Happy Halloween!...:)...

VO Audition – DICK’S SPORTING GOODS RADIO – 10/30/07

All last week I just wasn’t feeling myself. I’m not sure if it was the wildfires and the havoc it reeked on my asthma (fortunately my family and I weren’t in the path of any of the fires, but we know people who where), the tension and the stress over the amount of work I knew I had ahead of me, or just the every day reality of being a wife, mother, actor, and entrepreneur, etc., etc. At any rate, by Thursday (10/25), I was ready for a much needed break. You see a friend of mine was screening her film: DOING THE L.A. THING at the American Black Film Festival, so I decided to be supportive and attend. HOWEVER, due to an unfortunate series of events, (i.e. getting stuck in rush hour traffic behind the slowest driver in the northern hemisphere!, losing the $12 movie ticket I’d just purchased minutes before, and then sitting in the wrong film for about 15 minutes-which wasn’t too bad of a thing because Lamman Rucker’s face appeared on the screen just as I took my seat...:)...) I wound up missing the first ½ hour of her movie. Doggone it! Needless to say, things ended up being somewhat stressful in the beginning.

At any rate, Jamie did a wonderful job with her film! It’s amazing how many people I know who’ve managed to make their own projects. If I wasn’t so broke, and had more time on my hands, I might try to doing something like that myself. Hmmm...maybe one day. I also got to chat with some old acquaintances while at the festival: Angela Nirvana, Adetoro Makinde, and Carl Gilliard. I also met several new ones. I spotted Idris Elba in the crowd too…

In other news, my agent called the CD’s at GREY’S ANATOMY last Friday (10/26) to see if there was any interest in bringing me back. I was telling her that I think I’ve officially seen all of the recurring folks back on the show, all except me...:(...They told her there was nothing for me at the current time, but to keep in touch. I suppose that’s promising to hear. She also called the OTIS CD’s to see if they could help in the pursuit of getting my credit added on IMDB...that’s still developing.

After church on Sunday (10/28), I met with my New Mexico agent, who was here for the weekend, to discuss how things were going out there. He explained that there was little else I could do from here, but he’s been submitting me like crazy. That’s always good to hear, and I really feel like he has my best interest at heart. I’m confident that something will develop out there very soon.

So that brings me to yesterday morning (10/30). Hallelujah, my mojo is back! Two hours, twenty commercials, and a mild case of claustrophobia later, I finally got my new VO Reel recorded. (All in all, 2 out of 3 October goals ain’t bad. Right?) For November I’m adding 1 more: New Photography. I REALLY need it! I’ve been hitting the gym and TRYING to diet lately, so we’ll see how much of a difference I can make by year’s end. I feel that if I can get those last two things accomplished in time for Pilot Season 2008, it’s sure to be my best one yet! As you can see, I already have some reps in my corner, so I just need to step my game up it seems.

Speaking of Pilot Season, I almost forgot. I discovered on Saturday (10/27) that a fellow Christian/Mother I met over the summer at a church picnic, is also an up and coming writer who just sold a ½ comedy to Disney. The show already has a VERY BIG show runner attached, and they're gearing up to shoot the pilot. (That is, pending the looming writers strike.) Pretty cool huh?!? We exchanged cards, and will be doing lunch very soon.

P.S. Lastly and certainly not least, yes, it’s that time of year again: Free SAG Screenings. Did someone say Free? I’ve been RSVP’ing for stuff, but things keep coming up, so I haven’t been able to attend one yet. There have been many, many great ones to come through so far, but I’m the most sad about missing John Travolta and Halle Berry. Darn It!

Closing out October 2007...

Shenita.

Yeah, I did speak too soon!...:)...

TV Audition - THE SHIELD - 10/18/07

Okay, so as I was preparing to leave for the IN PLAIN SIGHT audition today, my theatrical agent here in Los Angeles texted me with a last minute audition for THE SHIELD this afternoon as well.

Both of the auditions went VERY well, but I just got word minutes ago, that they are now seeing hispanic women for THE SHIELD role. Oh well, I guess I never will get the opportunity to work on that show before it ends!...:)...I even mentioned that jokingly as I walked out of the room. The ladies laughed. I'm definitely in the double digits when it comes to how many times I've auditioned for that show. Actually, I feel like I HAVE worked on it. I have a link to their online store on my website and everything...:)...

I tried to pop in to say "congrats" and "wassup" to Linda and John over at Lowy/Brace while I was on the lot today, but their waiting room was packed, and I was not trying to get in the way.

Anywho, keep your fingers crossed about IN PLAIN SIGHT, I could really use a booking, the money, AND a free trip to New Mexico! Hey, since I'd (potentially) be going by myself this time, maybe I could try to squeeze in a little time at Ten Thousand Waves. Ahhhh, mama like. Okay, pray. Please. REALLY, REALLY HARD!...:)...

Shenita.

I may have spoken too soon...:)...

The drought has ended! For now, at least.

TV Audition - IN PLAIN SIGHT - 10/18/07

This audition is through my New Mexico Agent. IN PLAIN SIGHT is a USA series that's shot in New Mexico, but does some casting here in Los Angeles.

Wish me luck!

S.

Mama said there'd be days like this!...

The last couple of weeks have been painstakingly slow for me in the acting world, so, I've used the bulk of my time to focus on my business ventures. (God has blessed me tremendously in these areas as of late, and I find myself struggling just to keep up!...:)...)

