He Who Began a Good Work...

I'm fairly certain that the Holy Spirit is leading me to New York City.  Most of my immediate family is fairly certain I've lost it and just might be shopping for a padded room for me right now.  I get it, they're scared for me, scared for the kids, wondering how I can pick up and leave a good paying job for not only NO job, but to go back to school in another state...an expensive state.  And while I know this will be a challenge and a struggle, I'm  NOT scared.  I'm faithful.  Here's why:

When my daughter and I were first accepted as contestants in the International Talent Showcase, I was skeptical.  It was a lot of work and a lot of money for a long shot.  I was excited at the prospect, but nervous about forking over that much money for what could have turned out to be an overpriced summer camp.  Shortly after, I was sitting at church on Sunday, and my pastor gave a sermon that started this blog.  If you're going to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat.  This seemed like a safe way to go a step farther than dangling the feet overboard, but not so far that I couldn't jump back in the boat for dear life.  So we went.

At the competition, I ended up doing well.  I won numerous awards, including Top 5 in TV Commercial and Monologue and winning Spokesmodel and Overall Female Commercial Model.  I also piqued a few agents' interest and met Mr. David Vando, Shakespeare professor at the New York Film Academy and owner of Models Mart, who ultimately ended up offering me a scholarship to the NY Film Academy.

When I get back home, I start to pray about this.  A scholarship to the NY Film Academy would be a dream come true.  Instead of working a 9-5 and then, on top of that, doing community theatre and indie films on the side, that WOULD be my 9-5.  It would give me more time with my family.  It would make my husband happier.  I finally would have my dream job.  BUT, it means moving my family several hundred miles away.  Away from family, away from friends, and away from a steady job.  I started talking to my husband about it. I expected him to think I was crazy, but it really makes sense to him.  I can pursue my dream, he's a Hispanic that works in a restaurant and doesn't drive - so NYC has his name all over it, and my children would have a better market for them to model/act, since they've caught the bug as well.  So I prayed some more.  That very next Sunday in church, Pastor Ed chose the verses:  Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  His message that day was the well-known Carpe Diem - seize the day.  We're not guaranteed tomorrow, so go after your calling.  And the next Sunday: Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  It seemed to me to be a clear message.

I'm not saying we don't still have some challenges ahead.  We've got to find a place to live in NYC.  It just so happens I have a friend from college that's a real estate agent.  Coincidence?  I think not.  We need to find someone to rent our current house.  I no sooner posted that message on Facebook than I had someone message me about it.  I don't know how serious she is, but if it's meant to be that person will come.  And third, the scholarship is only partial, so I will need to find funding for the rest.  I've been to and signed up for most of the major scholarship search websites.  I now have more spam coming to my email than I ever thought possible, but I've gotten some good leads on additional scholarships.

So, the details are not all ironed out.  There are things that need to happen. But let me leave you with just one more verse:

Phillippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Things I learned at ITS

I realized that I never updated my blog (besides the Personal Style post) AFTER ITS, which was the major point of the blog...so here goes...


THINGS I LEARNED AT ITS:
1. All actors are crazy.  Varying degrees, of course, but it's just a fact.
2. No matter how prepared you are, you can never be TOO prepared.
3. Talent is at the bottom of the list of qualities that you need to posses to make it in The Biz.
4. The ITS event is the beginning, not the end of the ITS experience.
5. NYC Pics are a MUST (Thanks, Keith!)
6. First impressions CAN be changed.
7. If you would be happy doing ANYTHING else...do that.
8. Carolina Talent has the best ITS coaches in the world.
9. ITS is a great place to make friends from all over the world!

10.  LISTEN UP:  You don't have to be faster/smarter/stronger/prettier than your competition.  To get ahead in THE BIZ (and in life), all you really have to do is SHOW UP AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. It's that simple.  Really.  If you can show up (ON TIME) and follow the directions you are given, you will be 3 steps ahead of your competition most of the time.



ITS People: Add to my list!!

Personal Style

A quick study in PERSONAL STYLE, based on the lessons of the AMAZING Catherine Schuller:



NATURAL/SPORTY:

ROMANTIC/CHARMING:

ALLURING/DRAMATIC:

(Could also be a bit Creative/Artistic)






So, what's YOUR personal style??

Portfolio Update for Florida!!

This might be my last post before I go to International Talent Showcase in Boca Raton, Florida....SO EXCITED TO GO!

