Category Archives: Acting

An Isolation Audition (or Working On My Self-Tape Game)

Posted on April 28, 2020 | Comments Off on An Isolation Audition (or Working On My Self-Tape Game)

With pretty much the entire entertainment industry shut down right now, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to work. Everyone is experiencing the same stoppage of work and we are all trying to find ways to not feel as far away from our careers. Some people are doing acting classes over Zoom, I’ve had friends who have been doing script readings and performances on different live video platforms, and some people are creating their own solo work (or work with other people they live with). I haven’t really done a lot of those things yet, but they are ideas that I have been exploring.

But right after the social isolation started, I heard of friends who were still getting auditions because we can do self-tapes. I’ve done self-tape auditions before, but they have always included someone else working with me because I need a reader and someone to run the camera. I wasn’t too worried about how to do a self-tape in isolation until I got an audition notice from my agent.

This audition notice wasn’t for a specific project or part. It was a general. A general is when a casting office auditions actors to see who they like and want to keep in consideration for the future. When casting offices work on multiple shows that may have dozens of minor characters each episode, it’s good for them to have a shortlist of actors they like so they can get them scheduled for an audition right away. Generals aren’t as common as they used to be, so to get one was really awesome! And I’m hoping that maybe this time will lead to more.

I have a pretty decent self-tape setup at my house, but it’s not perfect. Fortunately, perfection was not required for this one. I have my tripod for my iPad (since that is the better camera), but I didn’t know how I was going to have a reader or someone to make sure I looked ok in the video frame. But I had recently gotten a ring light to use since I was doing a lot more video chats and wanted to not be backlit. The ring light had a tripod and a holder for a phone, so I realized I could have a friend on Facetime on my phone, put that on the ring light tripod, put that tripod behind my iPad on the other tripod, and then they could read the other lines and check how I looked on camera.

It was a really weird setup and I regret not taking a photo of it, but it did the job. My friend Andie was the one who was on Facetime as my reader and she did a great job making sure that I was word perfect with the script and that I looked ok on camera. I did struggle a bit with acting against a phone screen instead of a person (and I had to put a post-it on my phone to cover up where I was on the screen), but after a few takes I got used to it and it was fine.

Once that was done, I immediately sat down to edit it. The editing was pretty simple since there were just 2 parts that I had to combine. I just had to find the best take of each part and put them into one clip. I’m glad it was an easy editing job because it’s been a while since I’ve edited using iMovie.

And as soon as the editing was done, I uploaded it to the casting site to send it off to the casting director. I didn’t want to procrastinate on that because I might start thinking I didn’t do a good job with my audition and want to do it again. I try not to have those regrets after an audition and you really don’t get do-overs when you go to an audition in person. So I try not to let myself get into that headspace for a self-tape.

I actually would love to have another self-tape audition during isolation so I could feel even more confident in my self-tape skills. But I also hope that things can open up again soon so we can get back to a more normal life. So if this is the only isolation audition that I have, I’m so grateful that I had it. It really made me happy and allowed me to focus on my career for a day instead of everything going on in the world.

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Default ThumbnailSelf-Taping At Home (or Auditioning In Yoga Pants) Default ThumbnailAudition Horror Stories (or Sometimes I Like Things To Be Boring) Default ThumbnailAudition Prep (or Taking My Career Seriously) Default ThumbnailUpgrading My Self-Tape Set Up (or 2 Auditions In 30 Minutes) Default ThumbnailSelf-Tape Saturday (or Turning A Video Shoot Into A Photo Shoot) Default ThumbnailAnother Day Another Audition (or This Is The Life I Love)

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Posted in Acting, Fun Stuff

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An Update For My Union Friends (or Things Are Being Worked On)

Posted on March 27, 2020 | Comments Off on An Update For My Union Friends (or Things Are Being Worked On)

I know so many of my actor friends are concerned right now about what is happening in the world for so many reasons. But one of the biggest concerns has to do with the complete shutdown of our work (we can’t exactly work from home as actors) and what protections we will have for the coming months. It is scary to not know when work could start again, especially when we already don’t know when we will book work. And some people are acting out in anger because of this fear.

Even if the union isn’t publicly announcing what they are working on, I want to share that they are working on helping us. Because the union is held to a certain standard and many things must be cleared by legal before they are made public, announcements don’t always happen until things are finalized. They are not taking time while working on things to confirm that they are working on it or updating the exact steps they are taking. But things are being done and that’s important to know.

I want to share something my friend Amir wrote the other day. This call was with some of us hearing what our leaders who are our friends could share with us. This wasn’t an official call or from staff. It was a call with friends who are leaders and were able to share some information with us.

I am not a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson, but as a union delegate and member of several committees, I am privy to information which other members may not be, and I am sharing what I can. I spent about 2hrs on a call with SAG-AFTRA leaders yesterday. Below is what I learned. I have been permitted to write this because union resources (incl communications) are stretched to the max in service to priority #1, getting members the help we need.

