Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Friday, December 21, 2012
Happy End of Days!
It's December 21st, 2012. I have been terrified of this day, which as we all know marks the end of the Mayan calendar, since I was in 7th grade. My History teacher told us about it during our daily tradition of "News Quiz," in which he'd ask the entire class questions about current events before beginning our daily lecture. I don't think there were any prizes involved, but it was always a really competitive game. I was great at the game -- particularly when the "news" of the early 2000's had to do with arts/leisure topics, such as what Liza Minelli was up to at the time, etc (mainly, she was being dramatic). When he asked us a question about doomsday during a typical game of "News Quiz," no one could answer, and he proceeded to describe the predictions about 12/21/12, and how so many recent events pointed to how the world was definitely going to end very soon (this was 2001, right after the 9/11 attacks, mind you). Yours truly, a highly sensitive artist type for whom middle school was a fragile time, excused herself from class to hide in the bathroom for a few minutes to calm down. I simply couldn't listen to my teacher talk about these predictions without thinking he was right...
Since then, I've kept the date in the back of my mind. It's been a reminder that whatever is bothering me isn't that bad in times of desperation, because if the world's ending in 2012, then how much can it matter? This attitude has allowed me to let go of anxiety in trying moments, which is only a good thing for someone who is analytical and tends to overthink things. Now that the 21st is finally here, it's a bit anti-climactic. I'm still a sensitive artist type, but I've definitely grown up a lot since 7th grade, and now try my best to face anxiety-provoking things rather than run to a safe space to hide.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to perform something that I wrote. I'm a bit of a perfectionist -- okay, more than a bit -- so I've been wary of sharing my writing with an audience before it's "ready" (aka "perfect"). But hey, if the world was going to end today, what good would it serve me to keep all of my writing to myself, saved on my computer? Luckily, my talented friend Jenny read a scene that I wrote for us at the 11th hour for an audition for the first-ever Actor's Key Holiday Showcase. She loved the scene, and agreed to work with me on it and dove in with dedication and tons of ideas. The result was that we were cast in the showcase, and joined forces with an amazing team of actors and creatives. Our director, Carmen Aiello, was amazing!!
Here are some pictures from the showcase:
It doesn't look like the world is ending today, but even so, I'm glad we got to perform our scene before the 21st, just in case!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Tiny Dreams
Woooosh! That was onomatopoeia for the year flying by! Seriously though, doesn't it sometimes seem unfair that everything (tons of work/holidays/copious amounts of food/weather/sickness/happiness/joy/depression/Lifetime Christmas movies or Elizabeth Taylor biopic ones) is crammed into a small chunk of the year? It's like, hey, stuff that takes up my time/energy: spread the wealth, and maybe go situate yourself in February when absolutely nothing happens? I guess having everything at once/it pouring when it rains (can I do that? Re-word an aphorism?) isn't what's crazy -- it's how fast it seems to go by. Chanukah is in, like, a week (what?)! I went on the Snapfish website today to order personalized holiday cards, and they had stopped advertising them already, as if to say that if you want to send out cards on time you should have already ordered them. And according to the ancient Mayans, the world is ending so soon! Clearly, the ancient Mayans/a lot of legit old civilizations that predicted this event didn't realize that the Game of Thrones season 3 premiere is in March 2013. Ergo, Armageddon shall have to wait.
Though the tryptophan level in my blood has been at an all-time high this November, I've had lots of energy. A couple weeks ago, I played a stewardess in a commercial for the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Ever since I flew on Emirates Air to Africa five years ago (side note: it is geographically inefficient to stop in Dubai "on the way" to Africa), I've had a secret desire to be a flight attendant (the Emirates ones are all supermodels that speak multiple languages). Well, mainly, I've just been dying to play dress up with a stewardess outfit. So this shoot was a mini-dream-come-true. I know they say to "dream big," but I have a lot of miniature-bite-sized dreams that are a little more realistic to conquer, this being one of them. I will post the footage as soon as I have it as the spot will only be running overseas in Europe, and potentially at those little kiosks at the actual airport in Deutschland. In the meantime, here are a couple of stills from the shoot. It was a fun day -- I always love working with foreigners because they are so direct when talking to you because of the language barrier.
