July 25, 2011 in Acting, comedy
The Lost Footage. It was fun co-writing and acting in this short about how we could save the site that is Myspace, Inc. I think my favorite line will always be,
“We should bring back Glitter graphics. To those of us who don’t know what glitter graphics are, its when you pimp your profile with sparkly strippers and machine guns.” Check it out 
September 26, 2010 in Acting
Hey guys! So..on Friday I did another WGA High School Screenwriting workshop where we act in the short scripts that are written by high school kids in the LA area. The workshop took place at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. Thanks to Adam Huss for putting this together and um, I wish I had this program at my high school. My one creative class was chorus…shocking.
Oh, and this school has a popcorn machine. No joke.
And another inspirational note, I’m a huge fan of ABC’s “Extreme Home: Makeover,” and this week’s premiere was as inspirational and amazing as ever. I think that giving hope and opportunities to those who need it is essential, and I wouldn’t have been able to get through school had it not been for all the people that gave me a chance. The thing is…you need to nurture dreams or they won’t come into fruition, and this particular show really gives underprivileged people a chance to fulfill their goals. So awesome.
And of course, my favorite clip of the show.
August 17, 2010 in Acting, comedy
We met. We wrote. We laughed. We made lots of jokes. Good ones. Bad ones. Really bad ones. Funny ones. We know more about each other’s issues than our closest friends and family members. Love these guys. And GERRY KATZMAN…you are amazing!
Just me and Robbie K..doing a little Godzira
The gals…Laurenne Sala of HUMANS ARE FUNNY and the hilarious Carly Murphy
JAE…is that YOU?! We’re the only Asians. Ya heard?
Our pimp class. Jann, Robbie K, J “Asian fetish” Norton, Gerry, Ian Kelk, Jae Yoo, Laurenne!
Kerri B…hilarious spitfire. Just kidding. Don’t kill me Kerri!
We’re trying to be Asian.
November 3, 2009 in Acting, comedy
I recently booked a Burger King commercial and was super ecstastic..though I would’ve really freaked out if it was something like this commercial: I mean, can’t you just see me rapping along with “the King?”
But don’t get it twisted…I was uber happy to shoot the commercial and we shot last week at a high school cafeteria about a half hour from LA. You should be seeing it soon on TV and Internet and its going to be in conjunction with all the promos for the upcoming “New Moon” film. Team Jacob!!
Here are some pics…
Me and the director, Jim Hosking. I think we were pretending to be scary or something.
Co-stars..
Set pics… I was hoping to get pics of us shooting, but I don’t think the director and DP would’ve enjoyed that too much. So here are my randomly shot pics…
Twas a great shoot and I was very grateful and happy to have booked this job. My first National!!!
September 12, 2009 in Acting, blogs
I’m actually cringing when I see the last time I actually posted on my blog. I’ve been really busy lately just with life, ghostblogging for other people (Super fun but exhausting), and of course, being an Editor. Since I last blogged, Sean P and Tsega D have left Tsavo which is sad because they were such a huge part of Twirlit.com’s growth.
Sean gave me the creative freedom to basically do whatever I wanted with the site… Videos, anyone?
Of course, our team deserves the credit as well…they’re awesome. Anyway, I’ve been approached with a few projects and have also been accepted in the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory so I’ll be taking classes and hopefully working with some really talented AFI Film students to make some great short films.
Promise to write more posts soon.
July 3, 2009 in Acting, Twirlit
Yesterday I started my day with an early work-out which was all done to the soundtrack of Michael Jackson. I love to zone out while watching the day’s early morning news which was all dedicated to MJ and the Neverland Ranch. I’m still in shock by the news and still can’t stop listening to my favorite MJ songs..
1) Man in the Mirror
2) Rock my World
3) Billie Jean
I’m sorry but these songs are SICK! Love them.
I had couple of TV auditions today and feel like I’m getting back in the groove again after feeling out of the loop. Will obviously keep you posted if I book something…hopefully!
