Can I Call Myself an "Actor" Now?

My very first paid acting gig was Seth MacFarlane's movie TED, and I remember getting the check in the mail feeling like I could finally call myself an actor. That was July 2011, and it wasn't until about a month ago that I received my first pay check from acting in New York.


Projects I've been a part of thus far in New York:
1. A web comedy series called "Hipster Vice"
2. A Television project for a class at NYU
3. A short film about a serial killer called "Wish You Were"
4. A Feature film starring Michael Clark Duncan called The Challenger
5. A promotional video for Touch Tunes Jute Box
6. A pilot for ABC's "Americana"
7. An episode of CBS's "Person of Interest"


Does it matter that I get rewarded monetarily? I wish I could say no, as long as I'm doing what I love.
Sometimes I always have to stop and wonder if I really do love this game we play of trying so hard to impress people only for a measly $100/ a day (before taxes).

I do feel special, though. I do still get excited when I submit online for extra work, get that phone call with my 6am call time, check in and get my hair and wardrobe done.

But then I sit around for 10 hours wishing I hadn't forgotten my book and phone charger, waiting hopefully while the PAs come in and choose people at random to go stand around for 10 minutes in a scene.

No acting required, just show up on time, follow directions and  look good (and if you don't, hair and make up will fix you).

Some days I miss the stage and theater. I crave live action and reaction, feeling close to a character, highlighting a script. I can barely remember monologues anymore, I very rarely go on actual in-person auditions, I haven't even printed a headshot or resume in ages. (Not necessary when all of my submissions are by email or an online headshot/resume site).

I'm not trying to complain in this post at all though, I hope that's not the way I'm coming across. Just attempting to paint a real picture of what my life has been like. To be completely honest I'm oh so very grateful and excited and proud of myself for not giving up and moving back home. (NH I miss you).

 One thing I'm still trying to figure out is the new merger between SAG/AFTRA and how exactly to get those pesky little waivers. Oh, and in order to join the union I'll also need to pay $3,000  [$1,440 ?] which is much more than I've been making.

Life is spontaneous and crazy as an actor in NYC. I never know when or if I'll have "work" or if I'll get paid. I keep adding to my resume and networking, meeting as many people as I can and trying to get as much advice to help me along the way.

Thanks for reading if you actually got this far in my rambling! ;)

X Krista

Live in New York City once...

The following is a speech by George Carlin.


Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. 

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

25 Days of Giving

Last year I used the power of Facebook to spread the word about 25 charities and donated to each one as a personal christmas gift to whomever recommended that charity.

This year I was inspired by this video called "Advent Conspiracy"

"Spend Less on Gifts, Give More Presence."


The Charities I supported last year included the following. If anyone is considering buying me a Christmas present this year, a donation to one of these would be preferred:

1.     Terrence Higgins for world AIDS day

2.     Human Rights Campaign 

3.     Jimmyv.org 

4.     http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

5.     www.nhctf.org 

6.     http://www.nhcadsv.org/

7.     International Justice Mission 

8.     Aspca 

9.     Post secret hopeline

10. joyful noise leukemia foundation

11. hoops for heroes

12. Haiti yele

13. invisible children

14. toys for tots

15. Courage campaign 

16. Girls on the run NH

17. Breast cancer awareness

18. Heifer international 

19. Let’s move 

20. National inclusion project 

21. Charity for cancer survivors

23. Faith Hope and Love Foundation 

24. Defenders of Wildlife 
25.Momentary Times           (I'm not sure where 22 went, my blog is being funky with the lay-out and HTML... I'll edit more later.)


        *also, if anyone else has other websites or organizations they would like to recommend to me, please do so!! 

Love one another. X

On trying to Act in NYC

Here we go. I've jumped into the acting world of New York City. It is competitive and harsh and you only get places by knowing the right people.  You can have talent and try really hard and still fail.

So far since being here I have applied to numerous projects, including feature films, television shows, student films, web series, and commercials. I have gone on a few auditions and even landed a few roles. The projects that I have done are a web-series filmed in Brooklyn and an episode from a television show for a class at NYU. Both were unpaid but it was great to use them as experiences to learn more about film acting and to meet new people. Also, it's building up my resume!

How I found out about these parts were by constantly searching online. The two websites I use most are Mandy.com and NYCastings.com. Mandy is free and it has mostly student films and non-paid work. NYCastings cost about $10 a month and it has everything from background work on Gossip Girl to models for Hair Shows. I have received more feedback from Mandy, but I got both of the gigs I actually ended up doing from NYCastings. Both websites allow you to upload headshots and resumes, however NYCastings also lets you upload a multi-media reel.

I think the ultimate goal is to eventually get an agent and be in a union. For now, just doing non-union non-paid stuff is fun. I have a few days off a week from work so I can go to auditions and have time to film, but eventually I hope that acting can be my full-time job.


Here's to making your dreams come true!

X

New Home

So I'm leaving Manhattan and moving to a nice place in the Bronx. My rent is reasonable and the commute to my jobs is only about half an hour on the subway.

I also was asked to stay at American Apparel as a full-time employee so I need to think about what that means for my other job and my free time as well as trying to start auditioning and doing theatre again.

Oh, and it snowed the other day and snow in NYC is the worst.

oops!

Oh gosh, I haven't posted in so long! New York is so busy and crazy and every day I wake up, go to work, get home from work, and spend hours on the computer searching for a new place to live. I have to leave my room i'm in on Monday and I don't have a new home yet! It is scary, but I'll find a place I hope. I have to figure out my work schedule because I've been offered instead of part-time positions at my jobs, full-time and I can't do two full-time! Life is so crazy!

X

One Year in Photos

I've had a Flickaday Account for over a year now, and this is a video of one year of my life in photos:

http://www.flickaday.com/swfs/flickadayviewer.swf?id=7774