Not merely a mini-dream, but more of an overall continuous feeling I have is the need to work with/be around animals. If you follow me on Instagram and have any experience with statistical analysis you know this since about 90% of my photographic material showcases one or both of my dogs. I had the gall to take them both to a Petco commercial audition last year and it was incredible! They didn't book the job, but still: 'twas a mini-dream-come-true. Occasionally I get to act with animals, and this is always SO COOL. Seriously, when animals are on set, everyone seems to revert to their childhood selves (which is pretty funny because I think a lot of people in this business were once really bizarre/awkward children). Here's me working with some animals in the past (one is a stuffed dead one, sadly):
So, imagine my surprise at my own feelings when I was terrified to work with an animal on set during one of my latest gigs. Due to having signed multiple NDA's, I can't say what this was for or really what kind of animal it was...okay fine, it was the male version of a cow. The kind with the horns, that doesn't like the color red, and is associated with the country of Spain. Yup, one of those. When I was signing release forms, it dawned on me that this animal could potentially hurt slash kill someone, and that that someone could be me. After much deliberation and in-depth conversations with production, I stuck with the shoot. The animal was a pro and did his job like a seasoned thespian. So, continuous mini-dream of working with animals? Check! When the time is right, I shall reveal the details/footage from this foray into episodic television.
In other news, I just shot a national commercial for a popular dating site, which will begin airing in January. Having a consistent commercial booking track record is another mini-dream of mine that I have been fulfilling over the last few months. And finally, I am proud to announce on this here blog of mine that I have just signed with a manager. For those of you who are (un)fortunate enough to hear me talk about career-related and existential things like "what am I DOING?!" this should come as wonderful news! I have been wanting a manager for quite some time now and am feel really good about this new business relationship. Another teeny tiny dream, accomplished!
So basically, the moral of this post is that you can't really fulfill bigger dreams without knocking out and enjoying the little ones along the way. I know that's obvious and cheesy but this is the holiday season so I have permission to be cheesy and obvious. Because before you know it, it'll be 2013...woooooooosh!!!
Though the tryptophan level in my blood has been at an all-time high this November, I've had lots of energy. A couple weeks ago, I played a stewardess in a commercial for the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Ever since I flew on Emirates Air to Africa five years ago (side note: it is geographically inefficient to stop in Dubai "on the way" to Africa), I've had a secret desire to be a flight attendant (the Emirates ones are all supermodels that speak multiple languages). Well, mainly, I've just been dying to play dress up with a stewardess outfit. So this shoot was a mini-dream-come-true. I know they say to "dream big," but I have a lot of miniature-bite-sized dreams that are a little more realistic to conquer, this being one of them. I will post the footage as soon as I have it as the spot will only be running overseas in Europe, and potentially at those little kiosks at the actual airport in Deutschland. In the meantime, here are a couple of stills from the shoot. It was a fun day -- I always love working with foreigners because they are so direct when talking to you because of the language barrier.
Not merely a mini-dream, but more of an overall continuous feeling I have is the need to work with/be around animals. If you follow me on Instagram and have any experience with statistical analysis you know this since about 90% of my photographic material showcases one or both of my dogs. I had the gall to take them both to a Petco commercial audition last year and it was incredible! They didn't book the job, but still: 'twas a mini-dream-come-true. Occasionally I get to act with animals, and this is always SO COOL. Seriously, when animals are on set, everyone seems to revert to their childhood selves (which is pretty funny because I think a lot of people in this business were once really bizarre/awkward children). Here's me working with some animals in the past (one is a stuffed dead one, sadly):
So, imagine my surprise at my own feelings when I was terrified to work with an animal on set during one of my latest gigs. Due to having signed multiple NDA's, I can't say what this was for or really what kind of animal it was...okay fine, it was the male version of a cow. The kind with the horns, that doesn't like the color red, and is associated with the country of Spain. Yup, one of those. When I was signing release forms, it dawned on me that this animal could potentially hurt slash kill someone, and that that someone could be me. After much deliberation and in-depth conversations with production, I stuck with the shoot. The animal was a pro and did his job like a seasoned thespian. So, continuous mini-dream of working with animals? Check! When the time is right, I shall reveal the details/footage from this foray into episodic television.
