My Morning Glory Catharsis

So I had an easy day today of sorts. I slept in, made a nice breakfast and picked up my new glasses (which I spent WAYYYYY too much money on). Once home I warmed up some leftovers from Whole Foods and watched "Morning Glory" starring Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford. The movie is about Becky, a hardworking TV producer (McAdams) who has a no-existent social life and gets fired from her job. She gets hired at a failing show and turns it around for the better. Really nice, light movie. What really stuck out to me though was the miniscule sub story with her mother. Her mother has a monologue in the movie where she tells Becky that her dreams were cute as a child, inspiring at 18, but sad at 28 and she needs to give up. That struck something in me. Now my family isn't at all like that. They are in fact, very supportive. It's me who's the hard one. I'm 27 years old and I had doubts about my future as an artist. I used to think that I was too old to keep dreaming and pursue a career in the business and I needed to move on to something more stable. I know there are a lot of "seasoned" actors out there who are shocked and tickled by this revelation; nevertheless it's true. But the past couple of weeks have been a blur. I'm doing and achieving things I thought would take awhile to obtain. I have representation, I have auditions coming in, people are commenting on my talent and my look favorably and things are really coming together. As I was watching the movie, two castings I wanted sent me emails inviting me to audition or interview. I was just thinking about how out of all the submissions I replied to on Actor's Access and NYCastings, I wasn't hearing much back. And now look at what happened. I'm still facing rejection the way all actors,dancers and models do but I also feel a confidence and inner strength in my abilities to succeed that wasn't quite there before. Sure I was confident before, but hard work, specific goals and results have bred a new confidence in me as well as a hunger to do more and achieve more. It amazes me how I can take anything in life and learn a lesson or receive inspiration from it. I guess the romantic in me will not let the realistic side of me keep it down for too long. I'm enjoying my journey, my personal rollercoaster of life and experiencing the ups, the downs as well as the topsy turvies. Those are what make life one hell of ride! So far it's been pretty awesome and I'm looking forward to the rest.

Classes, Commercial Rep Update

This past week has been crazy busy. First off, I sent my materials to several commercial agencies in New York. I'm targeting the smaller boutique agencies because although I have a lot offer, I don't have many credits on my resume. I believe working with a boutique agency will aid me better than getting lost in the fray with a larger company, especially with minimal experience. Well this Monday I received two emails. One turned me down because they didn't have a need for someone with my stats and to apply in 6 months. The second.......DRUUUUMMMMMMSS PLEASE........picked me up! I am now officially apart of Flaunt Model Management! I am so excited! I didn't expect it to happen so fast, but it did. I went in this Tuesday and met with the president of the company and got everything I need to get started. I can't wait to start going out on auditions for them. Now I have pictures, but I'm in dire need of a better, diversified portfolio. I'm in the process of setting up several test shoots to increase my book. That means money I didn't intend to spend anytime soon. I have a few TFP shoots coming up, so I'm not going to break the bank just yet. I'm going to keep being smart about my business and not go crazy with the spending. I still have to get comp, post and business cards made too. This is all out of my pocket. Many people believe that models get all of that stuff for free. WRONG. Most of the time these costs are passed on to the model. I've reached out to several models I know for referrals and Gene gave me a list of photographers that I can choose from, so I'll start there. I'm still waiting to hear back from the rest of the agencies as NYC is mostly non-exclusive when it comes to representation.


After I went into the agency Tuesday, I went to audit and watch Anthony Abeson's acting class. I spoke with him the day before and he invited me to sit it for free and observe. I loved the class. At first I was a bit put off because of the size (20+ actors), but Anthony handled the size well and it seemed everyone was benefiting. The format was nice and I heard from a student who had just booked a really big role in an extraordinary way. I even got to participate a little because they were short on girls. I will definitely be back as an official student. I also took a free Intro to Improv class at the Magnet Theater. I did really well in class and it reminded me that even though sometime I get a little intimidated, I did learn in college and I do have the talent and know how. I just need to tighten up my skills. I start my on camera class with Angela Mickey this upcoming Monday and I'm about to register for an 8 week improv class. I'm so happy my career is on the fast track now. All I have to do is keep up!

P.S. - I have an audition tomorrow for a once act play festival. Wish me luck!

Positioning Week

The past week I have been deciding which area of the market I want to focus the majority of my energy on. If I know where I'm going, I can determine the best route to get there. What I came up with is to focus on getting commercial representation and challenging roles in student films and non-union theatre. I need the commercial rep in order to gain access to print and commercial jobs that can provide substantial income, networking/relationships with CDs and improve my resume for future representation by agents and managers. The non-union roles will give me more experience and credits besides the meager ones that I had in college. They will also further my growth as an actress. Each performance gives an agent a chance to see me and/or material for a reel.
While auditioning is great, I need to workout my acting muscles and grow as an artist. I'm also making acting classes/workshops a priority in my budget. I am currently searching for an intense, intimate class that's going to whip me into shape. So no more excuses about not having the money. I will cut out shopping, eating out, trips, etc. to be able to afford them.
Those are my plans for the time being. Of course they're flexible (have to be in this business!) but I plan to stick with it. Stay tuned for my 12 month plan and more updates!