The staff and unpaid leaders of our union are working overtime in service of our members. President Carteris is working 18hour days, on calls with people not just within the union and over at the health plan, but all the way up to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. (side note it still blows my mind that this is a volunteer position for Carteris. I understand the politics of why we don’t pay our president but holy wow)

Here is what they have achieved so far:

-EARLY ON, Gabrielle and staff secured permission from government officials to consider residuals processing “essential business”, so that that dept could stay open even though most of LA is on lockdown. In fact, residuals processing is being stepped UP, to ensure that members who earn residuals can keep getting paid ASAP. Staff members are coming into the office, at literal physical risk to themselves, to keep us getting paid. It’s wild and I can’t thank them enough.

-EARLY ON, The SAG-AFTRA Foundation declared the pandemic a disaster, lowering the requirements to qualify for assistance, then lowering them again, so that members could get help from the Foundation, even before the government checks that will someday be on their way. People who’ve applied for Foundation assistance have already started to receive it. You can apply right now.

-As far as government assistance, there is a lot in the bill that just passed the Senate (and will likely pass the house) that is designed specifically for people like the members of SAG-AFTRA, ie people whose jobs are sporadic, with multiple employers every year, etc. That language is in there specifically because of daily lobbying by President Carteris with people like Kamala, Pelosi, Schiff, etc. Even after this bill, those conversations with reps in DC will continue.

-We have set up a portion of sagaftra.org to answer questions regarding COVID19 and direct members to relevant financial and medical resources.

-At the union’s urging, the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan recently secured telemedicine coverage from Beacon, so that members can get mental health treatment virtually.

There is more to come. To cover that, allow me to answer some FAQs with as much info as I am allowed to so far.

Q: Can I apply for Unemployment in CA even though I wasn’t “fired” since that’s not how Hollywood works?
A: Yes. List Coronavirus as the reason for being out of work and you will qualify.

Q: What is the deal with my health insurance? Can President Carteris extend it?
A: The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan is NOT run by the union. It is a separate organization. Some union members are on their board, but the Health Plan is a company with a board that is legally required to keep it solvent, and its finances were already quite stressed. What I can say is that it’s already committed to covering all COVID19 testing, and its board is exploring every avenue to try to make coverage available to as many members as possible for as long as possible. Expect much more on this in the coming weeks.

Q: Will we still have to pay our dues?
A: We are trying to figure out how to provide some sort of dues relief to members. It is unclear what that might look like, and it wouldn’t be prudent of me to discuss specifics of various proposals, but rest assured that there are several, and they are being seriously considered.

Q: I was hired as a guest star and then production shut down. Will I still get paid?
A: Yes. The only people for whom this could be complicated are series regs. I don’t have any more info on that.

Q: I read an article about how the SAG-AFTRA National Board is granting special governing powers to different board or something? What’s up with that?
A: 38 members of The National Board, an enormous 80-person body, comprise the National Board’s “Executive Committee”. They are a diverse group geographically and ideologically, although obviously they all want what’s best for members. They have often made decisions for the NB. To streamline things during this crisis, The National Board voted to allow the EC to make all decisions for the NB. That said, any decisions they make that would previously be required to be approved by the membership at large will *still* have to be approved by the membership at large.

Q: I need help or information, where do I get help or information?
A: Go to sagaftra.org and click on the COVID19 link.

Q: What can I do? How can I pitch in? Help out in the residuals department? Bring food to the staff?
A: Most of LA is on lockdown. We know that, in the spirit of solidarity and community, many want to get involved and get your hands dirty, but as you may have heard, the best thing you can do is *stay home* and *keep your hands clean*. But while you’re home, there are two huge things you can do to help:
1. donate to or raise funds for your fellow actors at https://sagaftra.foundation/assistance/disasterrelief/, and
2. pay attention to the union’s emails — if you get asked to contact your representatives, DO IT. Honestly, the conversations President Carteris and others are having with Pelosi, Kamala, etc are important, but just as important are when congressional staffers hear from hundreds or thousands of you. It truly does make a difference.

On a personal note, I know you’re scared. I am too. And I know it’s hard to trust the leadership of this country at times. But don’t let that lack of trust transfer to our union’s elected leadership. Our leaders are mostly just actors like you and me, volunteering their time to make sure that all of us are taken care of. No one at the union could have anticipated a moment like this. But we’ve been thrust into it. We may make some mistakes. But we will always try to fix them. And hopefully, we will all make it through this. But the easiest way for us to do that is together. Let’s not forget that.

Please know that our union leaders are working on things for us. This is something that nobody has experienced before and there are so many new things that are being worked on and figured out right now. But as soon as the union can share news and updates, they will. It’s important to look at every email you get from the union because there is a lot of information shared in those.

This is a scary time, but I am so grateful that our union has some amazing people working on this for us right now. They know what our concerns are and they are doing everything they can to help us. We will get through this. We will be ok. We will be back to work one day.

