hereandnow Theater Company
7/2010 Cast in Boba Stories with Hereandnow Theater Company
6/2010 Signed with Angel City Talent Agency
5/2010 Table read for a Matthew Barry & Nick Cassavettes project
2009 Booked: SGI print job
2009 Booked: Apple print job
2008 Filmed: Music Video with director Eric Marks from USC
2008 Filmed: Before I Wake with writer/director Eric Marks from USC
2008 Filmed: One Hour Fantasy Girl with writer/director Edgar Michael Bravo

Book Review/Analysis: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

I am ashamed to admit that I did not know much about Steve Martin prior to reading this book. I mean, I knew he was a well respected person in entertainment, but I didn't know why. My memories of him are from the film, "Father of the Bride," which I really enjoyed when I was younger. Then a few years ago, a classmate did a review about his career and spoke about how great of a comedian/performer/actor that he was and I was intrigued. Of course, life got in the way and I never got around to watching any of his old films or reading any of his plays or books... but ironically, life getting in the way correlates directly with this book. As an actor, it was such a delight to read because Steve Martin's dedication to his "craft" is inspiring. He didn't let life get in his way, he made his magic and comedy routine his life and made the right connections through his hard work and perseverance that eventually led to his success. The book was an easy read that lead me through his early days as an entertainer. I found myself laughing when he made references to his material and reading the book has inspired me to add many of his films onto my Netflix queue. More importantly, it motivates me to reorganize my priorities towards my career choice. Was this book a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Probably not, but the simple person that I am really enjoyed reading it and I am happy for all of Steve Martin's success and can't wait to build my own successes towards my dreams with the fascination and fun that Steve Martin had.

Reading Next: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Book Review/Analysis: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

A fiction about two friends who meet during childhood and alternates between World War II ("the war years") and 1986.

I'm certainly no book critic so I'm going to blog about whatever comes to mind. It's the first book that I've finished in a week in a very long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me how easy it is to forget the atrocities that the U.S. government committed throughout its history. It also reminded me of how cruel people, especially kids, could be. It made me upset at what parents put their children through sometimes, in the name of wanting a "better life" for their children. Parents don't always know what's best and I think only kids realize that. Sometimes when kids become parents, they forget that too. I really felt something for the kids, Henry Lee and Keiko Okabe. Innocent children who found something wonderful during an ugly period in history. I'm not going to lie, I wanted the story to end differently, but I guess I've always got my imagination. The author references a lot of Jazz music, which I was already interested in trying to "get in to," and reading this story only made me want to even more. What I got from this book was friendships should be cherished. They are these little moments that we share with a friend or a loved one that can last a life time and no matter where your friends may be (especially with all the ways to stay in touch now-a-days), friendship can last a life time. Again, there's also the cruel reminder of our shameful history... hopefully we can learn from it and not put others through the same ordeals.  There's also the simple fact that if you treat those with respect that you will get respect in return. This is one of my favorite lines in the book, "Henry, this isn't about us. I mean it is, but they don't define you by the button you wear. They define you by what you do, by what your actions say about you. And coming here, despite your parent, says a lot to them - and me. And they're Americans first. They don't see you as the enemy. They see you as a person." I feel like this book has made me a better person. As corny as that feels, I'd like to think it did. And even though they're fictional, I wish Henry and Keiko happy lives while I wonder what could have been.

Currently Reading: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin