Getting fired up!

When it rains it pours!

Up to the end of 2010 I began to wonder why more work wasn’t being published for opportunity. I then learned that the holidays are traditionally slower for the entertainment industry as a whole. When January started I thought someone opened up the internet floodgates again because within 1 week I received 50-100 casting notices that were right for my type! So I did what any other intelligent business performer would do, I submitted my headshots and resumes immediately. Did you?

I have been cast in 3 films and signed on with a new agent in the past 2 weeks. I am also being considered for a commercial in Paris. (My competition will not sign the first right of refusal so that leaves me. OK, so second best never hurt anyone). I have scheduled 3 more auditions in the next week and am preparing for the lead in an Independent Feature Film in New York in March with an opportunity to Co-produce. So why, you ask, am I sharing all this information? One word. PERSEVERANCE! Actually, I have many but this one stands to mind the most.

I am so tired of hearing negative comments from people about their futures yet they haven’t researched one darn thing nor have they picked up the phone to chat with anyone that can help them. In fact, I get many of them asking me questions like, “Wow, how did you get so many auditions? How are you getting parts in projects?”  There have been hundreds of books written about perseverance and drive but I think too many actors and performers wait around for magic to land in their laps without putting out the energy to get their careers off the ground. I like to visualize the planet from space when I feel like I am despondent or like I am such a tiny fish in a huge pond but one thing is for certain. I am a LIVE fish and I still swim in the pond! My friends, the only one stopping you is YOU. The successful movie people have decided they want to be movie directors, or actors, or studio executives so they go out and do it. How is it they get to control everything? I don’t recall God saying (pointing with his Almighty finger), “OK, Now let’s see. Only you , you , you and you are allowed to be successful movie creators but the rest of you, you’re ditch diggers!” It doesn’t work that way. Never has. Bottom line is if you have conviction, belief and drive, you will succeed. It’s the nature of the Universe.

Today is day 10 of 2011 and I am on a major quest. I will reach 3 goals this year.

• I will obtain my SAG card
• I will have speaking lines in at least one major motion picture.
• I will have a production of my very own in the works

Do I have any takers on my quest? Who will join me in setting new goals? It is fun to think that these baby steps will yield tremendous results over the course of the next 355 days. Stay tuned with me and you may follow my progress.  I would also like you to share yours with me as well!

In the meantime, if you or anyone you know would like me to audition for any projects please contact my newly acquired yet, established talent agents, Susan Sherman or Ed Cox  with Ambassador Talent Agents in Chicago at (312) 641-3491.

http://www.ambassadortalentagentsinc.com/

See you on the Red Carpet!!!

Are you prepared?

So have you created a New Years Resolution? Mine is not to lose more weight, quit smoking (I don’t smoke anyway), or eat healthier foods. Mine is “Organize!” Countless hours have been invested in the careers of many people pursuing their dreams but how do you select which hours are best used throughout your day? I, for one, have sat down and begun to lay out a calendar that will help me with just that. Although this may seem tedious to you at first, you will discover that you actually will save hundreds if not thousands of hours working on productive things rather than feeling like you’re looking back at the end of the day saying, “Where on earth did the time go? I feel like I got nothing done today”.

Start by creating your routines that are typical to starting your day. Wash your face in the morning, take a shower, eat your breakfast, exercise, walk and feed your pets, make your bed, etc. Once these have been established you can fill in the rest of the hours little by little and remember that you do not have to figure it all out in one sitting. Things happen daily in life that can throw your routine in the garbage and that’s ok. If you cannot take that 30 minutes you planned to accomplish small tasks like write cover letters to your casting directors, or stuff envelopes, or call Indie filmmakers, or whatever it is you would like to achieve, simple reschedule it with yourself. But remember to do it. By completing these small tasks you are actually leading to getting the bigger ones done and that sense of accomplishment builds self-esteem as well as opening new doors to success.

At the end of each day go through your scheduled tasks. What did you get done? What took longer than expected? What were your interruptions? How can you adjust your schedule to streamline your activities a bit smoother? Can you find more leisure time? Are you feeling like your reaching your goals? It’s important to realize that baby steps are the keys to ultimate success and little by little the universe will respond the energy you invest in it. It’s inevitable. Like I tell my children every day…”Never give up”.

Enjoy the year. Be good to yourselves. Focus on positive thoughts and the thrill of each new day’s experiences. Work on reaching your goals because it won’t come your way without effort. The rewards will be fantastic….I promise. 🙂