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Posted in Acting, Tough Stuff

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Finally Seeing My Mentoring Group Again (or Our First Brunch Of 2020)

Posted on February 25, 2020 | Comments Off on Finally Seeing My Mentoring Group Again (or Our First Brunch Of 2020)

The last brunch meeting I had with my mentoring group was quite a while ago. I know that we decided to not meet as often because it was getting tough for the group to plan, but I don’t think we ever thought we would have 5 months between brunches. Part of this was due to the holidays and we knew that it would be very difficult to meet when so many of us were out of town or celebrating certain holidays.

Even though I am the organizer of our brunches, nobody blamed me for taking so long to schedule the one we had this past weekend. Everything understood that we were really busy and that we would see each other eventually. And we did consider trying to meet in January, but when we all shared our availability it was best to meet this last Sunday.

And I’m glad that we waited because we did get all 6 of us together for brunch! It’s not easy to mind a day and time that all 6 of us are free, but somehow we did it! I don’t remember the last time we were all there, and I think we all forgot about how crowded our brunch table could be with 6 people instead of 4 or 5. We sat in one of our usual booths, but we did have to squish together a bit to make it work. But that was fine because we did want to be able to hear what each other was sharing and saying.

I don’t think any of us believed that it had been 5 months since we had been together because it didn’t really seem that long ago. But we did all have lots of things to share and I loved hearing all of the updates everyone had.

And this time, I finally had quite a few things to share with the group. The last brunch we had was before the union convention, so I shared about that and how I have been going as an observer to the local board meetings. Even though I had shared things about past conventions, being an observer at the board meetings is something new and it was fun getting to share what I could about those.

And the last brunch we had was also before I finished writing the first draft of my book! They all knew I was trying to write a book about online dating, but I don’t think I had shared with them how I changed the concept of the book and I know they didn’t know that I had finished writing my first draft. I think they all loved the new idea of how I organized my stories and they all thought the book would be something that should be published and could sell quite a bit. I’m glad they all felt that way because I’m feeling that way about the book too. None of them have published a book so they didn’t have referrals to literary agents or had specific advice for the next steps, but they were really encouraging with what I need to do next and I know that if they think of someone who could help me that they will connect me to them.

Everyone else had lots of news to share. Some things were good and some weren’t as good. But everyone had progress that they had made in their lives and careers since the last time we were together. And making progress and not getting stuck is the key to this industry because it’s so easy to get frustrated and not keep pushing ahead. If you get a rejection, that’s not a dead end. You have to find another way to make it happen. That’s what all of us reminded each other because there are so many things that we could believe was the end of the road when it’s just a detour we need to get around.

As always, hearing everyone being so encouraging to others is such a huge benefit I get out of this group. It’s not easy to find people who not only understand the process you are going through but help you stay positive and working toward your goals. I always say how incredibly lucky I am to have this mentoring group, and I really can’t express how grateful I am for these women. We’ve been supporting each other for so long and it has benefitted my life so much. And I know that I will continue to get so many good things out of this group because I don’t see an end to our support. This has become such an important part of my life and I really look forward to seeing the successes we each have in our futures. I know it will happen, it’s just a matter of time.

We are still trying to meet 3-4 times a year so we have somewhat regular meetings. I feel pretty certain that we will find a way to meet up at least 2 more times this year. But hopefully, we can get in that last meeting so we are able to meet up once a quarter. But no matter how long it takes before we all can be together again, I know it will be amazing when we see each other and that I will leave our brunch feeling inspired and ready to get to work!

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Default ThumbnailEnd Of The Mentoring Circle (or One Final Lunch) Default ThumbnailLast Mentoring Group Brunch For The Year (or Switching Things Up For Next Year) Default Thumbnail4 Years Of My Mentoring Circle (or Celebrating With Brunch) Default ThumbnailAnother Business Brunch (or A Delayed Mentoring Circle Meeting) Default ThumbnailFinally Having Our Brunch (or Almost All The Mentees Together Again) Default ThumbnailBrunch Time (or Keeping Up With Our Group)

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Posted in Acting, Fun Stuff

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Lots Of Virtual Meetings (or Virtual Union Meetings)

Posted on February 21, 2020 | Comments Off on Lots Of Virtual Meetings (or Virtual Union Meetings)

I’m used to working remotely for my day jobs. It’s been that way for quite a while I do think I prefer working from home now. There are so many benefits for me personally to not have to go into an office every day. I know how lucky I am to be able to do this and that not everyone has this opportunity.

But for my acting career, there really isn’t a way to work from home. There are self-tape auditions and things like that, but it’s not exactly the same as working from home. Of course, there are several things I do related to my acting career that I do from my home (or just online through my phone) such as working on self-submissions, but when it comes to booked work that has to be done where the work is.

