I Really Need to Stop Doing This...

I apologize to family and friends and any random people that happen upon this blog by accident (the support group meets across the hall now, sorry for the mix up). I really have no excuse for not updating this time. I should really make this more of a priority, or at the very least set a regular date to update.

But no use in dwelling on the past. I'm here and now and excited to update you all on where my life is right now.

First off, my new roommates. They are named Jared and Kyle and are both recent Biola grads (my other roommate is named Brian and is also a Biola alum in case you didn't remember/know). Jared shares a room with me and Kyle splits with Brian. Moving them both in was a lot of work. Lots of cleaning, lots of moving furniture around and just lots of change in general. We're settled in now, more or less, and things have been pretty smooth. Jared and Kyle are both younger and so that's a little bit of an adventure for me and Brian who are a bit more established. They're both looking for work so they mostly are going through what my first two months here were like.











Oh, except they both have connections with Biola friends still in La Mirada, so they are down their quite a bit still. Letting go of college is never easy.

Now for the real newsy type news. I'll start from the beginning. You may recall several posts ago (it should be just a bit down the page if you forgot) that I detailed that I had gotten a job as a regular extra on a new ABC Family show called "Huge". I suggested that I could be getting 2-5 days a week on the show, but I never really followed up with it.

Well, let's just say 2-5 was a bit of wishful thinking. It turned out to be more like 1-2. To further complicate things for me, "Huge" is an AFTRA show, (for those that don't know, AFTRA is one of two major unions for actors) which means they only pay AFTRA contracts. In order to receive these AFTRA contracts, I had to either join AFTRA or register as AFTRA willing, which meant that I could work AFTRA contracts for 30 days. However, after 30 days, my status would switch over to "must join" and I would not be able to work any AFTRA contracts for any shows.

For anyone that had trouble following that last part, this is where it gets simple. My 30 days were up and I had to make a choice. Join AFTRA and keep working on "Huge" or don't join and be unemployed for the month of June and watch my money disappear from under me throughout the month (May and June are known as "Hiatus" where there are virtually no movies and only a handful of scripted shows filming, in short the industry shuts down and work is impossible to find). Sounds like an easy choice...until I mention that joining AFTRA costs $1,663. For those counting at home, that's nearly 4 months of rent for me. Yea. There is a payment plan option, but it was not much better in my mind (half up front and the rest split up over the next three months).

After agonizing over the decision for several days, I decided to pass. The finances were just too unstable. I hadn't been getting booked much during the first 2 months of filming and I would need to cover my expenses, plus an extra $280 a month for the next three months as well.

I spent the next week watching the entirety of the new "Dr. Who" reboot series (about 60 episodes). Turns out it is a really amazing show and, while I can't in good conscience recommend that method of watching to anyone, I enjoyed myself. Or something. I kind of lost myself in that week, as anyone that has ever attempted anything like it can attest. By the time I was done, it was a couple days before I could think my own thoughts again. That said, I highly recommend the show if anyone is looking for something to Netflix.



But I digress. After that marathon viewing period, and a couple days of recovery, I got to where the rubber hit the road. As a "writer" trying to make it in Hollywood, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get some writing done with nothing else to do. The problem was, I don't write well when I'm stressed out. And I get stressed out when I am not working and slowly draining the few remaining dollars from my account. Then I would get stressed out that I wasn't writing when I thought I should be. Which would make me depressed that I couldn't write and...you kind of start to see the spiral forming here. This was two days. I was so stressed out and depressed during this time that I actually lost my appetite (which was good because oddly enough there was nothing that caused more anxiety than spending money on food).

In short, it was no way to live. I was wallowing in despair after just a few days of this. The thought of 2-4 more weeks of it was overwhelming.

So it was decided. After discussing it at length with numerous people, I saw there was only one option. If I was going to go down as an extra, I would go down swinging. I joined AFTRA. I immediately felt peace from the decision, which helped convince me it was the right one. But the right choice doesn't necessarily mean that I come out of it standing on two feet, so I was understandably scared.

