Adobe MAX

I'm working at the LA Convention Center this weekend. A friend I met at work last week told me about this expo that needed staff so I jumped on it. We had a group interview on Monday that went well. I met Elizabeth, the staffer, and the other applicants. Probably the easiest interview I've been on. About 10 of us sat in a conference room casually answering questions. One young guy was really vocal and funny. He talked about working on the Disney Cruise until recently as an actor and greeter. Sounds fun. I wouldn't want to play Tarzan for 6 months straight though.

Half of the group was younger adults like myself. The other half were much older. It got a little heavy in there when people started talking about getting laid off. One lady was with a catering company for 8 years when she was let go. That's rough. It feels weird being in the same interview with people 10 or 20 years older than you.

I heard back yesterday from Elizabeth and I got the job. It's all weekend. Adobe MAX is some kind of awards expo for computer software people. I've been using Adobe products since high school so I'm pretty familiar. I look forward to working.

Tebow's Down for the Count

Last Saturday's game against Kentucky was eventful to say the least. Although an easy win, the victory was overshadowed by star quarterback Tim Tebow's devastating head injury which caused him to leave the field in the 2rd quarter. Diagnosed as a concussion, Tebow's full medical situation is yet to be revealed. Luckily FL football has a week off to recover giving Tebow an extra week to get ready for the field.

Interning

Started my first LA internship today. My friend Kailey hooked it up. We went to high school together (Lely '05 represent!).  She has been a saint since I moved out here; hanging out, introducing me to friends, helping with work even. So far I have been reading scripts and writing summaries. I also had to drive another coworker to pick up the bosses car. Nice.

Yesterday I had a meeting at a legit talent agency. Not for acting so much as to talk about office opportunities. My new friend Jim, works there. We met through our parents who are friends in Naples. The talk went really well. We chatted about LA, finding work, and where to look. He's a really nice guy. One note Jim gave that will help was about interviews. When we were talking I mentioned being interested in many aspects of TV/Film such as acting, writing, directing and management. He said it might be better to leave off acting, since many employers are weary to hire actors because they tend to be unreliable, taking off for auditions constantly. I think I may have already lost a job because I mentioned acting in an interview.

12 - Settlin' In

Interviews

I had my first round of interviews this week and I think they went pretty well. On Friday I went to Gold Levin Talent, a boutique talent agency who handles actors. Being my first interview I didn't know what to expect. I showed up a few minutes early and met Tim, who emailed me back the day before about the interview. He was nice. Tim was having trouble reloading his stapler when I came in (no office space references please). I thought "there's one problem I can solve already".

On Monday I had another interview at Vendome Pictures, a new film financing company. My new friend Eric set it up after we met last weekend. He's chill as fuck and so is his boss. We talked in her office for awhile about movies, TV, and other entertainment stuff. It felt less like an interview and more like shooting the shit with the boys. Good stuff.

First Taste of LA Improv

After class last wednesday, I found out that iO students get into the show for free-ninety-nine. Saweet! I finally got to see a show last night and it was pretty sick. The first group I saw was Local 132, and the jokes weren't the only funny thing about it. In the group are two friends from UF, Zach and Brandon. We used to play together in TSF. These guys have stepped it up the last couple years in LA, performing regularly on Tuesdays. So badass.

Sleeping

I get a new bed on Friday (thanks mom). I love sleeping. One downside to my new apartment is the noise. My bedroom is right next to the street and my windows are paper thin. The car's driving by is gonna take some getting used to. It sounds like I'm at the Brickyard 400 in here. You can hear the cars rumbling quitely half a mile away until they reach the window, going 30-40 mph. Not really that fast, but when a semi comes by at almost 50 it sounds like the Kessel Run out there.

Day 2 - The List

I think I've finally got my apartment choices narrowed down. With a place in the works, I can start to shift some focus on job hunting. I walked in a few stores around Culver today, but not many (only one) were hiring. I really don't think I'm fit for retail, so I'm going try for an entertainment job or bust.

Special thanks to Shaun who quickly responded yesterday with some good places that are hiring in LA. Yesterday I also found out from a friend about some thing called "The UTA List", discreet job list sent out by trainees at UTA. Every couple of days these agents in training send the list out to their inner circle, detailing all the studios and agencies that are hiring in town. Pretty cool, if you can get it.

Worked on my cover letter a bit today and polished my resume. I love messing with the format, fiddling with fonts, and moving words around. Kinda fun,especially for a OCD guy like myself.

Tomorrow is my first day of improv class at iO West. I very excited to meet people there. I'm little nervous about performing again since I've been out of practice so long. Should be fun. Got an email today from our instructor. Apparently students at iO get into the shows for free. Saweet! Can't wait to watch some pros improv again.

100 days in LA: Day 1 - Danny's Surprise

Today my Hollywood adventure begins! I'm going to start to focus this blog on my day to day activities in  LA trying to make it big. Inspired by best friend Tito and his recommendation to check out a similar blog, I think this is great chance for me to start writing again about something I love; me!

I was walking around Culver City this afternoon looking for apartments. I have virtually given up on looking online which proved to be a plethora of iffy listings varying from scammy, trashy, to just plain rippy-offy. For my first day out, walking around and looking for "For Rent" signs has been working well. I saw two open houses today, one of which looked promising. Right across from Starbucks (aka my temporary office), Luxury Apartments had a couple good deals I could definitely live with. The only downside is that it's a big building with an elevator that reminds me of my college dorm days.