But what I didn’t realize was how much I could do from home related to my union service. I knew that I could do several things for my slate from home since I do social media and I pretty much run that from my phone. And when my slate has had some meetings and brainstorming sessions, there is usually an option to be there virtually. If there is an in-person meeting, usually you can call in to listen and participate. I can almost always make it to wherever we meet and I do prefer to be in-person to be a part of it, but it’s nice that calling is an option. And sometimes, the meetings my slate has are only phone calls and those are easy enough to be a part of.

But with union service outside of my slate, I know one of the things holding me back in the past was the concern that I couldn’t attend a meeting if I was a part of a committee. I had been an alternate on a national committee before and I knew that those meetings would have to have a call-in option as there are people joining the meeting from all over the country. And now, I do know that the local committees (or at least the ones I am a part of) have that option too.

I’m a member of the local organizing committee and the meetings are during my work hours. I haven’t made it to the union for any of the meetings, but I have called in for every meeting we have. I think being able to call in also goes back to working remotely for my day job since I don’t know if I could do this if I worked in an office. And I do sometimes have to jump in and out of the meeting call if I get a customer call since work is the priority, but I have been lucky that for the 90 minutes once a month that we have these meetings that we haven’t been super busy at my day job. And the co-chairs of the committee understand that I am calling in during work and that I might have to briefly leave the call to do work.

I can’t speak for all the committees, but my understandings is that they usually do have a call-in option since some members may be on set during a meeting and they want to give them a way to still be a part of it. And of course, if someone is working and can call in as I do, then being in a virtual meeting works too. I have tried to be on local committees in the past and wasn’t accepted. But I didn’t push harder to be on those committees because I was afraid that I couldn’t be at the meetings so it wasn’t worth it for me to try. But I should have just asked those committee chairs to see what would be possible.

I guess it’s just like with my fears of going to the local board meetings. If I had just asked someone for more information, I would have realized there was no reason for me to hesitate and I would have gone for it. I can’t go back and change anything I did in the past, but I can make changes for the future. And part of those changes include making sure my fellow union members know of these options so they know they can be a part of things even if something prevents them from being involved in person.

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Posted in Acting

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Making Some Good Guesses (or I Am Not A Cat)

Posted on February 13, 2020 | Comments Off on Making Some Good Guesses (or I Am Not A Cat)

This past weekend was the Oscars, and as always I went to the Oscar party that my friends throw every year. It’s really the best party because I can watch the Oscars the way I want and I can still celebrate with friends. And I love that it is a costume party because that’s always fun. I’m not the best with costumes, but I love seeing what my friends come up with. But this year, I figured out my costume a few months ahead of time.

I have no clue why I thought of this, but I realized I could make a Fox News costume by having some newsprint on my clothes and wearing some fox ears. It was an easy and clever costume so I knew that was the perfect thing to do. And even though Fox News isn’t technically a character in the movie “Bombshell”, it kind of is. Plus, the costume doesn’t have to be an actual character. A costume that represents a movie from the past year is pretty much the only requirement.

I found a newsprint scarf online and some fox ears that also came with a tail. And even though I’m not good at doing makeup, I really wanted to try and see if I could do something. So I looked up a lot of videos on how to do fox makeup and did a very simple version of what I found online. And I have to say I think I did a really great job considering my lack of makeup ability!

It wasn’t super elaborate or fancy, but I felt like it represented a fox. And I was happy with the final result which is what mattered the most to me.

I got to the party earlier than I normally do, but that allowed me to hang out with my friends before the show started. I always watch the Oscars in the quiet room, where we aren’t supposed to talk except during commercials. So while the show is on, I’m not being social. And I knew I wasn’t going to stay super late, so I wanted to get my socializing time in before things got started. And it was nice that I was early and there weren’t a lot of people there because I could get a photo of my full costume plus a photo with my friend Marie.

But one thing I noticed as soon as I got to the party was that everyone thought I was a cat. I totally forgot that “Cats” came out last year and I guess in a way I did look like a cat. Plus, there were a few friends who did come dressed as cats. But I just kept saying “I am not a cat!” whenever that was the guess for my costume. I just wish now that I had thought of this being an issue so I could have worn a shirt that said that.

Once the show started, things were pretty normal in the quiet room. We did have a few moments that were really shocking where we were all yelling, but those were rare. We were quiet for most of the show and that allowed us to really enjoy it and hear every moment of the speeches.

It also helped us track who was winning because there is a contest to be the person who guesses the most winners correctly. I don’t always do great with the guessing, but I was making a real effort. And I was doing amazingly well from the start! I kept guessing them correctly, even the categories where the guesses were complete guesses and I had no reason why I picked one over the others. In the end, I only missed 4 out of 24 awards, which may have been my best one ever.

After the awards were done, we had the costume parade to pick the costume winners. And before we voted on the costumes, we also got a big group photo of everyone there. I don’t think we have gotten a group photo before, but I love that we got one this year.

