Agent Meeting, Photoshoot, etc

So on Wednesday - only two days ago, I had a meeting with an agent at Allensworth Entertainment in Beverly Hills. My meeting was originally supposed to be LAST Wednesday, but she had an emergency and had to cancel. Unfortunately I didn't find out til I was waiting in the lobby and my manager called me. But, I also got to talk to the agent, Sandy, on the receptionist's phone and I my manager later told me that she "already liked me."

Well, before I get on about the meeting, let me just mention the photoshoot that I did on Sunday. It was for Petal and Thorn, an online bridal accessories boutique that I mentioned in my last post. I arrived at the salon (Flawless Faces) where the other model, Adrienne Ackerman (only 19!) joined me. We had our hair and makeup done and then went to the studio where the shoot was going to take place (iWink Studios) where the photographer soon showed up and then we waited a couple minutes for the studio to open and the designer to arrive.

First, I wore an Adrianna Papell white satin gown which was gorgeous and fit like a glove (and the designer, Kristin let me keep it since she only bought it for the shoot and it doesn't fit her. I was fitted with a headpiece that I never actually got to see and then the shoot began! After we got the shot, they'd switch the headpiece and keep going. So I'm kind of dying to see the pictures just to see what all the headpieces and accessories look like! haha. Well, the shoot was a total blast and a great experience, and the photographer (Juneberry Photo) told me that I should get a lot of jobs from this one shoot.

After getting hair and makeup done before heading to the studio.

The Adrianna Papell gown.

The other gown I wore - so pretty!

Photographer and other model Adrienne at work.

Behind the scenes with the designer and her assistant putting on my next headpiece.

The Facebook cover photo from Petal and Thorn's page.

Sneak peek from Juneberry Photo.

Alright, back to the meeting. Well, for the full story, I need to start the night before. My husband had to work and didn't get home until after midnight and then left at 6:00 the next morning. He walked out the door, and I tried to go back to sleep but then a couple minutes later he stormed in saying "The car got towed!" He was going to take my Nissan Murano to work so I could take his little Fiesta to LA for the better gas mileage, but had accidentally parked in a handicap spot when he got home so late cause apparently it was dark and there were no other spots open. Well, he was in a panic and was apologizing to me "I have to leave baby I'm so sorry." And then I'm just sitting there in a shock, cause that means he has to take the only other car leaving me stranded, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to cancel the meeting. He leaves, I start crying, and then decide to get dressed and figure out what to do. I called the number I found online for if your car got towed, they gave me the number of the company that towed it and I called to see if they had my car and how much it'd be to get it ($265!). A little while later, my husband called me to say that he'd leave work if he could and if he couldn't, his Lieutenant had offered to pick me up and drive me onto base so I could take the car that Ethan had driven. So, I started getting ready, doing my hair and makeup and stuff, and then Ethan calls to say he's on his way home. I get totally ready for the meeting, and then we go to get the car that was towed, and come home so I can eat lunch. I manage to convince him to go with me to LA for moral support, and we left. Got there about an hour and 45 minutes early, so we just relaxed in the car for a little bit. I went to the office at 12:15 (meeting was at 1:00) and waited until about 1:15, where Sandy surprised me by arriving behind me from the elevators and then leading me to her office. lol.

I totally bombed it. The stress of the morning and then waiting in the lobby for about an hour had completely shot my nerves. I think my monologue went great, but I was terrible at telling her about myself (first thing she asked me to do). I had prepared answers to other questions that I had found a lot of agents asked (according to acting websites) but that question threw me and she stopped me mid-sentence to tell me that that is something I need to work on. :P I also bombed my cold read. I know HOW to do it, I know the basics, but I just stared down at the script the entire time cause I was so nervous. So she told me not to do that and then to do it again. She then said that if I did what I did the second time the FIRST time, it would've been so much better because I emoted and was funny etc. Also, she said I cut off my right arm cause she noticed I had a lot of comedy and drama on my resume, and just making conversation and trying to be honest, I told her that I thought comedy was not my strength and she asked why. Then, like a bumbling idiot, I prattled on about why I was bad at comedy. ARGH. But, she gave me some great notes and after all that, still said she wants to meet with me again in January having put her notes into practice.  Mostly, she just said I need to work on my confidence, but that there is absolutely no reason I can't be a successful actress! (YAY!) So, I ordered books to read she told me about, and watched young actresses interviewed on Jay Leno like she said (to try and pick up their confidence and things that they do). Probably the best advice that she gave me though was something she learned in a workshop. "If you're NOT confident, you're still an actor. So ACT like an actor who IS confident." "Fake it til you make it," she kept saying.

I need to start with the studio I interviewed at (oh, yes, I had a meeting with an acting coach at the Actors Workshop - there's one in LA and one in Orange County - this coach's dad, who is also an instructor at the studio, studied under Meisner! - and I am starting with them in January). She told me what kind of "looks" to get with my headshots at the end of the month - but she listed more than 4 which is the amount I'm getting, so I somehow need to whittle the list down. She said "teenager/college student" (said I could portray 17-23!), "hot/sexy girl," "hipster," "young mom," "edgy doctor/business woman," and "geek/nerd." I guess hipster and geek could be about the same, if I wear my glasses. And maybe college student/hot girl could be about the same... I mean they're headshots, so what I wear won't really be seen, so I'll only be achieving these different looks through facial expressions, but the facial expression shouldn't be all that outrageous because for headshots they're just kind of intense/neutral/non-smiling. Though she said also to get some smiling, for commercial work. Whew.

But that reminds me, I need to email my manager all the notes she gave me. 

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday at a salon that I just adore now (Shampoo Cocktails)! The stylist was phenomenal and we got along really well (normally I find the small talk the stylists try to create really awkward!). But my hair isn't too different, just reshaped and my bangs were trimmed. 

Well... I think that was it for now.

