Let the
games begin... What a long 3 days it has been. Still
don't feel as though I've done enough, but that's what
tomorrow's for. Let me say a couple things
first:
Now
I started this whole journey/journal thing with
one thought in mind: Show the road to success. Make a
roadmap for others to follow. Success doesn't have to
be such a great unknown. I'll make it known. No one
can say: "Well, I don't know...LA's so big...and
I don't know what's..." YES YOU DO. Go
to 4tvs.com and click on JOURNEY. There it is. Giddy
up.
Of course
it's turned into somewhat of a motivation/inspiration
thing for me. There's a whole lot of you out there
that want to see this work BAAAD. So bad you keep me
going. But the original idea behind all this was to
show the road to success. Check out my last 3
days:
4tvs
Promotions 2000
(actual
visits in BOLD)
THE
LONGSHOTS:
NBC STUDIOS
- The Tonight Show – 3000 W. Alameda Ave.,
Burbank, CA 91523-0002
CONTACT: Kevin
Eubanks (has promo 3) -****
1/24/00
11:45 AM – And so it starts. Starting at
the top of course. As the story has been told
many
times:
3 years ago I spoke with Kevin when I was
producing for Steve Cannon. I told
him
about
this “a capella” thing I was doing,
which ended up being hearing my thoughts, and
he
was
cool and said he would listen to it. Well now I
have something a bit more unique, and
I
hope
he can do the same. Not sure what I’m
expecting from him, but I have to believe if
he
thinks
it’s cool he can put it in the right hands.
They signed me in as Adam from WTVN,
and
then
I had to get my package X-Rayed. And the guy
said: “Sure I can send this up to
him...”
I
don’t know why, but that made me feel very
cool. As I jumped back into my car I
couldn’t
help
but feel extremely confident. I’m in the
right city, and I have the right act. Please
GOD
let
me hear from him. I will call in one week if I
hear nothing.
1/31/00
2:30 PM -
UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS: Universal: Citywalk - 100 Universal
Center Plaza,
Building 5511 - 4
Universal City, CA 91608
CONTACT: In flux,
call Entertainment building...(has promo 3)
-818-622-3528
1/24/00
12:30 PM – Man, this was fun. I was
walkin’ all over this place. No one knew
where I needed
to
be and finally someone got me to the right
place. I handed the package to some chick,
but
she
said the person handling this area is in flux.
In a week it will be a totally different person.
She
just said to call the Entertainment office and
they’ll direct me to whomever it is at
that
moment.
Alrighty... Oh, and the deal with this place is
fairly simple. At the park they
have
an
outdoor street musician type thing. I thought
that my act would go over well on the
street
in
a controlled atmosphere (somthing about setting
all that equipment up on a real street
just
makes
me uneasy). This is a longshot, basically
because it’s like a full-time gig, but it
could
be
pretty awesome. I’ll call back in a
week.
1/31/00
11:00 AM -
COFFEE
HOUSES:
AAAH!
CAPELLA - 5907 Lankershim Blvd., NoHo Arts
District, CA 91601
1/26/00
3:00 PM - shit my pants when I saw the name of
this place. They MADE this mutha fucka for me.
I’m
a bit concerned though. Man’s name is
Debbie, and Tuesday is DRAGopolis night. But I
don’t
give
a shit, let me sing in front of an audience...He
seemed very intereted and I will drop off a
video
TONIGHT.
1/26/00
9:00 PM – Yeah, he punts & receives.
Wears lipstick and a dress. But very nice. Cool
place. Lotsa
shit
everywhere...looks very experimental.
Everything’s gonna be for free right now
anyway.
We’ll
see. I’ll give him a call Friday. He said
he’d watch it tonight. Yeah
right...
1/28/00
4:00 PM -
COMMON
GROUNDS - 9250 Resheda Blvd., Northridge, CA
9****
CONTACT: Paul (has
promo 3) -818-882-3666
1/26/00
7:30 PM - perfect place. nice little stage. I
should be playing here in February. I’m
supposed
to
call Paul at like 9 AM. Whew. I’ll call his
ass tomorrow to make sure he got the tape.
9
AM?
Already gettin’ up at 7 to call
Schoonerville. Man.... you know I fuckin’
LOVE it...