And met with our Editorial team at Tsavo for our weekly meeting and we interviewed Jordan D Wagner, Executive Director for Generosity Water, a non-profit whose main goal is to build wells in Africa, South America and Asia. So far, they’ve helped build 50 wells this year which is bringing water to 28,000 people who will now be able to drink clean, fresh water when previously they would have to drink fetid water that would bring disease and in many cases, death.
Twas a great interview! And shout out to my good friend Serena Ehrlich, PR Superstar, for all of your help in the past couple of weeks. You’re awesome.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
May 15, 2009 in Acting
I had a call-back for a commercial this week…for a candy company and it was one of the most awkward auditions I’ve ever experienced.
(Pic courtesy of Amog.com)
The director asked us if we had any stunt experience and I was thinking, “Well, I’ve Bungee Jumped before…does that count? The actors who were called-back were in a room and we had to do stunt moves in front of the camera.
AWKWARD and RANDOM!! LOL. Hopefully I’ll book this…but we’ll see.
April 18, 2009 in Acting
An Actual Audition Post (No, I wasn’t auditioning for this project…I swear!) How funny is this?
On a recent audition, I had to wait for a bit before I went in for the actual read and thought it would be funny to post an audition survival kit. If you’re an actor, you can probably relate, as you should always bring things to keep your mind focused before you go into “THE ROOM.“ haha… ominous, right?
You need gum. It keeps your mouth busy esp. if you’re ADD like me. I’m currently obsessed with this new gum from Orbit.
You need Music. Whenever I audition for a drama versus a comedic project, I ALWAYS need my ipod to listen to various old hip-hop songs or Mozart. I don’t know what it is about Mozart that just gets to my core. I love it. I don’t think I could live without my Ipod shuffle. WORD.
The Script. I always have a script in my car whether its a TV or feature project, and the sides of course. Sides are pages from scripts that are given to you via your agent/manager, and usually just have tidbits on it so you can come up with your own character before you audition. Having scripts around keep you on your toes.
Makeup- For auditions, you usually need to wear makeup which is annoying as I’m not a huge makeup wearer in daily life. I’m too lazy.
I usually bring some sort of snack or something too, but I had inhaled it before posting. Sorry! I’m currently obsessed with Luna Bars, especially the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor. OMG. So good.
March 17, 2009 in Acting
Okay, so on my bucket list, I have it written that I’d like to be a cartoon. Well, I can officially cross that off the list because I’ve been animated as a crazy character named “Lisa,” whose ex-boyfriend’s name is Acid. Enough said. Oh, and she wears tube tops and has pink hair.
Anyway, this weekend I took the boyfriend with me to a Burbank screening of “Clubhouse Chronicles,” and this particular short entitled “Lovesick,” was written/directed/animated by Turner and Ted Lange. The entire short film takes places at various points at a house party from diferent characters points of views. It was hilarious and the screening was packed with a bunch of people… Kick ass job, you guys.
Here’s the excerpt for “Lovesick.”
Clubhouse Chronicles: Lovesick (excerpt) from Project Clubhouse on Vimeo.
And here are a few more words with the talented director Turner Lange, just in case any of you reading this have creative ideas of your own that you’d like to pursue and need some wise words.
What exactly is Clubhouse Chronicles?
Basically a little under a year ago my brother and I moved back to Los Angeles from New York. After being frustrated artistically and creatively, we decided to call up a few of our friends and see if they were feeling the same way. As fate would have it they were, so we started meeting once a week to try and figure out what we could accomplish if we really pooled our skills and talent together which is what the clubhouse chronicles is a product of.
How did you come up with the idea to write “Lovesick?” Did you actually experience this at a house party?
I wouldn’t say I’ve experienced it directly. The idea came from the ending really, I won’t reveal it here but I thought it would be really funny to have it end the way it does, and then I kinda worked backwards from there, building everything on the front end to really accentuate that final moment when *you know what* happens.