In other news, I just shot a national commercial for a popular dating site, which will begin airing in January. Having a consistent commercial booking track record is another mini-dream of mine that I have been fulfilling over the last few months. And finally, I am proud to announce on this here blog of mine that I have just signed with a manager. For those of you who are (un)fortunate enough to hear me talk about career-related and existential things like "what am I DOING?!" this should come as wonderful news! I have been wanting a manager for quite some time now and am feel really good about this new business relationship. Another teeny tiny dream, accomplished!
So basically, the moral of this post is that you can't really fulfill bigger dreams without knocking out and enjoying the little ones along the way. I know that's obvious and cheesy but this is the holiday season so I have permission to be cheesy and obvious. Because before you know it, it'll be 2013...woooooooosh!!!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Reel Love, Part Deux
Hi Hi Hi!
Updates, updates, updates! I know that's why you're here, right? Because you're somehow invested in my career? Maybe we're related, maybe we met once, maybe you hate me, I don't know. Maybs you're just bored. I just want to give you what you want! Let's face it, I'm not writing about the election or offering witty advice (who wants self-help tips from a 24-year-old anyway? Apparently a lot of people, according to Random House/Lena Dunham, but still).
It's been a fun month in my work world and life. I turned 24 (yikes! Only one more year to get famous!!), and I wrapped shooting If We Were Adults, which was a pretty stellar experience...stellar rehearsals, great cast and crew -- it all went so smoothly and reminded me why I love being on set. How does that cheesy but true quote go? "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life," by some guy named Confucius or something? Well that guy was right, I must confess. Waking up at dawn to drive to set rarely feels like the negative connotation of "work" (especially if said set has a Nespresso machine at crafty. That's on my wish list, if anyone wants to buy me a belated Birthday present or a "just because" gift!!). I'm excited to see the movie once it's finished! Here are a couple stills from the shoot:
I know I said earlier that I wouldn't be engaging in any political commentary, but I have to mention that I was involved in making an internet PSA for the Obama campaign, thanks to my voice teacher/mentor/dear friend Beth. Hanging out with like-minded artists who were donating their time for this cause last Sunday was kinda magical, and there wasn't much "acting" involved. We were given the freedom to talk about anything that we were passionate about that Obama had accomplished during his first term. Here is a sneak-peek still from that shoot, and I'll post the video as soon as it's up:
And last but certainly not least, the Hasbro Game Night commercials I shot over the summer have been airing, and you lovely people have been seeing them and telling me! Thank you so much for giving me a shout out when you see my face on screen for 15 seconds! This makes me feel loved and let's me know that you've been watching reruns of Friends on TBS and The Today Show and tons of reality television on Bravo and E! since that's when these commercials tend to run. I want to thank you for your support and commend you for your excellent taste in television!
This commercial campaign in conjunction with a super cool/futuristic spot for Toyota (in which I get to buy a brand new candy-apple-red Camry and am extremely jealous of my commercial alter-ego/character, and for which I had a 3:30 am call time and when we broke for lunch at 8:30 am and the caterer asked if I would like a slice of prime rib I nearly lost the lunch I had already ingested) has allowed me to cut a commercial reel, which I'm excited to share with you. Sure, it may be short, but it sure is sweet, and represents a lot of hard work. Enjoy!!!!!