I knew I wasn’t going to win the costume contest, but I wanted to at least be on the honorable mention list (which means that you got at least one vote). And I did get on that list (and I promise I didn’t vote for myself). The winners were all really amazing costumes that were clever and the ones I expected to win. I don’t mind not winning since my costume was good but not nearly as good as what I knew everyone else would come up with. But I was hoping I might place with guessing the winners.

I knew I’d be in the top few, but it’s the top 2 that win prizes. And it turned out that 2 people did 1 guess better than I did. So I did get 3rd place, but no prize. But I was still proud of myself for how well I did with my guessing!

After all the prizes were given out, I started making my rounds of goodbyes since I wanted to start heading home. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had an early morning the next day and about a 30-minute drive home. But I was glad I got to spend so much time with my friends and I’m sure the next party will be here before we know it!

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Default ThumbnailA Night Of Oscars (or Last Minute Costumes and Enjoying The Show) Default ThumbnailOscar Party Time (or Feeling Inspired) Default ThumbnailBeing “Wild” (or Not Guessing A Lot Of Winners Right This Year) Default ThumbnailOscar Party (or Looking “Frozen”) Default ThumbnailMaking My Acting Bold (or Feeling Great From An Audition) Default ThumbnailMore Comfortable In Improv Class (or Making Friends With My Classmates)

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Posted in Acting, Celebrations, Fun Stuff

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Another Union Working Evening (or Doubling Up On Live Streams)

Posted on February 5, 2020 | Comments Off on Another Union Working Evening (or Doubling Up On Live Streams)

It’s been my job to do the live streams for the Union Working meetings for quite a while now. It’s an easy job to do and I know that a lot of people are grateful that I am able to do it. Many people either cannot make our meetings or they don’t live in LA, so having the videos posted allows so many more people to learn from what happens. Sometimes there are a few things we can’t have public, but I try to live stream as much of the meeting as I can.

But for the meeting that we had this past week, I got to run 2 different live streams. We had a guest at our meeting this time, which was a nice treat. Our guest was Chaim Magnum, who is an agent/owner of the LemonLime Agency. He was there to discuss his experience with submitting actors for commercial breakdowns and what he sees with union versus non-union work. And he wanted to have a live stream of the meeting for his Instagram, so I helped him with that. I had my iPad on a tripod running our usual live stream and his iPad being propped up with water bottles running his Instagram live. Fortunately, there weren’t many issues with running both, but it did make things a bit interesting for me.

Chaim first talked about his experiences as an agent, and then we had a Q&A where anyone could ask him questions. There were a lot of good questions about understanding how he sees the current state of the industry. There were questions about some of the new contracts we have and commissions that agents can take. And for some of the questions, we also had some staff from the union at the meeting to help answer things. It really was a great informational session and I’m so glad that I was there for it and could record it so others can watch.

Besides having our guest, we had some of the usual discussions that we have at our meetings. We discussed some current issues regarding unions and some of the battles that they are fighting. There are a few new tax policies that people were concerned about would affect them but our union was able to make sure that we would be protected. And we wanted to discuss some upcoming things and deadlines our union has.

Then we had a new thing that will hopefully be happening at the next several meetings. Being on a committee in our union is something that many people are confused about. They don’t know how to get on a committee or how to be involved even if they aren’t an official committee member. So the hope is that for the next several meetings, there will be a representative from a few different local committees so they could explain what their committee does and what opportunities there are to be involved now that the committee members have been selected. There were 3 committees at this past meeting and I think the plan is to cover 3 committees each time.

I love this idea and I wish this had been around years ago! I am getting more involved in committees now, but for a long time, I had no idea what I could do if I wasn’t a committee member or how I could try to become one. Now, I understand it significantly better, but there are still committees that I’m not completely sure what they do or if they have public events that everyone can attend. I’m excited to learn more about our local committees so when I have a chance to request to be on one the next time that I can be better about which ones I select. When you request to be on a committee, there is also space for you to write why you want to be on it. And by understanding the committees more, I can write a better pitch for why I should be selected. Having these little explanations of the committees is only going to benefit all members, whether or not they want to be a party of committee service.

After going over the committee information, there were a few more small updates about Union Working such as when our next meeting will be and some of the things we have for sale that help off-set the cost of renting the rooms that we have our meetings it. Even though we had a lot of information being covered in the meeting, we somehow ended exactly on time!

But before anyone could leave, we did want to take a big group photo of everyone at the meeting. We had a really good turnout and there were several people there that I haven’t seen before. I love that we have new people coming to our meetings and I hope they come back and bring some friends with them next time!

I didn’t stay too late after the meeting because I had an early morning the next day, but I did make sure I said hi to all of my friends who were there before I had to say goodbye and head home.

Overall, this was another successful Union Working meeting and I am so glad that I was able to be there. Not just because I got a lot of good information out of the meeting, but because I was able to help out with my live stream and doing a second live stream. The more people who can see what we are discussing, the better!