Secrets. Secrets..haha..I LOVED being animated… I always wanted to be a cartoon. You’ve made my dream come true… what’s your secret?
A magician never tells.
Aw, come on. So, as a writer/director/animator, what projects do you want to work on? What keeps you inspired/laughing?
The kind of stuff I want to work on is anything inspiring. I’m a big fan of finding ideas to examine, illustrate, and share with people. I think that’s part of the reason for wearing so many different “creative” hats because each idea deserves it own unique form of expression and that’s part of the fun of making this stuff is seeing how close you can get it to the way it was when it first popped into your head. And seeing if you can convey that same idea to an audience. As for stuff I find inspiring I’m a huge fan of Jonathan Glazer. That’s someone whose stuff I’m always in awe of and any of the older Disney films (anything from the nine old men makes me feel really inspired and totally useless all at the same time). As for what keeps me laughing…Old episodes of the Larry Sanders show and Spaced.
Old Disney movies are bomb. So, everyone at the screening loved it! What’s next for “Clubhouse Chronicles?”
We’re going to put it out there for a Film festival tour. And really just steam roll into the next slate of film projects. Part of what we’re trying to accomplish with this stuff is hopefully provide an artistic forum for artists, actors, writers, and directors to express themselves and exchange ideas. I’m a big fan of art collectives and being an artist myself I find many times the best ideas are generated when you are surrounded by other like minded creative types.
Love it. And the most important question…can you make me a cartoon again?
It would be my pleasure.
SWEET!
March 15, 2009 in breaking news, inspirational, LA
Wow… this is a really hard post to write, and I’ve been putting it off for a while because I don’t know how to write this. (NOTE: There will be rambling in this post) I’m the type of person who analyzes things to the “T,” and tries to make sense of everything little thing that happens, but recently…I’ve stopped. Truly. I mean, as markets fall, people lose their jobs and life savings, and uncertainty is the name of the game, nothing really makes sense to me anymore. People are probably wondering everyday, “How did we get here?” and most importantly, “What am I supposed to do about it?”
Life is RANDOM and doesn’t always follow a set planbook, even though you might be Type A and try to make it. (perfectly diagrammed with tons of notes/guidelines/stick-its). So, right now is the time to figure out how to make things work. My brother has always been pretty hard on me, treating me like a brother because he thought that it would toughen me up. (which it kinda did) He always said, “Handle it,” meaning to not have any excuses and just do it. Finish the job. Do what you gotta do.
So… I’m going back to auditioning full-time, and also creating content for two websites, Twirlit, a fashion/beauty site, and also becoming the female voice for the men’s site, “Manolith.“ For the past six months, I was unable to audition because of my job and would work 50 hours per week, and then work on a comedic screenplay with Mark, my writing partner. (We’ve had meetings about this project and things are moving along….)
I was basically a robot that worked constantly and started to kind of lose myself, who I was. With the constant influx of negative, scary Economic news around me, I just put my head down and worked like a very efficient elf. Woke up, went to the gym, went to the office, and then met with Mark for a late night writing session. But one day, I woke up and realized, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t give up my dreams/goals because you only get one life.” It was just one of those realizations and for once, my heart told my brain to shut up. I decided to go with my heart, so I’ll be leaving docstoc where I’ve rocked the docs, uploaded a ridiculous amount of content, learned about SEO and HTML, worked with J, Alon, Ilya, and Andrew in our tiny office in Beverly Hills and then watched as the company moved to Santa Monica and grew. Best of luck to you guys as the company continues to grow!!!
As for me, I’ll be going back to auditioning and will be blogging more about that process, and just more of the creative projects that I’ve been working on… and to start it off, I’ve decided to interview myself. Yup. Weirdo….yes I am.
“Why did you actually come to LA?”
Well duh, it was to act on TV shows/movies, do improv, write screenplays and sell them, live in a place where it barely rains, maybe date a cute surfer guy before realizing all he does is surf. Sigh. Oh, and drink Coffee Bean iced blendeds. Those things are bomb.