Updates, updates, updates! I know that's why you're here, right? Because you're somehow invested in my career? Maybe we're related, maybe we met once, maybe you hate me, I don't know. Maybs you're just bored. I just want to give you what you want! Let's face it, I'm not writing about the election or offering witty advice (who wants self-help tips from a 24-year-old anyway? Apparently a lot of people, according to Random House/Lena Dunham, but still).
It's been a fun month in my work world and life. I turned 24 (yikes! Only one more year to get famous!!), and I wrapped shooting If We Were Adults, which was a pretty stellar experience...stellar rehearsals, great cast and crew -- it all went so smoothly and reminded me why I love being on set. How does that cheesy but true quote go? "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life," by some guy named Confucius or something? Well that guy was right, I must confess. Waking up at dawn to drive to set rarely feels like the negative connotation of "work" (especially if said set has a Nespresso machine at crafty. That's on my wish list, if anyone wants to buy me a belated Birthday present or a "just because" gift!!). I'm excited to see the movie once it's finished! Here are a couple stills from the shoot:
I know I said earlier that I wouldn't be engaging in any political commentary, but I have to mention that I was involved in making an internet PSA for the Obama campaign, thanks to my voice teacher/mentor/dear friend Beth. Hanging out with like-minded artists who were donating their time for this cause last Sunday was kinda magical, and there wasn't much "acting" involved. We were given the freedom to talk about anything that we were passionate about that Obama had accomplished during his first term. Here is a sneak-peek still from that shoot, and I'll post the video as soon as it's up:
And last but certainly not least, the Hasbro Game Night commercials I shot over the summer have been airing, and you lovely people have been seeing them and telling me! Thank you so much for giving me a shout out when you see my face on screen for 15 seconds! This makes me feel loved and let's me know that you've been watching reruns of Friends on TBS and The Today Show and tons of reality television on Bravo and E! since that's when these commercials tend to run. I want to thank you for your support and commend you for your excellent taste in television!
This commercial campaign in conjunction with a super cool/futuristic spot for Toyota (in which I get to buy a brand new candy-apple-red Camry and am extremely jealous of my commercial alter-ego/character, and for which I had a 3:30 am call time and when we broke for lunch at 8:30 am and the caterer asked if I would like a slice of prime rib I nearly lost the lunch I had already ingested) has allowed me to cut a commercial reel, which I'm excited to share with you. Sure, it may be short, but it sure is sweet, and represents a lot of hard work. Enjoy!!!!!
Monday, September 3, 2012
An Endsummer Night's Dream
Hey Honey Boo Boo Children,
So Labor Day sort of marks the end of the summer season, socially speaking. Sure, "summer" ends on September 21st or what not, but truly, tomorrow (September 4th) for most people means a lot less play and a lot more work -- I can tell by the number of emails that started rolling in from tutoring clients around 5 pm today that were ridden with back to school anxiety. If you live in LA you can continue to wear white (or at least I will, and I carry the authority to give you permission to as well because I am a proud Vogue subscriber who purchased said subscription through Groupon on a whim), and though I've painted my nails a gorgeous shade of onyx in preparation for autumn, my favorite season (cute hats, scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, my birthday, a general feeling of productiveness, September issue of Vogue, etc.), for tonight, we can still revel in the fact that it is summer!!
This has been quite a roller coaster of a summer for yours truly. My travel plans kept changing due to bookings and on-avails and on-holds (this is a good thing -- note: I am in no way, shape, or form complaining), I was far away from my boyfriend and dogs, my sister went off to college, my 20-year-old cat passed away, I learned how to ride a bike at 23 (seriously), invested in some permanent wearable art, got an awesome traffic ticket, got realllly into Game of Thrones (and this takes up a lot of mental and emotional energy) -- in short, there were very few dull moments. Mainly, this was the first period of time when I was really pursuing acting full time without a regular day job, meaning that I had to live off ye olde actor wages (that is not a saying, I just made it up). I have to say, it was very fulfilling to prove to myself -- and the naysayers, be they who they will be! -- that I could do it!