1/27/00
9:00 AM -
COBALT CAFE
- 22047 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA
9****
CONTACT: ??? (no
promo package) -818-348-3789
1/26/00
7:45 PM - CLOSED. The fuck? I couldn’t see
any hours, but it’s 8! Maybe they close
early
on
the weekends. Shit, and I thought I was being
all SMART waiting until the nighttime.
I’ll
call
tomorrow and see what time they
open.
1/27/00
12:00 PM -
LULU’S
BEEHIVE - 13203 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA
9****
CONTACT: Lulu (no
promo package) -818-986-2233 (booking line) -->
310-207-7226
1/26/00
8:15 PM - Little place, but it could work. I
gave the lady a tape, but I need to call that
line and
explain
that I can just sing. I don’t have to do
the comedy shit. I gotta make TWO tapes.
One
for singing and one for comedy..hell and one
mixed. I got the mixed alright, but I need
to
differentiate.
I’ll call tomorrow...
1/27/00
11:30 AM -
COMEDY
CLUBS:
HA HA! CAFE
- 5010 Lankershim Blvd., NoHo Arts District, CA
91601
CONTACT: Jack or
Buddy (has promo 3) -818-508-4995 (F)
762-0941
1/26/00
9:00 PM – On my way to AAAH! Capella, I see
this joint and stop. Guy says your a comedian?
Then
come in and watch the show. Waved the fee for
Jess and I ($14). So I dropped off
my
tape
at AAAH! Capella and watched the 3 hour show.
Only white dawgs in the place.
Still
had
fun though. I hope they let me do my show
though. Hell if they give me like a week or
so,
I
could make a black set. Rhythm Set, some jokes.
Who knows. They do fuckin’ karaoke
for
christ’s
sake. Tonight was ll comedy, and some good ones
too. Anyway, I’m giving Jack
or
Buddy
a call...I’ll try Friday. See if they like
the tape. We will see...
1/28/00
4:00 PM -
THE LAUGH
FACTORY - 8001 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA
90046-2401
CONTACT: NO clue
(has promo 3) -323-656-1336 (213?)
1/24/00
2:00 PM – Wow, THE Laugh Factory. This is
obviously a bit out of my league right now,
but
it
gets my name out. I don’t even have the
right package. A tape and a sheet of paper.
No
glossies,
no AGENT - and the tape isn’t all comedy.
But it gives me a reason to call.
And
that’s
always good. Even if the guy laughs at me and
asks me what the hell I’m doing, it’s
a
direction.
So much of this is going to be listening to
others and following leads and
taking
advice.
This was kind of cool, I rang a doorbell and
they had a camera on me. I said I had
a
tape
to drop off, and some chick came to the door and
took my tape. Said “thank you”
and
there
you go. How strange. Like EVERYONE does it this
way. Ok... I’ll call in a
week.
1/31/00
4:00 PM -
THE COMEDY
STORE - 8433 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA
90046-2401
CONTACT: NO clue
(has promo 3) -323-656-6225
(323-650-6268)
1/24/00
2:15 PM – Wow, THE Comedy Store. Next to
THE Whiskey. This certainly is Sunset Strip.
Gave
my tape to a guy in the back who said he could
help me. Now that I think of it,
it
could’ve
been another comedian trying to sabotage me.
EVERYTHING was closed, so there
was
no one I could talk to. I will call back in a
week.
1/31/00
4:00 PM -
BARS:
THE BAR WITH NO
NAME - 8001 Olive, Burbank, CA
9****
CONTACT: Mike (no
package) -310-610-0783
1/24/00
12:00 PM – Nice little place right next to
NBC. Has a little stage and they do karaokee.
Saw a
sign
that said “For booking bands call Mike
& leave message” So there ya go.
Decided I’ll
call
before I leave something. The clientel was wrong
for my show, but it was also noon on
a
Monday.
Hopefully Mike will give me a better feel for
things. I’ll call tomorrow.
1/25/00
1:30 PM - Left a message telling him what was
up. I guess now we just wait. I’ll try back
in two
days.
