Rats of Hameln

So it's been ages since my last post and I feel so terrible since this is usually the way I start my posts. lol. But once I am a little behind, then I fall a little more behind and then it's just daunting because there are SO many things that I have to write about. If I could just stay on top of it, then I wouldn't have to play catch up! lol. So I've decided to try and write about each individual project or event instead of trying to cram it all into one long post.

So this post is about my most recent project - a short film titled The Rats of Hameln. (Pronounced Ham-lyn). I am told it was inspired by the Pied Piper tale and there are a lot of allusions to it. The director/writer, Elvis Chirinos, worked on Boiling Pot with me and is actually the person responsible for bringing me onto that project! He wrote the short with me in mind, but I still had to audition for it. It was a casual audition - outside of a Jamba Juice near my apartment. He filmed it on his phone, but it died and I ended up having him film it on mine and then sent the video to him. It's the first audition of mine that I've ever been able to watch afterwards. lol. After reading the script though, I wondered what that meant he thought of me, cause the character is kind of evil. lmao.

Well, I got the part (just in case you didn't see that coming even though I'm writing an entire post about the shoot haha).

The shoot took place over two days - a couple of weeks apart. Then a third day - only about an hour and a half - was needed to re-record some audio.

I don't want to give anything away - because there's a few twists in the film - but basically, I play a villainess (though of course, I think I'm in the right). Val (my character)'s boyfriend is conflicted about the life they live and that leads to a few surprises. There's a German scientist, love, guns, and blood! I even speak a little bit of German in it. Okay, okay, it's only one word, but still! It was my idea to have Val say something in German. :P

One of the things I really liked about it was the little details that Elvis really thought about. For example: My character always had something with lace on, and something red on. My wardrobe was entirely black, white and grey with small pops of red. Like a red bow in my hair or red garter.

Even though it was only a short, it was one of the best projects I've worked on! :)

The first day on set, we were in one of the crew members' homes. I had to drop my husband off on base that morning because he was leaving for month-long training. So I didn't arrive on set until 10:00am ish. I can't really remember for sure - but I know after dropping Ethan off, I went home to take a nap because I woke up around 3:00am to drop him off. lol. I was on set until about 7:00pm I believe. So that was a fairly short day. At least in comparison to the average day in this industry, which is about 10 hours.

Day one of the shoot.
I had red lips for most of the shoot as well.
I loved my costume and even got to keep some of it! yay! 

This scene was for a flashback so they made me look a little bit younger with a braid and a "fresh" face. 

Loved the fat braid and the glittery bow! :)

Second day of the shoot was at UC Riverside in the Paleontology lab. I arrived at 9:00am and didn't leave until after 1:00am. It was a 16 hour shoot! Almost double the time we anticipated it would be. But that's the entertainment industry for you! Shoots almost always go over (not always over by 7+ hours, but they almost never take the time you think they will).

Most of the crew for this project also worked on Boiling Pot, so it was fun to work with people you already kind of knew. Although, I didn't really know any of them. Since on BP, I was mostly background and tried to remain professional and not step out of line and try and talk to any of them too much. But I recognized all of them. lol. The actor portraying my boyfriend, Ken Shiode, was in Boiling Pot as well (in a larger capacity than I was). The makeup artist, Brittany Durlach, who has become a friend, did makeup and hair for BP as well (for Danielle Fishel). The shoot took place about an hour from my apartment, so it was funny to find out that she lives right down the road from me! She works at Jeffrey Michaels Salon - which is fabulous as well. After the shoot I had her cut and highlight my hair since it had grown out a little since getting my head shots (cheaper than getting new head shots, that's for sure!)

Fossils at UC Riverside!

Day two of the shoot, I wore a creepy mask!!

I even beat up one of the scientists! Jenavee Shay also worked on Boiling Pot as background with me!

My favorite makeup artist EVER, Brittany Durlach, (also from Boiling Pot), works on the mask. 