Normally I wait to post on this blog until I have adequate footage and fun pictures to give you a visceral sense of what I'm up to, but I'm just gonna go with a list right now because I don't want anyone getting antsy. That way, you can already be in-the-know whenever I post the footage and pictures later on, ya know? Also, just because something doesn't have pictures doesn't mean it isn't cool. Don't you remember how exciting it was to move on to chapter books from picture books (sorry I've been tutoring elementary school students lately). Plus, whenever I click on a blog post it tends to have a list included, you know, like "25 Things to do Before You Turn 25" or "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days" or "10 Things I Hate About You" -- oh wait, the last two aren't blog posts but spectacular films. But you get the point.
In college, my curriculum was molded around Barnard College's "Nine Ways of Knowing." In honor of my sister starting her first day of classes as a first year there tomorrow, here are the "Nine Booking Highlights of Gilli's Summer" (by the way, if you're a grammar freak who is like, why is she writing some numbers as digits and others as words, just know that any number greater than or equal to 10 should be written as a digit -- 10 not ten -- and anything below as a word -- hence nine not 9. Just letting you know that I self-edit these posts in case you were worried).
Nine Booking Highlights of Gilli's Summer
- Filmed four national commercial spots for Hasbro with Neil Patrick Harris -- watch as they start to air!! You can see behind-the-scenes stuff HERE
- Shot an industrial for Toyota in which my character buys a brand-new candy apple red 2012 Camry -- how I wish life could imitate art
- Did some print work for Sketchers and the amazing photographer Mark Scott
- Acted as a 1920's flapper girl named "Doll Face" in a kick starter campaign for the new children's series Buddy Bear
- Continued my saga as a video girl and acted in Tegan and Sara's latest music video for the song "Closer." My friend Jett had to cut me a music video reel because I'm just so into being in music videos. Oh ya, that reminds me that in the beginning of the summer I did a music video for the band Lawson. Okay, #5 on this list is officially the stream of consciousness bullet point about music videos.
- Auditioned for and was cast in the film If We Were Adults which shoots in late September
- Update my website with my mom-ager Chana Messer
- Auditioned and passed into the first level of Groundlings...now I need to sign up for class!
- Last but not least, had some great close calls. Being on hold for roles is always a win in my book, and I had a lot of little wins this summer
Until next time,
Gilli
Friday, August 3, 2012
Keepin' it Class-y!
Happy Friday, world! TGIF! What are you up to tonight?
In reality, I can't really revel in Fridays as much as I once did. But maybe I can...I'll get to that later. Graduating from college means a lot of things, but specifically in regards to this post, it means that my life is no longer broken up into tangible pieces of time like semesters, summers, winter and spring breaks, and school-nights and weekends. Well, maybe pilot/episodic seasons, but not entirely. But I mean, what really is "time" anyway? It's merely a construct once dictated by the rhythm of the seasons and then by religion. It's an abstract concept that we've attempted to compartmentalize into pieces, and each culture does so on its own terms...oh wait, hold the phone -- graduating from college also means I can no longer talk like that and have it be socially acceptable or be assured that anyone is even listening. I'm no longer taking out loans to pay for a professor and my peers to argue with me and listen to me philosophize about this in a seminar setting around a round table meant to symbolically eliminate any inclination that hierarchy exists within academia. Oops.
When I first left my 9 to 5 (or let's be real, my "9 to whenever we're done and by the way we're working through lunch" job) to pursue acting full time, I didn't really treat it like a job or like running my own business, and after all, this is called show business. Rather than structuring my career in a balanced way, I felt like I should be working all the time. Instead of strategically allocating my energy where it needed to go, I wanted to be spinning my wheels all the time. Somewhere along the line, that changed -- well, not completely; it's a work in progress -- for the better. It changed when I started taking acting class again.