Then I got booked. Then I got booked again. And again. And again. First week back (last week), I had worked four days and gotten paid for five (it's complicated). And then again. Three more days this week. In these two weeks, I have worked more than I did the entire rest of the series combined. I have made about $1,000. And I'm working again on Monday.


The show has lots of "regulars" but only about 10-15 that are called almost every day. With 14 days of shooting left (about the next three weeks), I seem to have cemented myself as one of the chosen ones. Somehow, joining AFTRA catapulted me into that group (over several people that had already joined AFTRA before me). Whatever the reason, I am grateful for every day I get booked and don't take a single one for granted. I know it could all disappear in an instant.

And this is the beginning of the interactive part of the blog. You can actually help me pay my bills in a way that doesn't involve you sending me checks (though I wouldn't be opposed to the idea). "Huge" premiers this Monday at 9/8c on ABC Family. It is just a 10 episode run, with the remaining episodes in the season scheduled to be shot in November. But if the show does well enough in the ratings, the show will rush back into production in August. I would prefer the latter. While work is supposed to be picking up over the next month as movies enter production and fall TV shows start back up, the security in "Huge" is much higher than anything else I am likely to find. So watch it! It will be on Hulu for those that don't have cable TV (and yes, they look at those numbers too).


And who knows, you might actually like it. The show was created by Winnie Holzman, who also created the Emmy nominated "My So-Called Life" and was nominated for a Tony for her role in the creation of the Broadway hit "Wicked" (as well as being a staff writer on about half a dozen television shows). It stars Nikki Blonsky (from "Hairspray") and Gina Torres (who played Zoe on the ill-fated/brilliant Joss Whedon series "Firefly" and it's accompanying movie "Serenity). And if it doesn't grab you right away, give it some time. It takes until about the 3rd or 4th episode to find it's stride.

Here's a few reviews for anyone looking to learn more:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117943051.html?categoryId=32&ref=verttv&cs=1
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/24/huge-difference/

Apologies

I apologize, I really did mean to keep this updated better. But this time I have a legitimate excuse. My computer's hard drive is failing and it won't start. So I can only get online for brief periods of borrowed time with my roommates computers until it is fixed. Hopefully I can have it fixed within the next week, we will see.

Lazy Sunday = Time to Update

First off, I want to apologize for my inconsistent blogging habits. It keeps slipping my mind because I don't see the events in my life as terribly significant or exciting. I will be doing my best to improve my writing habits from now on. I know, you've heard that before, but things have been moving quickly for a while that are now settling back into place.

So where to begin. About a month ago I was really doing well. I was coming off a week where I had gotten 4 days of extra work and had made some great progress on the pilot for a show I am writing. But that all came to a screeching halt on April 25th when I received a call that tragedy had struck back home. Two married friends of mine were involved in an incident that left one dead and the other injured.

It was a difficult week. Being so far away was difficult, but I was not alone out here in LA. Many Calvary people were struggling with similar feelings of isolation and that made my grief a little more tolerable (though I was surprised at the effect it had on me). But as the week went on, and the date of the funeral approached, I began to feel very alone. One by one, my support system of Californians was making their way back east for the funeral. With a trip scheduled for my brother's graduation the following weekend, it was impractical for me to come home and certainly out of my price range.

Then God blessed me. After talking with a friend about what I was going through and how hard it was becoming to be stuck out here, he called me back with an offer. "If we could get you home tomorrow, would you want to come?" I was stunned. He said that some people had anonymously arranged to buy me a plane ticket to get me home for the weekend. And less than 12 hours later, I was on my way to Minneapolis.

The funeral was everything I needed. With an estimated attendance of 1,500 people, there were good friends and old friends, from near and far. I was able to process, and mourn in a way that would have been impossible had I not been back. I will always be thankful to the donors that made it possible, even if I may never know for sure who was involved.

