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.

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.