What were your first jobs when moving to LA?
I worked as a waitress in Beverly Hills and then in West Hollywood, logged for reality TV shows (OMG…awful job but taught me a lot about sitting on my ass and staring at footage), worked as a tutor, worked as a temp… Craziness. Was very broke. But, I do think everyone should work in the service industry at some point in their lives… you learn about patience and just being nice to people. People can be so rude, but working as a waitress taught me how to deal with a-holes, snobs, cheapskates and more delightful characters. So, remember to always tip well!
How the hell do you write a screenplay?
Uh… lots of drafts of crap where you wonder why your characters are way too obvious, why your scene needs to be cut, and if it’s funny enough. I tend to lean towards writing comedies, and it just takes lots of practice. You need to read lots of produced scripts, watch a lot of TV shows (good and bad), read a lot in general and just be passionate about it. Every single successful person has told me this… You really need to love what you do in order to make it. Truly. Madly. Deeply. (Sorry.. OLD SKOOL SONG FROM THE 90′s)
What’s auditioning like?
Well, you go into a room with a Casting director, and if you’ve been called back, its with a few producers, an assistant and a camera. Everyone is usually pretty cordial and then you have about 3-5 minutes to really nail your audition. Pretty nerve-wracking, but like anything in life, you get better with practice and experience.
How come you gave up auditioning while working at docstoc?
My parents’ financial situation was pretty dire starting at the end of last year, and I had to decide between continuing with my dreams/goals and staying at a steady job to help out my parents. It kind of tore me up inside to have to choose and I definitely felt as though I was sawing off my arm when I had a call with my agent saying, “I can’t audition anymore.” She understood but you have to understand that even getting to work with a good acting agent who pushes for you and believes in you is VERY DIFFICULT. There are tons of actors in Los Angeles and to be able to get representation who actually thinks you’re worth making calls for, pushing for projects, etc… is something you have to be grateful for. Anyway, it almost killed me when I had to stop auditioning, but then… I decided to put my creativity into screenwriting.
What’s screenplays are you referencing?
One is a comedic screenplay that we’ve gotten some buzz about (sorry, can’t be more detailed than that), and the other is a sports movie that is “Mean Girls” meets “Bend It Like Beckham.” I started writing it about two years ago, did numerous re-writes, annoyed a bunch of people who gave me notes/suggestions on it, and just kept plugging away at it.
Why haven’t you quit yet?
Well, I’m basically psycho. Or crazy. Maybe a little bit of both. The truth is that I’m driven by passion and my love of stories and making people laugh/making fun of stereotypes. I grew up seeing a lot of injustice, hatred, racism, ignorance and would always daydream, write songs, and write short stories. This was my escape… by creating stories in my head… and singing, of course! Also, I’m a believer in God, and think that he has a bigger plan for me, these stories, and even this blog. Hopefully the plan is to just inspire people to find their inner goals, passions and talents, and use them to give back and help others. As an actor/writer, I also hope to inspire little girls/boys who might look different or just not fit in, to just find their talents and learn that what other people think really doesn’t matter. Seriously. I wish I knew that when I was younger.
So, what’s going on with the acting?
Well, I had a producers’ session for an NBC Pilot last week, and am just starting it back up again. People look down on acting, but it’s something that entertains, inspires, and makes people laugh/cry. I absolutely love playing weird/random characters like when I was on “The Office.”
Will you miss documents?
Hell to the yeah. I mean documents have been my life for the past year and a half. I used to go to bed thinking, “Oh snap, what do I have to upload tomorrow?” Also,whenever we’d go grab a drink, one of my friends would say, “Kat, YOU CAN’T HAVE MY DOCUMENTS,” all because I asked him to upload his documents ONE time. To this day, he still says this. If you’re reading this Rich, I DON’T WANT YOUR DOCUMENTS!!! LOL.
Do you feel like a tool/loser for interviewing yourself?
Um…yeah, what else is new. Story of my life.
