Moving Forward

Seeing how I will be moving into a new apartment the next few days, I figured the title of my post would be most fitting. Not only am I moving into a new home, I feel as if I'm moving forward mentally and professionally.

The last few months for me have been wonderful, but I feel it's just the teeny tiny tip of the iceberg. The end of the year is swiftly coming and I have bigger and better goals, and much more to be responsible for next year. While I have done very well as a model so far, I have not (despite doing a handful of great films this summer) put nearly enough effort into my real passion, acting. Duh! One of my biggest goals over the next few weeks is to enroll in a new acting class. It's been a few months since I last studied and it's time to make a more concerted effort to improve my training as an actor.

I feel awful for having slacked in that department, but it's time to get on the ball. I had just begun working with a theatrical manager at Prestige, but she abruptly departed a few weeks ago. Luckily for me, another manager saw enough in me to take me on, but not without some constructive criticism. Because my long term goals are in television and film, he feels that my theatre credits are overpowering my film credits. On top of reformatting my resume, he, of course, wants me to take some more classes. Luckily for me, I already knew most of this information, but hearing it from him further strengthened my resolve.

I'm actively researching some good technique classes and have set up an appointment at The Network in order to enroll in some helpful workshops with CD's. I do not believe in "pay to be seen" seminars and refuse to do them. However, I'm very positive toward CD taught classes on audition technique and self-marketing. I'm hoping something constructive will come of that. I'm meeting there on the 24th.

If anyone knows of or can recommend a good acting class with a small class size (under 15) please let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

Media Mention!!!

I love having natural hair and the decision to go natural has not only improved my self-esteem, it's done wonders for my marketability as a model and has really set me apart from other brown skinned actresses that choose to relax their hair or wear weave. Because of this, I've been featured on some pretty famous natural hair/beauty blogs and most recently, have been featured as the "Natural Chic of the Week" on the blog, Thank God I'm Natural. I'd come across this blog a few months prior to being contacted by the creator, Chris-Tia Donaldson, and I was very excited to be a part of it, especially after picking up the November issue of Essence magazine and seeing a feature on Chris-Tia and her book by the same name as her blog. So, I'd like to take a moment to thank her for giving me the chance to share a bit about my journey, as well as help expand my readership.

Progress Report

1. I'm pretty positive that I did NOT book the Disney Princess thing as the event begins in about two weeks. Not much progress there, but I had many people email me and leave comments after that post and I just wanted to update those who had their fingers crossed for me. Thank you so much for your support. :)

2. Friday I will be on set, shooting a new film "Story of a Madman". I will be playing ANGELA and could not be more excited. The script is wonderful and so is the cast. I have a small part that the director wrote in specifically for me after I was unable to attend the auditions for another character. Thanks Randy!

3. Shot an ad for Garasil, woo hoo!! It was a fun shoot and only took about two hours. I really love those kinds of shoots.

4. On hold for a Fisher Price print ad.

5. On hold for Soft and Beautiful packaging campaign which has a huge payday if booked.....HUGE! I don't like to disclose how much money I make on jobs because there are too many weird folks out there, but I'm just so excited about this one. It will be my highest paid job to date. I was contacted by my agent (this one is through CESD as was Gardasil) and she told me that they want to know if I'm fine with having my hair colored and trimmed. I was opposed to having my hair relaxed for various reasons. My agent told me that this means there's a strong chance that I'll be booked and that she's working out the final details. Once again, I'm asking you all to keep your fingers crossed for me.

6. Finally had my callback for the really cool feature film that I mentioned back on September 22nd. I don't like to name the names of films unless I book them. It was a fun audition and I ended up being asked to read for three different parts. Promising?

This week.....

Well, I did the shoot for Nintendo on Friday, and other than some contract issues, everything went pretty well. It was a somewhat long day, and I'm sure it could have gone a lot faster than it did. Either way, I'm grateful for the work.

I'm still on hold for Kodak, but I don't feel too confident about booking that. My agent told me that the clients were going to choose the talent after hours today, but it's a bit after 9pm and I still haven't heard anything. They are shooting over the next three days, with each model only shooting one of the days. There's still a chance I can book for the 22nd or 23rd so I'm trying to hold out hope. :/

Did I tell you guys that I had a casting few weeks ago for Soft Sheen Carson hair products which is owned by L'Oreal?? Well, it wasn't really a casting, but they selected models to drop off their portfolios at their offices in midtown for an upcoming shoot. My understanding, from what my agent told me, is that they have several people looking at the books and as they narrow down girls, they will let them come and pick up their books. My book is still there, but I'm going to call one of my agents for an update tomorrow. I would love to work for them, not just because of the money, but the exposure would be amazing.

Progress Report

1. Had my first table read for a film that I'm shooting next month.

2. Have been booked for a two day hair shoot next week.

More Progress

So, this past week has been nothing short of eventful. First off, I was released from the hand sanitizer commercial the day before filming. I was so upset! That's the third commercial in less than a month that I've been placed on hold for, and then released from. Throw me a TV commercial bone please!!

*sigh*

In other (better) news, I have booked a role in a short film that I'm scheduled to begin shooting on the 22nd. I'm supposed to be shooting for two days. I originally auditioned for the lead, but was given a smaller supporting role instead. My ego wanted to be offended but life's too short for that crap, I'm still doing the film and I'm still happy. Besides, the character that they gave me is a nutcase and I think I'll have a lot of fun playing her.

I shot for Health Magazine yesterday. My photo stories will be running in the December issue. I had been sent to Health Magazine twice before and did not book it, but this time it stuck. It was slightly stressful because I was sent to the casting was placed on hold before I even went in. The day before the shoot, I got a call telling me that the hold for the shoot was being moved to Thursday (today) and that was fine. Then, 15 minutes later, I got a call letting me know I was being released. I almost had a nervous breakdown. Well, to be honest, I cried. I was so frustrated that I was getting released from so many projects and it was bringing me down. My fiance was there to comfort me and he reminded me that I was doing a great job and accomplishing so much. Then about 10 minutes later, I got a call letting me know that there was a mistake and that I was booked for the shoot that I did yesterday. Win!

While I was at the Health shoot, I found out that I had booked an on-line commercial for Nintendo that I'd auditioned for on Monday. I shoot that on Friday (tomorrow) and I'm super excited.

On Saturday, I have my first table read for a film that I'm set to shoot in November. It's untitled right now but I'll keep everyone posted.

So, all in all, it's been a great week! I hope next week is even better.

P.S. I have not heard anything on the Disney Princess casting yet. Trying not to think about it.