Plenty To Be Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on your life and count your blessings. As I was thinking about it today, there really is so much for me to be thankful for...

- My beautiful daughter Leisa must top the list! This was our fist Thanksgiving with her in our lives, and how special it was. I can't imagine life without her. She has completely changed my perspective on life, love and happiness.

- My adoring wife Kelly - my true inspiration in life! I would not be acting today if it wasn't for her. Kelly has taught me to pursue my dreams at any cost - and to never give up! Her unconditional love, understanding and support has been my inspiration to explore this endeavor - and I am thankful every day that she is in my life.

- My loving parents – who gave me every opportunity in life, and molded me into the man I am today. My mother is my biggest fan, and her ongoing encouragement keeps me striving for more. My father (who died in Nov 1999) is the man that taught me how to dream. He still remains my hero today.

- My family and friends. When I look back on my life, it’s my family and friends that have truly made a difference. I could take up a whole blog just writing about how special each one is in my life. No matter what else you have in life, nothing matters more than family and good friends. In that area, I am truly blessed!

- Denny Johnson. I have to list Denny separately since he has had such a huge impact on my life. Denny began to play a significant role in my life around the same time my father developed cancer in 1999. Over the past few years, Denny’s wisdom, encouragement, support and friendship has helped me grow into who I am today. Denny (along with his wife Fay and son Tim) have opened up their lives to me as if I was part of their family. Ever since he asked me to join SOFTRITE Technology, Inc. in 1999, my life has taken on greater meaning. In fact, I have applied many of the lessons that I have learned in our business to my acting career, and what a difference it has made. It’s because of Denny and SOFTRITE that I have the flexibility and means to pursue acting today – and for that I am truly thankful!

As you can see, I have much to be thankful for! Every person I have ever met is a thread in the tapestry of my life. Each one is a special part of me - and I don’t take any one of them for granted. Happy Thanksgiving!

Updates, Updates, Updates...

Wow there is a lot going on these days! I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving so I can have my one day to relax. But who am I kidding, I'm sure I'll be watching dallies or rehearsing lines or something. Anyway, here's the scoop...

- Day 3 of shooting The Misguided begins tomorrow. After viewing the dailies from Days 1 & 2, there are definitely things I need to correct for Day 3 (such as lighting and sound). It's amazing how subtle things can make a big difference.

- Tomorrow evening, I will be leaving the set of The Misguided and heading over to Tampa to be on set for The Uninvited. Greg Rivera is shooting the trailer for his upcoming film, and he has asked me to be part of it.

- I concluded my commercial shoot this week for Publix. It was a good experience to be involved with a big production - there was a 30 person crew with two film cameras. I tried to stay on set as much as possible and learn the details that make a difference (like lighting). Plus, it was also nice that this was a paid gig!

- I was cast as the lead in Philip Bache's upcoming feature film Untitled (which I am also a Co-Producer). Believe it or not, my status as a Co-Producer did not earn me the role, since I pulled myself off of the casting team when I decided to read for the part. I wanted to make sure that I was treated equally, and if I did get the part, I wanted it to be because of my talent. I am very excited about this role!

- I was also cast for a lead role in Alan Ronay's Underdose. I don't know too much about the role yet, but we will be having a production meeting on Sunday, so stay tuned for the details.

That's about it for now, but I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about after the weekend. See you then...

Back to Reality

Ok... so it's been a couple of days since the shoot for The Misguided, and I am finally coming back to reality. It was a hectic weekend of shooting, but a successful one as well. We managed to stay on schedule and get all of the shots that we were hoping for. I am still in a daze this week from it all, and my focus is on this Saturday's shoot. I can't relax until after all of the shots are on tape.

I must say that the performances from the actors were incredible - better than I could have ever hoped for. I can't wait to review the dailies to see if it all looks as good on tape as it did on set.

I will have more soon on the overall experience on set, as well as the many other things going on - but for now, I must stay focused. Stay tuned...

The Final Countdown

I can't believe the shoot for The Misguided is here already! It has been an incredible journey so far, and I am excited about the shoot. Call time is tomorrow morning at 8am...

Today I am going through all of the final details... crossing all of the T's and dotting all of the I's. I want to make sure that we are prepared when we are on set, so I try to think of every possible scenario and create a plan or contingency for it. I'm sure things will surface that I haven't thought about yet, but I think I have most of it covered.

So for now, I am looking over my list and checking it twice, and hoping that Murphy will go a little easy on me this weekend.

The Art Of Casting

We held the casting for Untitled yesterday at Full Sail and what a day it was! Ten hours and 55 auditions later, we have our talent pool to choose from.

Casting is an art, in which you need to be able to ask the right questions and give the right direction in order to find what you are looking for. The most interesting thing I realized from yesterday was that each audition was different. Everyone brought something different to the table, and even when reads seemed similar, it was our job to find a way to get the talent to do something unique. At the end of the day, we don't want review a group of actors on tape that are all the same. We need the variety to choose from. And I think we accomplished just that.

It was amazing how much support we got yesterday with the casting. Many of our friends came out to assist Phil Bache, Kenny Matthews and I in any way they could, and we are grateful to them all - Daniel, Sonya, Brett, Henry, Robb, Steve and Desiree. We could not have done it without their contribution.

Stay tuned... more to come!

Where Do I Find The Time...

Here's a general recap of everything that has been going on...

- The Misguided is getting closer... we are a week away from shooting. I met with Randy Molnar and Melissa Gruver this week to review their roles, and I will be meeting with the McClellan's early next week. At this point, just about everything is locked down. Over the next week, I will finalize wardrobe, props, craft services, and schedules. I can't believe it's almost here!

- We are casting for Untitled tomorrow and that should be a long and tiring day! We will arrive at Full Sail around 12pm to set things up, and we will probably not leave until about 10pm. I am excited about the response so far to our audition notice, and I am looking forward to meeting all of the potential talent.

- This past Tuesday, I had the opportunity to go on a commercial audition. I don't do much commercial work (since I spend most of my time in film), but I love the challenge and experience. A good friend reminded me this week that it's important to understand all aspects of your trade in order to excel at it!

- My last film/scene study class with Shauna Bartel will be this Sunday, and I will miss it! I love being in a class atmosphere, because it gives me the creative freedom to try new things and learn from them. I will be patiently waiting for new classes to start up in January.

- I have started assisting Shauna Bartel with her C*A*S*T classes. I have learned so much from Shauna and her teachings, and I love having the opportunity to give something back - both to Shauna and her students.

That's about it for now! Stay tuned... next week will surely be a busy one as I prepare for The Misguided.