Gotta get back to watching interviews :P

And, gotta get ready to go see The Hobbit! (Midnight premiere was last night!)

Thanks,
more later.
Laura

Shoots, Agent Meeting, Charity Event

Alright, so it's been far too long since my last post (I really do seem to start every post this way). But, not much has happened. It's the holiday season so I've been busy.
But, I got a new job as a (part-time) Nanny for a wonderful family and their neighbors want to hire me as well for the days I'm not already Nanny-ing.

My manager got me another meeting with an agent, this time Allensworth Entertainment - it is next Wednesday. He told me that my meeting with Spectrum Talent went well but they aren't signing new talent now. (Not sure if that's a nice little lie or not but oh well). One of my manager's other clients had a meeting with Spectrum the same day as me and is now signed with Allensworth. So, hopefully, my meeting will also go well. I don't feel great about my demo reel - the quality of my taped monologues is not great, but it's all I had to work with. =( But I am very critical of myself and so my demo reel will never be perfect - and the same goes for my headshots and resume.

Speaking of headshots, the agent at Spectrum that I met with said mine are not LA quality, and I was going to get new ones eventually anyway (hopefully sooner rather than later). And I know which photographer I want, but it's like $425 for a shoot with her (Deidhra Fahey) - on sale now for $300. BUT she's amazing, and has done headshots for some Disney stars and a couple other big-name actors (when they were at the start of their careers) such as Megan Fox, Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis, Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle), Mitchel Musso (Hannah Montana), the T-Mobile girl (Carly Foulkes), Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee in Breaking Dawn) etc.

I had a photographer on Model Mayhem contact me and ask if I would be interested in doing a headshot shoot. Not as good as Deidhra Fahey (who is?) but it would be free, help build my portfolio, and would at least tide me over til I can afford new ones.
I was also contacted by a designer of a Bridal accessories line (Petal and Thorn) asking for me to model some of their new products - and I'd be getting paid. YAY!
Thirdly, I was contacted by a photographer who wants to do a "Red" themed beauty/glamour shoot, whatever that means. Unpaid, but it would definitely be something different to add to my portfolio.

I need to start studying with a local acting studio soon. Grr. Man acting is expensive! :( Well, there are a few local studios, and I think I know which one I want, but I'm so afraid that I'll waste my money cause it won't be a "good enough" studio for the LA industry. I really do think too much and worry too much.
Regardless though, I need to get with a studio soon, and I really don't want to drive to LA once or twice a week for classes and then throw on driving to auditions (hopefully) and meetings. I wouldn't mind driving for auditions, I didn't mind driving 2 hours to auditions when I was in VA, but after driving 2 hours for acting lessons once a week (while in VA), I don't want to do that again. I know I shouldn't mind driving that far for lessons cause it's helping my career, and I do enjoy lessons/classes, but I really don't like driving, and if I have the option/opportunity to take classes closer to home...

Oh, and my manager sent me a link/invitation to this Red-Carpet toy drive for LA Children's Hospital at this club in LA next week. Kiss My Ass (Kiss cover band) is playing. It sounds fun, and I'd love to do a red carpet type of event and see what that's like (even though I'm a nobody, I can still pretend lol), but it doesn't start til 7:00 and I have to work the next morning and have that meeting with the agent the next day. Plus, since my husband has to work the next day, I'd have to go by myself and I never like going to social events/parties alone. It's not like a ton of celebrities would be there either - I think last year they had the stars of Storage Wars come but actors like Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr will most likely not be there. That wouldn't be the reason I would go though, but it would make it a little more exciting.

Well, I have a "surprise" shoot today that I need to start getting ready for. "Surprise" as in, for my husband. Nothing racy or anything! Just some cute Christmas-type photos with a photographer I've worked with before (Brianna Noelle Photography). Plus, Tinisha Portillo is supposed to be there as well, and I have yet to meet her in person. Lol.

Thanks for reading!

Vampire photo shoot and Spectrum Talent agent meeting

Alright, so since my last post, not much has happened in the way of my acting career (hence why it has been so long since my last post lol). For the last month I did a lot of unpacking and setting up the apartment, as well as got a job at Macaroni Grill. I had barely even begun to look for any acting or modeling gigs, but I did have one photo shoot to help build a photographer - Brianna Noelle Photgraphy's - portfolio (and mine).
Here are a couple pics from the shoot  - which was only little over a week ago. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some other local models - Valentai Cook and Shaundra Olson are both Marine wives and beginning to make a name for themselves in the online community (as in, they have followers on Facebook lol). Plus, they seem to be fairly busy and book a lot of modeling jobs. Whether they are paid or not, I do not know, but good for them regardless! :) They were both very nice girls.

