Mr. Taft, Mr. Hartley, meet Mr. Fisher

So I have my first union gig tomorrow. Obviously a bit later in the year than I had hoped, but I'm not complaining. I didn't even audition for this one; I had sent out a ton of postcards to various ad agency folks, and one of them emailed me, asking who my agent was. Six days later, I'm on board for a commercial (a radio spot for a large hardware store chain in California).

So, this means I'm Taft-Hartleyed into AFTRA. What that means is that I'm eligible to join the union, but I'm not going to yet. In the next thirty days, I can do union, non-union, whatever work I can get. After those thirty days, I can still work non-union, but then I'm considered a "must-join." That means that if I get another AFTRA gig, I have to pay the initiation fee before I get the gig. Which means that a large portion of what I get from this gig goes straight to savings, pending the next AFTRA gig.

But yeah, I'm on my way.

Working Near Film

For the last month and a half, some workers have been building an extension onto the face of the old post office building north of the highway. I didn't think much of it, other than that it was kind of flimsy (wood framework with concrete facade). They brought in cranes yesterday (like enormous cherry pickers, not the monstrous, skyline-changing cranes). I figured they were going to work in earnest. I was partially right.

This morning, as I was walking from the train to work, I noticed a lot of what looked like HMI lights on the top of those cranes. I thought that odd, and then saw what the big deal was. They weren't shining on the old USPS building, they were shining on the Gotham National Bank. Yep, the letters over the entrance had been changed for the new Batman movie. I didn't get a picture of it, because the cranes obscured the view, but it's definitely there. I might be able to get a glimpse of it on my way back home, but I assume they'll be there for a couple days. If I get a picture I'll post it.

So, when you see the next Batman movie, and you see the Gotham National Bank, you can know where it is.

On the air

So anyway, I won't make as big a deal with the next commercial I get (probably), but I really like the fact that I did this commercial for Tommy Nevin's. I could hardly have asked for a better product to schill, and I could hardly have asked for a better commercial (seriously, this one is arguably the best, if goofiest, local commercial I've seen).

It's running in Evanston and the Chicago North area on these Comcastcable networks: USA, MTV, TBS, MTV, FX, CMDY, and ESPN. It will air during some of these programs: Law & Order, South Park, SportsCenter, JAG and CSI. You can also watch the spot on Letter Blue's website. Just go to http://letterblue.com and hit the Commercial Reel link. The Nevin's spot is the first one on there. That's actually how I saw it; I live in burbland, so I'm not able to see it on the air.

So yay!

Gig #1: The Larch

OK, an explanation about the title: my gig actually had nothing to do with trees; it's a Monty Python reference. But, I did have a gig.

It was a local commercial for Tommy Nevin's Pub in Evanston, and it didn't pay very well, but it was a gig, and the gig was good. I got to play, and have fun with my voice, and just be an actor. I felt alive, defined. Acting is where I shine; it is my craft, above and beyond any other creative outlet. I have a few other creative outlets, but acting is where I work best, and this was what made it so fulfilling.

Again, it's small. I won't be able to support myself on it for any length of time, and it doesn't accomplish any of my goals, but it's a great beginning.

"Do not despise the day of small beginnings." -- Zechariah 4:10

Ouch and other musings

I have no real focus for this post today, but want to say something, if for no other reason than to get me out of my funk.

1: The job is coming along, slowly. I haven't really been trained much, because of the perpetual need to put out fires. Tomorrow, the boss is out fishing, and the senior tech might be home sick (his back is seriosly bugging him, and I saw in him a posture I saw in the mirror not too long ago), so I'll be alone, with exceptionally limited training, and a barely functional network ID.

2: I was chewing a piece of gum today and damn near bit through my tongue. I'm glad I was in a secluded room, verifying that the equipment in there was working, because I let out a very loud not-to-be-spoken-at-work word.

3: Heidi's dad has been diagnosed with agressive lymphoma. He's not showing any symptoms, but he's starting chemo. Psychologically, he's not helping his condition, as he's expecting the worst, and effectively waiting to die. This would be difficult to deal with normally, but we're getting married in about two weeks, and he has to be fully there, or it'll be a ceremony with a dark cloud over it.

4: My work has an insanely strange firewall. I can access wikipedia, I can access my blog, but I can't access my gmail account. I think tomorrow I'll try to check out if I can access my voicover website.