Some fake blood got in my hair, and since I had an hour long drive before I could get home to shower, I had it in a bun. Upon taking it out of the bun, it didn't move. :P

Well a week or so after the second day of filming, I had to go back to UCR to record some audio. Since I had a mask on, some of the audio didn't come out right, plus, there was a loud fan constantly running in the lab which made it harder to hear. We used the boom mic about halfway through that shoot but all the audio before we began using it, I had to redo. It was made easier by the fact that I didn't have to match my lip movements since I was wearing a mask. Lol. I did have to match the sound of my walk though! But that didn't take too long, and I even got to see a little bit of the film while it was still in production, which was a first!

Well, I can't wait to see the final cut!! And don't worry, I'll definitely be posting it once it's up!
Thanks for reading!

Blogging and Networking

So, since my last post I have done a lot of research and reading about how to Tweet and internet-network and blog (etc) effectively. One of the tips I read was to read similar blogs to yours. Honestly (and I'm so embarrassed to say) it never really crossed my mind to do that. Don't know why. But I did some googling and found a couple of blogs - one of which was REALLY helpful because she (Brandi Ford) listed a TON of acting blogs.  Her blog is fabulous - love the way it looks - and has a lot of great recommended reads, resources, etc. I randomly scrolled down the list of about 40 blogs and opened maybe 10-15 of them. I was mostly interested in female actors' blogs since their experiences in the business will be more similar to mine. I found a couple of good ones, a couple of great ones and closed out the ones that didn't have anything that caught my eye. (Which now makes me think I should revamp my blog to do the same thing. Kind of like resumes in the "real world" and headshots, reels, and resumes in the "acting world").

One of the pages I kept open, after reading a couple of posts, I realized was Stephen Amell's (star of Arrow). I'm still surprised that I found his blog amidst a bunch of actors who are like me - struggling, essentially nobodies. Well, anyway, I emailed Brandi and asked to have my blog listed as well, she agreed (yay!) and I don't know how she determines what order she lists them, but for whatever reason, my blog is near the top. (Secretly happy about that! Okay... not so secretly. lol). Hopefully my blog will get some more traffic from that.

Another tip I read was to promote others. I'd tried to do that already, but I'm now trying to do it more. I tag people in my tweets and mention their blogs or pages or work they've done, I retweet them, and mention them in this blog, etc.

Lira Kellerman has a great blog with great articles on how to use Actor's Access effectively. First let me say that if you are an actor - especially in the LA area - you need to know about Actor's Access. She has some great tips on how to maximize your chances - what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to headshots, reels, notes, etc. Now I won't steal any of her thunder and tell you the whole article. I just hope I've peaked your interest enough to go read it now. :) She also has a great list of gift ideas for actors. To anyone who's interested... *ahem* I love this super cute crutch necklace (to remind the actor to "break a leg).

Briefly, other articles I have found on the twitterverse to be helpful:

Seven Tips for Surviving the (Independent) Film Industry

Twittering for Actors

8 Steps to Actor Happiness

Batgirl Audition

So at the end of last week, I had an audition for the character of Barbara Gordon for a tv pilot. I was SO excited when I heard about the audition - I did as much research as possible (as recommended by the director) and checked out The Dark Knight Returns from the library - that is the comic that the world of the pilot is based on, even though the character Barbara Gordon is not in that comic. So after reading that, I also checked out Batgirl: Year One and Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds.

