Home Sweet California

Girls Getaway

2012-01-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Me and my friends, Desiree, Ashley & Jessica all planned a girls getaway to go down to San Diego for a couple days in early January. Me and Desiree had been talking about wanting to go down there for some time and so I just said "let's do it" and we did. The four of us went down on Sunday, January 8th. We stayed in Downtown SD.

On Sunday, we went around Seaport Village and the naval base then went out to the Gaslamp District in downtown. On Monday, we spent most of the day at the beach on Coronado Island. We also went to Balboa Park and then again to the Gaslamp District for dinner. Monday night Ashley & Jessica left to go back home, they both had work and things they had to be back for. But since neither Desiree or me had to work we stayed another night.

On Tuesday, Des and I went shopping and around Downtown a little bit. We also went back to Coronado Island because we wanted to be at the beach again. We stayed most of Tuesday down there and then came back Tuesday night. Neither one of us wanted to leave and vowed we would come again soon. It was so beautiful down there and I just loved it! Below are a few pictures from our time in San Diego..enjoy :)

Reflecting on 2011

2012-01-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year all! I can't believe it is 2012! This past year has really flown by. I still can't believe I've been living in California for the past 2 and a half years now. It has been one crazy, amazing adventure that I wouldn't trade for the world! I still love it out here and know this is where I am supposed to be. I look forward to what God has planned for the future!

2011 was a good year for me. But it was also a tough one. I battled with what to do with my life, feeling stuck in place and not moving forward. I struggled with my acting not going anywhere and just trying to come to terms with what God's plan for me out here is. I know He led me out here for a reason but when acting wasn't happening like I had hoped, I began to doubt what His reason was. I know He has His reasons but we don't always see them clearly. Trusting that His plan is better then ours isn't easy, either. But now looking back I can see His leading and I can understand it a little bit better.

There were also a lot of good things that happened in 2011 too! I had many adventures and created many wonderful memories that I will keep with me forever. I got back into going to Minor League baseball games regularly and loved the season! A group from work went down to SeaWorld in San Diego. I worked on a couple really cool movie and TV projects as an extra. I went to the beach and really enjoyed my summer days without a care in the world. I went back home to Virginia for Thanksgiving to visit my family and also took a friend with me. That was fun! I continued to work on my writing projects and started developing some awesome new ideas. I turned 21! My Christmas and New Years holidays were spent mostly working but I was still able to get out and have fun with friends. I formed a couple really strong friendships that I cherish deeply.

Over all, just like every year--it was a good one with its own share of troubles. But I feel like I really grew this year and I am very thankful. I feel like I'm beginning to feel like I'm doing something with myself instead of being stuck in place. God has really blessed me this past year and I can't wait to see what is to come for 2012!

God has really shown me that He is in control, He knows what He is doing, and that His plan is better then my own. He has been redirecting my paths and places I can see myself. He has also opened a great door of opportunity for me and I can't wait to see where it will lead...not doubt onto my next adventure. But more about my big news in another post to follow. I'm still getting things in motion. But I just wanted to share what has been going on in my life and encourage you all in this new year that no matter where you are or where you want to be--God has a plan for you!

I never make a New Years resolution. I think partially it is because I always see how everyone makes one and breaks it before January even ends. However, this year I decided to do something a little differently. My sister, Julia actually first mentioned it and I decided to do it as well. We all have bucket lists of things we wanna do before we die or places we want to go, etc. Well this year my resolution is to check things off of my list. I also created a new, smaller list of things I would like to do this year. I have been able to check off 2 of the things on my list so far and January isn't even over yet! I'm hoping to be able to check off everything on my list by December 31, 2012...so we'll see. Happy 2012 everyone! Have a great year!

Christmas in California

2011-12-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

"They got the sleigh rides and sleigh bells too. But we got convertables, at Christmas we cruz. We never made a snow man, but we're working on our sun tan. Everyone knows--that we can have a holiday, celebrate it our way. You know I'm talkin' 'bout...Christmas time in California. All this fun here waiting for ya."

Ever since I first heard the Christmas song "Christmas in California" by the Cheetah Girls, I always loved it. Now I feel like I can actually relate to it. Having been out here in Cali for the past two Christmases. I have to work today at the movie theater but had a little time before so I thought I'd just put up a quite blog post. The weather has been colder the last couple of weeks and then yesterday it decided to warm up to about 75 degrees. Felt more like spring then Christmas time. But that's what you get with California.

I just wanted to say wish everyone well on this very special day of the year. I hope everyone has a great day filled with lots of love and wonderful memories made! Just make sure in all the celebrations and gatherings that you remember the reason for the season..Happy birthday Jesus! He is the real reason we all celebrate!

All though its been said many times, many ways...MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

On the Move

2011-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, sorry its been so long yet again since I last wrote. I haven't had internet at my house until just recently. Now I have it again so I will try not to be so absent for so long. Just some updates on what I've been up to...

First, I have moved. I am still living in the same area, just moved to a different house. I moved about two months ago and am I feel like, finally settled in. The house is bigger then the other place I stayed at but it is still just as nice. I am still renting a room and the only down side is that I now share a bathroom, but its not too bad. The new family has been great and welcoming. Even telling me "to make myself more at home". I do miss the other family (after all I did stay there for about 2 years), however my new home is great too.

I was able to go back home to Virginia for Thanksgiving again this year and it was a blast! But like always it made me feel homesick once I got back to Cali. I took my good friend, Ashley back home with me this time as well. She comes from a bit of a smaller family then mine - having only one brother - so I wasn't sure exactly how she'd fit in. But she had a great time as well. She had never been to VA and aside from the colder weather towards the end of our trip - she seemed to adjust just fine. I did make to trip a little longer this year - making it a week and a half instead of just one week - which was very much worth it. As always it was great to see my family and made me realize how much I miss not being around them all the time, but I was happy to get back to my new home Cali as well.

What else? I am still trying to pursue acting and am trying to get signed to an agency. Its been frustrating not having one but I know God has a plan in all of this, even if I don't see it. And I've just been trying to just enjoy life and take it one day at a time. Just to live in the moment and be thankful for everyday I have. I can see some things already that I am so thankful to have been a part of and many great memories that I wouldn't have been able to have if not for still being where I am today. So I am grateful. I've been spreading my wings and just going for things I think would be fun and I would enjoy. Such as applying for different jobs and programs. I'm just trying to open myself up as much as possible and see where God puts me. Lately I've been seeing God's hand in closing doors of opportunity, I just wish that He would open some as well. I know He has big plans for me and that they still include CA right now. Hopefully in the new year some of them will become clear.

I've also been taking this time to focus on some writing projects and really get them done. I have been staying pretty focused on one right now. Right now I am working mainly on a 1-hour Drama (with some comedy) TV show idea. It is a southern show that takes place in Nashville and the world of country music. This show is very close to my heart. I would really like to try and get it sold to a production company to be made into a real TV show, once its ready. And I'm hoping to be able to find somebody to work closely with me on it. I already have a whole season breakdown of what I want to write to happen in each episode. Currently I have just under half of the pilot episode written for it so far and am still going strong.

Anyway, those are about all of my highlights currently. I will try and get another post up soon about the current projects I have done background work for and other activities I've been up to. Until next time...

Minor Details

2011-09-22T02:32:00.000-07:00

Some of my many photos from Minor League baseball games I attended this year for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers).

Me and my new baseball buddy, Ashley :)

Me & Ashley before a Sunday game in June

One of the fireworks shows

Harvest LA

2011-09-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

I was unable to go to the Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium in Anaheim this year like I have the previous two years. However, this year they added a new location...Dodger Stadium in downtown LA! I made sure to go to that one, since I missed the other. I was also so excited to check out the stadium! It was held on September 10, 2011, just about a week ago, so I have a still fairly recent update for you guys, yay! LOL

Two of my closest gal pals (and co-workers at the theater), Ashley & Desiree and I were all able to attend together which was a blast. The Katina's were there again hosting the worship time, as well as Kirk Franklin, Jeremy Camp (who I looked forward to most) & Chris Tomlin all performed. I took some really good photos unfortunately, I took them on my phone - so I have no way to get them on here currently. Ah, technology! LOL. However, I did get some on my camera as well and they are below..enjoy :)

Dodger Stadium :)

Frank Pastore

Dodger duggout

Kirk Franklin

Louie Zamperini

Jeremy Camp

The Katinia's

My pastor, Greg Laurie

People coming onto the field to give their life to Christ. They had so many people come down that they had to stop letting people because the fire marshal said there were too many below. Greg Laurie said that has never happened at any Crusade before. Over 5,000 people gave their lives to Christ that night. Praise the Lord!

9/11 Candlelight/cell phone remembrance ceremony

Chris Tomlin

Los Angeles Dodgers baby!

The famous "Think Blue" Dodger sign outside the stadium

Stadium lights as we leave...and oh yeah, just a little bit of traffic. Just a little bit that took us over 40 mins to exit the stadium.

A Day in the Life at SeaWorld

2011-09-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

Photos from my trip to SeaWorld San Diego back in July during the week of my bday..enjoy :)

Dolphins & acrobatic performers waving farewell at the end of the "Blue Horizons" show

Ashley, Desiree & me

Shamu Show

Holding a Starfish :)

San Diego :)

Acrobatic show

My favorite part of the day :)

Me and the guys, Nathan & Zach

A New Project

2011-08-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have just decided to embark on a new project. A book project. But this book is unlike any other I have worked on before. I have been inspired lately by the world of blogging and some of the blogs I follow, not to mention this blog that I keep for my friends and family back home. So I have started a new book idea that will be written completely in a blog format. It will consist of blog entries only and will come across as if you are reading an actual blog online.

I'm pretty excited about this new project that I wanted to share it with you. I am busy brainstorming and beginning my writing process for this project and don't want to give much else away yet as it is still in the early stages. However, I have decided as I write it I am going to be posting it online in an actual blog (created for this purpose only) so that I can share it with anyone who may want to read it. Anyways, I hope y'all will embark on this journey with me and grow to love my story and characters. I will keep you posted as the project progresses and let you know once I begin the blog for it.

So its Been Awhile...

2011-08-04T17:42:00.001-07:00

So its been awhile...sorry! I've discovered that I have been adding new entry's further and further apart. So what's new with me? Well, I've been mostly working a lot and enjoying summer! I've been going to a lot of baseball games (which isn't a new thing). There is a minor league baseball team not far from where I live now called the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. For those of you who know my obsession with going to minors games already, they are the same level as my hometown team the Hillcats. After not going to a single baseball game last year, I was in serious need of it this year! And I've been going a lot! I'll post some pictures later.

Besides the Quakes I've also attended my first major league baseball game a couple months ago when I went to an Angels baseball game in Anaheim. That was a lot of fun also and I plan on going to a couple more before the season ends.

Aside from baseball, my summer activities have mostly consisted of hanging out with friends, planning fun outings and trying new things. A group of about 8 people from the theater that I work at all went to SeaWorld in San Diego for a day the week of my birthday. Most of us had never been to SeaWorld before and it was a blast! Going to all the shows and getting up close to dolphins (which are my favorite animal) was so much fun! I took plenty of pictures from SeaWorld and will have to share some soon.

I did go to the beach on one of my off days, unfortunately it wasn't sunny when we went and so we ended up not staying long. I've been wanting to go again but haven't had time between my two jobs. My birthday was good. 21 baby! Just relaxed most of the day. Went to a Quakes baseball game and then went out afterwards with my friend Ashley. Nothing too crazy but it was good. I got flooded with happy bday wishes on my facebook and it did make my day. Thanks to everyone who wished me one or sent me something, it means a lot to me!

I've been trying to keep my mind open to trying new things and am just really wanting God to direct my steps on where to go and what to do next. I'm still taking acting classes but don't really feel like I'm getting anywhere with it. I'm starting to think maybe God has another plan for me. I don't know but I'm excited to see where He'll take me! I'm still writing a lot and am hoping to finish a book or two by next summer. I wanted to finish one by the end of this year but being so busy I haven't had a lot of time to work on any. But I would love to continue with that and maybe try to get something published.

Over all things are going pretty well. Working a lot. Just enjoying life and living it one day at a time. Trying to make time for more adventures and hang out with my friends. I'm trying to be a little more daring and get out of my comfort zones. And I just realized I haven't taken many pictures lately and have decided to try and take a lot more. A friend of mine reminded me today that pictures are priceless down the road and I want to be able to look back and remember all the fun times. So more pictures will be taken (my sister Sam will love to hear that). And I will try to update again before too long.

It's a Sitcom World

2011-06-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry its been so long since my last update y'all! I've been really busy with work and of course summer coming up...been really busy hanging out with friends, hitting up baseball games and just making plenty of summer out doors plans..but more on those later. My next update is all about some more comedy's that I have gone to live tapings for as well as pictures, enjoy!

GOOD LUCK CHARLIE
I went to another Disney Channel show taping of "Good Luck Charlie" awhile back. Its been so long I don't even really remember the date but it was a blast! I got autographs from most of the cast and sent it to my family for a Christmas present last year. Below are some pictures of me and the cast :)

My biggest and longest Disney Channel crush, Jason Dolley

Guest star, Shane Harper

Guest star, Micah Williams

Series regular, Bradley Steven Perry

Guest star, Samantha Boscarino

THE GREAT STATE OF GEORGIA (pilot)
Back a few months ago I went to a taping of a pilot for a possible new comedy starring Raven (from Disney Channel's "That So Raven"). It was a blast! It was co-created by author Jennifer Weiner and is about an aspiring actress who lives in New York and her friends and family. It was so funny. Since it was a pilot, you never know if it will get picked up for an actually series to ever come out on TV. However, I just found out recently that it was picked up by ABC Family and will be premiering this summer. So keep an eye out for it and enjoy the pictures below :)

The cast (Raven is bending down in the red & black shirt)

The studio they taped at (Fun fact: this is also the same studio where they film the Disney Channel shows "Wizards of Waverly Place", "The Suite Life" & "So Random")

AUSTIN & ALLY (pilot)
Back in March I attended another pilot taping for a Disney Channel possible show called "Austin & Ally". It is about a musician/writer, Ally and a heartthrob type singer, Austin. After a misunderstanding they team up to write and sing songs together. It was so hilarious and I really hoped it would get picked up because I absolutely LOVED it! And I just heard that it did get picked up..so it is a brand new Disney Channel show, not sure when it will come out yet but stay tuned it is awesome! Unfortunately, because it was a pilot we weren't aloud to take any pictures but I did get to meet the cast and get autographs :)

So Random

2011-04-07T20:37:00.001-07:00

On February 8th, my friend Ashley and I went to another live taping of a Disney show. It was our first one for Sonny With a Chance - which has now been renamed "So Random". Demi Lovato wasn't there unfortunately, she's not on the show anymore. But all the other actors are still on it and they have added a couple of new actors as well. They have changed the show to just be So Random comedy sketches. Its basically Saturday Night Live but for kids.