With Shaundra

With Shaundra again

With Valentai

Anyways, about 4 days ago (on Wednesday), I received a phone call from my manager about meeting with a talent agent the next day (Thursday). I was a little panicked and stressed about my husband coming home from his deployment on Friday and still had a lot to do, but I agreed to set up the meeting. He said he would finalize the time and get back to me, and the next morning he emailed and said that they had an emergency and had to cancel. So, honestly, I was a little relieved because that morning I also found out that my husband would be coming home about 12 hours earlier than expected, so I had a LOT to do that day in preparation (as in, finish unpacking, clean the apartment, begin cooking his requested meal and dessert, do laundry and get his car cleaned. I managed to get almost all of that done (didn't get to unpack all the books, but that was low on my list of priorities anyway). Friday morning, I took the dogs to the PetsHotel and scheduled them for a bath and brush at the grooming salon and then went to base to wait for my husband to arrive. After waiting for about 2 hours, his unit finally showed up! Yay! To make a long story short, we went home and a few hours later picked up the dogs. The next day I had an interview with a family to potentially be a nanny for (my third interview of the kind in the last week) and then today, after a discussion with my husband, quit my job at Macaroni Grill (which, I felt terrible about and it caused me a lot of stress just thinking about quitting after only 4 shifts), but it looks like I will be -hopefully- getting a higher-paying job as a nanny/babysitter which I would enjoy a lot more and which would give me the kind of schedule I would prefer. Also, Macaroni Grill kind of wasn't completely honest with me about what kind of shifts I would be able to work. When they interviewed me, I told them I had completely open availability (which was true) but that I wanted to work mostly lunches. They said that that was fine and that they had a variety of schedules available. I know that it is a chain restaurant and that I would most likely have to work an occasional evening or weekend shift, but assumed that the servers with seniority would prefer the evening and weekend shifts anyway cause you make more money then. Well, before my husband came home I spoke to a different manager about scheduling, and she basically said that not working weekends and/or evenings was "not going to fly" and that I would HAVE to work Saturday or Sunday. She also said something that was kind of a compliment - that I would definitely have to work evenings and/or weekends if I was capable of it, and she thought that I was "highly capable." So, yay I am a good server, I should be after like 3 years, but dangit! Why do I have to be so good? lol. Just kidding. Well it may not seem like a big deal to some people, but my husband and I do not want to be one of those couples that work jobs with completely opposite schedules and never get to see each other. We have discussed it at length before because my previous job as a Pet Trainer required me to work evenings and weekends only (I never worked a daytime shift) and I felt like we hardly ever spent time together (I would leave before he got home and he would only be awake for about half an hour after I got home because he would wake up so early in the morning). Well, we would rather I make a little less money but have a better schedule, than potentially make more money and never get to see each other. Of course, there is always an exception to the rule. If the job that had me working evenings and weekends was my dream job, or you know, acting and filming a tv show or movie or something (and getting paid for it), then of course, we would live with it. But we were not going to live with that kind of schedule for a waitressing position. So, I quit. Man, that was kind of long-winded. 

Anyways... this morning I got a time for a meeting with the talent agent at Spectrum Talent from my manager - tomorrow morning (which, incidentally was at the same time I was supposed to be at work for my final test at Macaroni Grill, and honestly that time conflict is what kind of spurred me/us to make the decision for me to leave the Grill today. I was planning on doing it anyway, but maybe not for another week or so). Well, unfortunately, the agent's office is a little over an hour away (in Beverly Hills), so I will be leaving two hours in advance in case of traffic. lol. I'm still working on what to wear... And I tried to burn my demo reel to a dvd (the last one I had) and it didn't work properly, so I won't be able to take my demo reel. And I have head shots (which need to be updated soon cause my hair color has changed a bit and it's gotten longer) but my resume doesn't have the most recent commercial I did on it (the Shentel one). And I don't have the nice paper I printed my old resume on (left it in Virginia) and my printer is out of ink anyway and I'm kinda broke at the moment. lol. So, unfortunately, I'm taking an outdated (only slightly) resume to my meeting and no demo reel. Grr. I wish I had money and/or a little more time so I could fix those issues. But everything doesn't always go according to plan. I have my two monologues, just need to run through them a couple of times and I'll be good to go. 

Well, I should probably get my beauty rest. I want to look my absolute best tomorrow. :) Man it'd be so exciting to get signed! 

Anyways, I hope to write again soon with good news about the meeting. :) 

Thanks for reading! 

~L

Shooting the Shentel commercial, Running photoshoot, and in CA!!

Man, it has been waaaay too long since my last post, but I got really busy with packing to move to California, and now that I'm here (yay!) I've been busy with UNpacking. lol.
But, since my last post, a lot has happened. Or, at least, it feels that way. lol.

Filming the Shentel commercial that I got through Erica Arvold Casting was a LOT of fun! It was a different experience than anything else I'd done too. The director was the camera-man and was filming most of the time. There weren't super specific directions, and no "Action" or "Cut," but it was more like he would tell us (the 4 other actors and me) a general sense of what he wanted us to do and then would just start filming. We started in a red Jeep and acted like we were driving to the swimming hole. We had music blasting and were just jamming out and having a blast - like college kids would do. :P I was the oldest of the group of us, 3 of them were still in college and one girl had just graduated. lol.

The director filming us!

Anyways, after filming in the Jeep we went to the swimming hole, which really was more of a rock/island thing right next to the road. We drove up the main road, pulled off onto the side, then walked down the drop-off on the other side of the guardrails to get to the river.

The big rock at the bottom of the screen is the one we jumped off of.

I was the second one to jump off of the rock - and it was so much fun! It was about a 12 foot drop, but the climb up to the top of the rock was the hardest - it was almost straight up and there weren't very many hand or footholds. I slipped once - the first time, and a couple of the others slipped too. One girl even sliced her wrist unknowingly.

Well, the director, Allan Vajda - for part of the time - was in the water below us with a little mini waterproof camera filming us. There were maybe 10 other people standing on the ground behind/next to the rock, some filming, some just watching (I'm still unsure as to who they were/their purpose for being there) - it was probably the biggest "crew" of any of the shoots I've been too, except maybe for the House of Cards shoot, though it probably comes close. Which is weird, because House of Cards is a BIG production, and this was just a commercial - not even a National one. haha.

Well, after jumping off of the rock for a few hours, we went back to our "base" (a firehall) and changed into dry clothes. Like an idiot, I forgot to bring a bra and underwear but brought like 4 different bathing suits. So I had to wear a dry bathing suit under my clothes the rest of the night - and the 2.5 hour drive home. lol. After changing, we went to another location by the river where they had built a bonfire. We roasted marshmallows and goofed off and stuff for a couple of hours. I think by this point everyone was getting a little frustrated and tired - a lot of the crew (and some of those random people who I think may have been from Shentel) were not in a very good mood and I could feel some tension between the director and some of them, and they even snapped at some of us actors too sometimes. For example, we were handed a guitar at the beginning of this portion of the shoot, and since I was the only one that had ANY experience with guitar - albeit, my experience was about 6 years ago - I was the one holding it. I was trying to "teach" one guy how to play (keep in mind they're filming this whole time) and one girl (for the life of me, I cannot remember her name!) started teaching us a song - everyone else was clapping their hands in time, and since I didn't have any hands free, I was VERY lightly drumming/tapping my fingers on the guitar. One of the "random" guys (I don't like using that word, but I don't know what his title/purpose was. He didn't have a camera and wasn't involved with any directing, I guess he was the owner of the guitar?) came up to me and snapped "Give me the guitar" and ripped it out of my hands. Lol. Similar things happened to other actors, but I don't remember what they were.

