Posts Tagged ‘career tips’

It’s so hard to get back to —

• Love Connections
• Work Connections
• Friend Connections

It’s as if we’ve been on another planet for what feels like almost two years now that we’re rounding around the holiday bend.

Everything and Everywhere feels DISORGANIZED

I just got back from Austin where a friend had a film premiering at the Austin Film Festival. He was so hopeful about premiering there, but sadly the fest was short-staffed, overwhelmed and underprepared. Some of the panels were really interesting, but the festival “directors” gave  a lot of mixed messages without the proper prep and support. It looked like crowds were light. It was my first time in a movie theater, so I’m sure others were a little scared to go to a film festival after being so careful. I talked to a producer who said it’s been like that for all of the fests recently. She said “SXSW” was a disaster. Guess you can blame it on Covid.

Luckily productions are picking up, so I’m hoping-wishing-praying that some acting gigs are in my future. But the tragic news about Halyna Hutchins puts chills through anyone who’s ever been or will be going on a film set. Sloppiness about protocols, an overwhelmed and underprepared cast and crew… a tragedy that could’ve been avoided…  If only there were more people paying attention. I want to go back, but I want to be sure people are paying attention.

Who knows how long it’ll be before we recover from all of the effects of Covid — not just health-wise but people-wise.

Just got an email from the hospital where I volunteer asking if we want to come back, if we’ve been vaccinated, blah, blah, blah. We’ve been furloughed for-covid-ever, but it looks like we’ll be going back sometime in the near future. Yay! At least I can help people-wise at the hospital and do some good. I need to get back to some sense of normal.

Can’t wait to connect with friends in places other than on screens. Enough with the Instagram, Zoom reality!

I don’t know if I’ll ever feel a sense of normal again. Get me to the hospital STAT! I need a dose of Dr. A to find out, haha!

I’ve got this love/hate situation going with the two jobs in my life: Volunteering and Acting.  They sorta counter-balance each other and fill up different parts of me. I got into acting by accident, and forced into volunteering — but I can’t seem to give either of them up.

What I LOVE about VOLUNTEERING IN THE ER

• The Rush
• Helping Patients in need
• Working with dedicated Staff
• Making patients LAUGH
• Feeling Appreciated
• Giving Back
• Hanging-out with my Hot Doc
• Witnessing miracles
• Halloween in the ER
• Being called an “Angel”
• Finding the funny in the ER

What I HATE about VOLUNTEERING IN THE ER

• Blood
• Vomit
• Stinky Smells
• Bad News
• Crabby Staff
• Seeing Pain
• Screams
• Death
• Pelvic exams
• Demanding Family Members

What I LOVE about ACTING

• Working with talented Directors
• Working with talented Actors
• The Rush
• Being in the zone
• Getting Laughs
• Supportive Casting Directors
• Call-backs
• Nailing it
• Red Carpets
• Being Recognized
• Fans

What I HATE about ACTING

• Rejection
• Insecurity
• Feeling nervous
• No Call-back
• Distracted Casting Directors
• Not being Recognized
• Depending on it
• Being Typecast

My first experience with facial masks was messy. I’d spread mud or clay over my face, accidentally scmush a little in my hair, in my nose and under my nails. 45 minutes later I’d wash it off, but I was never sure if there was still a little here, a little there.

That was until my birthday when Niles gave me a pack of 24 Korean second-skin masks from Amazon,  Super easy to use —  just remove the moist white paper mask, place it over the face for 15 minutes and voila! Refreshed, and audition-ready. They’re addictive! All different: apricot, platinum, snail, green tea, cucumber… Read the rest of this entry »

Off-White Tee says it best!

Our nation is IN AWE of the fearless, resilient, articulate PARKLAND TEENS and their #Never Again Movement. They’ve taken on the President, Congress and the NRA and trust me, they’re just getting started.  Refusing to take “no” for an answer, they have more stick-to-itive-ness and chuzpah than the Senate and Congress combined.

When Leaders Act Like Children — CHILDREN BECOME LEADERS!

While the many who’ve tried and tried to make our country safer from maniac machine-gunners pessimistically shake their heads believing nothing will ever change, things actually are CHANGING… slowly but surely… It’s kind of A.MAZ.ING!

Headlines in the last week —

Walmart will raise age for purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21

A List of the Companies Cutting Ties With the N.R.A.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, a major gun retailer, to end sales of assault-style rifles after Florida massacre

Kroger Raises Age Limits on Gun Sales, Joining Walmart and Dick’s

WATCH-OUT out NRA! Parkland Teens are the LEADERS and VOTERS of tomorrow.

Hey Congress and President Trump — Isn’t it about time you GROW A PAIR?!

(Wish I could be as fearless as the Parkland Students. Maybe I need to find something I’m as passionate about. Sigh…)

2018  will be one of those years when you look back and go —

“Whoa! So much has changed for me!”