One of the competitions that is mandatory to participate in is the Photography competition. It's fairly straightforward - you come to the stage, state your name, height, (and age, if you're under 21 - HA!) into a microphone, and they put up a headshot and full length photo on the monitors behind you.  These are pre-selected photos that you submit before the competition.  No problem, right?  Except I didn't really have any decent photos!  Sooo...I spent a few hours last Sunday with Andria Lambert of Lambert's Creative Photography (go LIKE her on Facebook!).  The results were no less than amazing.  I've posted a few of the good ones on my Headshots and Photos page, but there were many more I could have chosen as well.

After almost a year of preparing for this, I waiver back and forth between feeling completely confident and excited to disbelief that the time is finally here!

Mariana has improved 110% since we started.  The first few workshops, I was really wondering if I was making a mistake trying to bring her to a professional showcase when she seemed so young and unprepared. Now, I see a confident little kidlet who is ready to clean up the competition and win some awards!  If we've gained nothing else from this whole experience, we've both grown in poise and confidence.  If it turns out that we're not ready to take on the industry at a global level, we've at least improved our skills for our local market.

Here goes nothing...

The Sound of ... Success!

Ok, everyone - I have an important announcement....

I'm joining a convent.


Well, at least for the run of The Sound of Music at Matthews Playhouse where I will be playing Sister Berthe!  Between this, Piccolo Spoleto with the Charlotte Symphony Chamber Singers and if I get called to film, I'll be having a busy, busy couple months.  But, I'm ready to dive in and get started!


A quick carrots and celery word, though.  I was really shooting for Maria when I auditioned for this show.  This is about the last time in my life that I will be young enough to play Maria, and I really thought I had a good shot.  I'm disappointed, but I have to accept that there are any number of factors that could have contributed to the way it was cast that had nothing to do with my acting ability.  The women who read for Maria were about as diverse as they come - a couple late teens/young 20s, a couple early 30s, and me smack in the middle, age wise.  We also had short, tall, heavier, light features, dark features - between the six of us, the only thing we had in common was that we were all good singers and actresses.  So, in the end, it really all boiled down to 1)director's preferences, and 2) who fit with the rest of the cast.  This time I was not a carrot, but maybe a celery laying close by that looked good enough to buy, even though it wasn't on the list.


Ok, enough chatter - off to my busy life!

Getting my life back...(for awhile)...

I've meant to post every weekend for the past month, and it hasn't happened.  Why?  Because life has been happening.


Some of the highlights:

New headshots/photos which are now on my photo page.


Workshop with C&J Casting.  I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to it.  It was literally about the 5th workshop I'd been to in just over a month, and I was workshopped out.  However, Paige Johnston was a fabulous speaker and it ended up being very fun and informative.  I loved how "real" she was about what goes on behind the scenes - even if it's not what we want to hear.  I'd rather know the honest truth than hear fluffy fantasies.


Mariana is in the middle of her Wizard of Oz performances at Matthews Playhouse - she's got a matinée today and one tomorrow.  She is a little Poppie, and for her first role in a musical, it's probably just the right size for her.

I have one performance down and one to go with the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte as we sing an All Brahms concert with the Charlotte Symphony.  So far, it's gotten great reviews.  There is another performance tonight at 8PM, and I'm sure there are still tickets left!  Maestro Christopher Warren-Green, director of the Charlotte Symphony has also been asked to conduct the Royal Wedding at the end of this month, so it sort of makes me feel famous by association getting to sing under his direction.


I also did a day of filming on In the Interest of Justice with Flatshadow Productions.  We didn't get through everything we wanted to, but I'm really glad that the director and producers are going for quality over quantity of filming.  It may take us a little longer to get the film finished than what they had originally wanted, but I'd rather have a great movie that took awhile to put together than something we rushed through.

So, what's coming up for us?

Well, we're all (Mariana and I, and even Ernesto!) auditioning for Matthews Playhouse's production of The Sound of Music.

I am once again singing with the Chamber Singers (which is a smaller group from within the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte) in the Piccolo Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC Memorial Day weekend.  Last year was a blast, and I'm looking forward to this year.  Our program is "American Hi-Fi" and the music is all challenging, but really fun!  We'll be doing a free preview concert here in Charlotte, and I'll post details when I get them.

Other than that, we're not filming any scenes that either John or I are in, so no trips to Asheville this month.