This past Friday (10/12) night, I was all prepared to go check out Kim Wayans' one woman play titled: "A Handsome Woman Retreats", when on Friday afternoon Plays 411 called to tell me that: 1.) Their system had malfunctioned. 2.) It had taken too many reservations, and 3.) I wouldn’t be going to see the show after all. Bummer! My friend and I were convinced that this was going to be an exceptional show, and great networking opportunity. I guess we'll have to catch it later in it's run. As a pick me up, and since we already had a babysiter, my husband treated me to Tyler Perry’s new movie: WHY DID I GET MARRIED?. It was hilarious! I must say, when all the Tyler Perry hype started several years back, I was one of the last to jump on the bandwagon because I thought a lot of it was way too over the top for me, but now, I loves me some Tyler Perry (and Madea). I certainly hope to have the opportunity to work with him one day.

So, that brings me to Saturday (10/13), I was all prepared to go in and record my new VO reel, you know, the one I’ve needed to record for YEARS! I had just over 20 commercials in hand, and was convinced that I was about to go in and shut the microphone down. Not so! I just could not find my mojo, and I quickly realized that I have A LOT more to learn about the VO world. My manager and I came to the conclusion that for some reason, and I’m sure it happens with a lot of actors that work in both fields, my brain draws a line between On Camera Acting and VO Acting. So much so, that I tend to not give my VO reads as much as I would if it were On Camera. We decided to reschedule, so that I could have a little more time to get where I need to be. I feel bad though, because although she told me I didn’t, I completely feel like I wasted her time!

One thing I did get accomplished in the acting world last week, was posting my new website. Check it out! I feel pretty good about it. I decided to stick with the florals, but moved in the direction of more color to jazz it up a little bit, and give a clearer idea of what my personality is like. Hopefully it works!

P.S. Keep me in your thoughts, I'm going through hoops trying to convince IMDB to add my OTIS credit. Not sure why there's a hold up, they can be really elusive at times, but my agent thinks that once the credit is finally added, it could translate into more auditions. Let's hope so!

Shenita.

VO Audition - ElectricMOYO - 10/13/07

Last night was a blast!

So, I invited my Theatrical Agent to attend the wrap party with me last night, and in return she invited me to attend a red carpet event that she'd been invited to at Area Nightclub. We met shortly after 9:00pm at Area, and "Oh, what fun ensued!"...:). Okay, so this was my first red carpet event, so I was unsure of how things worked. After waiting around for some time, I suddenly found myself on the red carpet standing next to the photogs, while my agent was being interviewed with her other client. After catching an ear full of what it is that publicist's do for their actors on the red carpet, I was convinced that I could do the same for myself. So, as soon as I saw an opportunity, I struck up a conversation with the photogs to let them know they needed to be taking pictures of me as well...:)... They asked me what I'd done. I replied with "GREY’S ANATOMY." And, what dya know, that's all it took!...:)...My agent seemed thoroughly impressed with what I was able to accomplish, as we finally entered the club. Once inside, we had fun chatting up strategically placed reality show stars, and dodging tipsy nightclubers and gogo dancers.

At around 11:30pm, we made it up the road to The Bungalow Club for the OTIS wrap party. The serious partiers were still there, and I was able to chat with a few faces I remembered from the set. I was kinda bummed because one of the actresses told me they'd showed clips of the film earlier in the evening. I was also bummed that I didn't get to introduce my agent to the director because he was leaving just as we walked in. I did, however, get to introduce her to John Jackson's casting associate. His name is Tal, he's so sweet. He told me that he thought I was an amazing actress. Pretty Cool! We had a couple of soft drinks, and then called it a night around 12:30am.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and of course: I'M EXHAUSTED!...:)...I'm not as young as I used to be.

Shenita.

Happy OCTOBER 2007!

Your girl got a BOOKING! Remember the DIXIE ULTRA VO spot I auditioned for? The audition I had to bring my kids to? Well, even with all the commotion, it turns out I booked it. Go figure!...The spot is actually what is called a "scratch track" in the VO industry. A "scratch track" is used by an ad agency to pitch the idea of a commercial to a client. So, I was one of the voices chosen to be on the "scratch track." I look at this as being an opportunity to audition BEFORE the auditions...:)...Cool! The last time I booked a "scratch track" was the CALIFORNIA LOTTERY VO spot I booked several years ago. The DIXIE ULTRA VO spot is slated for TV as well, and my VO Manager says she explained to them that I am also on camera talent. Double Cool!...:)...So, we'll see what happens.

It's funny, because my VO Manager is really making me step up my game in the VO world! I ain't mad, being successful in this industry takes hard work, and sometimes I just need to hear that whip cracking to get my hide in gear!...:)...

In other news, I'm not sure what the OLD NAVY folks were thinking by not hiring my baby last week, but it's all good, on to the next one!...:)...

Speaking of not being sure, I am most certainly not sure what I was thinking during my G-FORCE audition last week. It was a disaster! The movie is one of those STUART LITTLE/GARFIELD type movies where there are animated characters in a real world, with real people. Long story short, I thought my reaction could have been better, and duh: "Why didn't I say anything?!?" They mic'd me and everything before we started taping, and I didn't say one single solitary word. Too busy directing traffic the wrong way? (I was playing a Traffic Cop.) Possibly. One chance, in and out.

Touched base with my New Mexico agent last week, he was pitching me for an audition here in Los Angeles for a TV Show that shoots in Albuquerque.

Hmmm, what else? Keeping my fingers crossed that if this month actually goes as planned, I will be putting together a new demo reel, a new VO reel, and launching my new website. Actually, I think I'd better cross my toes too!...:)...

On the Agenda this Week: The OTIS wrap party. Woo hoo!

S.