It's so much fun though! The 1st time we went they had Mindless Behavior as the musical guest and boy can they dance! They were great! I won a Sonny With a Chance poster and was able to get everyone except Sterling Knight to sign it.

In March, Ashley & I went to our 2nd taping for "So Random". This time I was able to get Sterling's signature. The 2nd time Selena Gomez was the musical guest and she sign her new single "Who Says" - which is such a beautiful song! She is so sweet and did a great job. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to take pictures at this show. Because it is a brand new set and the show hasn't aired yet, they don't want any pictures getting out before it airs. It is supposed to start airing later this year.

It had been awhile since we'd gone to a live taping and its still just so magical. It definitely makes me want to be on a sitcom as opposed to drama. They are both fun but both so different. I would love to work on a sitcom. They are still filming So Random and we'll probably go to another show in the near future. So fun!

Jack & Jill

2011-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Back in January on the 18th & 21st I worked as an extra on a new feature film comedy called "Jack & Jill". It is a movie about twins named Jack & Jill and Adam Sandler plays both characters. This was my first extra job with a really big actor and so I was excited. It was a pretty big call though about 500 people and we shot it at the Staples Center in downtown LA.

They had some of the Lakers players there (none of the big named ones though), they had the laker girls there as well. We basically shot basketball scenes and audience shots with Adam Sandler playing both Jack and Jill which was kind of cool to watch. They had a green screen for parts of it and a stand in who played whichever role Adam Sandler wasn't playing so he could have a real body there and someone to talk to in the scenes.

Another pleasant surprise was that Al Pacino & Johnny Depp were both there as well shooting cameos for the movie. Johnny Depp was wearing a Justin Bieber t-shirt which I thought was pretty funny and apparently its an inside joke for the movie or something. It was kind of weird seeing big name actors up close - a little surreal but it was cool too. They seemed pretty down to earth and nice guys. I didn't get to talk with them though. They were long days the 2nd one was a late afternoon call time and we shot until 4am the next day which was a little exhausting but it was still pretty fun. I met some other nice extras to hang out with for those two days. We weren't allowed to take any pictures which was kind of a bummer but understandable too. As of right now the movie is scheduled to hit theaters in November so keep an eye out :)

Acting Update

2011-03-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! This update is LONG overdue and I apologize. It's getting harder and harder for me to find time and remember to update this blog. Sorry. I will try and do it more often. Okay so an acting update...to be completely honest I have been down about my acting career and the lack of progress I would like it to have. I feel as if the devil has been attacking and bringing me down in this area. But I am determined not to let it get me too down. I'm trying to keep my spirits up and God has been using some people in my life to help encourage me.

About a week ago, when I was feeling really down about it. God used my acting teacher to encourage me and help lift my spirits. She has been such a blessing and I am so thankful that God brought me to her and her class. She has become not only my acting teacher but a good friend as well.

Right now my main goal is to get an agent. Once I get the agent then I can be going out on big auditions and booking roles. Nov/Dec I sent a bunch of submissions out to agencies but haven't heard back from any of them. It is a little discouraging but I'm not giving up. I know God has me here for a reason and when His timing is right it will happen - but it's still frustrating. My acting teacher is trying to reach some agents she knows on my behalf, so hopefully I'll get an agent soon.

I'm also looking into taking some additional sessions/classes/workshops with some casting directors. It will be a good chance to work with some of the big names in the industry and build relationships with them. There seem to be some good opportunities arising with that, so hopefully some things will be arising with those too. I'm just really wanting to do all I can to get my foot in the door and get things ruling in the direction I want them to go.

Also, late last year I submitted a some auditions online as a part of open calls for: "Small Faces: The Runaways", "TALENT" web show, and "We Bought a Zoo". I didn't get any of those but I'm going to keep at it. You never know if you don't try. I am also going to be submitting for a new open call for a movie called "Transfers" about a group of transfer students in college. I will keep you all posted.
xoxo
Stephanie

Meeting Hilary Duff

2011-02-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

I randomly found online information about a Hilary Duff book signing back on December 1, 2010. I was working at the law office that day and debated the whole day if I would go or not. The book signing was in Glendale at 7:00pm - right on my way home so once I got off work I figured I might as well go. I knew that Hilary had written a book and it had been released in October. I thought it would be cool to go to the signing and get to meet her in person, so I went.

Now, for those of you who don't know I am a HUGE Hilary Duff fan. I grew up watching her TV show "Lizzie McGuire". She was one of my biggest acting/singing idols growing up and someone who inspired me with my own acting dreams. I own most of her movies and have every single one of her CDs (so far). When I heard that she wrote a book I was so excited. So once I got to Borders for the signing, I bought her book "Elixir" and waited in line for almost 2 hours to meet her.

Once I got to the front to meet her it was a little surreal. It's always a little different when you are used to seeing someone on TV and then see them in person. She's so tiny. She was a good few inches shorter than me (with about 4/5 inch heels on). Her diamond engagement ring is HUGE. And she's so sweet! I told her that she is one of my inspirations with my acting career. She said thanks. I said something about being from out of state and she asked where. I said Virginia and she said cool. She asked how I liked the weather out here and I said I loved it - saying I hate the cold weather. She said she's the same way. I then told her I was so excited when I heard she wrote a book and couldn't wait to read it. She said thanks and she hoped I would like it. She then wished me luck with my acting career and I said thanks. After getting to talk with her for a little bit, she signed my book and took a picture with me. This was such a wonderful day for me! I'm glad I went and I hope to work with Hilary one day. Check out the pictures below :)

Hilary & Me

Excited to have Hilary's book "Elixir"

My signed book :)

Thanksgiving in Virginia

2011-02-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

To go back in time a little ways...I was able to spend Thanksgiving with my family back in Virginia. It was such a blessing. I was not anticipating it but God worked it out. It had been almost a whole year since I had been back to visit. It was great getting to see everyone..my baby sisters are getting so big! Not only was my immediate family there but some of my extended family come for the holiday as well. I was also able to visit some of my friends while in town.

My sisters and I had a girls night and sleepover with some girls from church. I stopped by the dance studio and was able to get to see a couple of friends from there. I was able to stop by AMTI (my previous VA job) and visit everyone. It was cool to see most of the same people were still working there and to see the changes that have happened since I moved. I was also able to visit with a family I used to babysit for. I wasn't sure that the girls would remember me but they did. It was so great to see them! They're getting so big too and it was nice getting to visit with them and their parents. Also, my BFF, Megg who moved to NC not long after I moved to CA came up to visit as well. She's expecting her 1st child in March and it was so great getting to see her, her hubby. I also got to meet their dog Skipper...so adorable! Hopefully I will be able to stop by and visit them once the baby arrives in NC.

And then of course I spent lots of time with the family. Had a wonderful dinner with my grandparents one of my first days back. Had girl nights with my sisters. Watched one of the movies I worked on "StarStruck" with them - that was fun. And of course Black Friday shopping. All in all it was such a great visit and definitely miss my family. Wish they all were out here with me! Can't wait to see them all again, hopefully sooner this time than last. I'll post some pictures of my visit soon.

Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

2010-12-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

My summer 2010 haircut

Good Luck Charlie actor autographs

Me & Bridgit Mendler (Teddy Duncan)

Me & Shane Harper (Spencer)

The Roxy show board for Shane Harper show on Oct 6th

Shane Harper performing at The Roxy

"Like Dandelion Dust" movie poster at the signing

Kambria & Me at the book signing. This picture appeared in the Ventura County Star newspaper the next day. Photo by Joseph A. Garcia/Star Staff.

Austin (Karen's son), Shelene (my acting teacher), Karen Kingsbury, Mira Sorvino (actress), Me & Kambria (my acting classmate) at the Barnes & Noble signing

My first visitor from VA, Debbie

What Else is New?

2010-11-20T00:37:00.001-08:00

I auditioned for a student film titled "Wonder Girl" on October 4th. The role I read for was a babysitter. Below are some other things I have been up too as well...

SHAKE IT UP 2
Ashley and I went to our 2nd taping for the new Disney Channel TV show "Shake It Up" on Sept. 21st. We had so much fun as usual and the episode was hilarious. The show just started airing on Disney Channel a couple weeks ago and actually the 1st episode we watched taped live will be premiering on Disney this Sunday so that is exciting! Since its premiere the show has been racking up big numbers in the ratings seems to be a hit already. Congrats to the cast and crew they deserve it :)

NEW JOB
I met with my acting teacher's husband, Brice about an office job for him on October 4th. He's a lawyer and was looking for someone to work a couple days a week. I started working for him the following week. I've been doing a lot of cleaning and trying to help them organize documents, etc. It's a familiar field since I used to have an office job back in VA but it different because its all law stuff which I am not familiar with. But they have been teaching me about some of it and I am beginning to kind of figure things out and understand the lawyer lingo a bit. It's a great job and the people are great too. So far, I'm really liking it.

LIKE DANDELION DUST SIGNING
On October 11th - after acting class - I went with my classmate, Kambria and her mom to a book signing. My teacher Shelene was helping run it and it was for a movie she produced called "Like Dandelion Dust" based on the best-selling book by Karen Kingsbury. To help promote the film, Karen Kingsbury and Mira Sorvino (award winning actress who stars in the film) had a Q&A and signing at a local Barnes & Noble. It was so much fun. I got to get autographs and talk to them for a little bit which was awesome.

VISITOR :)
On October 27th I received my first visitor from back home in VA. My friend from church, Debbie. She was a couple hours north of LA visiting her husband since he was there for work. On Oct 27th she drove down to LA and we got together. We got something to eat and walked around a mall talking and catching up. Then we met up with another one of her friends and drove through Malibu canyon. Once in Malibu we stopped at a restaurant on the beach and hung out while her friend got something to eat. After that they were going continue sight seeing but I had to get back for work. It was so good getting to see her and so much fun hanging out!

PARTIES
On November 5th we had an engagement party at the house for one of the family that I live with's niece and my friend Reba. It was crazy. I got there late since I had to work at the lawyer's office that day and then had to drive all the way home from Calabasas (it took about 2 hours that day). There were a lot or people I didn't know but it was good seeing all the cousins since I hadn't seen them in so long and celebrating with Reba & Mark.

The very next week we had yet another party at the house. This time it was only for family so it wasn't quite so crazy lol. The family is all really big into boxing and this was a boxing fight night. They rout on Manny Pacquiao who is a Filipino boxer. They buy the fights on paperview and then the whole family gets together and watches it. I think I am starting to get into it now too thanks to all of them :)

THANKSGIVING
I am so excited to be flying home for Thanksgiving to visit my family. It has been almost a year since I have last been back (since New Years) and I miss them all so much! Some of my extended family is going to be coming in as they typically do for Thanksgiving. Its going to be great! I leave on Saturday (Nov 20) - will be staying a week - and coming back on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My lawyer job was cool with me leaving which was great and I even got off from the theater - all though I am sure they aren't as thrilled seeing as how I didn't know until after my flight was booked that Harry Potter opens today and I won't be there at all until I get back. But its all good..and I can't wait to see everyone!

October 6th

2010-11-18T15:22:00.001-08:00

October 6th was a big day for me. Ashley and I were planning on going to a concert at The Roxy on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. It was a show I found out about online that Shane Harper (he plays Spencer on Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie"). I thought it would be cool to go and Ashley wanted to go to so we made to plans. The night before the concert I found out I had an audition earlier the same day as the concert - so we changed our plans to leave early to have time to go there first.

WORKING CLASS AUDITION
My audition was for a new TV show called "Working Class". The show is a family comedy that stars Melissa Peterman (Barbra Jean from "Reba") as the mom and it follows her and her kids as they move to a rich neighborhood. It is the first scripted TV show for CMT (a country cable channel for those who don't know). What was different about this one is it had already been picked up for 12 episodes. Normally shows film a pilot (1 episode) and then have to wait and see if they'll get picked up for a season or not but this one was already picked up. They had cast all the roles already except for the teenage daughter. About a month earlier I had heard about the show and submitted online through an acting site to try and get an audition but had never heard back. I assumed they had already cast the role - until I got a notification for an audition on Oct 6th. I was so excited! This was everything I wanted to do: a comedy, a family-friendly show and I loved the story line. Ashley practiced the script with me that night before the audition and then again all the way to it in the car. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous once we got to the audition. I knew the script down pat and was anxious to go in there and do a great job. For my audition I went into a room with two guys - the casting directors - one of them read the other lines and I acted out mine. The guy who was reading with me was reading really fast and I tried not to let it affect me. I felt great and the CDs (casting directors) seemed to like it as well. They smiled and one even chuckled at the funny punch line at the end. Over all I was really encouraged. The fact that they reacted to some of the lines I said was awesome because they usually never do. I did my best and gave it my all and was happy with how it went.

Unfortunately, I never got a callback for "Working Class". The role has been cast and they have been filming it for awhile now. It will be airing on CMT in January 2011. I was a little disappointed when I didn't get the role but I know I was apparently not supposed to have it for some reason. . It seemed like the perfect part and exactly the type of show I want to work on. But as great as it seemed my ultimate dream job would be on Disney - who knows maybe that is where I am supposed to be. I don't know but what I do know is I am where I am supposed to be and God has something even better in store for me. And I can't wait to see what it is :)

KILLING TIME..
After the audition it seemed like everything went wrong. Ashley and I had a couple hours to kill before the concert so we just hung around LA. We tried to get something to eat and it turned into a big ordeal. Finally, we did get food and ate. We killed a couple hours playing games and listening to music. Then finally came time for the show which turned into an even bigger ordeal. I know God is control and I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason but I was getting overwhelmed. Luckily, we got it all figured out and got into the show before Shane Harper performed.