Anyways, the fire was SUPER hot and uncomfortable and they would film for minutes on end - sometimes I felt like my skin would blister lol.

Well, after about a 9 hour day, we wrapped up, got paid $500, and I went home, took a shower, and went to bed.

Here is the completed commercial! I can be seen in the opening (blue/green sweater), at 0:02-0:04, 0:34 (far right on the rock), 0:35 (and in the thumbnail picture), as well as 0:45 (on the tv, but I am not the one in focus, though I thought it was me at first lol).

Well, after filming that, I had one more shoot before I moved back to Cali. It was a running shoot with Photography by GregD, who runs the Studio at Dulles, near Mount Vernon. Basically, I ran for about an hour and a half almost non-stop. I took little walking breaks here and there, and there were fitness "stations" on the running trail, so I did a couple pull-ups, but pretty much it was the longest I have ever run. I got paid $100 for that (yay, that paid for one day's worth of gas on the drive cross country! lol). I just saw a couple of the photos online, and am just waiting for my CD to come in the mail.

Speaking of CDs, I also received my CD of images from the mock engagement shoot I did for Boston University in Georgetown. I will be posting some of those photos soon.

Well, now I'm in CA and am just trying to get settled in and unpack and stuff before I submit to auditions. I am supposed to start working at Macaroni Grill next week, and I do think I have one modeling shoot coming up soon with Brianna Noelle Photography. It's a Vampire themed shoot (for Halloween, I'm assuming) with two other models. One of whom, Tinisha Portillo, I know is another Marine wife like myself (the photographer is as well, not sure about the third model, though I would assume so. We tend to stick together lol) but Tinisha and I have talked some online and she has been very helpful and given me lots of great advice about modeling.

Anyways, I hope to stay on the ball with my posts, but if nothing new happens, then it's hard to find stuff to write about. lol. Gotta get back to unpacking! Yippee. =/

Thanks!

Shentel Commercial, Moving back to Cali!

So, that audition I had with Erica Arvold for the Shentel commercial I had last week? Well... I got it! :D Woot! It is filming on Thursday, and sometime before then I'm supposed to be contacted by the production company about what time and what I'm supposed to bring, etc. So excited! This commercial pays more than I would make in two weeks at the restaurant! Granted, I only work one day a week, but still. lol. Because of our society's taboo on talking about money, I have an ingrained aversion to saying how much I'm going to make, but if I'm striving to be honest on this blog, I have to bite the bullet and just say it. lol. It's no huge number, but it's the biggest paycheck I will have received to date, not only for acting, but in general. I will make $500 for this commercial - and I'm not even a principal role in it! :P Hopefully, that means that from here on out, I can expect to make that much or more for any acting jobs I get. Now, just to make sure I actually get jobs. That's the hard part. =/
Also, my computer came in today (hence why I'm writing another post - I seriously hated typing on an ipad for the last two weeks).
And, I signed a lease, and am moving in to the apartment in California on the 28th! Which means I am starting my cross-country drive with my mother-in-law on the 24th. I have a modeling gig on the 22nd for another $100, and this is my last week of work at the Grille. Money is really going to be tight for the next couple of days until I get paid at the Grille - I had to pay a deposit for the apartment and the car payment goes through today, leaving me about $20 in the checking account to get through til Wednesday - and if I can't pick my check up on Wednesday, I won't be able to deposit it until Friday. Eesh. Well, enough about my finances!
Well, that concludes my update. Unfortunately, my move means I won't be getting any more jobs any time soon cause I have to get settled. But once I'm in California, or, most likely I will start on the drive, I will submit to casting calls and hopefully get some auditions when I get back.
That's all for now!
Thanks! :)

Erica Arvold casting audition, computer crash...

It's been a while since my last post, and to all my dedicated readers (all two of you? Hi mom and dad! Lol) I am sorry! Since my last post, my computer crashed and it is currently at the Mac store having all of the data pulled off of the hard drive (I pick it up tomorrow!) and I ordered a new computer and it isn't going to be delivered until Thursday. I'm just praying that all of my data was successfully saved!

Anyways, last week I had a fashion show for Usanii House in Maryland. Specifically, it was a runway show for jewelry and accessories designed by Usanii House. It was different, not on a real "runway" as expected, but we walked through what was essentially a bar during happy hour. It was still fun and good experience, but I hesitate to call it my first "runway" show. The other models were all very nice and there was a large mix of personalities and ages and levels of experience. One model was from Ukraine and was the same age as me and was also married. She had the most typical "runway model" look. Tall, super thin, amazing cheekbones, and long sleek blonde hair. Lol. But she was very nice.