When I first moved home to LA, I confess that I somewhat subconsciously resisted taking acting class for the usual reasons -- I had already taken so many scene study classes in college and in conservatory, I wanted to spend time auditioning -- not in class, it was expensive, etc. etc. and so forth. But somewhere along the line, I caved in. I'm a lifelong student -- I love being in school. I am actually shocked that I'm surviving without being in school. Plus, the "business" side of show business was taking over, and the time I that I was actually "acting" paled in comparison to the amount of time I was spending on the other necessary aspects of my career (note: doing theatre also helps this feeling).
The time I now spend in class keeps me fresh and "in shape" for auditions and you know, those times when I'm actually doing what I want to be doing -- acting on set/stage/in front of a camera! Lawyers have to attend seminars and learn about new laws, right? Would you trust a surgeon to cut you open if they weren't constantly learning about the latest OR technologies? Ok, I'm not comparing myself to a surgeon. I don't save lives -- in fact, I had a 20-minute long completely serious conversation with a fellow actor the other day about how much commercial work he books when he has his full beard versus when he shaves it, at which point he was like, "somewhere in the world at this very a moment a surgeon is having a conversation with his nurses about saving a patient who is having open-heart surgery and this is what we're talking about?!" True, but, I mean, still. You get the picture. If I don't take myself seriously, who will?? And for the record, we both booked the commercial we were auditioning for together last week and they made him shave his beard. Surgeons/Actors? Pota-toe/Pot-ah-to!
Anyhow, being back in class has helped me allocate my energy where it needs to go, and has helped me restructure my life and time into as feasible of a work week as I can create. As an actor and freelancer, this has improved my quality of life immensely. It also gives me somewhere to go and something to rehearse for on those days when I don't have auditions. I've met some amazing people in class and feel like I'm finally a member of a community of actors, and that has really been the missing piece in the puzzle for me.
In April and May, I took a fantastic comedy intensive with the amazing Mary Lou Belli. A veteran sitcom director, Mary Lou's class will equip you with unbelievably valuable tools to act for the multi or single-cam sitcom. Plus, she brings in knowledgeable guests from the industry each and every class. Actors, writers, directors -- you must take this class! Like her on Facebook HERE to stay up to date on when she's teaching, because she is a prolific director and does not always have time to teach! Her book, The Sitcom Career Book, is literally the only one of its kind and is an asset to the aspiring actor, writer, director, script supervisor, art director -- basically anyone who wants to work on a sitcom in any capacity. You can buy it HERE.
I am also absolutely obsessingly in love with my classes at Lesly Kahn & Co. but I cannot give away any of the brilliant secrets that make it soooo good on the inter-web so if you're an actor, check it and see for yourself, if you know what's good for you!
Speaking of strict no-social-media policies -- which totally make sense and I completely understand; I used to work in PR, after all -- I may or may not have been working on a super exciting commercial campaign with this guy last week:
But I'm not officially saying anything here so we're all good, capiche?
In the meantime, check out this commercial SPOT I was in for Official.fm directed by Danny Lee.
I guess I should go enjoy my Friday night, now that I've preached about having normal work week...it just gets hard to delineate between what's work and what's play!
- Gilli
In reality, I can't really revel in Fridays as much as I once did. But maybe I can...I'll get to that later. Graduating from college means a lot of things, but specifically in regards to this post, it means that my life is no longer broken up into tangible pieces of time like semesters, summers, winter and spring breaks, and school-nights and weekends. Well, maybe pilot/episodic seasons, but not entirely. But I mean, what really is "time" anyway? It's merely a construct once dictated by the rhythm of the seasons and then by religion. It's an abstract concept that we've attempted to compartmentalize into pieces, and each culture does so on its own terms...oh wait, hold the phone -- graduating from college also means I can no longer talk like that and have it be socially acceptable or be assured that anyone is even listening. I'm no longer taking out loans to pay for a professor and my peers to argue with me and listen to me philosophize about this in a seminar setting around a round table meant to symbolically eliminate any inclination that hierarchy exists within academia. Oops.