I think we're going to keep it in low gear for a little while - unless something comes up...which usually happens. So...until the next big thing....

And a Year Later...

I was browsing the website of a company, Portrait Innovations, Mariana did an ad for about a year ago and happened to find this:

You just never know when your stuff is going to show up, but good job on this one, kidlet!

(PS - this was supposed to be a "Hispanic" family - the little boy is Indian and the "dad" is Italian)

Workshops! Workshops!

March shall be affectionately known as The Month of the Workshop.


Today will feature our standard ITS workshop, lead by Mandy (ITS Director), Marc (Acting Coach), Steven (Acting & Singing), and Veronica (Modeling/Runway).  Lots of monologue, commercials and strutting the runway.


March 13th we will have special guest Maxann Harvey of Maxann's Casting.  She is a casting director and producer, and she will be giving us some ins and outs of the industry, as well as looking at us for potential future castings.


March 22nd will be a workshop with C&J Casting, once again learning industry dos and don'ts and getting in front of C&J for future work.  This will be a much smaller, adults only class.


I also have a filming day on March 20th in Asheville.  It will just be me going, as the scenes we are filming don't include Marcus.


To round out a busy month, my husband and I have a date at the Charlotte Symphony for Christof Perick's farewell concert and invite-only (name on the list, big deal type!) reception on March 12th.  This event was supposed to happen last year when the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but was canceled due to the volcano.


So, I guess it's time to get to it!

The Long and the Short of this Blog...Bob Kelso Style

I'm a Scrubs fan, and I ran across a clip that says everything I want to say perfectly.
Life is hard.  Life is scary...live anyway.

Next Up for the Family...

Today starts Mariana's next project...

She is a Poppy in Matthew's Community Theatre's Production of The Wizard of Oz.  We have a cast meeting at noon where we will get details, schedules, etc and then it's straight to work next week.  This production is sort of  the year-end project of the acting class she started back in August.  I'm hoping it will get her more comfortable on the stage, since she's still a bit of a deer in the headlights with a live audience.  It could be that she ends up sticking to camera work, but I'm trying to give her a fair shot at working on stage presence.  Any experience will help build her confidence and get her more comfortable "performing".  Plus, even if she does clam up during the actual performance, she LOVES the process...practicing songs and learning choreography. June Bayless is a great director and she'll have fun, which is the whole point of any of this.

First Day of Filming and PSA

John and I did our first day of filming yesterday, and it went great!

There is a LOT of work that goes into each second of film.  For the actors, you are on set with a mic 3 inches from your head, lights in your face, camera in front of you, as well as ten other people staring at you and your first responsibility is to ACT NATURALLY.  Oh, yeah, and you probably should say your lines, too.

We went through two scenes yesterday.  Each will probably be 2-3 minutes of actual usable film, but we probably shot a couple hours worth of footage.  We started in the middle of the first scene and filmed that 2-3 times from 10 different angles.  Then, we shot the middle of the next scene from several angles. After that, we shot the beginning of the second scene.  Then it was back to shoot the beginning of the first scene.  Finally we shot the end of the second scene.  At one point, the front door opens, and it's supposed to be dark out, but it's not so they built a cave of blackout screens around the door, so when the door opened, it would be dark. So much movie magic was going on all day.

I've got a few behind-the-scenes pics from the birthday party scene:

Mike (the Editor), Charles (the Cinematographer) and Scott (Director)

 lining up a shot

John (Actor - Marcus), helps Jeremy (Actor - Dylan) pin the tail on the donkey,

as Chris (Actor - Ben), the other party-goers and of course the camera look on.

At far left, Scott (Director) watches the scene from behind the camera.

All in all, it was a great day!  We had tons of fun!  Our only downside brings me to my PSA:

People...whoever you are, whatever you do....
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!!


On our way home last night, we were stopped at a light on 321 getting ready to get onto 85, when a drunk driver rear-ended us, backed up, and then continued onto 85, cutting off a ton of people in the process.  Neither one of us was hurt (John slept through the whole thing), and there was only minimal damage to the muffler, but it could have been worse.  For all I know, he hit-and-ran our accident, then made it to the highway and killed someone.  There was a family in a van behind us that got his tag number and waited for the  police with me (THANKS TO THEM!  God puts angels where we need them!), so I at least have his insurance info, but there's nothing they can do about actually punishing the driver.  By the way, I know he was drunk because someone had already called him in to the police as a drunk driver and the cops had been sitting there waiting on him.  Unfortunately, he was so erratic, that they didn't get close enough to get him.