The following day, I had an audition with Erica Arvold casting for a Shentel commercial. It was probably the most fun and relaxed audition I've ever been to. I arrived at the building (in downtown Charlottesville) and immediately loved the decor for one. Lol. They were holding auditions for multiple projects (they're also doing the casting for Killing Lincoln I believe, another upcoming Lincoln movie). I was auditioning for the role of a college student that jumps into a swimming hole. I was told to bring a swimsuit to change into, and so, in my normal trend, brought two. While I was waiting, I met two other "college students" auditioning (though both of them were actually college students). They were casting for 5 slots, so I didn't feel like I was in direct competition with them. Though, the male actor auditioning had never acted in his life but was on the Virginia Tech diving team which of course, if he gets cast, will make me feel incredibly inadequate as an actor... lol. They were both nice and it made it a lot easier, having talked to them, when we all went in to audition   together as a group and had to act and improvise that we were good friends. When we were called in,   first we had to "slate" (state your name usually, and then Erica had us state our hometown and say  what we did for fun. I said I train my dogs) and once we had each done that, we (as a group) acted as  if we were standing on a rocky ledge and about to jump in to the water. but  more than that, we just  goofed around like teens would ("no you go first! Its so far down! is it cold?") I feel I did really well,  but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Though it'd be soooo nice to get it, cause it pays $300!  Anyway, had I not auditioned with the other two actors at the same, I would've been much more  nervous, cause we were all in our bathing suits. And for the first time, I was worried about my tattoo.  But, luckily, the other two both had tattoos as well. Lol. Filming starts the week of the 11th, so I'm  hoping I'll find out soon. And if I don't find out soon, then I guess it's safe to assume I didn't get it. 

Well, Thursday I have a couple shoots. I have one for breast cancer awareness (not nude or anything,   just wearing pink and looking tough) and then later that day, a mock "engagement" shoot done by a  college professor.  I also have scheduled a shoot for a couple weeks from now. It's a "running" shoot, basically exactly  what it sounds like. Lol. I will be running, and running, and running some more  while the  photographer takes pictures. And this one is paid! Yippee! Lol. Then, once I am back in  California, in  October, I have scheduled a casual beach shoot as well as a tentative shoot with a  fellow Marine  wife/photographer. I just signed my lease, waiting for it to be approved, but as of right now, my move in date is the 28th. Which means I'm leaving in less than 3 weeks! Gah! Lol.  
On an unrelated note, sometimes, while writing posts for this blog, I have to fight myself to post   certain things, I am naturally hesitant to post about auditions and potential opportunities and things of that nature, because if I do not get the job, or the opportunities fall through or something, then it will  appear that I have failed and people will therefore judge me. But I wanted this blog to be honest and  to potentially help other aspiring actors/models/performers/etc to see what life for an actor/model is  really like. I wanted people to see the reality of it, the hardships of it, the rejection, etc. and since people will judge you regardless of what you say or do, I try not to let my fear of being judged stop me from doing certain things. That fear hurts me with auditioning and acting- primarily with improv - because I am afraid of making a mistake or of making myself look stupid, so I end up coming across as timid and hesitant, not strong, confident, and as a bold risk-taker. 

Well, time for this wannabe (No! - to quote one of the Cinderella Story movies, I'm a "gonnabe!") to get her beauty rest. 

Don't forget to check out my model mayhem profile and website and Facebook page. :)
More later. Thanks! 

Shoots, Shows, and Funding

So, I have a couple of shoots and stuff coming up! :) First, I have a runway show on Thursday for a company called Usanii House. Then, next Thursday, I have a mock Engagement shoot, and I also have a Devotional video shoot for Catholic University in the works. I got hired for that one because of my eyes. :) Yay! That last one is the only paid job of the three... but hopefully more will come.
My facebook fan page has been growing! I have been networking and getting tips from a fellow Marine wife and model - Tinisha Portillo - which has been super helpful with marketing myself.

On a side note, last night I took some headshots for some actors from the show I was recently in (for which I was paid) and imported them into my laptop and a few minutes later, my computer promptly crashed and wouldn't turn back on. After driving all over today going to the Mac Genius Bar and another store to try some other method they couldn't do at the Genius Bar... there has been so far no luck at recovering any of my data. SO MANY PICTURES! On top of the many headshots I just took (about 800 pictures) there were also 1200 pictures worth of my sister's engagement session, and a friend's newborn session. Tomorrow I am taking it to a local Apple store that was closed today to see if there's anything they can do... but it looks like I'm going to be needing a new computer. I knew I needed one, and was planning on replacing it... but not until the end of the year. So, that on top of other things spurned me to wonder if people might help contribute to funding my career. Gas alone is expensive - I've been paid, but not enough to cover the cost of gas, let alone my acting lessons. And when I get back to California, I want to continue my screen acting education as well as take dance lessons. So, I set up a GoFundMe account. This page, aside from being super cute, allows well-wishers, and kind and generous folk, to donate to my career! There are "rewards" - so if you donate a set amount, you get a reward - you'll just have to go check it out to see! :D But, for a small rundown of expenses... Acting lessons cost about $300 for 5 classes. At least, they did in Richmond, but they are slightly more expensive in Orange County, California. Dance/Fitness classes will cost about $175 for one month. Aside from dance it is also Yoga and Aerial Yoga/Tissu and things of that nature. As I mentioned, there's gas, and then I want to be able to do photography, which means funding that as well. I need Adobe Photoshop or something of that sort - that is $600. The Mac photo editing program, Aperture, although not as good, would suffice for a little while. That is $70. A new computer, with all of the memory that I would require as well as external drive for backup etcetera, would be almost $2000. Then I have to print headshots to take to auditions - about $25 for 5 prints. Business cards, postcards... another $25 at least. What does that come to? I'll round it up to $3000. Ugh. Hence, why it would be soooo lovely if my new fans and family members and friends wanted to contribute. Well, I'm not expecting any will - or not very much at least, but every little bit helps.
There is now a widget on the bottom of my homepage of this blog that allows you to click and donate. :)

Well, that's all for now.
Thanks!

Auditioning is expensive!!