Then came an interesting couple of days. I returned Monday evening, following the Friday funeral. That coming Friday, I would be on my way back to the midwest for Andrew's graduation at Wheaton. I managed to get one day of work on Wednesday, but not doing extra work.

I spent that day helping my friend, and LAFSC Resident Director, Sarah Duff clear out the apartments from this spring's semester. It was a lot of fun because I had hardly seen her since I moved here in January. We also had Rachel, who is the friend that set me up with my current apartment and babysat my car, helping and a guy named Justin who I had not met before. We worked hard but I had a lot of fun. My social life is not anything to write home about (though, ironically, that is what I am literally doing right now) so even a day loading and unloading heavy boxes counts as a great day hanging out in my mind. Honestly, I would have done it for free (though the money was certainly quite nice).

Then came a nice, relatively relaxing week and a half at home with my family. Andrew successfully graduated from Wheaton College so "Yay" for him. It was fun to see Wheaton one last time, as I don't know when I will have cause to go there again.

While I was home I got to see lots of friends and family. I got to play broomball with a bunch of Bethel Royal alums and current players...for 2 1/2 hours. I got to see the Twins beat the White Sox at the BEAUTIFUL Target Field. Andrew and I had a great time, even if it was a bit chilly. Got to see Charissa's band concert. Got a new phone and a new bank. Got a hair cut. The only real downside of the trip, besides that you can never really see enough of loved ones in such a short time, was that my softball game was rained out. I had been hoping to make a guest appearance with the Calvary Stars while I was back but it was not to be. I'll just have to keep looking for a team around here I guess (I miss sports, I have not had much opportunity to play much of anything here, despite the great weather).

Well that more or less brings you up to date. I arrived in Burbank on Tuesday evening and spent the next two days on set at Huge. So after those early/long days I've spent the last two days relaxing and recovering from lots of flying and visiting. I'm starting to feel settled here again.

New roommates soon. Update coming then.

Not Much Time

I'm about to board a plane to go to my brother's graduation in Wheaton. I will then be home from the 11th-18th and will be looking to see people while I'm there. I will try to post a real update in the next couple days for those wondering what has been going on in my life that has delayed my last promised update. Laters.

Whoa, it has been a while!

Wow, sorry everyone. That hiatus got away from me a little bit. I was getting tired of writing about how nothing new was happening and then when things were happening I forgot to update you. Or maybe I was just too busy. Yea, I'll go with that one.

So where to start? I guess I'll start with what has taken up a majority of my time over the last month. No, not work. Well kind of. Between the dates of March 10th and April 7th I had a grand total of 4 days where I did not have a visitor from Minnesota. And that is generous, technically Cory was still in the state for 3 of those days, just not with me. And I wrapped it up on the 8th with a trip to Anaheim (with the remaining Lindhs I hadn't seen yet) to watch the Twins hammer the Angels 10-1.

It was a great month, though work was difficult to come by or pursue with all the visitors. My mom and my sister were here from the 10th through the 16th. It was incredible to have family in town. Friends are great but it's just hard to compete with family. Also, my mom bought me lots of stuff and that is always fun for a jobless guy. :)

My old roommate Tim came to visit for two weeks and that was a grand old time as well. Tim is hoping to move here soon himself and it was fun to sample a little bit of what life could be like with him out here. I was sad to see him go.

But what else? Hmmm. Well I've been getting more work in background stuff, which is good. I have worked on Cougar Town, Bones and a new NBC show called the Cape that will premier in the fall. So that's two season finales and a pilot for those keeping track at home. If anyone wants to know how Bones ends this year by the way, let me know. I was there for the final scene of the finale.

But most recently I've been working on another pilot. This one is on ABC Family and is called "Huge". It is about high school students at a fat camp. And yes, I get to be one of the campers. Because it is a camp, I am going to be a regular on the show (they need to keep the same campers and staff or it doesn't seem like a summer camp).