It’s a LUNAR year amplifying all of your intentions. January starts with a SUPER MOON and ends with an ECLIPSE, which comes every BLUE MOON. We’re looking at MAGICAL BEGINNINGS…

2018 (#2 or Master #11) is about YIN and all instincts FEMININE!

THINK WITH YOUR HEART AND SOUL —

Decide on what ways you want things to be better because it’ll be a highly transformative year. Don’t miss any opportunities. Manifest more of your soul’s purpose and authentic self by being intentional.

Focus on your dreams. Express yourself…be yourself… Let your authentic self out. Be the real YOU!

TRAVEL LIGHT AND LET GO OF THINGS THAT WEIGH YOU DOWN –

Read the rest of this entry »

I love living in L.A. I love seeing Independent Films on opening weekend with Q&As by Directors or Writers or Actors. These usually happen at The Landmark, Arclight or Sundance Cinemas on Sunset. And they’re easy to get into if you buy your tickets online in advance.

Just saw two good films, DEAN and BAND AID, each with Q&A’s led by a lead Actor who’s also the Director and the Writer of his/her film.

Demetri Martin (DEAN) and Zoe Lister-Jones (BAND AID) are the Triple Threats possessing talent that crosses over into just about everywhere. These Hollywood Hybrids have stick-to-itiveness, charisma and the courage to turn their dreams into financed films, Festival Darlings and films that open with Q&As in major cities.

Like me and most Actors (except for maybe Actors like Jennifer Lawrence and Dwayne Johnson) Martin and Lister-Jones became frustrated with a system in which Actors are at the mercy of someone else’s vision and conflicting priorities. Unlike me, they’ve got the balls to go all the way.

Demetri Martin is the heart and soul of DEAN

Martin is more than a Triple Threat, he’s a Quadruple! Yes, besides being the Director, Writer + Talent, he’s also the Illustrator of charming sketches that share the screen with live action and offer insight into the mind and mood of the main character, “Dean.” Martin’s very personal film is about loss, love and coming-of-age. He’s surrounded himself with a talented cast, including Gillian Jacobs, Reid Scott, Kevin Klein and Mary Steenburgen and has allowed them the freedom to do what they do best. The film’s got cool music and cool images. Martin tells his heartfelt story in a very funny and relatable way.

Speaking of relatable, that’s how I’d describe Demetri Martin. He’s hilarious, but never in that typically Stand-up Comic “ON” sorta way. His talent and humor sneak up on you. I loved hearing his stories about his trip to the East Coast to pitch Kevin Kline and how that meal changed everything — or how Martin struggled to stay in character on set when the next day’s location had just fallen through completely.

Zoe Lister-Jones’s BAND AID is about love, pain and rock ‘n roll therapy

BAND AID’S premise spoke to me immediately when I saw the trailer: “Young Couple (Zoe Lister-Jones and fabulous Adam Pally from The Mindy Project) starts a band and turn raw-and-real fights into songs to save a marriage.”

Lister-Jones is the Director, Writer, Female Lead and the actual, songwriter,  so she too is a Quadruple Threat. Kudos to Lister-Jones for hiring an all-female crew and for surrounding herself with smart Actors who are known for comedy, but can expose dramatic truths. Lister-Jones is one of the best parts of LIFE IN PIECES, but you can really see her incredible range and willingness to show vulnerability in BAND AID. Adam Pally’s really impressive in the way he does double-duty with his voice saying one thing, while delivering an even more powerful message with his eyes — particularly in the last Act. Read the rest of this entry »

… when the contract EXPIRES!

Will Writers Strike?

I hope they won’t. Not after the long-term effects of the last strike. But I totally get why the WGA must fight for important deal points, just as SAG/AFTRA does to protect Actors. As the industry shifts from lengthy network series to condensed shows on premium channels (like HBO, Showtime) and streaming services (like Netflix, Hulu) traditional season orders get replaced with smaller episodes.  An insanely competitive field gets even more insane as the rules and opportunities change. Pay cuts result. Health plans become unhealthy (aka nearly bankrupt.) Writers and their families get SCARED.

Fears Rise from PRIMETIME TO DAYTIME

They’re down to the wire. It’s hard to know which way things’ll go. The effect of any strike always casts a wide net: Producers, Directors, Actors and everyone on set from the DP to the grip loses work. Everyone who supplies that set loses business.  Opportunities shrink. Bank accounts dwindle. Still bills must be paid. Businesses must go on.

As an Actor I hope-hope-hope there won’t be a work shutdown, along with its inevitable domino effect. The last time there was a writer’s strike, reality shows started multiplying obnoxiously. The work that was around wasn’t polished and it showed. Even with the best of intentions, side-effects of a strike can be painful to many. Read the rest of this entry »