Ugh. I've decided that I'm not going to audition for the Disneyland show - Minnie's Fly Girls. All week long I've been planning on doing it, but I just talked about it with my dad - who used to be a United pilot and has been helping me figure out flights - and I just can't afford it. Though he could get me a ticket at a much cheaper price (for some reason I thought it was free! But, unfortunately, it's not) I'd be reimbursing my parents for at least part of the cost of tickets, covering the hotel, parking at the airport, food, and possibly taxi or shuttle fees. And then, if I got called back, which would be awesome, I'd have to do it all over again the next week. So, after some rough calculations (my dad is the mathematician, not me), if I got called back, I'd be spending at least $800 total for this one audition. Not including any new shirt or shoes I wanted to wear to the audition or anything, or the cost of sheet music, or the voice lesson I was going to have with my old instructor, Marcia.
It's just too darned expensive. :(
But, Disney does have auditions fairly frequently, so, I'm hoping that when I get back to California, they'll have something I can audition for, and then I'll only have to pay for the cost of gas!
I do still have the chance to be a princess though... I applied to and received an email from a company that does events and children's parties. They have "character performers" who attend these events - such as princesses, pirates, super heroes, etc. They wanted me to come in for an audition/interview this week, I told them I would not be in California until September and they said they'd love to meet with me then. So, that's good. But I'm not 100% sure it's something I'd want to do. I'd have to be available weekends, for one thing. And I've always hated that with every job I've had. Especially since my husband works a fairly standard work week, if I worked both Saturday and Sunday, I'd never have a full day to spend with him. Well, I've got time to decide about that still.
I guess that's all for now. Not the most exciting or uplifting post, but, such is life. And I vowed to keep this blog real and honest so those reading it can see what life is really like for an "out-of-work actress." Though I shouldn't put it in quotes... since I really am an out-of-work actress. At least currently. lol.
Well, thanks for reading! :)

MDPPA Eco/Chic Wedding Shoot and Disney Audition

So yesterday was the Wedding shoot for the Maryland Professional Photographer's Association. I left the house at about 10:30 and didn't get home until almost midnight! It was a long day but so worth it! It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot and met a bunch of really amazing photographers, make up artists, hair stylists and a whole host of wedding vendors. Not that I need any wedding vendors. lol. But still, it's good to network!
And it was so exciting to get paid. Now, I am both a professional actress AND a professional model. I haven't gotten paid to sing - or even be in a musical, but I guess that's next on my list!
It was so cool to have my makeup done professionally. I've always done my own (and everybody else's lol) and most times when I've had the opportunity to have someone else do my makeup, I've turned it down cause I was more comfortable doing my own or thought I would do a better job, etc. But Christine Penny with Angelberry Organics was so great to work with and I thought she did a fabulous job!
Below are two pics - not great quality - but you can see the before and after! It wasn't a great skin day for me, but I love the way it turned out! I can't wait to see the real pics from all of the different photographers. Now I know why some models can be very full of themselves. When you have 15 different photographers constantly telling you how "gorgeous" you are, or what "beautiful eyes" you have, it would be very easy to let it go to your head! lol. I promise not to let it get to me and remain down to earth and humble. :)

Next Tuesday, I am flying out to California to audition for a Disney performance on Wednesday. The show is called Minnie's Fly Girls and it is performed at the Disney California Adventure park. It's a group of three flight attendants from the 50's-ish singing songs about flying from the 40's-60's. The videos I've seen of past performances look really cute and I think it'd be tons of fun to be a Disney performer, at least for a little while. :) So, as soon as I finish this post I'm going to have to book a hotel and figure out which airport I'm flying into! (Either LAX or Burbank - Burbank is closer, but there are fewer flights and I'd be flying standby...) The audition itself is being held at the Debbie Reynolds Studio in Hollywood - which I think is exciting in and of itself. The studio is infamous, and I love Debbie Reynolds - or, what I know of her. lol. I've seen her on So You Think You Can Dance. :)

I'm still deciding on an audition outfit and musical selection as well, and tomorrow I am meeting with my former voice instructor at Sweet Briar College, Marcia Thom, to work on my audition piece.

Well, that's all for now!
Thanks!

Midsummer Night's Dream, and a wedding shoot modeling gig!

So, it's been a little while since I last posted, but the acting stuff has been a little slow lately. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I did just finish the two weekend-run of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which I played Titania. It was at a community theater about an hour from my house. It was a lot of fun! There were a lot of talented, young actors in the cast. One of whom, Nerissa Serah Hart, is now a YouTube partner (meaning she's getting paid!) and I thought I'd just post the link to her channel. You know, help a friend out... what goes around comes around... etc.

Me as Titania in the Fauquier Community Theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Well, the other day, I submit myself to a bunch of postings and casting calls, as usual, and I got a response! It was from the president of the Maryland Professional Photographer's Association about a wedding shoot they're doing at the end of August. He said he liked my look, thought I didn't look like the typical blonde, bridal model (um... thanks?) and that I looked mysterious. Which is apparently what he wanted for the woodland-y shoot they're doing. He talked to my manager, and he then told me to go for it, even though I wasn't going to be compensated in any way other than getting copies of the pictures. And possibly being reimbursed for gas. Well, I talked to the president of the association - Mike Busada - today and he said that I will be being paid now! Woot! :) I'm super excited. I'll be getting my hair and makeup done, and wearing a nice wedding dress (which I should get to see a picture of this week) and it should be fun! Oh, Mike Busada has a pinterest board of his inspiration for the shoot. 

Of course, as soon as I find out more, and after the shoot as well, I will post an update! 