SHANE HARPER SHOW AT THE ROXY
There were a couple other singers/bands who performed before Shane did and couple who played after him as well. Bridgit Mendler (Teddy), Jason Dolley (PJ) & Bradley Steven Perry(Gabe) - Shane's "Good Luck Charlie" co-stars were there to support him. Ashley and I made our way to the front of the stage and waited for Shane to come on. Once he did come on people started moving closer to the stage and when we turned around all the GLC actors and their friends/families were standing right beside us! Bridgit was standing right in front of me and Jason was right beside me to the left. I was like freaking out inside. I filmed a couple of Shane's songs on my camera and you can see Bridgit in them. It was so cool. The concert was awesome and Shane was really good! I can't wait until he makes a CD. We're hoping to be able to see him perform again soon.

Even after all the troubles through out the day it was worth it once we got to see the concert. It was very eventful day. I get in front of some well known casting directors and audition, got to go to The Roxy for the first time, got to see Shane perform while standing beside Disney stars, got to have some fun with my bestie Ashley and hear some great new bands I had never heard of before. October 6th was such a great day!

Good Luck Charlie

2010-11-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

On Sept 24th, Ashley and I went to a live taping of the Disney Channel TV show "Good Luck Charlie" (GLC). I was so excited because this show is one of my favorites and stars some of my favorite actors. When we started going to live tapings of shows GLC was on hiatus - so once they came back for season 2 I got tickets right away.

The taping was so much fun! The episode was hilarious. The cast all seemed like a family and hung out with each other in between takes. The whole cast was there except baby Mia who plays Charlie. I was sad she wasn't there but the rest of the cast was awesome! The MC for the event was entertaining and they had some fun contests and giveaways. They filmed at the same studio as "Shake It Up" that I attended tapings of before. So I was already familiar with the studio which was a plus.

I have a YouTube that I have some acting videos up on and awhile ago - back before Good Luck Charlie was picked up, when they were just beginning casting - I made an audition video for the role of Teddy on the show. After the show was cast Bridgit Mendler (who plays Teddy on the show) sent me a message on YouTube saying she saw my video, thought it was good and wanted to wish me luck. I thought it was so awesome that the girl who got to role sent me that message and it meant a lot to me. I figured she wouldn't remember even doing it but I wanted to thank her in person at the taping.

After the taping the actors all came out to sign autographs. I was so excited to meet Jason Dolley (PJ on the show) because I've liked him since he was in "Read It and Weep" on Disney back in 2006. Ashley & I were able to talk to him for a little bit while he was signing autographs for us. I wanted to get a picture with him but when he signed stuff there was people in front of me so I couldn't get one :(..but that's okay I'll get it next time. When Bridgit got to us I told her about when she messaged me and that I just wanted to thank her because it meant a lot to me. She smiled and said you're welcome. I wasn't sure if she actually remembered me or was just being nice but I didn't mind.

A little bit later - we were still there getting other autographs - and I thought I heard someone call out my name. The way it was set up the actors, crew and other people were down on the ground where they shoot the show and we were on the bleachers where we sat and watched the taping. Again, I thought I heard someone say my name. It wasn't really loud but loud enough to sound like someone was calling out. I looked around slowly and saw two girls down on the floor who looked like they were looking at me. I just ignored it and figured they were looking/talking to someone else. A couple minutes later I looked back at the girls and thought I heard one say to the other "go talk to her". Again, I didn't think much about it...until one of them walked over to me. She introduced herself and Katya - one of Bridgit's friends. She told me she had seen some of my videos on YouTube and really liked them. She said she wanted to wish me luck and just wanted to come over and say hi. I was so surprised and didn't know what to say. I made a little small talk and then we said goodbye. I was just so surprised that she had seen my videos, liked them and then came up to me to say hi. I don't know if Bridgit said something to Katya after I thanked her for the message or not - but I hadn't told her my name so she at least remembered my name from YouTube which was so crazy.

It really was one of the best days of my life. I was freaking out the whole rest of the ride home after that. I'm sure Ashley got sick of hearing me go on and on but I was just so excited and encouraged. We're planning on going to another taping in December and I hope to work on the show in the future. It's such a great atmosphere on the set and I'm sure its even better working on it then just in the audience. Here's to the future! :)

It's On!

2010-11-14T00:36:00.001-08:00

For my birthday my friend Ashley bought tickets to go see the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato & Camp Rock 2 Cast on tour in Irvine, CA. I was so excited! As most of you know I am a huge Jonas, Demi and Camp Rock fan. It was my 4th time seeing the Jonas Brothers (if you count when I worked on their tv show "Jonas LA") and my 2nd time seeing Demi Lovato in concert. And so on September 19th we drove out to Irvine and got to experience the amazing concert.

Alyson Stoner (Caitlyn on Camp Rock) was the MC so to speak for the concert, she also sung one of her own songs. Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Ella on Camp Rock) sung one of her original songs as well. Matthew "Mdot" Finley (Luke from Camp Star in Camp Rock) & Jordan Francis (Barron on Camp Rock) were also there singing along with Camp Rock songs. They sung some songs from the 1st movie but mainly ones from the 2nd movie.

Demi Lovato sung a few of her own songs and she rocked! And of course the Jonas Brothers...they did a whole set for about an hour singing their own songs and some from JONAS LA. This concert also happened to be the last on their tour in the US before heading out to South America. The concert was so much fun and I would totally go and see them all again! Check out some of the pictures from the concert below.

The concert sign

Ashley & I waiting for the concert to start

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle on the left & Alyson Stoner on the right

Demi Lovato

Camp Rock Cast

JONAS BROTHERS!

Joe Jonas & Demi Lovato singing duets from Camp Rock 1 & 2

Jonas Brothers & China Anne McClain singing "Your Biggest Fan" from JONAS LA

Big concert finale with confetti

Extra Work

2010-11-13T23:28:00.000-08:00

I just realized I have been so busy lately that I have completely forgotten about this blog. Sorry anyone who checks in for updates! So since I am long overdue I am working on multiple new entry's to catch you up on the last couple months...first off extra/background work I have done since the last blog entry.

GLEE
What entry about extra work would be complete without this show? I have worked on it the most out of any other show so far. This particular day took place back at the end of August in Hollywood. We shot at a high school that I have shot at before. We shot musical scenes in the gym for the Britney Spears episode. This was another typical long Glee day (over 12 hours). But it was a lot of fun. Since I have worked on the show many times I am more familiarized with the crew. Jim is the head of the extras and is a great guy. He always remembers me which is nice. This day he sat me beside one of the main actors on the show - Jayma Mays (who plays Emma). So when you watch the episode you see me sitting beside her. Check out the picture...I am to her right in the gray :). The episode aired awhile back - season 2, episode 2 "Britney/Brittany".

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
On Septemer 8th I worked for the second time on my sister, Sam's all time favorite TV show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". Yes, the Las Vegas one. We shot Dinosaur convention scenes at the Staples Center in LA. It was my first time being at the Staples Center and it seemed a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I was in the audience and then also got to be one of the additional pretend crew people for the Dinosaur show on the floor. I had a morning call and only me and the other 4 people they choose as the fake crew members stayed the whole day. Everyone else that got there when we did left at noon and then a new group came in around 2. So I got all the overtime which was very nice! It was a good but long day. The only actor I saw that I recognized was Laurence Fishburne (from The Matrix). That was pretty cool getting to see him. The episode aired a couple weeks ago and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet since I was working the day it aired. For those of you who want to watch it or re-watch it...it is season 11, episode 6 "Cold Blooded".

90210
On September 14th I got to work on "90210". It is a remake of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 that airs on The CW for those who don't know. It was my first time working on this show but I was very excited. We shot at their studio in Manhattan Beach, CA and it was cold that day. We got to dress semi up and semi comfy. I work jeans, a nice black one-sleeved shirt and heels. We shot scenes for The Undies - an award type banquet for the underachievers on the show. All the cast and crew were great! I even ran into one of my friends on set who was also doing extra work so that was cool too.

During one scene where I just had to walk behind the main actors as they enter the room - we had to keep doing it over and over because the actors kept messing up lines and the directors wanting something else, etc. But I kept giving it my all. Even though its 'just background work' as other extras like to say - I don't care. To me its still acting and I still give it my all ever single time. Anyway on this particular scene we had to keep doing it over and over again but I didn't mind. In between takes the lady who was in charge of the extras pulled me aside and said that I was doing an excellent job. I was surprised because I just give it everything and don't think about it and I wasn't doing much - I was just walking. Plus the crew usually doesn't ever say things like that to you. I told her thank you but was still surprised, but pleased as well. Then later on another scene we were shooting the dancing at the party. They had a stage set up and had a couple people dancing on the stage but mostly everyone was on the floor. The same lady was looking for another person to dance on stage and no one wanted to do it. She told us that if no one volunteered she'd just pick someone. So I said I'd do it. She smiled and then said to everyone that I did such a good job on a scene earlier and now I was volunteering to dance on stage and thanked me. Again, I was really surprised that she called me out in front of everyone but I was also encouraged. Over all I had a great time on set and hope to work on the show as a main actor in the future. The pictures are some shots of me with some of the main actors on the show in the final version of the episode. The episode just aired not too long ago. If you want to check it out it is season 3, episode 7 "I See London, I See France".

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
On September 15th, the day after "90210" I got to work on the hit ABC Family TV Show "Pretty Little Liars" for the 3rd time. I was so excited seeing as the show had just started filming again after a hiatus. It is also one of my favorite shows to work on not to mention one of my favorites to watch. The show shoots at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank but on this day they had us park at a different structure than normal and there was some confusion as to where we were supposed to go once inside the studio to check in. After all the mix ups I did finally get to where I was supposed to be along with a couple other confused extras. It was another pretty long day on set and we shot outside at the other end of studio lot than the show usually shoots. We shoot some outside of the school shots and then inside at the local cafe hang out. For the first of the school scenes I was a student walking to class. The second school scene I got to be one of Spencer's field hockey teammates leaving school, along with one of my extra friends, Stacey. I got to talk to Troian Bellisario (the actress who plays Spencer on the show) for awhile in between takes and she's really sweet! Stacey and I asked her some questions about acting and she even asked us some questions too. She was really nice and encouraging about me getting into acting so that was exciting. For the final scene of the day we shot inside the cafe. For that scene I was a waitress. So I will hopefully be seen a couple times in the final version (fingers crossed lol). It was an awesome day on set but then again it always is on PLL. "Pretty Little Liars" comes back with all new episodes airing beginning January 3rd. My episode is the 2nd one once they come back. So be on the look out :)

Shake It Up

2010-08-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

DISNEY SUBMISSION
A couple months ago Disney Channel held some open calls to search for some new talent for shows and movies. I kept waiting and hoping that they would come nearby but they never did. They only went to Texas and Tennessee. Most of you who know me know that working for Disney is like my biggest dream. I have always loved everything Disney and wanted to work on Disney Channel. So needless to say I was sad they never come close by so that I could audition. So I decided to get together some reference letters from various entertainment teachers I have had and I also wrote my own letter of appeal. Once I had them all together I submitted them all to some people at Disney to try and get an audition with the company. I just did that not long ago. So please pray for me and for this opportunity specifically.

SHAKE IT UP
On another Disney note...at the end of July, my friend Ashley and I went to a live taping of a brand new Disney Channel TV show called "Shake It Up". The show is about two best friends who are dancers and dance on a modern-day Hairspray type dance show called 'Shake It Up, Chicago'. The show was really funny and I loved it! I can't wait for it to air on Disney Channel...it is set to premiere later this year (most likely around October/November). I had never been to a live taping of a show before and was curious how it all ran. For those who don't know - a lot of comedy TV shows tape in front of live studio audiences as was the case for this show. Most of the Disney Channel shows do this. Since I have always wanted to work for Disney I was curious to see if I'd even like this type of show setting. I loved it! It was so much fun and totally different then the shows I have worked on. The whole atmosphere is wonderful! It's hard to describe but I just love it! It made me realize without a doubt that Disney is the place I really want to work! I'll just have to wait and see if God wants to use me with this company as well.

Ashley, me & our "Shake It Up" actor autographs

Sweet Summertime Pictures

2010-08-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

A collage of pictures I made of Ashley, Alyssa & me at the beach

Video chatting with my sisters Sam, Grace & Rebekah back home in VA

I never get tired of this sight.
The view of LA from the Paramount Studios lot.

2010 SoCal Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium in Anaheim

Steven Curtis Chapman & Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie & Dr. James Dobson

Mercy Me

Mercy Me on stage

The Katinas

People pouring down the stands to accept Jesus into their lives..so awesome to see!

I thought this was funny so I had to take a picture of it :)

Sunshine & Summertime

2010-08-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

OK time for another update...first of all I just love the summer! It's my favorite time of year. Especially out here in Cali where the sunshine and beaches are all around. I haven't been hitting the beach as much as I want to but still the fact that they are near by is nice. Over all the weather out here this summer hasn't been that bad. I've been hearing all the horror stories of the summer heat over on the east coast and am very thankful that it hasn't been bad (so far anyway).

I now have a Skype account and have been loving it! I have been able to talk and video chat with my friends and family back on the east coast. It has been such a blessing! I am still adapting to the whole Skype thing and learning how it all works but I am having fun doing so. Aside from work and acting class, I have also been writing a lot. I'm working on a couple TV show ideas and a movie. I'm very passionate about them and hope to one day see them become a reality on the screen!

There are a couple open calls for movies that I am going to be submitting for with in the next couple months. Both of which seem to be anticipated as big releases. So hoping for the best. If it's meant to be it'll be. If not, that just means God has something better in store for me.

