Learn why I will be on TV this summer as the guy not annoying the crew!

Like much of the country, Los Angeles has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

I should say most of the city has come to a halt. The casting notices that still arrive in my email are almost always for Scientology projects. While I like making extra money, I'm not that desperate to make extra money.

Before production on TV shows closed down for the foreseeable future, I did some background work on one of the ABC Summer Fun and Games shows. Background work on a TV show is an easy way to make extra money for a few hours of work. I signed a mountain of paperwork that forbids me from telling you the show I worked on but I can tell you that it will be hard to miss me when you are watching the show.

While killing time between shots, I rediscovered just how desperate some people are to be on camera. There were maybe 200 extras that night and the producers placed everyone in certain positions on the set. The only direction we were given was to act excited each time the contestants were playing the game.

If you were not sufficiently excited, AKA you more concerned about looking good on TV, the producers would shuffle you out of the main shot and into the back of the audience.

When the first contestant was on camera, I was placed right by the stage and did my best to be excited without being over the top. Once the shot was over, all but one person around me was moved to a different spot and a new group of extras entered the shot.

I was there for 5 hours and I was never moved out of the shot. I met a lot of different people because they kept rotating extras near me trying to make sure they found excited people to root for the contestants.

I'm not saying I'm the greatest extra in the world. I am saying I know how to pay attention, follow directions and not be annoying to the crew. Here are just a few of the people I met that night that did not make it into the main shot:

• The truck driver that was a combination actor/Johnny Cash fan that insisted on singing "Ring of Fire" for the crowd/political expert
• The woman that had been there before and "knew how it worked" and was instantly moved out of the main shot
• The comedian that saw the crowd as a chance to "workshop some new material"
• The guy that complained about how long it took him to drive to set (as if everyone else did not have a long drive)
• The two "directors" in the crowd that questioned every camera angle that night

I realize I was one of the few extras on set that night without a big dream of being an actor. My dream that night involved calculating my hourly pay as filming continued throughout the evening.  It always amazes me how some people with show business dreams in their head don't have the ability to read the room and tell when they have crossed the line between being entertaining and turning the crew against them by trying too hard to impress them with their "wit and charm".

I did get thanked at the end of the night by a few members of the crew for being easy to work with and "rolling with whatever we asked you to do".

I also received a few direct messages from the casting director of the show the day after the taping. They asked me if I would like to work again and to just let them know what times worked for me out of the list they sent me.

I would have been happy to work again but production was stopped for the safety of everyone involved.

What is the moral of this story?

It doesn't help you to act like a star if you don't know how to act like a star that is also not overbearing or obnoxious.  Act like a professional and not like a person waiting to be discovered that night.

You will lose your screen time to the one person on set that doesn't care about his amount of camera time at all.

Here is one of my favorite on camera talents.

Here is my other favorite on camera talent.

Here's to Eight Years of Acting in Los Angeles

As I was looking at my Google Calendar to see the various writing tasks and calls I need to handle this week, I noticed that the 8th anniversary of our move to Los Angeles is this week.

In fact, it is today (as I write this blog on the 22nd).

It's hard for me to believe that so much time has passed. While Zach's career has certainly evolved, all of our lives have changed greatly over the past eight years.

The Decision to Move to Los Angeles

When we moved here in 2012, it was just Zach and his dad on their own as Dana stayed behind in St. Louis in case Zach didn't like living in Los Angeles or if the grind of auditions was too much for him. We didn't really need to worry because he took to California and auditions instantly and never looked back.

I'll always remember going back to St. Louis to see Dana after being in California for a little while:

• The first visit (about six weeks after we moved) had the feeling of "We're home!" Landing at LAX after that trip was very much the feeling of "Okay...Here we are...Woo"
• The second visit was about six weeks later and we were certainly thrilled to see Dana. This trip was different because Zach had already filmed a commercial for Hotmail as well as his first direct to DVD film. It really felt more like we were visitors in St. Louis instead of being at home. Plus, Zach's paycheck for his DVD movie was waiting for him in our mailbox when we got back to California so he was thrilled to be back in LA.
• Zach was also starting to be recognized and known by casting directors and it seemed like each trip also involved having to turn down a paid gig.  Don't get me wrong...We wanted to see Dana and Doc (the faithful dog) but we also wanted to strike while Zach was gaining momentum.

We eventually made the decision in the summer of 2012 for all of us to live in California. 