That's all for now!
Thank you! :)

Shoot, Agent meeting

So, last Wednesday (one week ago) I had the House of Cards shoot. My call was 1:00 and there were 19 other extras in my "category." We were all colleagues of Kate Mara's character, Zoe. We were there for about 8 hours (short for a day on set!) and one guy was lucky and got a line! (It was "hi!" haha). But, we were told that we are supposed to be recurring characters. So I'm just hoping to get a call soon asking me to come back in! :) haha.
Today I had a meeting/interview with an agent. I left so that I would get there half an hour in advance, but the traffic was AWFUL because they were doing construction, which I did not know ahead of time because I never go that way. I arrived only a couple minutes after 1:00, but luckily the agent I was supposed to meet with was also stuck in traffic. Haha. So I waited for her to arrive for a little while but then the owner took me back and did the interview himself, though, interestingly, he didn't really ask that many questions about me. He told me about their company and some of their clients, and then filmed me doing two monologues. Then he got on the phone with the woman I was supposed to meet, and they talked about submitting my monologues to a movie that they are doing the casting for. But I had to start my monologue twice, cause after I started it the first time he stopped me cause the phone rang and he then proceeded to yell at his daughter/receptionist to not answer the phone again and to turn the ringer off. After he came back into the room and I was about to start, the phone rang and guess what? His daughter answered it and he went back out to fuss at her. He unplugged the phone and then I was able to start my monologue - but I was kinda off my game at that point so I don't think I did it as well as I have in the past.
I talked to my manager tonight about it, and he was thoroughly upset that Connie didn't show up and thought they behaved rather unprofessionally. Also, this company is an agency, casting company, and has an actors studio where they have workshops and classes. The owner told me that though they do not charge any up-front fees, they get a 15% commission (rather high for an agent) unless it's a large role, for which they get 20%. Also, their clients are not required to study at their studio, but most apparently do. Basically implied that they would want me to. AND, he said it would cost me $55 to get my headshot and information on their website. To which my manager said is total bull****. It's disappointing that the agency turned out to be a bit of a scam and not very professional. But, it was good experience. I have at least now talked to an agent and have a bit of an idea of what to expect when I get to California.
I don't have any more meetings or auditions or anything lined up at this time, unfortunately. But I'm constantly searching.
The commercial I shot in June was posted to Facebook today, and I'm just trying to figure out a way to get it onto my blog. I may have to wait for my acting coach to get me a copy of it on a cd but once I have it, I will put it up here.
Also, my IMDB rank went up, yay! I'm currently ranked at 38,993. This is so exciting! :) Especially considering I don't have any credits on my page. I can't wait until I finally do get some credits listed and then hopefully it will just continue to go up and up and up til I get the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey or some other blockbuster. :) heehee.

Date	Rank
2012 Jul 22	38,993
2012 Jul 15	73,373
2012 Jul 8	64,709
2012 Jul 1	99,953
2012 Jun 24	1,000,209

Well, that's all for now.
Thanks!
~Laura

Lesson, auditions, agents, etcetera

So, yesterday I had my acting lesson. It was my third one with this instructor - Russ Randall at Final Act Drama in Richmond Virginia. That's one thing about me - I'm very dedicated to anything I do - especially acting. Richmond is 2 hours away - so that's 4 hours in the car!
Well a little over a week ago, my manager told me to call this agent - Connie Lamothe (at 24/7 Models and Talent)- based in Virginia (he had already talked to her and told her I would be getting in touch to set up a time to meet). I called her and left a message and then never heard back. Yesterday I emailed my manager to tell him I hadn't heard back (while I was in Richmond) and then when I got home checked the messages and she HAD called. So I need to call back. Hopefully I will get in to meet her soon and maybe I'll get signed and will get some gigs while I'm still here in VA!
I also have to call Central Casting to find out about the House of Cards shoot on Wednesday as well as call the restaurant I work at to find out when I'm scheduled for this week.
I also have scheduled an audition next Wednesday for a web series called Shotgun Mythos. It sounds very interesting, but it would not be paid and it's in West Virginia - an hour and a half away. But it would be something to add to my resume, IMDB credit list and demo reel.
But grr... my IMDB starmeter dropped! I knew it would... but man I was hoping it would just keep going up! lol. I just need to keep submitting myself for auditions so more people will look at it and then it'd be so nice to get a job so I can add to my IMDB page!

I just called both Central Casting and Connie Lamothe - Central Casting told me to call back in an hour, and no one answered at 24/7 Models and Talent. Haha. Seems like I may be playing phone tag with Connie Lamothe for a while unless she calls back today and I don't miss the call for any reason! lol.

So... just going to try and pass time for another hour so I can call the Casting office. haha.

Well, that's all for now!
Thanks
~Laura

House of Cards Shoot

So, today I was supposed to be an extra in the new Netflix series "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Kate Mara.

Kevin Spacey

Robin Wright

Kate Mara

But yesterday, when I went onto the casting company's website to check the call times and find my name and check-in number (as instructed) my name was not listed. In a panic, I emailed the casting company just double checking that I was still working the next day and had all the correct information. I received an email back in minutes from the woman I had spoken to on the phone that morning. She said she had left me a voicemail and wanted to know if I could work Wednesday instead of Friday. So I hurriedly leaned closer to window to pick up a signal to check my messages on my cell phone (no daggum service out here in the boonies lol). The message said "The production loved your look and they thought you were beautiful however, they think you're a little bit too pretty to do the scenes on Friday and so they would like you to do a scene with Kate Mara on Wednesday instead." WOOHOO! haha. I never thought I'd ever be "too pretty" for anything. Kinda thought it'd be the other way around. lol. I've never had super high self confidence - I mean I know I was blessed with some good looks and nice eyes but... jeez. lol. Anyways, so I was told to call back on Friday (today) to get more information. 
So I called this morning and was told that "the producer and director liked me but thought I would take away from Robin Wright if I was in the scene on Friday." WHAT? ha. Alrighty then. I don't think there's any way anyone could detract from the Princess Bride, but I'll take it. lol. I was told I would be working as a reporter with Kate Mara (her character is also a reporter). I would KILL to have some lines or even better, a recurring role! Anyway, I was instructed to call back on Tuesday to get the final info... that just seems so far off.... ugh. lol. 