On a happy note...my close up from the Jonas L.A. music video "Set This Party Off" was featured in the final version of the Jonas L.A. TV show episode titled "The Secret". I was so excited when I saw that it was in the episode! On a sad note...those of you who looked for me in "Pretty Little Liars" the homecoming dance episode - they ended up cutting my scene where I danced with Sean. I was sad to see that they did so, but such is the world of editing and final cuts in entertainment. Besides, I'll have plenty of screen time to come in the future :)

Unlike last year when I went everyday to the Harvest Crusade, I was only able to go on Sunday this year due to work the other two days. It was held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. The night I was there the theme was hope and having hope in the midst of tragedy. The Katinas were the worship band again; Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy Me sung; and Greg Laurie, Steven Curtis Chapman and Dr. James Dobson spoke on the topic. Pictures to come in a new post soon :)

Set This Party Off

2010-07-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Another update after only a couple days - yay! Don't get used to it LOL. I just have more things going on lately and thought to type it up now. I'll have more updates coming soon (hopefully) but first JONAS :)

Some exciting news!! You may remember that I worked on the Disney Channel TV show "Jonas L.A." a little while back. We shot 8 songs at the beach and I had a blast! Anyway, I just came across a music video of one of the songs and was happy to find that I have a close up in it. So I wanted to share it with you all. The song is called "Set This Party Off" and it's a fun upbeat summer song. Below is a picture of me during the close up in the video (I am the girl in the middle) as well as the actual music video. If you watch the video the close up is around the 2:30 time mark. Enjoy!

Chillin' in the Summertime

2010-07-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

Alyssa, me & Ashley at the beach bonfire

Hey everyone! Sorry its been awhile since my last update. I feel like I say that every time I write a new entry - but it's always true lol. Since my last update I have been up to a few things. Mainly just enjoying the summer! But here are a couple of more detailed updates. Enjoy :)

GREEK
After working on "Pretty Little Liars" twice - I worked on another ABC Family TV show called "Greek". I was a little nervous working on this one mostly due to the fact that I have heard horror stories about the set and people from other background actors. However, my experience on the show was a good one. I was a Zeta Beta Zeta sorority girl which was pretty fun. I got to get all dressed up as well because the scenes we shot were at a party type event at the sorority house for the pledging of the new sisters into the sorority. We shot at CBS Studios. It was my first time at the studio but its really nice there. Over all my experience was a good one on the show. The episode is #4 of the 4th season (the new season). I'm not sure when the season will begin showing on ABC Family. But keep an eye out.

HARVEST
I have developed a close friendship with Ashley (a co-worker from the movie theater) and have started going to her church Harvest with her. I LOVE it there! It's bigger than my church back home but I love it. The people are really great and I am learning a lot. It's actually the home church that puts on the Harvest Crusades (which I went to last year). Greg Laurie is the pastor and he's great. They also have special guests that come in and sing fairly often. Revive just played tonight and they were so great! I feel like I've found my church home here now. I've also been going to the college age group 'The Well' that meets on Friday nights whenever I can (due to work). Saturday night The Well had a get together at the beach. We ate, hung out, had a bonfire, had a little devotional, and sung worship songs. It was so much fun! Anyway, I'm really loving it there! I wish I could get more involved at the church but I never know what my schedule is going to be.

ACTING
I am still taking my acting class every week, but other than that I haven't had much going on in the acting world lately. There are a couple open calls that I am going to make videos for and submit with in the next couple weeks - so I'll keep you updated if anything happens with them. I am also getting together some reference letters from teachers and am writing a letter myself that I am going to send to some people at Disney to try and get an audition. Disney would be my ideal employer and I am really hoping something will come from my submission. We'll see - it's all in God's hands.

BIRTHDAYS
My birthday was good. Pretty low-key but fun all the same. I relaxed and enjoyed it. My parents sent me a computer camera and so we had a video chat. It was my first time doing it and it was a little weird, but cool too. So I know have a Skype account so that I can have these fun video chats with my friends and family - so excited! After that I hung out with my friend Ashley. We went to church and then hung out and watched Disney Channel together after wards. So it was fun. Then Ashley's bday was the 23rd -- so we went to breakfast with a couple other girls, saw "Ramona & Beezus" (which is really cute and I highly recommend it), went to The Well and then hung out afterward and got frozen yogurt. So now I have a birthday buddy :)

SUMMERTIME
I really haven't been doing much so far this summer. But I do have some fun things coming up. On Tuesday Ashley and I are going to spend the day in LA and then watch a live taping of a brand new Disney Channel TV show "Shake It Up" (it hasn't come out yet - they just started filming it). So I am very excited about that! The Harvest Crusade is coming up in the beginning of August. I'm hoping to be able to go at least one day - we'll see when it gets closer if work will allow, etc. And then on September 19th Ashley and I are going to see the Jonas Brothers in concert!! I am also hoping to catch some baseball games before the season ends. So I do have some plans coming up. I would also like to just hang out at the beach some. The bonfire was the first time I have been all summer so far - crazy! So I'd like to go more. I'm just enjoying the summer and relaxing.

OTHER
With acting, work and church I have been staying pretty busy. I've been writing a lot lately. I'm working on a couple different TV show and movie ideas right now. I'm really excited about them and hope that one day they will be made into a reality. I'm getting antsy about getting acting going. I'm just ready to get something. But then I think about how God is in control and how His timing is best. So I'm just trying to be patient (which is hard) and wait on Him. I'm just ready to do what I love and make a difference in lives. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me, my acting and just my future in general!

Pretty Little Liars

2010-07-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

I was able to work on the new hit ABC Family TV Show "Pretty Little Liars" twice, so far. It is so much fun on the set. The cast and crew are all great and down to earth. We shot at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, CA. I love working at studios - its just a different dynamic than shooting on locations. It's hard to put into words, I just love the feel of the studio atmosphere.

The first day I worked on the show, we shot scenes from the Rosewood homecoming dance. I was on set for 15 hours and had a blast. Minus the pain from wearing heels that long lol. I was literally limping for the next two days straight that is how bad my feet hurt. But it was fun getting to get all dressed up. It was cool seeing how real the set looked and how cool it was (it was fake, all built and inside a studio sound stage). It was cool seeing some actors who I have seen on other shows on the set. The ones I recognized were Lucy Hale (who I have seen on Wizards of Waverley Place and in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2), Janel Parrish (who I had seen in Bratz: The Movie) & Torrey Devitto (who I knew as crazy nanny Carrie from One Tree Hill). I also got to dance with Chuck Hittinger (he plays Sean on the show, for those of you who have seen it). For those who haven't seen the show or read the books, he is the boyfriend of one of the main girls on the show. And I got to dance with him for a little bit. That was awesome I can't wait to see the episode when it airs. Fingers are crossed that our dancing makes the final cut :). The homecoming episode comes out in two weeks! It is #6 "There is No Place Like Homecoming" and will be airing on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 @ 8pm on ABC Family.

The second time I worked on the show it turned out to be a short day. I was there for about 6 hours and only shot one scene. It was in the school hallway - I was just a student walking by while two of the main characters on the show (Lucy Hale who plays Aria and Ashley Benson who plays Hannah) are having a conversation. But it was still a blast. The set is so much fun to work on. All of the cast and crew are great. I hope to be able to guest star on the show one day. This episode is #8 "Friends ForNeva" and as of now will be airing on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 @ 8pm on ABC Family. So watch, keep an eye out for me and let me know what you think!

This picture I took walking from the parking structure to the entrance at Warner Bros. Studios, getting ready to work on the show.

JONAS L.A.

2010-06-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

May 5th & 6th I worked on the second season of the Disney Channel TV show Jonas titled "Jonas L.A." starring the Jonas Brothers. When I called and submitted for the job they said it was for a show under a different name. I had never heard of it before so I figured it must be a new show. Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I showed up on set to find out it was actually for "Jonas". I had heard that for some big shows and movies they use fake names when casting extras so that the word doesn't get out but I had never had that happen to me until this job.

We filmed on location at Will Rogers State Beach off of the Pacific Coast Highway. And we filmed concert scenes on the beach for two days. It was such a blast! Anyone who knows me knows I love the Jonas Brothers. I have seen them twice in concert back in VA and so I was so happy to be working on their show.

The first day we filmed some scenes with the actresses on the show Nicole Gale Anderson (she plays Macy) and Chelsea Staub (she plays Stella). Big Rob (the Jonas Brothers' body guard), the littlest Jonas, Frankie and another young female actress was there and filmed a short scene. The Jonas Brothers came at the end of the day and we filmed one song with them. Then it was a wrap for the night.

The second day we filmed all concert scenes all day. There were 7 brand new songs for the show that we filmed. The songs were really good. And it was cool to be one of the firsts to hear them. This also happened to be the last day of filming for the shows second season. The crew gave each of the Jonas Brothers a guitar they had signed for them saying "You're always giving out autographs so we thought we'd give you ours instead." It was so sweet. And in between filming the JoBros gave us a live acoustic performance of a couple of their songs to thank us for coming. We filmed one song that Nicole Gale Anderson starts in the audience beside me and then goes up on stage and Nick Jonas sings to her. So that was cool. She's really nice.

The first day there were a few fans that came to the beach to watch the filming, but not a lot. On the second day however, there were a lot of people who found out about it and came to watch. I also saw my first paparazzi. They weren't aloud on the set obviously but they were there. It was so weird. There were about 20 of them up in the parking lot watching with their cameras for most of the day. Anyway, I had a blast filming and am very thankful to have been a part of it. Below are some pictures from the set. Enjoy!

Will Rogers State Beach. Isn't it beautiful?

The set where we filmed.

JONAS :)

The Jonas Brothers accepting their guitars from the crew.

Nicole Gale Anderson (Macy) getting wrapped for season 2.

Nick Jonas in between takes of the song "Critical" from the show.

Jonas Brothers performing a couple acoustic songs for us.

Acting General

2010-05-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 3rd, me and my friend Ashley (from my acting class) had a very special acting opportunity. My acting teacher, Shelene arranged for us to have an acting general. Basically it's when you meet with some industry people, perform monologues, show your acting and get honest feedback. Anyway, Shelene set one up for us. On the first Monday of every month Shelene has a meeting with her board for her charity Skip 1. She happens to have many entertainment industry professionals on her board. So she arranged for us to come and after her meeting got out, then we could have our general.

We had been working hard in acting class and preparing for this general for the last couple of months. We were finally to the point where Shelene thought we were ready to have our general. So we drove to Orange County (where they have their meeting) and practiced while we waited.

We had our general with a producer named Shannon Macintosh. She is a big producer who is high up with The Weinstein Company. She works on all of the movies by director Quentin Tarantino - because he specially requests her. So she's a big name out here. And we also performed with a lady who does commercials, Shelene, and a friend of theirs.

I did two monologues. One I found online about a sorority girl who is Elle Woods-y (from Legally Blonde) and one from the movie "Serendipity". I found out afterward that "Serendipity" was one of the movies Shannon Macintosh produced. That was kind of intimidating. I'm hoping she liked it. After monolgues, me and Ashley performed a scene together from the movie "John Tucker Must Die". Then we each did a commercial and an inprov exercise, where we had to pretend to be a person on one of those entertainment news shows and report on 3 different stories that were currently in the headlines. After that we left.

We didn't get much feedback from them, but you won't in real life on auditions either. Shelene seemed really proud of us, which was good. I did my best and had fun. Its a good opportunity - you never know what might come up in the future. We are taking the month of May off of class and will begin again in June. I'll find out all the 411 on their complete honest opinion next class. Shelene is going on a mission trip to Haiti for Skip 1 this week. So keep her and her team in your prayers! If you wish to find out more about Skip 1 you can do so here www.skip1.org. It's a really good organization that raises money to help feed children across the world. And 100% of your proceeds go directly to do so!

Gleeful News

2010-05-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Some more Glee news guys!! I worked on the show yet again a couple weeks ago. We shot scenes from the season finale, songs from the big vocal competition. The songs rock and I'm sure the episode will come out great! It was a really big call - about 500 extras. So they had us park at The Grove in LA and then shuttled us over to set. As we were being shuttled to set I kept thinking this looks really familiar. But I wasn't sure exactly where I was. It wasn't until we got to where we were going to film that I realized why it all looked familiar. We shot at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills -- the same theatre I had my theatre show audition for "Over Here!" at awhile back. I hadn't been back to the theatre since my audition so it was cool being back there again. Over all I spent about 12 hours on set, but it was fun as always.

Have you guys noticed me in any Glee episodes yet? I filmed scenes from the episodes (that have already been on TV so far) titled "Hell-O", "The Power of Madonna" & "Home". In case you've missed them here are some pictures & videos of me from the episodes below. Enjoy!

Glee
episode "Hell-O"
during the song "Hello I Love You"

FUN FACTS: This was the day I was on set for 15 hours filming. We shot on location at a High School in Hollywood in a gym for this scene.

Glee
episode "The Power of Madonna"
during the opening credits

I am the girl with the gray jacket on the far right.

FUN FACTS: This was shot at the shows studio stage at Paramount Studios in LA. All of the school hallways, the Glee club room, Sue's office, Will's office, Emma's office & the Principal's office are all located and filmed here on a sound stage and not at an actual school.

GLEE
episode "The Power of Madonna"
during a Sue & Will hallway scene

I am the girl walking right behind Will. I also cross again when Sue turns around to leave.

FUN FACT: If you saw the "Greetings from Glee :)" video I had up here awhile ago - that I made before filming the show - this scene was shot the same day. And I am wearing the same outfit.

Stephanie for gLee

2010-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been awhile since my last post. Not much new is going on. I've been staying busy, mostly working at the movie theater. I'm still taking my acting class and loving it. I haven't had any extra jobs lately - mainly because I have been working a lot at the movie theater - but I am hoping to be able to some more. I have a couple exciting acting opportunities coming up and possible others.

GLEE
The producers of the new hit Fox TV show "Glee" are currently holding an online open casting call to try and find a couple new people to add to the shows second season. Glee is one of my favorite shows as well as a show I have done some extra work on about 5 times. All of the cast and crew are very nice and down to earth - my time as an extra has been awesome on the show. The atmosphere on set is so fun. I have submitted an audition tape for the open call. I would love to be apart of the show as a main actor and am hoping I'll get to. The open call goes until April 26th so I will probably hear not too long after that if they liked my video and want to have me come in and audition for them in person. Please pray for me. I really want to get a role.