I rehearsed the sides they gave me over and over and even filmed it a couple of times so I could watch myself and try and see what needed work. Then the day of, I drove to Colton - almost to San Bernadino - and had my audition. I was the last one to audition for the role, which could be good and bad. Good because I'll be the easiest one for them to remember, bad because they could've been tired or already seen another actress that wowed them and they'd already decided on her. Well after waiting in front, I was brought to the back where practically 20 people were sitting to watch the audition. I read the scene with who I'm assuming is a crew member, it was obvious he wasn't an actor. After we finished, another crew member (director or casting director possibly?) asked someone off to the side of the group if they wanted to "give it a go" and then a man came up to me and he was introduced to me as the lead actor playing Richard Grayson (Nightwing, the original Robin) and then we did the scene together. They had also given me a cold read for another character (Helena Bertinelli/Huntress) and I read that with Grayson as well. They thanked me and I left. I was told that they would probably make their decision by the end of the next week... so if I don't hear anything by Sunday I guess I didn't get it. But I'm not banking on getting it - I never do - cause then you're just set up to be more disappointed. I always anticipate rejection so that if I do book a role, I'm pleasantly surprised. :) 

I wore green, hoping that that might subconsciously make them more likely to pick me, or consciously if they noticed. Because the character Barbara Gordon is drawn in green A LOT!

A lot of my Facebook fans were excited for me - my inner nerd was geeking out too. :P So, just crossing my fingers but, again... just expecting rejection. But I would so love to play Babs. After reading the comics and the research online... I love the character and think I'd be a great fit for it!!

Boiling Pot, Spectrum Agent, Life

So I can't even remember the last time I posted it's been so long. =/
Just had to look it up - it was December. Boy am I behind.

Well, let's see... since I last posted, I had new headshots taken by Deidra Fahey, who took Megan Fox, Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis, Britt Robertson, Mitchel Musso etc's headshots.

I had some auditions, I did some fun photo shoots with my friend Brianna, who is a photographer.... Of course celebrated Christmas and New Year... and then in January I started working on Boiling Pot, which is an independent film about racism on college campuses - based on true events that happened in 2008. Danielle Fishel (Topanga in Boy Meets World), Davetta Sherwood (The Young and the Restless), Louis Gossett Jr (An Officer and a Gentleman), M. Emmett Walsh (Christmas with the Kranks) were starring in it. I was working for free as background because they said that there was the possibility of a speaking role. Well after about 7 or 8 days on set, I got the line "purple drank" at the "racist" party. That same day I also got some featured time with two of the principal actors and one other female background actor. I feel like I got along really well with the producer and director (brothers - Ashmawey Productions) and think they liked me (they did invite me to the wrap party) and hope that they will want to work with me again in the future in a much larger capacity. :) I loved working on that set - everyone was so nice and everyone knew who I was which I have to admit THRILLED me because they didn't know every "background" actors names - even the other ones who also got lines. lol. I was especially surprised when the big terrifying DP (Director of Photography/camera guy) knew my name (he said something like "Laura move over there" lol) - he was very intimidating to work with. I kind of had an inner competition going with all of the other female background actors that got one-liners - as I'm sure they did too - BUT the DP didn't know one other girl's name which, I'm sad to admit, made me secretly gleeful. :P

Anyway, once that wrapped, I almost fell into signing a contract with a skeezy modeling agency. A friend recommended them, but she's been in the business less time than I have so I shouldn't have trusted her. My manager looked over the contract they sent, which was confusing and raised some red flags, and there was no website or info on the agent. After my manager looked into it some more he basically told me "hell no" and that I should tell them I would "never" be signing with them. Lol. I guess I kind of just got blinders on, and I always try to see the best in people and think positively and that is why I have a manager. To think realistically and keep me grounded. lol. One of my "friends" (more like an acquaintance) signed with that "agency" and is supposedly going to be working for Fredericks of Hollywood. But she also did a lot of promotions which is not what I'm into and worked at a porn convention. So I dunno. lol.

I worked on the set of Bullet one day as well - an indie starring Danny Trejo. I thought that Robert Rodriguez  was producing it (he produced Machete, Grindhouse, Spy Kids) but actually Robert Rodriguez was producing it. (Muy confusing, no?) Well, this Robert Rodriguez was very nice, I had a nice conversation with him - he's a former banker - and he told me to send him my "stuff" (reel, headshot, resume, etc). The 1st AD (Assistant Director) also told me to send him my "stuff" and he then invited me to first "crash" the party they were having after wrapping and then invited me to the "official" wrap party. My husband thinks he was just trying to hit on me, but I like to think that he thought I was hardworking and talented and saw potential in me. :P lol.