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Posted in Acting, Fun Stuff

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Being An Active And Interactive Viewer (or SAG Awards Live-Tweeting)

Posted on January 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Being An Active And Interactive Viewer (or SAG Awards Live-Tweeting)

I watch the SAG Awards every year. I love watching award shows about film and tv so I have watched them as long as I can remember. And since I’ve become a union member, I watch them because I want to see what my fellow members voted for. I like to see if the projects and performers I voted for were what a majority of the membership voted for. It’s fun to feel like I have a bit of ownership over the results of an awards show and this is the only one that I have that feeling with.

For most award shows, including the SAG Awards, I have done a bit of live-tweeting. It’s fun to be a part of a worldwide conversation as so many people are watching the same thing that I’m watching. And the discussions and debates that people have online about winners and losers are usually interesting. There isn’t a lot of negativity about the shows, which is probably one of the reasons why I like live-tweeting these and I’m not as much of a fan of live-tweeting political events. But for the show this past weekend, I had a slightly more serious live-tweeting job to do.

Since I have been doing the social media for my union slate, I haven’t really had to do a lot of live-tweeting of anything. This is probably not what should have happened, but it’s what happened. But this year, I wanted to make sure that I was using the slate’s social media to share things that happened during the show and make sure that the messages shared in speeches were shared with others. I wasn’t exactly sure what my plan would be, but I knew I’d be doing a lot of retweets and doing my best to create original tweets as I could.

For the first part of the show, most of the tweets I posted were just retweets from the official SAG Awards twitter account. This was an easy way to make sure the slate’s feed had information about who the winners were in each category. I did a few original tweets, but they were mainly comments on what was happening so I could do them during commercial breaks. I did also post a few snarkier tweets on my personal account because there were things I wanted to say that weren’t as professional as what I knew should be posted on the slate’s account.

But then I realized that I wanted to do more with the tweets I was posting for the slate. And I do love tweets that include some of the best parts of speeches. But there was no way to do things completely live because I can’t type that fast. So when I heard something that I knew I wanted to share, I had to rewind my DVR a bit and start transcribing it. Thank goodness for DVRs because I had to do a lot of rewinding and pausing. But I was able to get the quotes that I wanted to share.

I did post quotes from several of the acceptance speeches, but some of my favorites are the ones I got from President Gabrielle Carteris’ speech.

While trying to live-tweet actual speeches was a bit more stressful than making fun and snarky comments, I’m proud of the work that I was able to do. I am sure there are more efficient ways that I could get the quotes posted, but I need to figure out how to do that. I want to be able to do this again for the next SAG Awards and go even further with what I can share on social media. I might try to test out things with the upcoming Oscars since I know I will be live-tweeting for that. But I will likely do a majority of the live-tweeting on my personal account. I might share winners and retweets on the slate’s account, but that’s probably all I’ll do. And it will be harder with the Oscars since I will be watching at a party and won’t have the ability to pause or rewind things to type them out.

I know that having to live-tweet might have frustrated some people because it doesn’t necessarily allow you to fully enjoy watching it. And it stops the ability to live-tweet a bit too since I have to catch up to the live show during commercial breaks. But I didn’t mind it because it did feel very important to me to make sure our slate was sharing news from one of the most important nights for our union. I take a lot of pride in how I’ve been able to make our social media a source of information for both members and non-members. And while the SAG Awards are a bit more fun than some of the information I usually share, it’s still important to make sure people know what happens.

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Default ThumbnailGrease Live (or A Fun Night In With Friends) Default ThumbnailFinding More Ways To Help Via Social Media (or Continuing To Share Good Things) Default ThumbnailA Night Of SAG Awards (or Watching Union Unity) Default ThumbnailSAG Awards (or Being Inspired) Default ThumbnailSAG Awards (or Watching After Knowing The Winners) Default ThumbnailThe SAG Awards (or I Am An Actor)

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Doubling Up On Union Days (or Really Trying My Best To Focus)

Posted on January 16, 2020 | Comments Off on Doubling Up On Union Days (or Really Trying My Best To Focus)

I wrote about how this past weekend I had a casual get together with my union slate. That was so much fun and I love how chill the afternoon was. It was so different from so many union events that I go to. And the day after that hangout, I had one of my more serious union things to go to.

I’ve been doing a good job with prioritizing going to our local board meetings to be an observer. As soon as I know what the date will be for the next meeting, I put it in my calendar so I can do my best to not schedule something else that day. I know that there may be something out of my control in the future that will prevent me from going to a meeting, but I can make sure I don’t plan a dinner with friends or something the same night. Making these meetings a priority is becoming more important to me the more meetings I go to. I don’t think I was expecting to feel that way, but it makes me excited that it happened. Hopefully, that will motivate me to go to more union events even when I’m not necessarily feeling up for them.