So Far in this New Year...

2010-03-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a little while since I've written a new post. Since my last one I have just been working mostly. I have worked on the new hit Fox TV show "Glee" about 5 times now. The show is such a blast to work on. The whole cast and crew are really nice and down to earth. I am getting more hours and training for different positions at the movie theater - which I am very thankful for! I have seen many movies, probably over half of the ones showing where I work currently.

I also signed with an agency - The Jerry Pace Agency - for commercial and print work. I am very excited! I signed with them for a year and can't wait to start going out on auditions and booking jobs! So far I haven't had any auditions but I just signed with them about a week ago. And they have been submitting me everyday for auditions. It takes some time though. But I am still very excited to see what is to come.

My acting class is still going strong. I have started carpooling with one of the other girls in the class and things are going well so far. I have a couple of good monologues that I can keep in my back pocket (so to speak) in case I ever need it when meeting with someone in the industry. Which is a very good thing and we have been doing improv each week as well. Some cool opputunities are being organized by my acting teacher, which I am very excited about.

All in all things are going well. I miss everyone back in VA but I'm still loving it out here! I am actually fighting some kind of sore throat currently - hopefully it goes away soon. Because I have to work extra this weekend due to the fact that the new Disney movie "Alice in Wonderland" starring Johnny Depp and other big name actors opens this weekend. So they are expecting big crowds. Hey, I'm not going to complain. I can always use the hours. Anyway, that is what is going on with me so far in this new year. Excited to see what God has in store with me for the rest of it!

StarStruck

2010-02-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Back in September 2009, I worked for 3 days at the beach on a new Disney Channel Movie called "StarStruck". I wrote about it back then - if you want to see that post you can HERE. Anyway the movie is premiering tomorrow! So for those of you who have Disney Channel make sure to watch for me! I am in the beach scenes and am wearing all pink. I am beside Sterling Knight (the lead actor) for the beach mob scene. Watch for me and let me know what you think! I had a blast working on the movie and can't wait to see it! You can view the preview for the movie HERE

StarStruck - premieres tomorrow on Sunday, February 14, 2010 @ 8:00pm on Disney Channel!!

Also for those of you who missed me in "CSI" episode #1013 titled 'Internal Combustion' two weeks ago you can watch it online HERE and below is a picture of me in the episode :)

First Agency Meeting

2010-01-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 16th I met with my first agency. It was an agency called The Jerry Pace Agency in Sherman Oaks, CA. I had submitted to them about possible representation and the owner, Jerry Pace contacted me back and asked me to come in to meet with him. So I gladly did. I met with him and another of the agents in the office. We basically just talked for about 10-15 minutes. They asked me questions about myself, my experience, etc.

After the meeting they said that if they were interested it would only be for Commercial and Print work. Which is not where I want to end up but is good for starters. Most actors have to start doing commercials to build their resume before they go on to TV and Film. They said they would contact me within a week if they were interested in signing me. But I never heard anything back from them. Which is a bit disappointing but such is life. I'm ok with it. That just means that they weren't who I was supposed to sign with. It just means God has something better for me down the road, which I am totally cool with. I'm still submitting to agencies and managers trying to find one. Hopefully I will get one before too long and then I can start working.

CSI (Internal Combustion)

2010-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

On Monday, December 14, 2009, I worked as a extra on "CSI" the original Las Vegas one. I played a High School Student for episode #13 (of the current 10th season of the show) called 'Internal Combustion'. We shot on location at an actually high school in Woodland Hills. They brought in their own fake high school sign that they had outside the school - on the show it appears as the school's entrance. And all the cars had fake Nevada licenses plates. We shot the outside scenes during the day and once it got dark we moved inside and shot the school hallway scenes. I was in the small group of extras who were the last to go at the end of the day and in total spent 13 hours on set. But I had fun and I can't wait to see the episode when it airs!

The episode airs Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 9:00pm on CBS. Watch for me I'm in jeans and a red shirt :)

ACTORS I SAW ON SET
George Eads who plays Nick Stokes for a little bit in one of the outside scenes.
Jorja Fox who plays Sara Sidle in the same scene with Stokes and for one scene inside the school.
Connor Ross was in almost all of the scenes we shot. He is the actor who plays the high school student who dies in the episode.
Leonardo Nam was in the scenes we shot outside. He plays Libby's friend/boyfriend Brian McBrian in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2" and he's also in "Vantage Point".
Samantha Droke didn't shoot anything when I was there but I saw her on set and she took pictures for the episode. I know her from the Disney Channel Movie "Princess Protection Program" but she has also been on "Cory in the House", "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody", "Eastwick" and provided the voice of Hildy/Holly in "Horton Hears a Who".

**There were two other actors on set in some of the scenes we shot but I didn't know who they were. Once all the actors are listed, when the episode airs then I will lol.

Over Here! Audition

2010-01-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Back in December I had heard that there was going to be open calls for a new Theatre musical production called "Over Here!" starring Cody Linley (Jake Ryan on "Hannah Montana"). They were trying to cast the female lead who would be Cody's characters love interest and hadn't found the right girl yet so they decided to hold an open call. After hearing about it, I submitted to attend the open call online and was e-mailed my info to come in and audition. So I begun preparing the acting scene and song they wanted memorized. The show is supposed to take place in the 1940s so after researching online I picked out and wore an outfit that was similar to one they wore back then. And on Saturday, December 5, 2009, I went to Beverly Hills for my audition.

At the theater, where the auditions were held, there was only 6 girls (including me) there. I was really surprised I thought there would have been a lot more. But I didn't think much about it because I was concentrating on rehearsing the song and scene in my head. Cody came in with his girlfriend (who was one of the 6 auditioning) and said hi to us all. I didn't even realize it was him right away, once I did I was happy I got to meet him, I had hoped I would. He is a very nice guy and seems really down to earth.

Anyway after awhile they called us in to audition. They had us all (6) go on stage and we did some simple, easy dance steps across the floor. After that then we went to the piano and practiced the song all together than they had each of us come up one by one and sing it by ourselves. They only had us sing like a 30 second part but it was still really nerve-wracking. After that they let us have a break while they discussed. Then they had 3 girls stay longer and dismissed 3. I was one of the ones that was dismissed.

On the way out one of the producers came out to thank the 3 of us who were dismissed for coming. He said they'd keep our info on file for future projects and send us discount tickets when the show opens. He also told us that they had over 700 girls who submitted online for the open call and that his assistant in London went over everyone and selected the 6 of us to come in and audition in person. I was really surprised. It explained why they weren't very many girls there but still. That was a big compliment. Even though I got cut and didn't get the part, I was still one of the 6 picked to come in and audition in person out of 700 based on my picture! Over all I was pleased with how it went and had fun. Like always its a good experience and you never know what may come from it. Obivously it wasn't God's will for me to get that part but I am thankful I was able to give it a shot. You never know if you don't try.

My Holidays

2010-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING
My holidays were good. I flew home to be with my family for Thanksgiving, as a surprise for most of the family. So that was fun. Everyone was happy to see me and me them. It was good being back in VA but weird at the same time. I had gotten so used to CA that things like the woods and traffic were so strange to me at first but I quickly readjusted to live there.

CHRISTMAS & MY NEW JOB
I was in need of a job badly. I went around and filled out a bunch of applications at restaurants, stores, and a movie theater. I was willing to do anything. Luckily, I got a call to come in and interview for a job at the movie theater. I was the first person interviewed and the guy said they were only hiring 3 people. I prayed really hard as I waited to hear if I got the job or not. And I did. So I started training and my first official day of work was Christmas Day, which was insanely busy by the way. But I didn't mind I am just thankful to have a job now! Currently I am working mostly concessions at the theater, however I am getting ready to be taught some of the other jobs too.

NEW YEARS
I was also blessed by some friends and was able to fly home again for New Years. This time it was a surprise for everyone - no one knew I was coming, so that was fun! It was nice being back and I enjoyed the time with my family and was able to see some friends that visit which was good. I spent the New Year with my family. Unfortunately, the TV at the house wasn't getting the channel with Dick Clark's Rocking New Year Shoe (which is the one we always watch). So we had to watch a different one but we did still get to see the ball drop. I had fun but by the end of my week though I was ready to leave the FREEZING cold and come back CA. Flying back to CA I had some flight delays and issues and almost got stuck in San Fransisco for the night but luckily was able to make it back to LA late that night instead. After a week away in the cold I was thankful to be back in warmer CA. Anyway, Happy 2010 everyone!! Here's to a big year for us all :)

My First Premiere

2009-12-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

My acting class and I attended a premiere for a Christian movie about abortion. The movie is called "Sarah's Choice" and stars Rebecca St. James. It was held at Warner Bros. Studios. It was a small gathering but fun none the less. Not to mention it was my first ever premiere.

Everyone had to line up outside and wait to be let in. Once let in we all took turns taking a picture with the star of the movie: Rebecca St. James. Then everyone went upstairs into the theater where a gentleman said a few words about the movie and we watched it. After the movie, the director and Rebecca came up and said a few things about the making of the movie.

It is a very good movie and out on DVD now. I highly recommend it to any and everyone. It has a very good story line and I believe will reach out and make a difference to many people in this world. I was thankful to be able to attend the premiere and it was definitely a good one to be my first.

Selena Gomez & San Diego

2009-12-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

Below are pictures from my Selena Gomez concert in San Diego and out and about adventures in San Diego after the concert. Enjoy :)

The girls & our Selena Gomez t-shirts

Concerts

2009-12-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have been to a few concerts since being here in CA. There were concerts at the Harvest Crusade I went to a couple months ago (I mentioned it in previous posts). Since then, I have gone to a couple more. I went to a girl's conference called Revolve where there were concerts and speakers. I went to a concert called Creation Festival with multiple artists. And I went to Selena Gomez's first ever concert in San Diego. Below are pictures from the concerts I have been to - minus the Selena Gomez ones, which I will be adding under another post. Enjoy :)

GROUP 1 CREW

BRITT NICOLE

JENNA LUCADO
(Max Lucado's daughter/Speaker & Author)

STELLAR KART

THIS BEAUTIFUL REPUBLIC

AUDIO UNPLUGGED
(The 2 guys who founded this band are from Audio Adrenaline)

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH

JARS OF CLAY

Disneyland in Pictures

2009-12-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Hollywood section of California Adventure

My favorite picture...classic Hollywood :)

The girls & Woody

Inside the Bug's Life section at Disneyland - with the 'My Fair Ladybug' poster

Me in between the C & A of California at the California Adventure part of Disneyland

My future employeers :)

One of my favorite things at Disney parks: the Walt Disney & Mickey Mouse statue

Inside the Tarzan Tree House. And I just have to say that the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House is much better :)

The Pirate ship (with Captain Hook & Peter Pan) during the "Fanstimic" water show

Disney Character boat on the water during the "Fanstamic" water show

Long (but fun) Weekend

2009-11-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

Friday - I worked as background for the TV Show "Heroes". My call time was 4:30pm. It was shot at Universal Studios. For my other two projects they were both shot on location so this was my first time shooting at a studio. We didn't shoot inside the studio but outside. It was a carnival scene. We were all told it could go until 3am or even later. That was ok with me since the next day was Saturday and I could sleep in. Once we finally got to set, I was one of the ones who got to ride a ride at the carnival. I rode a flying one but you had to lay on your stomach, which began uncomfortable at times. The whole "Heroes" cast wasn't there - the only person I saw was Hayden Panettiere who plays Claire Bennett (she is my favorite) - but it was only from a distance as I spent my whole time riding the ride. It was fun but cold flying around in the air with the wind hitting you. I was wrapped at 11pm.

Saturday - was my relaxing day. I slept in late and didn't do much. That night I made plans with some friends to go to Disneyland for the next day so I was up late again that night.

Sunday - I went to Disneyland for the first time. I have been to Disney World in Florida twice but this was my first time to Disneyland. I went with a group of friends to celebrate my friend, Reba's bday. We spent 12 hours at Disneyland and I had a blast! We watched the Aladdin musical show, Fanstasmic water show and the fireworks show at the end of the day. We rode rides, ate food, and took pictures. I had so much fun and can't wait to go again! I'll put some of the pictures up for you guys soon.

So as you can see this past weekend was a long (but fun) one for me. This coming weekend is going to be another busy one too. Saturday we have a bday party and house blessing for the family I am living with and then on Sunday I am going with a couple friends to San Diego for a Selena Gomez concert - I can't wait! The next couple weeks are going to fly by and before you know it it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then 2010!

First Audition

2009-10-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was blessed with the opportunity to audition for the lead in a Disney Channel Pilot called "Smart Alec". For those who don't know what a pilot is or how it works let me explain...when an idea for a TV Show is pitched to a network (in this case Disney Channel), the network then decides if they will green-light a pilot. If so, then casting begins on the pilot. A pilot is one episode. Once the pilot is shot, then the network decides if they will pick it up for a full season. If not, then the pilot dies and nothing is done about it. But if they do decide to pick it up, then a full season is shot and it becomes an actual TV Show on the network.

My audition was for the lead character in the pilot, a girl by the name of Alecia "Alec" Michaels. I was given the script (which contained 3 scenes) and began working on it and memorizing it. My audition took place on October 8, 2009 at the casting directors office at Hollywood Center Studios in LA. Once I found parking and walked in, I was about 30mins early for my audition.

Hollywood Center Studios is a bunch of studios where they shoot shows/movies. They film "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "The Suite Life on Deck" there. It was so cool because walking through to get to the building where my audition was held there were signs for parking for Wizards cast and extras changing areas for Suite Life. The casting directors that were casting for my audition are the same people who cast "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "The Suite Life on Deck".

When I got inside the casting office there was only about 4 other people there auditioning besides me. I signed in and sat down practicing my lines. I was the only person there who didn't have an agent and I was also the only person in the waiting room who was not accompanied my a parent, which made me feel a little old lol. A couple people were called in before me and were only in the room for a minute or so then they came out and left. I didn't know if that was a good thing or bad. After only a couple minutes, they called me in.

