Only in Hollywood can you book a commercial for a network where the criteria was to make a huge fool of yourself!   The audition asked me to act like I had won a million dollars.  Well…what would you do?  I threw in a bit of the running man, a little booty shaking and of course a couple of toe touches for good measure.  It was actually a ton of fun and I felt so incredibly stupid that the laughing came naturally.  Way to go, we shoot tomorrow and I get another paycheck – boo ya!

The Disney/Milk commercial was a lot of fun!  While they don’t tend to pay a whole heck of a lot of money, it’s a great way to practice and it’s fun being part of a team for the day.  I’m not going to lie though, I had the most difficult time with one of my lines.  Sometimes it’s the most simple thing in the world that thows you off.  No sweat though, we got the footage we needed and I can’t wait to see the finished product!

My "kids"

A few exciting things that I’m excited to tackle this month are:

I auditioned and was accepted into The Groundlings.  I start next week and will be going two days/week.  It’s a lot of class time but I’m looking forward to learning more.  A lot of really talented and super funny actors have gone through this school people like: Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Chris Kattan, Lisa Kudrow and many others so lets just hope that I can keep the momentum going.  It’s a great place to study and they offer multiple opportunities for industry people to watch the shows .  I still love my “original” improv teacher, Donovan Scott, but it’s always good to be uncomfortable so that you can grow.  I suppose I actually “started” my improv training with the Groundlings back in Seattle because I used to do improv workshops with Gary Austin when he’d come up to Seattle for the weekend.  Gary actually founded the Groundlings here in LA so it’s sort of like I’ve come full circle

Also, I started my class with Bob Lambert from All My Children and he is absolutely fantastic.  He took a lot of time with each actor, filmed us and gave us excellent feedback.  This class/workshop will continue for the next several weeks so I am excited to learn more.  I also have a workshop with Dorian Frankle tonight from Curb Your Enthusiasm so let’s hope it goes well!

That’s it for now….the next big job is out there waiting for me to find it! Gotta scoot.

I guess Disney is the one shop in town that seems to really have a shine to me, which I’ll take.  I just booked a commercial for “Milk” via Disney and guess what….I play a mom again!  Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something (fat chance mom). 

In any event, I was actually feeling a little discouraged because I’d been put on “hold” several times before for Disney and while I book a decent amount, it was getting frustrating.  Being put on “hold” means that you should hold a specific date on your calendar because the decision making process is down to you(me) and another person or two.  The odds of booking are fairly strong and so I’ve been known to let my hopes get ahead of the actual job only to find out that I didn’t actually book the job.  Nonetheless, the persistence and Saturday auditions (that’s right, Saturday morning) paid off. 

I think I’ll use the cash to buy some tile for the bathroom surround in our shower or…(gasp) maybe I’ll buy a new lens for my camera.  I am thrilled and have to remember that these small bookings are eventually going to lead to something bigger.

For all of you wondering if I booked the Hannah Montana gig…I think it’s safe to say that it’s a “no”.  I am disappointed of course but met Carol Goldwasser and Andrew Green (one of the producers) and they were fantastic and just very nice people.  I also think Richard Meltzer is a gem too and just count my blessings that I got called in at all.

One of these days, they are going to hire me for a recurring role   Until then, I’ll keep on keeping on.

xo

I think I mentioned that I started doing casting director workshops last month.  I figure that I’ve beentaking classes and preparping myself for auditions and I’d like to get myself in front of some people who can actually hire me.  I was a little reluctant at first but after my first workshop with Sherie Hernandez at Act Now and receiving good feedback, I thought it was worth my time and my money. 

I signed up for two more through Actors Key.  One with Howard Meltzer who casts Hannah Montana (an AFTRA show) and one with Deanna Andrews (The Bold and Beautiful).  I received excellent feedback again and hold onto your hats….was called in on Thursday to audition for the role of Sharon on Hannah Montana.  Wait, it gets even better – - I got called back again on Friday to read for the producers! 

It was a great experience and Carol Goldwasser and the producer, Andrew Green, were very very nice.  They truly seemed to be on the actors side.  They were encouraging and kind to me and this was such a blessing and a great way to end the week!  I am pleased that the casting director workshop was helpful in helping me with this opportunity.  At least now I know that they are not a waste of money.  Of course, I’d love to get the part but feel encouraged and fortunate that I made it this far.  The one thing I keep learning about the business, like most things in life, you have to create your own opportunities….no one is going to do it for you!