When I first left my 9 to 5 (or let's be real, my "9 to whenever we're done and by the way we're working through lunch" job) to pursue acting full time, I didn't really treat it like a job or like running my own business, and after all, this is called show business. Rather than structuring my career in a balanced way, I felt like I should be working all the time. Instead of strategically allocating my energy where it needed to go, I wanted to be spinning my wheels all the time. Somewhere along the line, that changed -- well, not completely; it's a work in progress -- for the better. It changed when I started taking acting class again.
When I first moved home to LA, I confess that I somewhat subconsciously resisted taking acting class for the usual reasons -- I had already taken so many scene study classes in college and in conservatory, I wanted to spend time auditioning -- not in class, it was expensive, etc. etc. and so forth. But somewhere along the line, I caved in. I'm a lifelong student -- I love being in school. I am actually shocked that I'm surviving without being in school. Plus, the "business" side of show business was taking over, and the time I that I was actually "acting" paled in comparison to the amount of time I was spending on the other necessary aspects of my career (note: doing theatre also helps this feeling).
The time I now spend in class keeps me fresh and "in shape" for auditions and you know, those times when I'm actually doing what I want to be doing -- acting on set/stage/in front of a camera! Lawyers have to attend seminars and learn about new laws, right? Would you trust a surgeon to cut you open if they weren't constantly learning about the latest OR technologies? Ok, I'm not comparing myself to a surgeon. I don't save lives -- in fact, I had a 20-minute long completely serious conversation with a fellow actor the other day about how much commercial work he books when he has his full beard versus when he shaves it, at which point he was like, "somewhere in the world at this very a moment a surgeon is having a conversation with his nurses about saving a patient who is having open-heart surgery and this is what we're talking about?!" True, but, I mean, still. You get the picture. If I don't take myself seriously, who will?? And for the record, we both booked the commercial we were auditioning for together last week and they made him shave his beard. Surgeons/Actors? Pota-toe/Pot-ah-to!
Anyhow, being back in class has helped me allocate my energy where it needs to go, and has helped me restructure my life and time into as feasible of a work week as I can create. As an actor and freelancer, this has improved my quality of life immensely. It also gives me somewhere to go and something to rehearse for on those days when I don't have auditions. I've met some amazing people in class and feel like I'm finally a member of a community of actors, and that has really been the missing piece in the puzzle for me.
In April and May, I took a fantastic comedy intensive with the amazing Mary Lou Belli. A veteran sitcom director, Mary Lou's class will equip you with unbelievably valuable tools to act for the multi or single-cam sitcom. Plus, she brings in knowledgeable guests from the industry each and every class. Actors, writers, directors -- you must take this class! Like her on Facebook HERE to stay up to date on when she's teaching, because she is a prolific director and does not always have time to teach! Her book, The Sitcom Career Book, is literally the only one of its kind and is an asset to the aspiring actor, writer, director, script supervisor, art director -- basically anyone who wants to work on a sitcom in any capacity. You can buy it HERE.
I am also absolutely obsessingly in love with my classes at Lesly Kahn & Co. but I cannot give away any of the brilliant secrets that make it soooo good on the inter-web so if you're an actor, check it and see for yourself, if you know what's good for you!
Speaking of strict no-social-media policies -- which totally make sense and I completely understand; I used to work in PR, after all -- I may or may not have been working on a super exciting commercial campaign with this guy last week:
But I'm not officially saying anything here so we're all good, capiche?
In the meantime, check out this commercial SPOT I was in for Official.fm directed by Danny Lee.
I guess I should go enjoy my Friday night, now that I've preached about having normal work week...it just gets hard to delineate between what's work and what's play!
- Gilli
Friday, July 6, 2012
Model Behavior
Hi Friends!
I just looked at my blog and realized that it is now JULY and my last post was from way back in April. Time flies when you're busy! But being busy is also bad, says the Times. I've had a great mixture of busyness and well-deserved (at least that's what I tell myself) idleness over the past few months. One of the things that has kept me busy is modeling. So, like, if I told you that I was a model, would you believe me? Would you think I was flattering myself?
