The circle of Life

My faithful followers, I find that it's the time of life when I need a fresh start, so I'm officially retiring this blog. But not from providing you with sporadic doses of random. You can continue to follow my exploits at my very own website!

www.gregdbarnett.com

See you there!

The future

I want to do the literacy end of this:




Maybe they could replace YPP with this...

Type-casting

So here's the thing about acting in LA. It's different from acting...well anywhere else really. Back home in the SLC I feel like I could be a little more broad in what I was cast in, but out here you kind of have to be fairly specific about how you market yourself - at least in the beginning. So, I'm attempting to really hone in on what I have to bring to the table. To that end, for the four of you who will read this, please post in the comments, or send me an email an tell me about me. What kind of energy do you think I have? What kinds of roles do you think I'd be good for? Which celebrities/movie characters do I remind you of? How would you describe me?

Documenting

So, here's the skinny.

I have a friend from college who lives out here in the LA area, and a mutual friend of ours came out for a weekend visit/audition. We watched a documentary called "Catfish" (which I highly recommend, BTW), and decided it might be fun to make our own little documentary. So here's what were doing. We're going to film our lives as actors and let all of you in on the actor's journey. The good, the bad, the ugly. Everything from auditions and classes, to hob-nobbing on the red carpet - should that occur. Be excited.

Here's my first video. Enjoy.

Project!

This is a new project I'm working on. Tell everyone.

Updatopia

As sometimes happens things have kind of plateaued for me out here in the L of the A, but I thought it time for a brief update nonetheless.

Living:

Things with Nance are swell. She's good about letting me maintain my independence and I do my best to keep flammable things off the stove. She also made me sing for the missionaries the other day which ended up being a fairly awkward 3 or so minutes.

Work:

Still going to workshops and meeting people. Still going to class and I feel like I'm improving myself. My agent tells me that he's submitting to things, but as of yet, no auditions. I registered with the casting company that does background artist (i.e. extras) casting for GLEE and hope to be in an episode at some point.

My agnet is what they call a "theatrical" agent. That means he submits me for jobs on TV shows or feature films. The agency has a commercial side (for print and TV ads) for which one has to audition regardless of one's status with other parts of the agency. So I auditioned a couple of weeks ago and had a callback. Now I'm just waiting...

Life:

Phineas is still great. Though a couple of weeks ago someone moved him from the street to the sidewalk - which I don't necessarily mind - except that they broke one of his brake levers. Luckily there are two. It will cost close to $100 to fix it, so until I can find time to figure it out myself or make money to pay for it, Phin is a little gimpy.

Still have some lonely moments, but I'm making some new friends and getting settled.

I'm still having some "holy $*@&" moments where I sort of realize that I'm in LA living the dream and going for it. That's kind of scary sometimes.

In the little time I've been out here there's kind of a theme that's emereged regarding this business I've entered. And that's that though a lot of becoming rich, famous, and successful is who you know, timing, luck etc., a lot of it is just sticking it out. The people who make it in the business and have careers - maybe not stellar, off the charts careers, but careers nonetheless - are the people who stick to it.

Also, here's a new project I'm working on. Tell all your teacher friends. :

It's a boy!

Meet Phineas:

He's my new ride. I would have posted a picture of me seated majestically atop this mechanical wonder, but I'm having camera issues, so you can look at the stock photo instead. :)

150 cc, 90 MPG, pure joy.

Right now my version is missing the right side mirror as it came loose and fell off while I was driving yesterday. Luckily that's covered under the warranty.

It gets a little cold riding at night at 50 MPH, but I bought some hot chocolate, and I have a snuggie, so life is good.

If you come visit me, you might be lucky enough to get a ride.

changing life

Pursue dreams - check

Move to California - check

Get rich and famous and do lots of good things to make the world a better place - pending...

I've been in LA for almost a month now and I think my brain is still catching on to the fact that I've moved here. I mean, I realize I'm here. I'm doing things and meeting people, and taking steps and all that, but I don't know if my brain fully comprehends that I've moved here. Ya know? If I had my own apartment I'd be sleeping on an air mattress and using constructible metal grates as shelving. It's a bit different from my pillow-top mattress and kitchen table back in Salt Lake. It's just weird for me to think that I can start building a life out here. Buying a bed, and finding a permanent-ish living arrangement, and changing my driver's license, and getting to a first-name basis with the local baker. It just hasn't really sunk in yet. But, when I moved I told myself I'd give it 5 years. So, for better or worse I'm in LA for the next 5 years at least. And, though it may be a good idea to get an actual library card, and perhaps transfer my gym membership, I don't know that I'll be picking up paint swatches anytime soon.