And the meeting this week was one that I wasn’t necessarily feeling up for. It wasn’t the event itself that I wasn’t feeling ok with, I was just having a really bad pain and nausea day. I took care of myself as much as I could before going to the union for the meeting. I made sure I was hydrated, took all the medications I could, and had some anti-nausea lozenges in my bag in case I needed them. And I told myself that if I had to leave at some point to sit on one of the couches outside the boardroom or if I had to go home, I could. But I really didn’t want to have to leave at any point if I could help it. The meetings are really educational for me and I find it very important to learn as much as I can. Especially if I want to try to be elected to the local board in the next election.

Just like with all the other board meetings I’ve attended, I really can’t talk about what happened in the room. Most things that were discussed were confidential and I have to sign paperwork before going in as an observer agreeing not to share anything. But I can share that there were a few things being said in the room that I strongly disagreed with, especially things that directly involved me or things that I have been working on. Hearing incorrect or misleading information being shared was very frustrating since as an observer I am not allowed to talk. I did discuss some of my concerns with my friends who are board members after the meeting so I could feel like my opinion was heard. And many of my friends felt the same way that I did so they did speak up about those issues when they could.

I think between feeling so lousy combined with the frustration of not being able to speak up really took it out of me. The meeting did run a bit longer than expected, but I was just exhausted when it was done. I felt like I had been through so much just sitting there and watching. I wanted to get back to my house so I could decompress from everything and I didn’t really worry too much about saying goodbye to all of my friends who were there. I did make a quick round around the room to say goodbye to who I could, but I wasn’t as focused on making sure I saw everyone I knew.

Once I was home and could reflect on the meeting a bit more, I was even more motivated to continue going to the meetings and seeing what I can do to be elected next time. I hate that I have to be so vague about things, but there were just so many things discussed that I would have loved to speak up about. I know that my friends who were elected are speaking up for me, but I want to speak for myself as well. And the only way I can do that is to be elected. The next election season is still about a year and a half away, but I’m now starting to think about what I can do outside of everything else that I do to help get elected as well as getting more people from my slate elected.

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Default ThumbnailAnother Union Meeting (or Getting Into The Routine Of Things) Default ThumbnailObserving a Board Meeting (or Finding A New Goal) Default ThumbnailAnother Observer Opportunity (or Watching The Local Board) Default ThumbnailLearning So Much From Union Working (or Getting Ready For Contract Negotiations) Default ThumbnailA Low Key Union Working Meeting (or Getting To Fully Focus On What’s Being Said) Default ThumbnailAnother Union Working Evening (or Doubling Up On Live Streams)

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A Fun Union Hangout (or Hopefully This Is The Start Of A New Regular Thing)

Posted on January 14, 2020 | Comments Off on A Fun Union Hangout (or Hopefully This Is The Start Of A New Regular Thing)

So much of my work with Unite For Strength has to do with serious things. A lot of my work is related to our election or different negotiations. And my year-round work with them is making sure our social media is a good source of information. That’s slightly less serious, but it’s still more about the business side of union service and not the creative or entertaining sides of it. I don’t mind that because I have realized how important the serious and business sides are, but I have wanted to get to know my fellow slate members in a more fun way.

And this past weekend, I finally got that chance. We had a casual get together for friends and supporters of Unite For Strength. We did have some business that ended up being discussed, but this wasn’t about preparing for an election or a contract negotiation. It was more about getting to know each other and seeing what we are interested in doing with our union service and what concerns we might have.

Having hangouts like this have been discussed among the slate for a while. I know that during election season we just don’t have the time or ability to plan things. And in the past, there has been a lot of focus on the serious work that needs to be done after people are elected. But now, I think we finally have the ability to do some more fun stuff as a group. There are more people who are leaders within the slate (technically I’m one of the newer leaders even if I don’t think of myself that way). So having more people to handle things means that people aren’t getting overwhelmed. We don’t have a specific person who is going to focus on fun events, but at least everyone has a bit more time to be able to contribute.

And I’m so excited to have more of these events because I want to bring friends with me to them. A huge thing that I am passionate about in the union is educating my fellow members. And I know this is something that almost all of us in the slate believe in doing. But getting people to attend official union events can seem intimidating. I’ve been trying to get people to join me as an observer for a local board meeting and that’s a struggle. Even though all you do there is sit and watch, it’s scary. And I get that. I was nervous about being an observer too. But now that I’ve done it, I see how silly my fear was.

But it’s hard to tell other people not to be scared if they haven’t gone before. So having some fun events where I know informed people will be there is a good option. It won’t be the same as an official union event, but it can be a way to ease into things or meet people who might be at the union events so that it won’t feel like you won’t know anyone there. Plus, I love everyone who is a part of my slate. These people are some of the most inspirational and informed actors I know and I would love for my friends to get to know them too. I feel so lucky that these people are my peers and some of them have also become my friends. I always seem to have pinch-me moments when I’m with them.

We don’t have our next casual hangout for Unite For Strength planned just yet, but seeing the response from others at the one we had has motivated me to make sure that we get a few planned. I want to keep this going because it’s also a great reminder for us to make sure that we are involved throughout the year and not just during elections. And it helps us get to know each other better so it’s not as odd to reach out to someone to ask for help or get a question answered. Being familiar with each other can only benefit us when we have to work hard together.