Changes for All of Us

One of the biggest changes for Zach was essentially going to school at home most of the time. He went to a place called Options for Youth which was the home of many teen actors that didn't have time to go to school on a regular basis. He went to Options one hour a week for tests and to check-in with his teacher. The rest of his work was done at home. While that might sound easy, his studies took eight hours a day (or more) so he was still doing school full-time but all of his school work was at home or on-set.

I was putting together writing gigs and other odd jobs because one of Zach's parents had to be on-set with him since he was underage. There are many times that I don't remember what I wrote at all but I do remember where I did my writing assignments. From a summer camp in the woods of Oregon to a move set in Illinois (outside of St. Louis) to Nick on Sunset to the set of "Modern Family" and libraries, coffee shops, airplanes and offices throughout the greater Los Angeles area, I wrote anywhere and everywhere I could find decent Wi-Fi.

Dana amazed and impressed me when she arrived in Los Angeles. She arrived late on a Saturday night, let me show her how to find Koreatown (since she had never driven in Los Angeles) on Sunday and then she drove to work on the 101 solo on Monday for the first day of her new full time job.

When it comes to the work of the parents, our respective career trajectories have both taken a few hits and bumps over the past eight years but we are still going strong.  Since 2012, some of the tasks I have handled include:

• Starting my own successful marketing and PR firm
• Writing more articles about plastic surgery than I can possibly remember for an online plastic surgery news and medical information journal 
• Edited and wrote the content for a plastic surgery journal that was printed and distributed to medical offices all across the United States
• Worked on a real estate crowdfunding project
• Worked on a website for online health insurance quotes
• Worked for a social media management company
• Planned and executed marketing campaigns for the World Congress on Insulin Resistance Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease 
• Did work for a PR firm that believed the Internet was not a viable marketing tool and they would only work with clients that agreed their PR should only be in print magazines

Isn't this a Blog about Acting?

Zach has been very lucky in that he has kept the same manager since we arrived in Hollywood. His manager is like a second mother to him and always has his best interests (personally and professionally) at heart.

Zach has had multiple agents due to some of his agent teams splitting up, leaving their agency or Zach aging out of the youth division of some firms. His current agents "get him" and are always sending him on interesting and challenging auditions.

His bookings in Hollywood have ranged from:

• A Hotmail commercial
• A direct to DVD family holiday movie
• A recurring role on a Nickelodeon show
• A Disney pilot
• A web series about a scout camp
• Stand-up gigs at multiple clubs in Los Angeles
• A feature film that was shot in the St. Louis area
• Cast member at Second City Hollywood
• Guest spots and background work on multiple sitcoms and dramas

At last count, he has 30 IMDb credits. He is also currently attending college to study screenwriting and directing.

He still performs stand-up at clubs in the LA area. The main difference is that he is now old enough to get in clubs as opposed to the days when he was not even 18 years old and we just kept quiet about that fact when he was performing. He did get busted the night he was scheduled to make his debut at The Comedy Store. Even though Zach was on the bill, the bouncer would not let him in the building since he was under the age of 21. He couldn't even go inside to tell the promoter that he could not get in the door so I had to go into the club and deliver the news. (That was "fun")

Like any good Dadager, I've kept plenty of photos over the years and here are some of my favorites of The Artist in action:

Zach's first booked gig in LA - A Hotmail spot shot near Venice Beach

Zach's second time on Modern Family - His connection with Jeff (the guy in charge of booking actors that can pass as football players on multiple shows) led to his recurring role on the show below:

"Quiet Chris" on "Bella and the Bulldogs"

His work on "Bella" also led to some work on "Fresh Off The Boat"

"Willy" from "Camp Abercorn"

A music video for (maybe) Walk the Earth (not 100% sure)

Various stand-up gigs

Zach on HBO's "Sharp Objects"

A New Decade and New Projects

The last decade was good to Zach and his career but the future looks just as bright.

As I mentioned above, he is attending college to study screenwriting and directing as well as working on projects with his friends and classmates.

One of the most recent developments is the start of a YouTube channel with his good friend, Jake. The channel is called Some Skits 'N' Some Guys and the link is in the name if you want to learn more about their comedy offerings.

I mentioned his IMDb page earlier. If you want to check out his 30 (and growing) credits just click here for the Zach Louis IMDb page. 

Between acting, school, stand-up, YouTube and his never ending pile of laundry, Zach is busy but enjoying his life as an actor.

Here's to eight years (and counting) in Los Angeles. I can't wait to see what years nine, ten and beyond bring for my favorite actor.

Did I mention Zach has an IMDb page???