On a semi-related, somewhat somber note - (I apologize, I'm not generally a somber person, so I know this is a major downer for everyone) I'm feeling a little lonely out here in LA. Though I'm pretty good at making friends, I think what most people don't realize is that I'm really good at making friends with a specific kind of person. Generally I don't find those people in school classes, or at church, or wherever else people generally accumulate friends. I think it took almost 25 years to build the kind of friendships and friend networks that I had living back in the SLC. "Finally!" I thought. "This is what everyone's talking about!" And then what do I do? Move 2 states away where I know all of 3 people. *sigh* But this time around I think I've got a few things figured out that I didn't before. And I'm sure budding friendships are around every corner...until then I've got Natty and her bird. *lonely sigh*

Perhaps it's time for a trip to the Glendale branch of the Hale family...

where to lay my head...

The housing quandry has been solved. At least for the time being.

I was rejected by the management company for the Chinatown place. Not enough proof of income - which I'm 100% resulted from a lack of effort on the part of the management company. I'm perfectly capable of paying monthly rent and have been doing so for nearly 10 years - which they would have discovered if they'd bothered anything beyond a cursory glance of my application. But that's neither here nor there. Apparently Chinatown didn't work out for the other guys either.

After two days of searching for an apartment I discovered that any place that is within my current budget is super sketchy. Not wanting to live in constant fear I determined to see if Natty (that's what I'm naming the lady I'm currently staying with) would let me live with her for an indeterminate period of time. She said yes. So I'm paying ridiculously cheap rent, and helping out with projects around the house etc. It's a little out of the way, but it's safe and kind of a great situation.

I think I'm going to buy a scooter to save on gas money since I'll be traveling quite a bit. With the money I'll be saving from cheap rent, no utilities, and gas savings, it should pay for itself in a matter of a few short months. After some initial research it seems that not every street-legal scooter is legal in the great state of CA where they seem to have a way of doing everything their own way regardless of the rest of the country. I infer that I also have to get a motorcycle license. So, it may be a process, but I think in the long run it'll be worth it. I'll keep you posted. Start thinking now of pretentious European names for my vintage scooter.

Secret Agent Man

Someone's looking out for me. This much I know.

I don't know if my first meeting with Vinnie could have gone worse. Well, conceivably it could have gone worse. Nazis didn't appear or anything, but overall it was not the most positive experience of the last 3 weeks.

To start out with the maps on my phone will occasionally - usually when I'm trying to get to a meeting or something else more important to my career than a bakery - ignore the numbers in an address and just give me the street. When this happens it is invariably on the other end of the street - miles away from where I need to be. So long story short, I was almost an hour late for my meeting.

Once I got there, I didn't really know what to do. Dotty had said to me, "Remember, you're interviewing him, not the other way around." So the interview consisted of him verifying some things and asking me a few questions about myself and my acting experience etc. I asked him a few questions about the agency and what I could expect given I were offered representation, he asked me to send him my reel, and we were done. About 30 seconds after I left the ultra-swanky, 11th floor, downtown office I thought of about 15 things I could have done or asked to make the experience more beneficial. Hindsight's 20/20.

At that point I was pretty much ready to chalk it up to a good learning experience for next time. Nothing like a lack of experience and knowledge to make you feel SUPER green.

I sent him my reel the next day. My reel consists of clips from the three film things I've done. It's nothing super impressive, but it's all I have.

Fast forward three days. I'm trying to navigate the complicated series of 1-way streets that is downtown LA on my way to pick up a friend for dinner. I get a phone call from an unrecognized number.

Me: Hello?

V: Hello, is this Greg? (Imagine the kind of voice you'd expect to hear if Anthony Hopkins were to call to inform you you were his next victim. Almost unsettlingly calm and soothing.)

Me: Yeah. :)

V: This is Vinnie Torino (name has been changed to protect the innocent) How are you?

Me: I'm doing well, how are you?

At this point the robotic voice of the GPS on my phone started to tell me to take a left on 6th street in 800 feet

Me: I'm sorry, what?

V: I said, do you know who this is?

Me: Oh, yeah, I know who you are.

V: Well Greg, I've been thinking a lot about you, and ... the voice tells me to take a right on 6th and continue for 1000 feet.

Me: Sorry, one more time?

V: I said I'd like to offer you representation.

Me: Yeah, that would be great!

And.....SCENE!

Well, there's more, but it was just details about timing etc. At this point I'm freaking out a little bit. I have essentially no experience, I've been in LA for two weeks, I'm not part of any union, and as far as I know Vinnie thinks I'm about as reliable as a Pinto.

One more week passes and I'm sitting back in Vinnie's office signing my life away. It felt like signing the mortgage papers. Lots of signing. Sign sign everywhere a sign. I saw the sign...and...SCENE!

Vinnie told me that he's never signed anyone that's not part of a union. So, despite the fact that on paper I'm not a very good risk, Vinnie apparently saw something in me that he thinks is worth it - in fact he said, "I hope what I think that I saw is really there." Oh it is Vinnie. Believe me it is.