Houston Vacay....well, not so much....

Finally made it back home! I'm enjoying my vacation. I've eaten at all of my favorite spots, driven quite a bit and of course I love seeing my family and friends. However, this trip is different from other times that I have come home. As I begin to gather momentum in my career and make strides I no longer want to be able to have strictly vacation time. I need to be working at all times and have opportunities to offset the cost of me returning home or going anywhere else. So my goals this trip were:

1) Set up photo shoots to build portfolio
2) Get a local agent to send me out on casting when I'm in town
3)Audition for Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS)

Before leaving NYC I looked up TUTS audition schedule to see when they were holding NYC auditions. I contacted the artistic director and told him my situation, which is that I am a native Houstonian that always just misses the local auditions and I would like the opportunity to audition. We emailed back and forth and he actually set me up with the choreographer for the upcoming show, "Guys and Dolls" Paula Sloan. The plan was for us to meet up in between her rehearsal for a project she was working on in NYC for her to audition me. That actually didn't happen. Instead of giving up, I prepared. I set up a voice lesson my last couple of days in NYC to work on which piece I would sing just in case I got an audition. I packed a couple of dance outfits and I always take headshots, resumes' and business cards anyway. I contacted both of them upon reaching Houston. There was actually an opening in the cast and I secured an audition. I felt very prepared and confident. I aced my audition easily. The director even told me unofficially before I left that I had gotten the part! This experience taught me to never give up and always be prepared for anything.
Also before leaving New York, I contacted agencies I wanted to meet with and told them my situation. There are only two SAG franchised agencies in Houston (A+ Actors and Bosby-Pastorini) and I knew I wanted to go with one of the two. I sent my headshot and resume to both and once I booked the show I sent out postcards letting them know. I hadn't heard anything and a few days later I did a follow up call to the agency I really wanted, A+ Actors, since I know agents can get really busy. Good thing I did because they really wanted to bring me in. I met with the agents this past Monday and I felt really comfortable with them and I sensed that they were were very aggressive in submitting their talent. They also had opportunities in Louisiana, Texas and even NYC. I feel very good about signing with them.
Rehearsals for the show start next week and it's a grueling schedule. I rehearse 6 days a week, for 7 hours a day. This is going to be a great experience for me and I know this will help me greatly on my road to being on Broadway.

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!