A new gig

So my new job starts today. I'll be doing PC Support for Bosch tools, down in Broadview. It doesn't pay very well, but it's better than unemployment. It's not as flexible as I'd like (read: no acting till I get a different job), but it is work, and that's important. So, I can't necessarily say my "get a new job" goal is done, but I'm no longer a non-contributing member in the upcoming nuptials. So woo-kinda-hoo.

Training the Replacement

I just trained my replacement in the functions of my job. Wow, that's awkward. You want to teach him to do things right, but you also are a little miffed that things aren't working out for yourself. Don't get me wrong, the guy's qualified, but I'm training him to take over the job that I'd still like to have. It would be totally unprofessional to take it out on him or any of the other team by not giving him the training he deserves, but at the same time, I keep wondering if he's going to be the worker I was.

Owell, it would be less awkward if I had some reason to leave, like if I found a better job, but next week I'll be unemployed. This is annoying.

Hm.

I just got laid off. There's part of me that realizes that I have no net whatsoever now, and that several impending expenses are looming on the horizon, but honestly, I'm not as scared as I think I should be. This is a bad time to lose one's employment, certainly, but I'm also feeling fairly confident in my ability to get something else. Which would be nice. Perhaps I won't have the flexibility I have now, but hey, I might have less expensive medical benefits.

Anyway, those who read this and pray, please start doing so.

Sound Advice

I think I've found me a good thing. When I originally looked through PerformInk for ads for voice coaching, I came across three options. The "big, monstro structured class" option, the "just do the damn demo" option, and the "individual coaching and do the demo when you're ready" option. After discussing this with Heidi, we decided on option number three: a place called Sound Advice. What I found there was something more than I had bargained for. They do voice coaching and demo, but they also are somewhat of a one-stop shop for marketing strategies and limited career management for the burgeoning voice-over artist, which is freakin' exactly what I need. It makes this much less of a crapshoot than acting generally is. I'm also feeling very good right now, because I just had my first workshop with other actors last night, some of which are working actors. It's good to hear Heidi tell me how great my voice is, as she knows sound. It's good to hear Kate (the owner) tell me how good my voice is, as she knows the industry. But these are people that have vested interests in me, being, respectively, someone who will eventually have to live with me for her whole life, and someone who's assessment will yield a sizeable chunk of money. When people who have no vested interest in me whatsoever tell me that I'm really good, or I can tell that I'm better than some of the working male talent in the room, this is a good thing. I don't want to compete with anybody, but it's good to know, so that I can get a running start.

Good News

No, I'm not talking about the Gospel. I'm talking about something wonderful that happened to me much more recently: I got laid off.

Now, if I left it at that, it wouldn't be quite so good, as weddings are really expensive, and the honeymoon looks to be just as bad. But I was not satisfied with my job, and was jockeying for another position. In fact, I was applying to another job when they called me.

Manager: "We need to reduce the workforce, and we had to make a decision, and since your lotus notes certificate just expired, we decided instead of renewing it, we'll just let you go."
Me: "OK. What's the address and phone number I can use... y'know, so I can apply for other work?"

But what makes this story great is that I got to work immediately after I got off the phone with my manager and the contractor recruity-person. The primary reason I had to jockey for that other position was not that they didn't need it right now, but that I was needed so badly in my previous position (or so I and most everybody else thought). With that obstacle out of the way, my jockeying could get much farther. An hour after I got off the phone being laid off, the contractor recruity-person called back offering me the position that I had been trying to get for the past five months.

So now, I'm no longer in front of the client, which not only reduces my stress by about 75% (if not more) but also includes the benefit of a flexible schedule. I still work from home, and I still make the same wage. However, with a flexible schedule, I now have the ability to pursue voice acting with much greater freedom. I have yet to actually schedule the first coaching session, simply because the coach-folk haven't yet gotten back to me, but I can get things going and get started on my new career pretty damn soon, maintaining a regular day-job so I have a fulltime income. Life is good.

Blue Man Group

My friend Steve (who has auditioned to be a Blue Man twice, and once for one of the band members) gave me a heads up for a job with the Blue Man Group, as a Video Engineer. Not that he has any special "ins" or anything, but he saw it in the Reader and gave me a call, in hopes that I would be interested. Had I not been driving and tired, I would have done a little jump up and clicked my heels together. Heidi helped me out with the cover letter, and it looks really good, so I'm almost definitely getting an interview. The job itself, I'm qualified for, but they'd be taking a chance. A chance that would pay off, but a chance, nonetheless. But I still think I have a good shot at this thing. For those of you reading this that pray, pray hard. This would kick butt. A lot.