It's like I have the word "approachable" stamped on my forehead. When I lived in New York, crazy people would talk to me (and attack me) on the subway nonstop. When I lived in Moscow, people would rush up to me on the street and ask me for directions several times a day (regardless of the fact that my Russian vocabulary was less than perfect, shall we say). I guess I just always seem like a safe option. I make friends on airplanes. I don't know why, but people always talk to me. I thought maybe I should capitalize on this facet of my personality (or face?) by doing some print modeling. I have been working hard over the last few months to do just that. I shot some lifestyle pictures with Guy Viau , and signed with a great print agency.
Though print modeling isn't like doing Lady Macbeth at the Globe or Hedda on Broadway, I must confess, it is not easy! Looking natural in still photographs takes a lot of craft and care. You know how they say a photograph can steal your soul, or whatever? Well, I think even the "realest" of "real" people can tell when someone isn't believable in a picture. So it really is like playing a role.
A few months ago I shot a job for a big electronics company (that shall remain nameless here) where I played the role of a young mom. Yes, 23 may be a little young to play the young mom if you ask me, but hey, short hair in the commercial world often means either "young mom" or "girl with dragon tattoo," as I've often said, and hey, I'll take what I can get! Plus, who doesn't love working with babies? Especially this particularly adorable one that played my daughter:
It brought me back to the good 'ole days when I was a toddler working on my very own first print modeling job in this catalog:
So, I'm saying it here: I'm a model. Do you believe me now?
See you on a billboard!
Gilli
I just looked at my blog and realized that it is now JULY and my last post was from way back in April. Time flies when you're busy! But being busy is also bad, says the Times. I've had a great mixture of busyness and well-deserved (at least that's what I tell myself) idleness over the past few months. One of the things that has kept me busy is modeling. So, like, if I told you that I was a model, would you believe me? Would you think I was flattering myself?
No, I don't look like this:
Or like this:
And I don't normally walk like this:
But when I say "model," I'm not talking Blue Steel or smizing for Tyra or being Karl Lagerfeld's muse or the new face of Chanel (though I'd be up for that. Just putting that energy out there.). I'm talking print/lifestyle modeling. Like, you know, "real." Don't us "real" people/consumers (as opposed to the fake Michael Fassbender Promotheus robots out there) want to look at other "real" people on billboards, in magazines, and online? Come on, who would you rather sell you your tampons -- your trusty cute neighbor, or an intimidatingly thin 16-year-old waif from from an unusual Eastern European country? I doubt she even needs tampons. Who is more approachable?
It's like I have the word "approachable" stamped on my forehead. When I lived in New York, crazy people would talk to me (and attack me) on the subway nonstop. When I lived in Moscow, people would rush up to me on the street and ask me for directions several times a day (regardless of the fact that my Russian vocabulary was less than perfect, shall we say). I guess I just always seem like a safe option. I make friends on airplanes. I don't know why, but people always talk to me. I thought maybe I should capitalize on this facet of my personality (or face?) by doing some print modeling. I have been working hard over the last few months to do just that. I shot some lifestyle pictures with Guy Viau , and signed with a great print agency.
Though print modeling isn't like doing Lady Macbeth at the Globe or Hedda on Broadway, I must confess, it is not easy! Looking natural in still photographs takes a lot of craft and care. You know how they say a photograph can steal your soul, or whatever? Well, I think even the "realest" of "real" people can tell when someone isn't believable in a picture. So it really is like playing a role.
A few months ago I shot a job for a big electronics company (that shall remain nameless here) where I played the role of a young mom. Yes, 23 may be a little young to play the young mom if you ask me, but hey, short hair in the commercial world often means either "young mom" or "girl with dragon tattoo," as I've often said, and hey, I'll take what I can get! Plus, who doesn't love working with babies? Especially this particularly adorable one that played my daughter:
It brought me back to the good 'ole days when I was a toddler working on my very own first print modeling job in this catalog:
So, I'm saying it here: I'm a model. Do you believe me now?
See you on a billboard!
Gilli
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