Later on, I was walking some more and I hear a voice calling from a balcony. "Brooks?" a surprised and excited Daniel yelled. Over 2 thousand miles from FL and I happen to run  into Dan, my good friend and co-worker from Gainesville. Crazy! We talked and got caught up. Turns out him and a couple of other Gator Grads got a place together.

Tomorrow I'm going back to CC to continue my search for a new abode. I'm simultaneously sending out resumes and making connections online for work. I'll be able to focus more on the job hunt when I get settled in a place.

Leaving FL

Just finished packing for my big trip to Cali tomorrow. I'm uber excited. My Grandpa and I are staying with a friend in Fountain Valley, just south of LA. Check my twitter HERE I'll be post pics and stuff on my blog too. If you have suggestions of places I should check out, I'd love to here 'em. Post something below.

Wing Night

I have a love/hate relationship with working Monday nights at Dockside. “All you can eat wings for 10.99”; a phrase forever imprinted in my head. Fortunately, most people coming in on Wing Night already know the deal and are ready to order their first round by the time they reach their seats. That makes things easy. What I love about Mondays is the consistency. More often than not you’re going to have a pretty steady, busy night. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, there’ll be a nice pop and you’ll make good. What sucks is the 2 dollar tips on every seat. Sometimes you even get a measly dollar. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were in and out and tipped you the minimum, but I’m running back and forth for you for almost an hour, refilling your water (cheap ass), and bringing your 5-10 rounds of wings (fat ass). Then some people (more then you’d think) get their ticket and complain about the 69 cent bleu cheese. “Yeah we charge extra for ranch and for celery. I told you that when you ordered it. Don’t act surprised.” But what gets me pissed off the most, more than anything, is the people demanding to-go boxes. Not just asking, I get that. I hate to see all those wings put in the trash too. But every night, at least one person begs for a box.

BROOKS
Here’s you receipt. Thanks for coming in tonight guys.

ASSHOLE
Can I have a box for these please?

BROOKS
I’m sorry, we are not allowed to give out boxes on Wing Night. Store policy.

ASSHOLE
Oh come on, I don’t wanna throw all these out.

BROOKS
I wish I could.

ASSHOLE
Don’t be like that, come on. I won’t tell.

BROOKS
I’m sure you won’t, but I like this job sir and I’ll lose it if I get caught giving out boxes.

ASSHOLE
Alright, I see how it is.

BROOKS
It’s like a buffet sir, you can’t take…

ASSHOLE
It’s cool. Thanks anyway. (under his breath) Jerk.

As you can imagine, these assholes aren’t the best tippers.
The best thing about Mondays is there’s a lot of people coming in. So long as you keep churning and burning them through, you’ll do well. It’s also nice to see the regulars recognize you. I’ve been on Mondays long enough now to get people requesting my section. That’s a good little boost for my ego, and it looks great to management.

Lounge Lizard

My day has finally come. For the first time since starting work at Gator's Dockside I've been put in the Lounge, the best section of the store. This happened Saturday night. I was so excited to see my name on the floor plan. Brooks was written in black dry erase marker in the middle of my circled section, the back corner of the Lounge. Tables 132, 142, 143, 152, 153, and R4 were all mine. On what would have been a pretty average night, the store was surprised with a 45 person party. A bunch of parents and kids from a baseball team came in at about 6:30pm. I was to split the party with Brandi. What started out as a party on R3 and R4, grew into a mess of tables across mine and Brandi's sections. The kids were fun and the parents were just happy to have food and games to distract their offspring for a bit. The party went on very smoothly for its size, until payment came up at the end.

The first problem was helping the parents pay for their kids since everyone sat at separate tables and had separate checks. We just had them pay each bill individually, but some parents forgot to pay for their kids and left. At the end there were a few meals left unpaid and I had the uneasy job of telling the last parents. I guess some of the people who left early thought they paid for themselves and their kids but didn't. Luckily one mom stepped up and paid the bill. I'm guessing she'll figure it out with the team later.

After the party the night slowed. I had a few more tables watching basketball and one was following baseball. A pretty great night all and all. Can't wait to get lounged again.

Schedule

I've been serving tables at Gator's Dockside since last August. I worked through a pretty exciting football season there (National Champs, Go Gators, what what!). Recently I've been busting ass trying to get a raise. I wouldn't really call it a raise since it isn't exactly an increase in my wage. At the restaurant you can make a lot more money by moving up into better sections. One end of the place makes about half of what the busy end does. Plus I want to start closing soon. Closers get the best section and all the tables at the end of the night.

Now I've been doing everything I can to move up. I've been busting my ass all across the board; busing tables, cleaning dishes, running food and getting emails. The emails are for this list we have at Dockside where customers are sent deals in their inbox for free/discounted food. I've blown everyone out of the water in this. I got 90 emails in 2 days. Over the last few weeks I've gotten 170 emails. No one else has come close, yet they're still shorting me on the schedule. I am getting worse schedules then newer people at the store, who bust less as then me, and haven't gotten any emails.

I thought next week I would get to close. I brought it up to the managers and everything. I think they're just leading me on now. I won't let it bring me down though. I'm just gonna work harder and harder until I get it.

A New Beginning

Just now I've decided to start blogging more often. That shouldn't be hard considering my last post was almost 2 years ago. I want to say I'm going to do it every day, but who am I kidding. Let's just go for frequent postings, and then take it from there.

Here is my latest video;


I have to give most the credit to Tito for this one. I only helped with the concept and some editing. He filmed and finished it. I think it's one of my finest works.