From the set of Bullet, taken by the Casting Director. I got to sit next to (and talk to) John Savage (he is center, I am to his left)!

Well anyways after that near-fiasco with the skeevy agency my manager got me a meeting with Spectrum Talent, whom I met with before Christmas. He wanted me to meet with her on Tuesday, but my husband and I were supposed to have a roommate moving in that day - so it was scheduled for Wednesday. (Then she decided to move in on a different day, but that's a story for another day). Well that meeting took place yesterday. The day did not start off well. I woke up late, so left without eating breakfast. I got french toast sticks at Burger King and proceeded to spill syrup on the crotch of my dress. = o I wiped it up as best (and as safely) as possible driving down the 5 and cringed inwardly knowing that with traffic, I wouldn't have enough time to go to a Starbucks or something to try and clean the stain in the bathroom. My manager called to tell me the meeting had been backed up an hour (from noon to 1:00) so I called my friend Catherine who went to Sweet Briar with me and lives in LA and asked if she was able to get lunch with me. So I arrived in Beverly Hills and drove around for half an hour trying to find parking (either every street with free parking was full or you couldn't park on on Wednesdays because of street cleaning).

I finally found a spot and then found this adorable cafe - Lazy Daisy Cafe - (which reminded me of Sweet Briar, we had a Daisy Cafe too) and unfortunately they didn't have a bathroom in which I could try and clean the now crusted syrup stain on a very unfortunate location. lol. Well I chilled there and ordered a salad and waited for Catherine to arrive. We got to have a nice conversation and I was able to take my mind off of the upcoming meeting. I know that if I had to sit there alone, I would've just thought about the meeting and drove myself crazy with nerves. But I didn't thanks to Catherine. :) Well I was able to scrape most of the crusty syrup off with a knife - lord knows what the other dining patrons thought I was doing down there... And get to the office twenty minutes early. Cheryl - the agent - wasn't there yet so I sat and waited and tried not to make myself nervous. Waiting is the worst. =/ I tried to remember all that the other agent at Allensworth told me to do and all the little tidbits I picked up from watching actresses be interviewed by Jay Leno. Course the only thing I could really remember was a funny story Olivia Munn told about how she made herself better at auditions (also, another story for another time, but I can just say it was not relevant to me or my situation). lol.

Well she arrived and we went into the conference room. After the initial small talk and such: "How are you?" "Good, you?" "I had wrist surgery" "Oh no! Carpal tunnel?" "Yes." "My mom had that." "It was really severe and now because of the surgery I have no feeling in my fingers." "Better be careful in the kitchen." "LOL. *chop*" (she really did LOL. haha.)... well after all that, she told me she really liked me the last time we met and wanted to meet to make sure we reconnected (my manager later told me she also wanted to meet to see how committed I was) - and then said she wanted to give our partnership a try and would email me the contract. I didn't even need to do my other monologue (which I prepared) or give her the whole "about myself" spiel (which I also prepared as per the agent at Allensworth's instructions)! The rest of the meeting was just her telling me what I needed to do - add more headshots to some casting sites and my demo reel - and email some of those sites to add the agency to my profile - etc. So, in case that you are not able to discern from the last few sentences, I'll be blunt. I WAS SIGNED BY A TALENT AGENCY!!! :D YAYYY. lol. She will be submitting me for both Commercial and Theatrical (my goal is theatrical - which is TV and Film, not actually theater lol). So hopefully once I get the signed contract back to her, I will start getting some auditions! And then hopefully I will also book them. lol.

Well, I need to print said contract and sign it and get it in the mail!!

Thanks for reading this muy lengthy post.

I also now have a twitter account:
https://twitter.com/LauraAnnRussell

xoxo

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