There is just no excuse in the world for drinking and driving.  It's stupid and dangerous to others as well as yourself.  My mom is a drug and alcohol counselor and I'd grown up working at her office that dealt with DUI/DWI offenders regularly, so I know this plea is falling on deaf ears, but I still had to say it.  This time everyone was ok and damage was minimal, but you don't know what will happen when you make the choice to drive drunk.

Modeling Job

So....the modeling job last Tuesday...

Interesting start to a modeling career.  It was kinda what I thought it was going to be when I first heard about the job - a training manual for Acosta Sales & Marketing's new employees.  I was a "merchandiser", which means one of Acosta's employees.  I had a nametag with my name (that was kind of weird) and everything.  Lots of pictures stocking and unstocking shelves.  I also was the "employee" to be photographed with the company big-wig, "store manager", calling in sick (yay for acting skills!), and walking in to work.  Have you ever had to stay perfectly still and yet appear to be walking at the same time?  I can now say I have.

One of the great parts about this job was getting to work with some of Carolina Talent's finest models...Bill Sykes (who is also in the movie with me), Li-Lun Chen, Nyquell Terry, Mike Cross, Stephan Soper and more.


So, what's next for me?  I've got an ITS workshop this morning.  Runway and Monologue and Commercials, oh my!  Also, sometime this weekend I'll be videoing an audition for a movie that's filming in Winston-Salem.  Cross your fingers for me on that one - it looks like a good one.

Carrots and Celery

This is a post for anyone who is planning on being involved in "showbiz"...as well as my own story that I alluded to in my very first post...

I had a musical theater teacher once compare auditions to grocery shopping.  If the director is shopping for a carrot, you can be the very best, most delicious celery there is, but you're not getting picked.  The director is looking for a carrot, not celery.  All you can hope for is when someone does come along looking for celery that you are the very best celery you can be, and maybe the little sprinklers have just gone off to make you extra-specially appealing. So, when you nail an audition and STILL don't get the part, you might just be suffering from Celery Syndrome.  What's the cure?  You get right back out there and go to your next audition, knowing that when the time is right, you'll land your part.

So, my carrot & celery story....

Growing up, I was never a small girl.  Never.  I had girls in Jr. High call up my answering machine and sing-song "Jelllyroll-JELLYROLL-jellyroll" and was called a whale. I remember lying about my weight starting about 3rd or 4th grade on my summer league softball "stats" card.  I lied about my weight on my driver's license application when I was a sophomore in high school.  I remember writing "156", even though I was probably closer to 165.  Then, later that year, I quit most of my activities (dance, karate, softball, marching band) so I could get a job and pay for gas for my car and etc...at Taco Bell.  That's when I REALLY lost control of my weight.  I thought maybe when I left for college and walked around campus and joined the college marching band that maybe the weight would take care of itself.  That didn't happen.  Many years and 2 kids later, I saw a picture of myself at Alpha Sigma Alpha district days with two of my sisters. (See below)  I really looked at myself and decided that I couldn't be like this anymore - I had to change.  It took me TWO years and gallons of SlimFast (I also used Alli, which I highly recommend if you can stick with the plan they lay out in the guide), but I lost over 110lbs.

So, what does this have to do with showbiz and carrots and celery?  I feel like I'm now a carrot (and not just because of the red hair - although that's honestly helped as well).  Yes, there are parts for celeries (Mimi from Drew Carrey, Bridget Jones, Deloris Claiborne), but they are much fewer and far between.  It's also given me a confidence boost, which also helps a ton at auditions.  I honestly still feel like I'll never be able to eat in front of people without them thinking about my weight (even though at this point, I know I'M the only one thinking about my weight), but I've gotten control of it and feel good enough about it that I can finally put this post out there.

I hope this inspires someone to become their own version of a carrot.

Do you have a carrot & celery story?  Please share!

Annnnnnd........Scene!