1/27/00
1:00 PM -
SCHOONERVILLE
- 8901-03 De Soto Ave., Canoga Park, CA
91304
CONTACT: Tony Rico
(has promo 3) -818-718-1404
1/24/00
3:30 PM – My neighborhoond bar. Right on my
street. Who knows, could be a gig
there
somewhere.
Dropped off a package, and the bartender said
the owner was in from 7-7:30 AM
every
morning. (whew)...I’ll see if he calls me
tomorrow or the next day, if not, I’ll
call
Thursday
morning at 7 AM.
1/27/00
7:15 AM -
BOOKING
AGENCIES:
PATRICK TALENT
AGENCY - 11333 Moore Park St. #509, Taluca
Lake, CA, 91602
CONTACT: Andrea
Patrick (has promo 3) -818-761-0607
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days.
1/25/00
3:45 PM - I guess not, she called me back! Wow.
Talked to me for about 10 minutes. Asked
me
about
my background, and absolutely LOVED the idea of
4tvs. I cannot tell you how nice it was
to
speak
with someone. She even said: “Yeah, most
places will say send an 8x10 and resume, and
then
you’ll
never hear from them again” She talked
about trade shows and all sorts of things to
help
“supplement
my income”. Hmmm...what income? Anyway,
I’ll be hand delivering a
package
tomorrow.
I can’t tell you how kick-ass it was to
actually speak to someone. I have a great
feeling
about
this.
1/26/00
12:45 PM - Dropped it off. It was a P.O. Box, so
I realize this chick works out of
her
home...I’m
also going online and sending her a link to my
resume. I’m realizing that
my
background
in writing commercials might be very
invaluable...I’ll call her in two days if
I
don’t
hear from her first.
1/28/00
11:00 AM -
RAEVEN
PRODUCTIONS INC. - 14930 Ventura Blvd. Suite
210, Sherman Oaks - 91403
CONTACT: Jeff
Costel (has promo 3) -818-990-9797
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Explained the act and she said to
send tape. I’ll drop one off
tomorrow.
1/26/00
1:00 PM - All black. I wish I’d put
Superstition in my promo. Damnit. Chaka Kahn
pictures
EVERWHERE.
DAMN. I can’t imagine they’ll be able
to help me. But maybe I’ll be
their
token
white boy. I don’t care. Just call my ass
back. I’ll call in a week.
2/2/00
11:00 AM -
SCOTT STANDER
& ASSOC. - 13701 Riverside Dr. -Suite 101,
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
CONTACT: Scott
Stander (has promo 3) -818-905-7000
1/25/00
3:45 PM – Was told to send in tape. The
normal 3-4 week wait. I was able to explain the
act, so it
may
be worth it. I’ll drive a tape out there
tomorrow.
1/26/00
1:00 PM - This place had a nice little suite.
Crowded and busy. Small, but they seemed
very
overworked.
It’ll probably be awhile until I hear from
them. Since I was able to hand
it
DIRECTLY
to the guy, I’ll give them 2 weeks until I
start buggin’ them.
2/9/00
11:00 AM -
SILVERLIGHT
ENTERTAINMENT - 15490 Ventura Blvd. Sherman
Oaks, CA 9****
CONTACT: Heidi
Robart or JJ Hadley (no promo package)
-818-981-4400
1/25/00
3:45 PM – Explained act and she said she
would have Heidi or JJ contact me. I’ll
call in 2 days if I
don’t
hear from them.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
LIONEL AMES
MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT &
PRODUCTION
CONTACT: Lionel
Ames (no promo package) -818-985-0010
1/25/00
3:15 PM – Lionel was on the other line.
Left name and number and was told he’d
return the call. I
will
call back on Thursday if I do not hear from
him.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
CC TALENT -
1600 Ventura Blvd. (Enc. ?)
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-905-1265
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Lady took my name and number.
Said someone will call me back. I’ll try
back in 2 days.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
VICTOR DANA
INC.
CONTACT: Victor
Dana? (no promo package) -818-985-1428
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
MARC PRAISSER
& ASSOCIATES - 14144 Ventura Blvd. Sherman
Oaks CA, 9****
CONTACT: Marc
Praisser? (no promo package)
-818-907-7900
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
THE PRODUCTION
AGENCY - 4226 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, CA
9****
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-752-8018
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days.