I went in and had brief introduction with the lady I auditioned for named Liz. I gave her my resume/headshot. She asked how old I was, I told her. Then she said she was only going to have me read the first scene. There was no camera at this audition, she told me to pick somewhere on the back wall to pretend was the camera and audition my scene. I said ok and began. I messed up the first line. Quickly in my head I debated whether to ask if I could begin again or continue on, I decided to continue. But right before I started, Liz asked me if I would like to begin again. Since she had offered I said yes, if you don't mind. She said that was fine and gave me a minute before I began again.

When I stared again, I went all the way from the first line to the last perfectly, just how I had practiced. Liz reacted by laughing to the funny ending line, which I took as a good sign. Since I've heard that casting directors don't usually show any emotion with your performance at all. She said "that's good" and started writing something down. I wasn't sure what to do next but Liz looked up and told me I could go. I was in and out of the casting office in about 10 mins. I was really surprised it went by so fast.

Normally your agent is your go-between with the casting director. Since I don't have one yet I didn't know what to expect. After about a week I did get in touch with Liz about if I was going to get a callback or not. She said I did a good job at my audition but wasn't right for the part. She did say they'll keep me in mind for future projects that they cast. I was a little disappointed but overall just thankful that I was able to audition in the first place without an agent that like never happens.

My acting teacher said that I probably just didn't look like what they wanted the character to look like. Which is ok, I'm not going to fit everything I go out for and I don't want to change myself. She also said that casting directors have no problem telling you when you had a bad audition. They don't care, they'll tell you they didn't like it. So she said that if Liz told me I had a good audition then that means I did. So that was encouraging to hear. You never know if they may be casting for another show in the future, I may fit and they'll think of me. So I don't have anything to complain about. It was a great experience and I am very thankful to have had it.

3 Days on a Disney Set

2009-10-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

When I was driving home from my Long Beach from shooting the Nickelodeon Pilot - I hit horrible traffic. Being a Friday and 3pm...not good. Instead of the without traffic time of 45mins to get home it took me 2 hours. Welcome to LA baby! haha

Since tragic was so bad I called the Central Casting line to give me something to do. They had something on there casting for girls, looking 18 and younger, with modest swimsuits, for a movie of the week. It would be working Monday and possibly Tuesday and Wednesday. I was so excited and wrote the number down to call. As soon as I got home I called and was surprised when they answered right away. I gave them my info, they asked about my car, which I wasn't sure why. Then asked about my swimsuit - they told me its a Disney movie which is why they need modest swimsuits. Then she booked me for the job. I was completely freaking out in my head when she told me it was a Disney movie. For those of you who don't know I LOVE Disney! Disney everything - no lie! My biggest dream is working with Disney. So you can imagine how ecstatic I was for it being a Disney movie.

After finding out all the info I needed to work, I googled the movie to see what I could find out. The only info I could find about it was that it's called "Starstruck" and is going to be a Disney Channel Original Movie. I found out that Cody Linley (Jake Ryan on "Hannah Montana") was going to be the main guy and couldn't believe it. I called home right away to tell my sister who is a BIG Cody Linley fan. My role is a Beach-goer. I had to take some outfits for wardrobe to look through as well. My call time was 6:00am - which would mean getting up insanely early to get there, but I didn't care. I was just happy to be working on a Disney movie.

When signing in on location, I found out I was also booked with my car. Which was totally ok with me. I got paid extra for it. They used my car to park at the beach parking lot - to make it look like its full. I actually got to have my hair done on this set which was cool - they didn't do much. Just touched it up with a straightener. When reporting to wardrobe, they told me what I had on was perfect. So I am the very pink girl in the movie :). There were many more extras on this set than the pilot. It was still just as fun, if not more. We shot in Palos Verdes at a private beach.

I noticed differences between TV (the Nick pilot) and movie (this one) filming. The Nick pilot I did was a lot faster paced. We only did a few takes and them moved on, most times. On this set however there was a lot more that went into getting each scene ready and actually filming it. One scene they must have shot at least 20 takes. There was a lot of the same scene over and over, but shooting from different angles. On Monday I was there for 12 hours and they shot 4 scenes. I also noticed that the main guy was NOT Cody Linley. When I got a good look at him I realized it was Sterling Knight (Chad Dylan Cooper on "Sonny With a Chance"). I didn't mind though. I was totally psyched that I knew who this person was! The fact that I had seen him on TV and now he was standing in front of me was so weird, but cool at the same time. When they wrapped us for the day they called me back for the next day of work with a call time of 6:30am.

On Tuesday it was pretty much a repeat of Monday. I was booked with my car and was on set for about 12 hours. This day was a lot more relaxed for me. I didn't do much. They shot a lot with just the main actors. But I was used for a couple scenes. Then I was blessed with getting a SAG voucher for the day. I was SO excited! For those who don't know - SAG (Screen Actors Guild) is the biggest actors guild. Mostly all of the actors you see on TV and in movies are members of this guild. Eventually getting in is my goal too. However, getting into the guild is hard. You have to have 3 SAG vouchers to even be eligible to become a member. Basically this means that you have worked on 3 different days on SAG projects and were paid SAG wage. This Disney movie I shot is a SAG movie. For SAG productions they have to have a certain number of SAG people working (I'm not sure exactly what the number is) otherwise they get penalized. So what happens is whenever SAG people don't show up for work then they have to give SAG vouchers to non-union people. Basically, the non-union person/people get paid SAG wage and then the production doesn't get penalized.

So anyway I was one of the two people who was blessed with receiving a SAG voucher for working on Tuesday. As we neared the end of the day, we found out that they were cutting about half of the people for Wednesday. I prayed I wouldn't get cut. But was told that since I was receiving a SAG voucher I was going to be one of the ones cut. Even though I didn't want to be cut, I understood and it seemed only fair. Although after finding out that they were going to shoot parking lot scenes on Wednesday I asked the guy in charge of the extras, if I needed to come back because of my car. He said he would check. Later I found out that I would indeed be called back again for Wednesday because they needed my car for the scenes. I was so happy! I got a SAG voucher for the day and then was saved from being cut by my car!

On Wednesday, I had a call time of 6:00am. I arrived early and checked in only to find out I had been booked as SAG again for the day. I couldn't believe it - I was so excited! We had some weather issues this day. But eventually it cleared up and we were able to progress. I worked for about 12 hours yet again, but didn't mind at all. I got to shoot a scene beside Sterling Knight that day as well. I was so excited! I know I will be in the movie for sure now because I was right beside him for one scene. He is a really nice guy and let me just say he's very good looking in person too :) ...

I loved being on this set. I was blessed with being there for 3 days and had a blast! I was sad when Wednesday came to an end. I had gotten to know some of the other extras and crew workers. I was finally familiar with everything and everyone. I was having so much fun but I knew my time was up. It was a very good experience I will never forget. I can't wait until I am the main actor on a set :)

"Starstuck" is a Disney Channel Original Movie. It won't be out until 2010 sometime. I don't know when yet, they are still filming it. But I will definitely be watching for it and will let you all know when it comes out so you can watch it and try to find me!

1st Time on a Real Set

2009-10-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

About a week after I arrived in CA, I drove into Burbank and registered with an extra (or background actors - as most of the people prefer to be called) company called, Central Casting. Basically through them you get jobs to be an extra for movies and shows. You have to call into a recorded line that lists all of the jobs that extras are being hired for - but you have to fit all of the things they are looking for. Sometimes its very specific things. When you fit what they are looking for then you call in and try to book yourself for the job.

Anyways, its hard for me to get work through them because they only register people 18 and older. So for most jobs they are looking for people in their late twenties - which I don't fit at all. My age range (the range of ages an actor can play accurately based on looks, etc) is 14-20. Which means I can only play high school and early college age. Any younger or older I can't play because I don't look it.

I went without luck on finding any jobs I could fit for about a month. Then on September 12th I received a message from Central Casting asking if I could work on the coming Friday, September 18th. I called them back and got a voice mail, but I left them a message saying that yes I could and wanted to work. I was excited about this for a few reasons. (1) I would finally be working and getting some money. I hadn't had any source of income at all since I moved to CA, (2) I would be on a real set, (3) I finally fit the part for something. I knew I had to have fit it otherwise they wouldn't have called me, and (4) They had called me for it! In the info pack they give everyone when you register it stats that only 5% of jobs come from them contacting you - 95% of the jobs come from you calling in and booking yourself for it. So I was excited.

The next few days came and went without me hearing back from the lady about the job. I tried calling a couple more times but always got voice mail. Come Thursday, I was disappointed and figured they must have already booked someone else for the job. But on my way to my acting class, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number but picked it up anyway. It was the lady from Central asking if I was still available to work the next day. I said yes! I was so excited that they still needed me. And I got my information for the job.

My job was for a Nickelodeon Pilot. It was currently not named, going by "Untitled Surf Show". My role was Girl in Classroom. I was told to bring 4 outfits, because being a pilot they don't have the budget to supply clothes. I picked and packed 4 outfits that I thought would fit for a school near the beach (like its supposed to be in the show). Then I picked out one to wear.

The next day I woke up early - unsure how long it would take me to arrive on location. My call time (the time I needed to show up at set) was at 9:00am. I arrived at 7:30, found the place, and then went to a park near by and read. Around 8:30 I drove back to the set. Being my first job I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was really excited but nervous too. The first person (who was also an extra hired) I met was another girl who it was her first time too. Then I met all the other extras. Most of them had done other jobs before so they helped us out and answered any questions we had. We all then met up with the guy who would be our "boss" so to speak for the day, signed in with him, and ate breakfast.

We filmed in Long Beach at an actual high school. Being a Friday, there were actual students around us and in the school. We got some funny looks from students obviously trying to figure out if they should know us from anything. It was kind of a cool feeling. During the students lunch break, some of them came up to us. We could tell they were nervous and unsure it they were aloud to talk to us. They were just curious and asked us questions and stuff. It was cool. This one guy was asking our ages - all of us were out of high school. He couldn't believe it. He asked me what grade I was in. I told him I'm 19 and he was like "No way!". Then he asked what we were doing in the show and we told him "Oh, we're playing high school students" -- He was just like "Really?". It was funny.

On of the first things we did when arriving on set was report to wardrobe - to figure out what to wear. The wardrobe people checked us all over - they told me my outfit I had worn there was good. So I never had to show them my other outfits, that was pretty cool. There were only 10 of us extras hired. We all played high school students. The scenes I shot were all scenes in a classroom. The two main actors for the show - I have no idea who they are. I assume their kind of new. Their names were Taylor and Dylan but that was all I really caught about them and I hadn't ever seen them before. I was cut (wrapped for the day and could go home) at 3:00pm, right after lunch.

Over all I had so much fun. I loved being on a real set. It was so cool seeing how everything runs and works on set. I just loved the whole atmosphere of it. I did get a couple close ups for a couple different shots which was so cool. I hope the pilot gets picked up and airs on TV so that I can watch it! I'm keeping my eyes open for it. I will let you know if it does so you can all watch it too.

6th Acting Class

2009-09-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

My 6th and final On-Camera Commercial Acting Class took place this past Thursday. It's hard to believe its been 6 weeks already. It feels like I just started. For the last class we had 2 commercials we had to memorize and audition. One, was a Root Beer commercial, and the other was a lip treatment commercial. When we walked into the office there were two other adults inside, besides Barbara. Barbara told us that they were commercial agents, then sat us in the lobby while we waited for our turn to come and audition.

I did the Root Beer commercial first. I felt like it was really good. The guy asked me how old I was. I told him and he said "Really?". I said yes then he said I can play a lot younger which is really good. I was happy to hear this because I want to play as young as I can for as long as I can. Anyways, then he asked if I was in SAG (the biggest actor's union 'Screen Actors Guild'). I said no, but that I just got two vouchers for working this week. He said that's good. Then Barbara told me to do the commercial a second time. I did. I felt like it was just as good as the first. They all said it was good. The guy said "You'll get an agent right away." I was so happy and a little surprised to hear that. Then him and Barbara talked back in forth for a minute about it and both concluded that as long as I get the chance to get in front of an agent and audition/meet with them that I'll get signed right away. I was SO happy to hear that!

For the second commercial, I messed up right at the get-go, when I blanked and couldn't remember the first line. After I had a minute to breath and think, I went right on through it all. It was a little rough, but I thought it was ok. Then they talked to me, giving me some tips, etc. and asked me to do it again. I did. It started out good but then I was so busy thinking about everything they had said that I left out like half of it (the end) and just ended it too soon. They said that was ok, they had given me so many things to think about. I was just like yeah, but still a little disappointed. But the guy said not to worry about it, that I'm so cute anyway and have such a big smile, that they would call me back anyway, even if I messed it up like that. I was just like ok, really?

After everyone did both commercials we watched the tape with all of them on. They didn't give us many corrections - since they had already done it when we 'auditioned' the commercials. Then Barbara told us that the two guests weren't really agents. She just told us that because she wanted to see how it would effect us if we thought there were agents sitting watching us. The lady who was there is a recording artist and the guy was a commercial agent for a short period of time but is an actor. The feedback we got was really good though.

The guy gave me the name and phone number of a commercial agent and told me to tell the guy that he referred me. So that's cool. I haven't called the guy yet but I'm going too. Image's poster has also just went out to all of the agency's, so hopefully I will hear something back from some. We'll see. I have a week off now and then I begin my 3-month in depth acting class. It's all so exciting!

More Pictures of Cali

2009-09-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Laguna Beach

Hollywood

Newport Beach

Private Beach in Palos Verdes
(This is where I shot a Disney Channel Movie for 3 days)

5th Acting Class

2009-09-25T14:45:00.001-07:00

My 5th acting class took place a week ago. It was this week that it really hit me that there was just one week of classes left and that was kind of sad. The producer came back for this class. We were told we could prepare a monologue to audition for her for her acting class that week.

The actual class itself was so much fun! We got to do scenes from shows instead of commercials. It was a blast. We got to do it by ourself first and then they paired us up with someone to audition it together. They were guy/girl scenes. It was a lot of fun getting to actually read it with someone else. I had a lot of positive feedback from it. The producer - after seeing me do a commercial a couple weeks before - said that I had so much energy for the commercial that she was really surprised I could bring it way down for the scene and that it was good. That was great to hear.