I had an audition last night.  They hand me the side (the script you read from at an audition), and I'm disappointed, because the character I'm reading for has 3 lines, that are all about 3 words long.  Oh well, it's kind of a "take what you can get" at this point, anyway.  So, I step up to read, and they inform me that the script was just a rough guide, and we're going at this improv.  The character that I was reading for had just gotten caught cheating on her husband.  They wanted crying, screaming, drama fest - and I delivered.  Hysterical woman?  I'm your gal.  And they LOVED IT.  He offered me a part on the spot, however, he said he didn't know which specific role that he would use me for, only that he definitely wanted to use me. The show is on TruTV, and it's called Southern Fried Stings.  Kind of a countrified Cops meets Jerry Springer.  Not a terribly serious role, but it's going to be good for the "acting" chops, since it is all impromptu acting.  More details to come, as I get them.

Speaking of details, I finally found out what I'm doing for my modeling job on Tuesday.  As I said, it's for a company that does marketing for major brand labels.  The project we are doing is a marketing campaign for the marking company showing their potential new customers what exactly they do.  How they merchandise their customer's products at store-level. How they make sure their customer's products are in the most strategic location to sell.


So, in recap - in the span of ONE MONTH, I have landed a movie role, modeling job, and TV role.  I AM SO BLESSED!  I feel like I"m really doing what I've been called to do, and I'm HAPPY doing this kind of work.  It's EXCITING to go to work!  Thank you God, for leading me so that I can follow!

Time to Update the Resume

Carolina Talent uses the 800casting system for their clients and talent.

Here is my 800casting profile...

As you can see, it has a space where you declare that you're an actor, singer, stage actor, etc.  If you notice on mine, I checked the "model" box as well. I've got some decent pictures up....what can it hurt?

I booked the very first modeling job I was submitted for!

Now, I'm not getting whisked away to NYC to take pics on top of the Statue of Liberty in an American flag floor-length sequin gown with hair that could get caught in a ceiling fan and day-glo makeup. This isn't ANTM.  I'm doing some pictures for an internal project for an international marketing agency's Charlotte operations.  I'm not exactly sure what all it will entail, but I do know it's being shot in a grocery store.  Glamorous? No. But it's a paying job and credits, and seeing that the "model" box was checked "for the heck of it", I'm not complaining.  Far from it.  Work is work, and I am excited for this new opportunity!


Also worth mentioning:

The Cast List for In the Interest of Justice

The cast list for the movie John & I are doing is posted!  So great to get a look at all the other actors I'll be working with!

ITS Workshop - Aaron Marcus

Yesterday's ITS Workshop featured Aaron Marcus - professional actor and commercial model. One of the coolest things about Aaron is that he does make his living as an actor/model, but chose NOT to make the move to LA or NYC and instead resides with his family in Maryland.

Aaron also gives seminars all over the country on HOW to do what he does.  He's written a book, has a monthly news letter, and a website, but he is about the most down to earth guy you could ever meet.  He answered all kinds of questions (even from the kids), and gave invaluable advice regarding auditions, go-sees, what to do when you get a job, what NOT to do when you get a job and other important industry "stuff".  He also treated us as if we were starting from scratch, but without talking down to us.  It's easy for people to forget that the only way to gain experience is by doing jobs, but in your first few jobs, you don't have that experience, so you don't know what you're doing. Double-edged sword.

Anyway, if you have any interest in "the business" and every get a chance to hear Aaron speak, it would be well worth it.

Aaron's IMDb Page

Aaron's Website - How to Model

Aaron's Facebook Page

A Big Leap Out of the Boat

First off, congrats to Mariana who shot a Family Dollar Ad Wednesday night.  She did a fabulous job and was out of there in 1/3 of the time they had allotted her. The ad agency was pleased, and they told us they would be interested in using her again.  I'm proud of my kidlet!

NOW THE BIG NEWS:

John and I both got cast in the movie we auditioned for last month!!!

It's called "In the Interest of Justice".  It's about a single mother (Haley) and her son (Justice) who have no family, and the choices she must make when she finds out she is dying.  John and I will play Haley and Justice's best friends and neighbors, Julie and Marcus (we are playing a mother and son!).

The movie is being produced by Flat Shadow Productions.  This is the studio's first full length film.  They plan on submitting it to DVD distributors, HBO, and Cannes Film Festival.  It's a low-budget indie, but I obviously can't expect that million dollar contract on my first-ever movie role. (Maybe #2 :)

Hopefully to come will be blog posts about the ins and outs of filming our first movie.  We are having a cast meet and greet January 30th and will begin filming mid-February.  Filming will be done on Sundays  - I suppose for us 9-5ers (which I appreciate).

GOD IS SO GOOD!