The industry is strange

'13 has been a good year so far. The industry has been kind.

There's a lot of really great networking opportunities going on in New York right now,
and I would recommend checking out all of them. There's a great group called T@9 that
conducts weekly table readings of various writers from around the city. Met some kind
and quirky actors out there. And lately I've gone to a couple of agent workshops through
TheNetworkStudioEast and they've been very helpful in getting that elusive "face to face"
with city agencies, and couple of encouraging casting directors.

The industry is strange, and the grind of the work is often tedious. It certainly will
test your mettle. But the old cliche really is true, its a marathon not a sprint. This is
easy to forget. Especially in the throes of a large city, the starving artist lifestyle
can easily beget an all or nothing attitude when it comes to that big meeting, or call back.
This is natural, but destructive.

Walking into an audition nervous is like trying to hide fear from an angry dog.
They can smell it on you.

I had a big workshop coming up with one of the major agencies about a month ago,
and while I knew my monologue was strong, I really wanted to knock out the interview.
Long story short, too much coffee and adrenaline, and I went in there with a shaky voice
and a anxious story about wanting to get signed. Actors should never come off as desperate.
It's not a good look. It undercuts the cooler than life attitude that we suppose to be exuding
in the first place, especially for film work. Even if you're not fully assured in yourself, always
project that you are. At the end of the day you don't know what they're really looking for,
and in most cases they don't know what they're looking for. They're just hoping to be impressed,
so it might as well be you.

Thats why its so important to make time for rest and relaxation.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the industry is strange. One minute you're moving
to Hollywood with a trunk full of clothes and a head full of dreams and the next  minute
you're craigslisting a room in Koreatown with a couple of shady asians and an aussie
cableguy with no green card. But you roll with the punches. And you bounce back.
No more than 3 months later I had a new safe apartment (safe for East LA), a lead in
an indie zombie flick, and a production company that actually paid me on time. (Taurus Ent)
So I guess in the end its all about keeping that gear in cruise and a lot of coffee in the cup holder.
Or whatever keeps you going. But slow and steady wins the race. That much is certain.