After class then everyone who was going to audition for the Producers class stayed to meet with her. We were told that her class is an intensive 3-month acting and scene study class. She auditions however many people for it but she only accepts 4 or 5 people for each class. I was a little nervous. I hadn't decided what I would do if I got accepted but I figured might as well audition and see what happens.

I did a comedy monologue about a girl at a school dance scouting for the perfect guy. I auditioned it in front of the Producer. She said that the monologue was weak for me and that I could do a lot more. She said she'd like to see me do something from Freaky Friday or Mean Girls, something with more depth to it. But she said that I definitely have a spot in her class. I was kind of surprised. She said I was the most memorable person for her from when she first came to class when we did commercials. I was really surprised about that. I was like really? She said that I do a lot of things right without having ever been told. And that I have this pureness to me - like that I haven't been polluted with being told the wrong things. She said that I have a lot of natural talent and potential. She said she would love to work with me and that I had a spot in her class for sure.

4th Acting Class

2009-09-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

About a day or so before my 4th acting class it hit me...that after it, there would only be two more weeks of classes left. It made me sad to think about. I have been learning a lot in my classes and have been having so much fun. I have met other very talented and nice people though it as well. I don't want the classes to end but I'm also excited about what comes after them.

For my 4th class (which took place yesterday) - I was actually feeling pretty good. After the 3rd week and things going so well, I was really looking forward to this week. I arrived at about 4:40pm, which is my usual time arriving. Even though class doesn't start until 5:30. Because of where I live I have to leave early so I miss the work traffic. I like to be there early anyway to practice as much as possible, so it all works out.

Anyway, I got there around 4:40 and started practicing when Barbara put out the commercials. My commercial was about yogurt this week and it had a funny story line. I was excited to do it. I knew I could have some fun with this one. So I practiced and practiced. When I was called in to do it- I felt pretty good about it. Auditioning it for the first time, I forgot a couple lines and had to improvise until I remembered where I was but it wasn't too bad. Then Barbara had me do it again. The second time, I remembered the words more clearly and it went really well.

After everyone went, then we watched the videos. I had been making an effort to work on my eyes and it was better. I could still use some work but it is getting better. My problem is that I think about it before hand but once I start acting I get into it and forget to focus on my eyes. The only thing Barbara said about my video was that it was good and I had good facial expressions. I took it as a good sign that she give me any major corrections. Barbara gave us some tips on how to "eat" the yogurt - because in the commercial we're supposed to pretend to eat it at the end. Then everyone went again. I felt very good about mine and everyone seemed to like it better than the first two.

We found out that a couple of the guys in our class dropped out. I don't understand why they would pay for it and then drop out but whatever, everyone has their reasons. Barbara also told us that her producer friend will be back again next week. And that she might do something special and have us audition a scene instead of a commercial next week, depending on how things go. She also told us that the producer will be letting us audition for her class if we want to. The producer's class is more of a theatrical class (theatrical is the word used for movies and TV shows). Barbara said the producer only takes about 4 or 5 people for each class and that it is a 3-month commitment. But she said to come with a monologue prepared if we would like to audition for the class.

I'm trying to find a monologue now. I don't know if I can commit to a 3-month class but I think the class would be fun. I figure I'll at least audition for her and see where things go from there.

3rd Acting Class

2009-09-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

For my third acting class we were all given the assignment to write our own commercial to bring back and audition. I wrote mine the night I got back from my 2nd class. I decided to write about gum - since I love it. We were also told there would be a special guest, a producer, who would come in and help give us advice along with Barbara.

I was really nervous for this class. Not because of the audition - I had been practicing mine all week, and had motions and the words down perfect. I was nervous because of the producer being there watching. I hoped she'd like it.

When they called me into the room, I was introduced to the producer and then took my place in front of the camera to do my commercial. I did it just like I had practiced all week. When I was done the producer asked me how old I was, I told her. Then she asked if I wrote the commercial and I said yes. Then she told me to do it again. Neither her, nor Barbara gave me any direction to change anything so I did it the same way I had the first time.

When I finished the second time I came out to see them face-to-face. The producer said "You're ready. The camera loves you. And you know where to position yourself, you're not moving all around-you're staying in the camera and it was great. Good job." Barbara also said it was good. I was so happy. I thanked them and then headed out, while they called the next person in. I was so relieved to have had such great news and just completely relaxed.

After everyone did their commercials, they called us all into the room to watch the tapes and go over them. After mine, the producer went over basically everything they had already told me. That I had good placement, was aware of the camera and didn't move in and out of focus. She said that I have a naturalness to it and seem advanced. I was very surprised to hear this because this is my first acting class I have ever taken. She also said that I could be working already (which really shocked me) and that the only thing I really need to work on is my eyes. Which I knew - I have been told that since week one. And I am really trying to make a concise effort to work on it.

A funny tidbit that the producer told me was that I remind her of a female version of Matt Prokop. This was something I had to call and tell my sister right away, because she loves him. I think I was the only person in class who knew who he was. Everyone was like "who's that?". For those of you who don't know who he is - he is an actor. He played Jimmy "The Rocket" Zara in High School Musical 3. He actually worked with Image Development and got signed to an agency with their help before he was cast in HSM3.

The class went really well. I got a lot of positive feedback, most of which I hadn't been expecting. But was glad to hear. I left very excited about what the future has in store :)

Final Headshots

2009-09-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Out of all of the headshot pictures that were taken, I had to go through and pick out the final ones. Image Development went through all of them and picked which photo they would use for marketing me to agency's. Then I had pick out the final ones for my hard copies. After going through them all by myself and consulting with the photographer - we came up with one Theatrical and one Commercial. I thought I would just share them with you so that you can see the final product.

**Note: My stage name is Stephanie Weise. My full name is too long to use to be credited in the industry, so I had to pick out a different name to go by. I still wanted to do something that was similiar to my name so I just shortened my last name to Weise (pronounced WISE). There is still a chance I may have to change it again when I get signed to an agency but for now this is what it is.

Image Development's Pick

Commercial Headshot

Theatrical Headshot

Baseball in California

2009-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you know baseball is my favorite activity during the spring and summer. Back home in VA I used to go to games at the minor league stadium in my hometown all the time. That is one of the things I miss the most about home. But there are teams out here too.

A week ago I went to my first minor league game in California. One of my new friends out here had gotten some free tickets to a game and asked if I wanted to go. Of course the answer was yes. We went and had a girl's night at the ballpark. It was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of good memories from games back home. The team we went and saw play was the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a Class A minor league team of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

I also went to my first major league game this past Sunday. It was so much fun! And I can't wait to go to another one. Me and a couple friends went to see the Angels play the Oakland A's. We actually cheered for the A's and felt a little out of place doing so at Angel Stadium. But I figured what better way to spend my first major league game then by cheering for one of my first minor league friends? Oakland ended up losing 9-1 but it was still a lot of fun...and very hot.

2nd Acting Class

2009-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

My second acting class (which was last week) was a little harder than my first one. This time my commercial was for a facial cleanser. I auditioned it the first time without any motions - just basically talking into the camera. Barbara told me that I have a very commercial side to me. That she thinks I could sell anything, just the way I am with my personality and on-camera. But that I should try and come up with some motions for the second time through. She even gave some tips.

For the second time through I pretended I was at a sleepover talking to my friends about my new facial cleanser, while I am putting on. It turned out to be a disaster lol. Barbara said I just need to be natural and concentrate on that. I was upset about messing it up but I tried to shake it off. It's just one of those things. Not all of them are going to be perfect. And now is the time to mess up and learn what NOT to do, while I'm in class and not out on a real audition. So I just focused on putting it behind me for this week and learning from my mistakes.

Even though I was a little upset about messing it up it was still a great learning experience, which is what it is supposed to be. Barbara told us that next week (which is actually this week now) she'll be there but there will also be another person - a producer - at class to help give some more insight into our auditions. Having a producer there makes me a little nervous but excited too. I can't wait to hear what he/she has to say, so that I can improve even more.

We were also given the assignment for this week of writing our own 15-30 second commercial to audition. It makes it nicer because we can practice it all week long and take it back to class perfect. But I came back trying to figure out what to write about. I want it to be something good. I decided to write about gum because I love gum! So I wrote my commercial about my favorite kind of gum "Extra Fruit Sensations (Berry Smoothie)". I gave it some motions and have been practicing it all week long. I have it memorized and hope that it will go smoothly. As suggested by my sister, I taped myself performing the commercial and put it up for people to see. It is below..let me know what you think. I hope you guys like it! :)

Headshots

2009-08-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

I had my headshots taken last Friday, the day after my first acting class. It was another very exciting event to take place. For those of you who don't know, headshots are a must in the acting business. It is what is sounds like - it's basically just a shot/picture of your head. In acting this is something that you need, especially just starting out. There are two different kinds of headshots: commercial and theatrical. A commercial headshot is more of a shot for commercial type work. It's the type of picture with a big smile. A theatrical headshot is more for theatrical type work, which is movies and television. It's a more serious picture.

I took my pictures with Elijah Star, who was recommended to me through Image Development. He is located in Manhattan Beach - so that was fun driving down near the ocean. I took about 10 different shirts and Elijah helped me pick about 5 that would be best to use for the pictures. It was a lot of fun. He took about 400 pictures and then gave me a disk with them all. Elijah said I was easy to work with and have great knowlege of what to do on camera - which I was very pleased (and a little surprised) to hear. Elijah was great to work with as well and I would recommend him to anyone.

I am now working with Elijah and Image Development to pick out a couple headshots to use. Image Development is going to pick which one they will use when they put me out on their September poster to all of the agencies. I am then going to pick about 3 different headshots that I will use, then Elijah will send them in and get them finished and get my final copy of my headshots back to me. Its all so exciting! Everything is developing smoothly and I can't wait to see how things will turn out!

Check out the side bar for some more of my headshots! I own the copyright to them all but the credit goes to the photographer: Elijah Star [www.elijahstar.com] .

1st Acting Class

2009-08-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

I had my first acting class last Thursday. It's a 6-week on-camera acting class taught by Barbara Cameron. I am taking it through Image Development. I was nervous for my first class but over all it went pretty well. There were 9 students in the class (including me). To start off Barbara had us all sit in a circle and go around introducing ourselves, saying a little bit about us, what we like about acting and why we were taking the class. That was cool. It made everyone relax a little bit getting to know each other I think. After introductions, we were each given a short two-paragraph commercial and 10 minutes to memorize it. Mine was a funny commercial about clear band aids. Once I got the memorizing done and how I wanted to say the words I decided to throw in something extra just for fun. There was a part in my commercial where I say "So now I wear clear band aids from Johnson and Johnson" - at that part I decided to hold up my arm and point to it, like I actually had a clear band aid on.

After our 10 minutes were up we all went into the waiting room. Barbara called us one by one into the other room where we did our commercial audition in front of the camera. I felt like mine went pretty well. I only stuttered at one part on words but I did feel like I was nervous and was afraid I would be shaking on the tape (but I wasn't). After everyone did their commercial we all went back in the main room. Then Barbara played everyone's audition and critiqued them all, saying this is what you did right, this is what you did wrong, these are some tips, etc. Everyone seemed to like mine, I got a couple compliments which I wasn't expecting from others in the class. Barbara said I had a lot of energy but that I talk with my eyes to much. So my biggest focus is going to be trying not to talk with my eyes and blink so much. I learned a lot from everyone's corrections and took notes the whole class.

After we went through everyone's auditions, we all took turns doing them again on-camera, trying to improve on the comments Barbara had made earlier. Everyone improved for the second one. I felt a lot better about mine too. Once everyone auditioned again, we watched them all and Barbara critiqued them all again. When we got to mine Barbara paused the tape after my first line. I was afraid she was going to say something about I made a huge mistake on something but she didn't. She said that the first line was great and that I really grabbed her attention. We had talked about how your first line is very important to make an impression and grab their attention - so the fact that mine did was a very good thing. I was so excited about that! Then we watched the rest of the tape.

After watching the rest of the tape...Barbara said I have a lot of energy and that my first line was really good and that she liked how I pointed to my arm. She said I was still talking to much with my eyes (so fixing that is my main focus for tomorrow's class) but that I have a lot of natural talent and that she thinks I'll be good. I was very pleased with those comments. Over all it was very encouraging and I can't wait for my second class, which is tomorrow! :)

Pictures of My First 3 Weeks in Cali

2009-08-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

The sign I waited for about 3 days to finally see, welcoming me to my new home state

The sight after crossing the CA border. That's the Colorado River in the distance.

US & California flags at the inspection station at the CA state border

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY

Malibu houses on a hill

Driving along..

First sighting of the Pacific Ocean

LOS ANGELES
My first view of LA

LAGUNA BEACH

Getting Things in Motion

2009-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I am still enjoying Cali very much! I have gone to two different beaches and enjoyed both. I still have yet to go into Hollywood and see the Walk of Fame and other famous sights but I have time.

I went to Burbank last Friday to register with an extra/background actor company called Central Casting. It took longer than anticipated. I didn't know how long with trafic it would take to get there so I left early. I got there 30 mins before they opened so then I went to Target and Marshalls to kill time. I lost track of time and got back right about the time they stop taking submissions. I was so scared I wouldn't make it in but I did! I was one of the last people and stood in line for 2 and half hours to register. Once I got my turn it took all of like 5 mins to get registered and my picture taken. So now I am registered with Central. I have yet to get a background job with them though. I can close to fitting one description but didn't meet one of the qualifications yesterday, that was upsetting. Then today I fit one so I called and left a message with the casting director - the job works on Monday - I have yet to hear back from them, so we'll see.

I am still looking for a job. I've filled out applications but have yet to hear anything from anyone. I am enjoying this time off, not working, but I know that I can't keep this up forever. The money will run out and I don't want that lol. I'm not panicking about it yet. God opened all of the doors to get me out here so I am trusting in Him with the whole job situation too. Its frustrating sometimes because I do need a job but I just have to trust that when I really need one is when God will open the door.

On a little lighter note, my acting classes begin a week from today. I can't wait! Its hard to believe its that close but I wish it was today already! It is a 6-week course and I look forward to learning all I can and being taught by Barbara Cameron. I also just got my head shots booked to take place on Friday the 21st (the day after my first acting class). I am so excited about getting the head shots done too. All of this is so exciting! I'm getting things in motion and they are all progressing very nicely. I can't wait to see where it will all lead and what God has in store for me!