What this means is that I may be getting 2-5 days a week of work (I think, this week is my first full week so I will know more next weekend) on this show every week through the end of July when it wraps the first season. Now this is significant because Hollywood has recently entered what is commonly known as "hiatus". This is the time when all the network shows have finished filming for the season and none of the movies filming over the summer have started yet. It is a roughly 2 month period covering April and May, even a little into June. And extra work dries up like a desert.

It's a little humbling to be cast as a high schooler at fat camp, I'm not going to lie. But then, if I had followed my instinct and started working out two months ago, I wouldn't be getting work on this show (it also helps that I am probably still in the best shape of anyone else there). And therefore would be growing increasingly desperate, instead of increasingly confident. That hiatus, this show and my bank accounts dwindling numbers are coming together at this time in my life is not lost on me. Even if I don't get more than 1 or 2 days a week from this show, it is most definitely an answer to prayer.

So there you have it. Finally something worth mentioning besides the usual "nothing new to report". I will now have motivation to update this blog more regularly. Check back next weekend for an update on the "Huge" situation.

Kind of Tired but Here's a Quick Update

So I should probably be asleep but I had a request for some news.

Not a lot going on new right now, though hopefully on the horizon. Maybe fill in more on that later when I have more time.

Had my first extra job last Thursday. It was for "House", the popular Fox show. I was a wounded ER patient so that meant one thing: Hollywood makeup! Check out the result.



That was pretty cool. It was fun to be on a set again as that is my favorite place to be in the world. Extra work has been slow but hopefully this is a sign it is picking up. If not, I may resort to drastic measures. That's right, the hair may be coming off soon.

Anyways, hope that picture tides you over until some real news comes along.

My Perfect Plan

I have been holding off posting news until I have something to say but I might as well catch you all up on what my life is like right now.

Last weekend I went on the LAFSC Alumni "Dead Poets" retreat. Themed after the movie Dead Poets Society, the retreat is open to alumni and friends of alumni. In total there were about 30 people there for the weekend. We focused on being away from the hustle of life and unlocking our inner artist. It was a good time of fellowship and I met some very cool people.

In the nearly 6 months I've been in California, it was my first time outside the city. It was refreshing to see there is more to this state than lights and narcissism.

My job search continues. I am registered with a temp agency and will begin seeking placements soon. But that is plan B right now because...

I have signed up to be a background actor (extra) for film and television. I also have secured a "call-in service" which is essentially an agency for extras. They get me jobs and I pay them a small fee (unlike agents, it is not percentage based). I am excited about this prospect as it will allow me to be around the production side of things that I love. Perhaps more importantly though, I can potentially support myself on the income from this work alone if I get enough bookings (which, let's be honest, won't be hard looking like this->).

Since I haven't gotten any jobs yet from either source (I only finished registering yesterday/today) I have been hesitant to share about it. I am continuing to look for more stable work but this may be a pretty ideal situation for me (if a little insecure).

My current plan is to get as much extra work as I can. It's infinitely more enjoyable than office work and allows me to be around the production, which I love (ironic given my choice of profession). Additionally, I will have a lot of free hours on set to work on writing.

On the days that I am not able to get booked, I will try to secure short term (preferably just a single day) work through the temp agency. In the event that neither source can produce any work for me, I will spend my enjoyable day off working on my writing.

On paper it is a perfect plan. I will have lots of time to write, enough money to live on and lots of flexibility in my schedule. But as I have yet to discover how difficult securing work through either source will be, I may find myself in much the same position as I had previously been; looking for work and desperately worrying about running out of money before I find it. Pray on!

Oh, I almost forgot! The best news of all...I have found a broomball league that plays in Burbank once a month a mere five minute drive from my apartment! (Why yes, I can tell you which stick each of these broom heads belongs to...)
Sure it's probably a gross approximation of the game and the level of play will be rudimentary at best. But it's broomball sticks, a broomball and ice for two hours and I will be there. This is the first step in fulfilling my private dream of bringing a California team to Nationals one day. I can not wait!

In parting, here is a newt.