Why Haven't I Been Posting Lately?

There has been a definite lack of new posts by me in the last few months. I have plenty to discuss and stories to share from Hollywood. The main problems are a lack of free time and (sometimes) a lack of motivation to compose a new blog.

It's not that I don't want to update my blog on a regular basis. There are just times when my brain is in "writer overload" mode.  In the past two weeks, I have written a combination of news stories, blogs, articles and white papers about these topics:

*The overseas cryptocurrency market

*Fishing season tips for residents of Texas

*Cosmetic surgery including Mommy Makeover, Rhinoplasty Revision, BBL and forms of Lipo

*Steps to take when talking to insurance companies after a hurricane

*Hot topics for parents in 2018

*How to track down company funding information

*A new cosmetics line based in Greece

*A film festival manual for aspiring filmmakers

*Duct cleaning scams

*Crowdfunding ideas and incentives for a number of companies

After spending about 10 hours a day writing, I sometimes don't have the mental energy to compose a thoughtful blog. 

While I might not be able to update you on Zach's adventures as often as I would like, I will give you a quick bullet point rundown of his recent activities:

• Contacted by "America's Got Talent" 
• Appearing on "Fresh off the Boat" 
• Stand up gigs in Burbank and Pasadena
• A show at iO West
• Auditions for series leads and recurring characters
• A part in a play running every weekend in North Hollywood

The kid stays busy while also going to college and working at Universal Studios.

Even if I don't get a chance to share everything with you on my blog, I do update his adventures in Hollywood on my social media pages. The links to my social media profiles can be found on the right side of this page.

Thanks for your patience. I will be back with more tales of Hollywood as soon as possible!

You can always check this page for updates on The Artist.

The Chance To Perform Is Always There (If You Look For It)

I often receive emails asking me when Zach will be on TV again  or when he will be in a movie on the big screen or direct to DVD.

To answer those questions, he will be seen on television sooner (rather than later) in an episode of "Fresh Off The Boat" as well as an episode of the new HBO series "Sharp Objects" starring Amy Adams.  However, these are not the only projects he has been working on in 2017.

Acting is a tough business because the odds of you landing a part are not in your favor if you stop and think about it:

• Agents and managers submit their clients to casting directors
• By the time all of the submissions are turned in, the casting directors likely have hundreds of submissions to look at
• Out of the hundreds of submissions, they will choose anywhere from 5 to 50 actors to read for the part
• Out of that group of actors, some may get a callback while others will never hear anything from the casting folks about the part
• The lucky actor is finally picked out of the hundreds of submissions that started the process

When you break down the various steps in the casting process, it's easy to see why the odds of landing a role are not in the favor of an actor.

That is one of the main reasons why many actors (like Zach) find other avenues to practice their craft beyond being on a film or television set.

Since July of this year, Zach has either been practicing or appearing in two plays in North Hollywood:

1. "The Marriage Zone" (which recently completed its run with Zach in the role of "Ryan")
2. "Somewhere in the Middle" (which recently extended its run with Zach in the role of "Adam")

Plus, he has been working on expanding his comedy career by playing new comedy clubs and networking with both established and rising comedians in Los Angeles.  He just added The Ice House in Pasadena as one of his regular venues and is already working the main room of the club.

While Zach certainly enjoys being on set and acting in front of the camera, he also understands the need to keep his acting skills sharp between movie and TV roles. I admire him for taking matters into his own hands and creating opportunities that give him the chance to perform in front of audiences that might not have a chance to see him otherwise.

Staying busy, and staying focused, are paying off for him now. I believe that his hard work and dedication will pay off with more big (and small) screen roles in the future.

This actor is also a stand up comedian and a thespian. 

Why Are Commercial Auditions Slower In The Summer?

Almost every actor in Hollywood has had a conversation with their agent or manager in the summertime where the actor complains that the number of auditions has been slow. The agent or manager will always reply by saying that it is slow this summer.

That answer translates to....It is slow every summer in Los Angeles.

It is certainly busy in the winter and early spring during pilot season. Auditions pick up again in the fall when episodic season begins. Thankfully, episodic season is not the only work opportunity in the fall.

Commercial casting increases towards the end of summer thanks to a number of factors:

• Christmas commercials increase in number as companies make their annual pitch for holiday dollars to be spent in their stores
• The increase in Christmas commercials also means an increase in modeling and catalog work as companies display the items they have for sale this holiday season
• Car commercials are big as automakers try to get rid of older models as well as introduce the autos for next year

Plus, the summer TV schedules on the major networks are mostly filled with reruns, games shows and reality TV shows. Many advertisers save their ad dollars for the fall when the majority of the scripted TV shows start their seasons. This means casting directors have more commercial work in the fall.

The important thing for actors to remember is that they are not doing anything wrong if they have a lack of commercial auditions in the summer. It is simply a slow time for actors in general.

Actors should enjoy the quiet time and work on personal projects that are important to them. If they get really lucky in the fall, they won't have any spare time to work on those passion projects.

This actor is staying busy with stand up comedy and stage plays.

All The World Is A Stage

The Artist had an audition last night for a play. While this isn't his usual type of acting gig, he has performed in plays in the past.

Zach arrived at the theater and was greeted by a long-haired dachshund and four older gentlemen who looked like they were booked by Central Casting to play the part of theater directors. They were dressed in a variety of hats and scarves and sat in the shadows to observe the proceedings happening on the stage.

After the initial introductions ended, Zach was called up to the stage to perform his scene, The character was a smarty pants teenager having a conversation with his mother. He performed the scene with a reader sitting to the side of the stage. The scene ended and there was silence in the room. Finally, the guy in charge of the group of theater people said this insightful comment:

"Huh."

Silence once again filled the room as everyone tried to determine what he meant by that one word comment. Zach was the first to speak up:

"I have absolutely no idea what that comment could possibly mean."

Everybody laughed and the audition director gave Zach a few notes while looking at his resume. The director noticed all of the comedy and improv in his background and remarked that he had perfect training to play a kid with a smart mouth. After a few more jokes back and forth, they started the scene again. Zach got halfway through when the director said that was enough. Of course, Zach was afraid that he had missed a line or not followed the directions properly. Instead, the director said:

"Callbacks are Monday night at 8pm. Can you be here???"

After agreeing to the time and date, Zach was dismissed from the stage.

Think good thoughts for him over the weekend and into Monday night for his callback. He is okay with not getting much in the way of conversation from the folks running the audition as long as they keep inviting him back to the theater.

This actor also has a stand-up comedy gig next week.