I hope that I will be writing about another event that we have as a slate soon. But even if it takes us a while to figure out things, I’m just glad that I got to spend an awesome afternoon with all of these amazing union members and that I got to do more with my slate that isn’t as serious.

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Default ThumbnailThe Official Start To Election Season (or I Can Finally Share Some Things I’ve Been Working On) Default ThumbnailSharing My Union With A Friend (or Continuing To Be Inspired And Involved) Default ThumbnailHanging Out With Unite For Strength (or Talking About The Union) Default ThumbnailDoubling Up On Union Days (or Really Trying My Best To Focus) Default ThumbnailJust A Simple Dinner Out (or A Union Working Hangout) Default ThumbnailAnother NextGen Mixer (or A Fun Post-Election Hangout)

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2020 Goals (New Year, Not All New Goals)

Posted on January 1, 2020 | Comments Off on 2020 Goals (New Year, Not All New Goals)

Happy New Year! Even though I know that the start of a new year (or a new month or week) doesn’t have to mean a lot, I like the idea of a fresh start and kicking off the time with something new. And that’s exactly what I’ve been able to do for the past few years.

And just like the last several years, I’m going to be using a Volt Planner to do my goal tracking and monthly challenges. They are really beautiful planners and they are laid out perfectly for what I want to. They do keep me organized and I spent some time this past week working on what I wanted my goals to be for 2020. Some of them are new ones, but there are several that I feel like I have tried to do multiple times. But just because I didn’t accomplish a goal in the past doesn’t mean I can’t get it done this year.

My first goal shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I want to do at least 200 Orangetheory classes this year. This goal is one I have been setting each year (or at least I would have a target number of classes I wanted to get to) and it’s a goal that I know I don’t have to think about much. I typically go to 4 classes a week which will easily get me to 200 classes. It also allows for a bit of flexibility if there are a few weeks that I can’t do 4 classes. Of course, something could come up that would prevent me from working out, but I’m not expecting anything to do that so this goal should be one that in a year I can say I was able to do.

My next goal is that I want to cook more often. I have had this goal several times and the reasons for it have always been the same. I know that it is healthier for me to cook at home plus it is a good way to save money. I have the ability to cook, I just don’t have the motivation. I need to work on finding the motivation because I know that it’s the main thing holding me back. I also want to work on finding recipes that inspire me and can become something I cook regularly.

The next goal is one I already have started. I want to continue to work on my home organization and be able to maintain it. I have slowly been going through my house and seeing what I really need and what I might be able to get rid of or donate. I’m also getting things that help me organize what I do keep. For example, my bathroom is tiny and there is no storage space. But I finally found a little basket I can use to keep my cleaning supplies together so they don’t look as cluttered. It’s not necessarily organized, but it looks that way. My big challenge will be organizing my desk, but I’m giving myself plenty of time to work on it.

Next is a bit of a combo goal. I want to get back to my job hunting as well as working on my budget. I’ve been doing ok with my budgeting work. The app that I use has made huge changes and I finally had to switch to the new system. There is a bit of a learning curve with it, but that’s why I want to make budgeting one of my goals. I can see how easy it would be to let this slip, and I don’t want to do that. I do not want to get back into credit card debt and the best way to do that will be to budget carefully. And along those lines, budgeting would be easier if I had more income. And that’s why I need to get back to my job hunting. I am so lucky I have the job I have right now, but it’s not enough. It’s never made me enough money and I can’t keep ignoring that fact.

Another combo goal is to be more social and to have more fun. I have a tendency to be a bit of a homebody. And even though that is something I choose to do, I get a bit lonely when I do that and I crave going out. I need to be more productive in making plans with friends and seeking new ways to go out and have fun. And part of this may be working on expanding my circle of friends and finding different groups to be a part of. It’s not easy making friends at my age, but it’s not impossible either. And I can’t make an excuse to not do it because it might be difficult.

And the last two go together even though I consider them very separate goals. I want to be more active in union service and I want to focus more on my acting career. I have gotten very involved in union service and it has been an amazing addition to my life. I love what I have been able to be a part of and how much more I understand my union. But I know there is so much more I can do and I want to work toward that. I have more ways to be involved and I want to get more people involved. And along with that, I need to focus on my acting career. That is my goal in life and I need to get things back in order because I didn’t prioritize them enough in the past year. Some of the things I need to do cost money and that was holding me back, but I need to find ways to make it happen because my career is important to me and I don’t want to waste time not doing it.

I think I have a good variety of goals for 2020. Some of them I know will be easier to do than others, but they cover a variety of areas in my life. And even if I only get half of them done this year, my life is going to be so much better with them accomplished.

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Posted in Acting, Fitness, Food, Fun Stuff, Saving, Work

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