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
SIERRA TALENT
AGENCY
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-907-9645
1/25/00
3:45 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
BERNIE YOUNG
AGENCY
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-727-1300
1/25/00
4:00 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
BRIGHT LIGHT
MANAGEMENT
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-980-0023
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
SOUND CITY
ENTERTAINMENT
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-787-6436
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days
1/27/00
11:00 AM -
(COMEDIANS):
OMNIPOP INC.
- 10700 Ventura Blvd. Studio City CA,
9****
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-980-9267
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Called and he said they
represented COMEDIANS! I need to get them a
tape, but I need
to
make a straight COMEDY tape. I’ll work on
this for awhile. Let’s see where I am in a
week.
2/1/00
3:00 PM -
(WRITERS):
CAREER ARTISTS
INT. AGENCY- 11030 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
CA, 9****
CONTACT: NO idea
(no promo package) -818-980-1315
1/25/00
3:30 PM – Left a voicemail. Will call back
in 2 days
1/26/00
10:00 AM - I’m not used to this. She called
back! They only do writers. I was about to erase
it when
I
thought...nah, I may want to hang on to this
one. We’ll see what it could do down the
road.
...and I
don't feel like I did enough because I watched
RUDY one hour instead of working on my tape. Oh and
can you believe the 2 guys from SWINGERS are in
that movie! DAMN that dawg lost some
weight...ANYWAY.
Now those
entries up there? Those are only the good ones. I
called ( I counted): 122 Agencies in the 818 Area
code alone. (that's about 2 blocks for those of you in
Columbus)... The majority were for actors and
voice-over work. I drove over 200 miles in 3 days. And
I'm still scheming. For those of you who cared to read
this far...THIS is how you do it. You live those
3 days...for 3 years. Every day man. You don't sleep
without dreaming up new ways to make it work. You
don't watch TV without LEARNING from it. You live
it. Burned out? Fuck that. Can't stand the heat get
OUT THE CITY. People keep telling me I'm
gonna get burned out. They don't get it:
4tvs has
been in my head EVERY NIGHT since November 3rd,
1998. Every night. Every hour at work, I was thinking
about it. And now look where I am. I'm on the
verge. I'm in THE city. Are you shitting me? Burned
out? Not a chance. You're gonna have to KICK me
out.
I love
the guy who's like: Well see, I've got to do some
other things, so I don't get burned out on my career.
THIS ISN'T ACCOUNTING. If you are a singer,
a musician, anyone in the entertainment field.
YOU BURN with that desire. Every morning
now, I get UP. READY. I can't sleep 'cause
my mind was going so fast. You have to feel that, or
stay home. Don't come all the way out here. No. You
will not make it. You'll make it at Sam Ash, but you
won't make it in this industry.
So again, I
do this for those of you out there who have that
dream. Follow my journey for a little bit. Watch how
it goes. And write me goddamnit. Throw your reactions
out. Use your head. Tell me what you feel.
Man, where
the hell's this coming from? I'll tell you where it's
coming from. I got home tonight, and I was
bummed because I didn't go to 2 coffee shops
I planned on because the manager at the HA HA
cafe asked me to watch the show as his guest. He was
just cool for some reason. But I got home and was
upset because I didn't do enough. So then
I look over my past 3 days and I'm blown away.
Man I've worked my ass off, and I'm still buggin'.
THAT'S why I will make this work. And everyone
reading it after this entry knows that. They're not
reading some whiny bitch who can't get a break.
They're watching someone DO it. From the
beginning. I hope you're as excited as I am. What
a great adventure we're all goin' on.
Now please
don't mistake this for everything's peachy out here.
I could spin dogshit into VEAL for all you, but
it's still dogshit. No, what's happening is in the
last three days I've
FINALLY BEEN ABLE TO DO WHAT I PLANNED ON DOING ALL ALONG.
The second
I said to myself: "Fuck it. I'm not getting a
job. I am pushing this act until it works..." All
was fine. Yeah proverbial financial SHIZNIT may hit
the fan in about 5 months, but I will NOT focus
on that now.
Hmm, I just
reread all that. It sounds like I'm pretty confident.