On a different note, at my audition for Ping Pong Summer the other day, I caught myself judging the other actors. "Wow, her shorts are so short! You can see her bum!!" and "I can't believe she wore that to an audition!" Not all of it was bad though, I did compliment some of them in my mind: "Her dress is so cute, she's adorable." and "He looks like Kurt Hummel in Glee." But, I realized that, although I am competitive, judging another actor based on their appearance isn't going to help me get the part. It isn't going to stop them from possibly being amazing actors and just leaving the competition in the dust. And so, I'm going to do my utmost to stop judging and criticizing others - especially based on appearances. I have been so bad about it in the past. I mean, I know that I wouldn't judge or criticize another actor if it was Rachel McAdams or Robert Downey Jr or someone whom everybody knows. Because I'd be in awe. lol. But, I should do the same thing to other young actors. I should respect them and give them the benefit of the doubt - they may not dress professionally, but they still could be just as good as me if not better. 

So, at my upcoming audition on Saturday and then the shoot on Wednesday, I vow to do my best to not judge others and to be just as nice and kind inside my head as I am to people out loud. :P Well, I mean I vow to do that every day in every instance, but especially at auditions and shoots - being judgmental isn't going to help me or do me any favors. And I urge you all to do the same thing on an every day basis!!

That's all for now!
Thanks. 
~Laura

IMDB

Ever since I created my IMDB page (imdb.me/lauraannrussell) I have become slightly addicted to checking it fairly frequently. I check the casting calls, I check to see what my starmeter is (right now Emma Stone is #1 for females and I'm 64,709) and compare mine to other actresses that are either other clients of my manager or that went to school with me or something like that. 64,709 may sound really low... but considering when I created my page it was 1,000,209 and a girl I know who has some credits listed on her IMDB page (whereas I do not) is currently ranked over 300,000. So I'm quite excited about it. And clearly quite competitive. lol. Also, even Emma Stone who is, as I said, currently number 1, did not get into the 5 digit rankings until over a year after her page was created (September 5 2004, ranked 601,832, then September 12 2004, ranked 60,325). So, I'm hoping this bodes well for me. ;)

My Starmeter data table as of July 12, 2012

I'm a terrible person, but I do find joy in the fact that I am currently ranked higher than other female clients of my manager who all have a lot of credits on their imdb page. Like I said, I'm very competitive. lol. I know that it will fluctuate and my ranking will go up and down a lot (Emma Stone's did!) but I'm hoping it will tend to go up more than it goes down. :P

Well, that's all for now. 

Thanks!

~Laura

Ping Pong Summer Audition at Pat Moran Casting

So yesterday, I had my first "big" audition. Granted it's for an independent film, but it has Susan Sarandon and Amy Sedaris in it!
My new manager (woohoo!) Tom Townsend told me about this website (dragonukconnects.com) which has all of the major casting calls in this area. I found the one for Ping Pong Summer, submit myself, and they called me in for an audition! I found out less than 24 hours in advance, so the day that I got the call I stressed about what I was going to wear. Thank god for my mom and sisters (and dad on occasion) for helping me! The part I was auditioning for was a 16-17 year old teenage girl (circa 1985), whom after auditioning, I believe would be the lead character's sister. So, I was really worried I would not be able to make myself look 6 years younger than I am! Jeez I never thought I'd feel this old at not even 23. Haha.
I left early the next morning (not that 10:00 is early, but I mean I left early in that it takes 2.5 hours to get there, and I left 4 hours in advance). And I arrived in Baltimore almost 2 hours before my audition time was supposed to start. I grabbed some lunch at Qdoba (delish! First time in years actually) and then couldn't figure out where else to go so I went to the casting office, hoping I could find a bathroom in the building before I went in to their actual office to freshen up and maybe somewhere to sit for at least half an hour so I didn't look like a complete fool coming in an hour and a half early. No such luck. They had to buzz me in, and then there was nowhere to go but up the stairs and then the office. At least they let me wait in their waiting area and gave me the sides to study. I memorized them and then around 2:00, all at once a bunch of teens/young adults came in. Hard to judge some of their ages, but most of them were under 18 (could tell because their parents were with them) and then there were a couple who looked to be about my age or younger (no parents with them). And I was relieved to observe that not all of the female actors were up for the same role as me.
Being the first to arrive, I was the first called in to audition, and was a nervous wreck! It didn't go horribly though. We rehearsed the scene once, Pat Moran (casting director) told me I had "good instincts and good cadence/timing" but needed to "tone it down" a little. As I've always been taught, it's better to have them tell you to tone it down then to have them try and pump life into you. Much easier to get an actor to tone something down than to make it bigger. So I took that as a good thing! The second time through, they taped it. I fudged up one of the lines (dang it!) but not horribly so. I stayed in character and tried to fix it and keep going.
Once the scene was over (it was only about 10 lines long), Ms. Moran said to me, "That's all we need, thank you, good bye." Which threw me a little bit because I had been preparing to say something that my manager instructed me to say at the end of every audition. ("I really appreciate the chance to audition for you today. If given an opportunity, I promise I will work hard and will not let you down.") But I didn't feel as if there was an opening for it since she clearly had just told me to leave! lol. (not in a mean way, she was very nice but professional and extremely busy). So I just said, "Thank you for the opportunity." And left.
I was out of the office by 2:15 (and my original audition slot was 2:30). So I called my manager, grabbed some Starbucks, and drove the 2.5 hours home. Then ran 2.5 miles (it was a great stress reliever lol) and submit myself for more auditions.
Now, all that's left is to, firstly, no longer stress about it. Secondly, wait! I just pray for good news, as always. Cross your fingers for me! :D
Though this isn't related to the Ping Pong Summer audition, yesterday I also scheduled an audition for a local studio's commercial on Saturday and then today received a call from Central Casting asking me to work Friday in House of Cards (starring Kevin Spacey)! It's just as an extra, but I don't care! I'm just so excited! lol. Though the listing I responded to said "recurring/featured extras," so we'll see!
Keep checking back for more posts about my auditions and gigs. I'll try to update as frequently as possible.
Thanks!
~Laura

Laura Ann Russell