I guess that's all for now. My weekend is looking busy with plans but it will all be so much fun! I am really enjoying myself out here. And am feeling very blessed to be living with such an amazing family and meeting so many amazing new friends! Even with all that is going on I still miss all of my friends and family back home very much! I love all of you! Thanks for the amazing support you have all shown me! If you're ever out in Cali let me know so we can try and get together! God bless! xoxo, Stephanie

Image Development

2009-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday my dad and I drove up to Thousand Oaks to meet with a talent promotional company called, Image Development. Image is basically the middle man between getting an agent. They are a Christian based company run by two very nice Christian ladies. Nicole Sutton is the President of Image and Barbara Cameron (who happens to be the mother successful actors Kirk Cameron and Candace Cameron Bure) is the Talent Executive Advisor.

I found out about Image Development when I was back home in Virgina, its actually kind of funny. I love reading biographies and autobiographies of/by actors. I just love reading about their lives, struggles and careers it intrigues me. Anyway, it was late last year - right about the time that Kirk Cameron's autobiography "Still Growing" came out. Being the fan I am, I went to a store to by it. While I was there I happened to find another one that interested me too.."A Full House of Growing Pains" by Barbara Cameron - the mother of Kirk Cameron and Candace Cameron Bure. I thought it looked good too, so I bought both of them. I took them home and began reading Barbara Cameron's book first. (Both were amazing and I highly recommend them to everyone!) At the end of the book there was a page with website links. Image Development's happened to be on the list. I went to it and read up on the company and become excited. I thought they would be a good place to help get my acting career going.

I e-mailed Nicole Sutton about the company and if they could work with me. She asked my experience and for me to send some pictures to her. I told her my experience and sent her my resume and a couple of pictures. She said they couldn't do anything to help me until I was in Los Angeles (since they are located right near by) but that I have a good look and that they could probably work with me if I moved. Believe it or not this is actually what got my plans for moving to LA started. I mean I have wanted to move to CA and get into acting pretty much my whole life but this agreement to work with me is what got my plans officially going. This was back in October of 2008.

Since then I e-mailed back and forth with Nicole for a little while - giving her updates - as I started getting the OK with the family and worked towards moving. Once I arrived in California I called them and set up an appointment. I got one booked for Thursday.

When I arrived for my appointment in Thousand Oaks I was given a form to fill out and a commercial to read through. It was a Gap commercial about jeans and only a couple sentences long. I had to memorize it and audition it for Barbara Cameron - talk about nerve wracking! lol. There were two others in front of me and I ended up waiting for about an hour before it was my turn to go in. It was ok with me though. It gave me a chance to relax and get my commercial just how I wanted it.

Once I went in, I did my commercial audition for Barbara. She said I had a lot of energy and potential but that I needed work. Which is what I expected - the needing work part. She said I was doing a lot of things right but that I probably didn't know I was doing them right or even why I was doing them. She then went on to discuss classes she teaches and a little bit about the company. She seemed really surprised that I had never had any kind of acting classes before - I told her everything I've learned has been by reading and studying other actors in movies and stuff. She seemed really surprised and said that I have a lot of natural talent and instincts. She said that normally most people they work with they recommend take a couple of acting classes but that she thought I would only need one and then be fine. That was a big (but pleasant) shock to me.

After meeting with Barbara, I met with Nicole. We discussed all of what they can do for me and I signed a contract with them that day. So now I am officially a client of Image Development (YAY!). I am taking a 6-week on-camera acting class with Barbara Cameron starting August 20th. It will be on Thursday's. Nicole said that Barbara is tough but very good because she knows what the agents want to see. I am so excited! After my first class then I am going to get head shots done. Once I get my head shots back then I will meet with Image and pick out my head shot for their marketing. Once that is done then I will be marketed by Image Development to all of the licensed LA agencies to try and get signed. I will be going out in their poster for September to agencies. The neat thing is Nicole said that if I don't get any response then they will keep pushing and putting me on posters if necessary to try and get signed to an agency. So that is exciting as well.

I had a choice of going out on their September poster or waiting. Nicole said that January-April is called Pilot Season - basically it is when all of the pilots for new TV shows get filmed and try to get picked up to networks. Because of this she said that most agencies slow down and stop taking people (until the next year) starting November because they are so busy getting all of their clients and submissions ready for pilots. So I decided to go ahead and go on the September poster so that hopefully I am get an agent before pilot season begins. We'll see but basically that is the deal.

Nicole recommended until the class starts (since it is still a couple weeks away) that I register with an extra/background company in LA for extra work on movies and shows. She said that she never recommends clients do that but since I had some time to kill that it may be good so that I can get familiar with how movie sets work. I am going to register with them on Friday.

I can't wait to begin my acting class and get everything going. Hopefully I can get some extra work to familiarize myself with life on movie and TV sets. We'll see. As time continues to pass I am still going to be looking for any job really. That is pretty much what is up right now. In short - things are going really well so far and I am loving Cali!

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me in California. First, I woke up at 3:30am and left at 4:00am to take my dad to LAX for his flight back to VA. It took us about an hour to get there but traffic wasn't bad at all. I wonder why HAHA. Second, I had my first In-N-Out burger and it was amazing! I also visited my first frozen yogurt place yesterday, which I was told is the biggest new thing in California right now. It was also amazing. I have a feeling I will become addicted in no time haha.

I'm still unpacking my things in my room but the majority of it is done. I have met some really cool new friends and continue to enjoy life on the West Coast. I still have a lot of sights to see. Seeing as how I haven't seen hardly any yet lol. I still have yet to visit a beach, Hollywood, and Disneyland but there is plenty of time for it. I will keep you updated as things develop. God bless! xoxoxo

CALIFORNIA!

2009-07-29T17:25:00.001-07:00

We had a late start on July 28th. But we were only about 4 hours away from our final destination - so it was ok. We got up late, were slower moving, had breakfast, and left the hotel in Kingman, AZ around 10:00am (AZ time).

As we continued to drive through Arizona I began to see more palm trees which excited me. We drove over the Colorado River (which was gorgeous) and then right after we passed into California.

There was an inspection station where all vehicles had to stop about a mile into California. They asked us where we were coming from, we said Virgina. Then they asked if we were carrying any fruits, vegetables, plants of animals. We said no and then they let us through. We continued on and went over mountains and in valleys.

Around 2:00pm (CA time) we stopped to grab some lunch and I got final directions to the house I am staying in. It is in a new subdivision and doesn't show up on maps or GPS'. After eating, we continued on and arrived at my new home around 3:00pm (CA time).

We started unpacking and it was a little overwhelming. I'm still continuing to find places for everything. I have my own room (a little bigger than my room back in VA) and my own bath room. Also, my closest is much bigger than VA! So I have more room for things. They have wireless in the house and so I now have access to the internet 24/7 - YIPPEE!

I met the whole family I am staying with and they are all extremely generous and nice. They are welcoming me with open arms and it really is a blessing. God was very good to bless me with this incredible family to stay with! I am very excited to be living here and things are going great so far.

I am going to be looking into jobs. There are a couple families close by that were looking for babysitters so the family I am staying with is going to check with them to see if they still need someone or not. If not, I will continue searching for a job. I called the talent promotional company I have been in contact with about working with to help in getting signed to an agency for acting. I have an appointment to meet with them tomorrow at 12:30pm (CA time). That is about all that is going on right now. I'm still getting settled in but so far I am loving it! My dad will be catching his plane to fly home early Sunday morning, then I will be on my own so to speak.

So long for now, Stephanie

Kingman, AZ

2009-07-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

After what felt like another short nights sleep (but a little longer than the night before) we got up and began driving again on July 27th, leaving Amarillo, TX. I made a point to try and take more pictures this day as well.

We continued on in Texas, then crossed over into New Mexico. Everything was dry and brown looking all the way through New Mexico. There were a lot of ranches lining all of I-40 though both Texas and New Mexico. We did see some neat hills and mountain. After awhile everything looked the same and I didn't want to continually take pictures of the same things.

According to my GPS we would have arrived at our final destination around 11:00pm that night. We decided just to get a hotel that night. We thought of making a detour to the Grand Canyon but in the end I decided I would rather just get to a hotel early and relax.

After a good dinner, we got a hotel in Kingman, AZ at around 8:00pm (AZ time). The room had wireless so we unpacked my laptop and plugged it up. I took a shower and relaxed. Then got on facebook and loaded all of the pictures I had taken so far so that my family and friends could see them. Then I hit the hay around 11:30pm (AZ time).

Amarillo, TX

2009-07-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

After what felt like a very short night's sleep and a quick breakfast we begin driving again on July 26th. We left our hotel in Dickson, TN around 8:30/9:00am (Dickson time). I took a lot more pictures on this day since my dad drove a lot of the way and it was daylight outside.

We drove through Memphis, but I never got a picture of a Graceland sign because I never saw one. I saw a couple of billboards for Graceland but never a sign directing where to go. We passed milage signs to Jackson and immediately I thought of the song "Jackson" by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash. We drove over the Tennessee River/Kentucky Lake.

We crossed over the Mississippi River as we passed the Arkansas state line. Arkansas was very green and pretty with lots of water and swaps around.

We passed into Oklahoma and everything began to look dryer and not so colorful. We drove over Lake Eufaula which was very large and pretty. The sun was out and the sky was very blue with clouds. We drove through Checotah which is the hometown of Carrie Underwood. I didn't know it was in Oklahoma. There was even a sign saying it was her hometown and that she was the American Idol winner - unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it. Driving at 70/75 MPH everything comes and goes so fast, if you don't know it's coming you miss it. We saw an Air Force Base and passed through Oklahoma City. I got pictures of those. We also passed through Canadian Valley, OK (which I thought was a cool name) and Yukon, OK (which is the home/hometown of Garth Brooks).

We passed into Texas and hit a short but heavy rainfall. I got some pictures of city lights in the distance at night that looks really cool. After about 14 hours of driving, we stopped for the night in Amarillo, TX - which of course reminded me of the country song "Amarillo Sky" by Jason Aldean. And I made a point of correcting my dad every time he pronounced it wrong, thanks in part to my knowing how to pronounce it because of the song.

Dickson, TN

2009-07-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Me and my dad wanted to try to leave around lunch time on Saturday, July 25th to begin our journey across country...we left around 5:00pm (dinner time). HAHA. It wasn't bad though - it just took a LONG time to finish packing the remaining belongings and load the car. You should have seen my Xterra...PACKED! To the top of the roof, from the second seat to the very back of the car. We even had to put to bags in the rack up on top of my roof because we didn't have any more room in the car. I should have taken a picture but alas I did not, but I'm sure you can just imagine what it looked like.

Anyways, we left around 5:00pm (VA time). We wanted to drive as much as we could and we were feeling ok so we ended up driving about 9 hours until we stopped for the night. We got a hotel in Dickson, TN - which is in between Nashville and Memphis - at around 1:00am (Dickson time) but to my body which was still an ahead it felt like 2:00am.

We saw some great sights along the way. I got to see Nashville at night, all lit up. It was beautiful. I never got that good of a picture though because it was dark when we passed. I drove most of the way so I missed taking some pictures too. One thing I thought was so neat but never got a picture of was "Music Highway". We drove I-40 and there were signs that said Music Highway with music notes on it. It was so cool. Music Highway was from Nashville to Memphis on I-40. Makes sense though, right? Something else I missed taking a picture of was a sign that announced "Welcome to Carlisle" - a town in Tennessee. I thought my sisters and fellow Twilight fans would enjoy it - but I wasn't able to get it.

All in all, it was a good first day - or should I say night?

1 Week Left

2009-07-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

The time is coming closer and closer, faster and faster...Only one more week until I pack up the car and begin driving out west. For those of you who hadn't heard - I will be heading out on July 25th. Only one week away.

My room is still a COMPLETE wreck. Because I have been busy the last couple of weeks packing up things that I'm not taking with me. Soon I will have to begin packing up what I will be taking with me. I have slowly begun taking things down from my dressers and walls. It makes the room look odd. But then again what can you expect?

I have been in contact with the family I will be staying with out in California and they are really great. They have given me a really good deal and are ready to accept me into their family. They have been extremely generous and I know I am in good hands. I can't wait to get out there and meet them all face to face. God really has blessed me with this living arrangement and I can't thank Him enough!

It is now officially my birthday (since it is about 10 after midnight on the east coast) and it is my last one before the move. Anyways I need to go catch some shut eye, but I will update again soon.
Stephanie

The Last Week of July

2009-07-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

I will be starting my drive out west the last week of July. I'm not sure the exact day yet but that is the week. The family member who travels with me will be flying back on August 2nd.

A big answer to prayer is that I received confirmation yesterday that I have living arrangements in order. That was my biggest concern - the one thing I was still waiting on. And probably the most important. I can breathe a sigh of relief now that it is set up. I will be living with a cousin (and her family) of a lady from my church.

The big move is only a couple weeks away and I am very excited! It will be a LONG trip but fun nonetheless. I am busy trying to finish figuring out what all I need to take and will have to begin boxing things up before long. But I am looking forward to it all!
Stephanie

Moving to California

2009-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone - welcome to my blog! You probably know this but my name is Stephanie and I am an aspiring actress.

I created this blog as a way for my friends and family to stay up to date with me and my life as I move. Now you may ask, why am I moving? I am moving to the CrAzY state of California to pursue acting. I have loved acting my whole life and have wanted to be a professional actress ever since I can remember. I will be making the big move this month.

I have a lot of friends and family who I want to keep in touch with on my journey to Hollywood and pursuing my dreams. I have personal ways to stay in contact with many of them but a blog will be very helpful. As opposed to sending out a lengthy e-mail to everyone (that would take FOREVER) I have decided to have this blog. That way I can post an entry and everyone can see it. It will save A LOT of time.

I hope all of you will keep checking back to learn what I am up to. I will let you know all about my process in getting the move finalized, actually moving, my first impressions of Cali, and my life in California as I embark on the crazy business of entertainment. Stay tuned...
Stephanie