Day 73 (closing the doors)

My stay out here in Hollywood is coming to a close.  Even the weather has become gloomy and unusual – surely it knows of my departure 😉  It’s crazy to think that an entire summer has gone by; in that time I have spoken with celebrities, agencies, strangers, locals, visited the beach, gone hiking in the mountains, taken improv classes at the prestigious Groundlings, seen comedy shows, shopped at all new grocery stores, gotten tan (gotten burnt), acted in movies, commercials, cried, laughed, made friends, and soon I will be saying goodbye!  I wouldn’t trade any experience here, no matter how embarrassing or frustrating, because I have gained so much confidence in this industry and my abilities to succeed as an actress.  A lot of people back home and here thought it was extremely ballsy of me to pack up and move out here alone, without any connections, but we all have to spread our wings sometime right?  I can’t WAIT to have an unforgettable senior year, get my $80,000 piece of paper, move back to California, get a furry friend, and fully invest my life in performing.  EEK!  SO EXCITED 😀

Day 66 (True Nightmares)

Yayayayay I made my national commercial debut!  The link is below 😀  I’m in it for a solid 2 seconds…but my legs are basically famous now.  This past week I worked on a spin-off of True Crimes called True Nightmares.  Two words – COFFEE TRUCK.  That’s right!  Craft services (food supply for actors) supplied a coffee/tea/smoothie trailer :O  I’m talking unlimited drinks…  But anyways, the actual episode was about a magician named Joe Burrus who was burried alive during one of his magic tricks.  I know.  Creepy.  We were shooting until midnight in a cemetery.  The most exciting news of this week is that I finished my final paper for my online journalism class.  SUCCESS!

https://www.google.com/search?q=who+will+win+ship+of+the+year&rlz=1CATAAB_enUS629US629&oq=who+will+&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60j0.1220j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Day 60 (San Diego)

I know I am an epic failure when it comes to blogging regularly…there is simply a lot going on! 🙂  I spent the entirety of yesterday in a car or in San Diego where it was cloudy and cold.  However, I was there for a Coca Cola commercial!  It was a great gig and I got to be on a pirate ship!  Fourth of July was a grand time as I spent in on Venice Beach.  After a long day in the sun and sea, I drove to Downtown LA for a firework show with my housemates.  I believe since I last blogged I was an audience member on “Tell The Truth” which is an old game show that CBS is revamping, and without saying too much…Betty White was there…*winkwinkwink*  She’s 93!  Who knew?  This upcoming Sunday I have extra work on the show “True Nightmares”.  Busy busy!  If you’re bored on Sunday night, don’t forget to look for the Coke commercial during the MTV Fandom Awards at 8/7 Central on MTV!  YAY!

Day 51 (GOT)

So, I finally caved and have began my undeniable obsession with “Game of Thrones” 😀  After many seasons of hearing so-and-so has died and blah blah is gorgeous, I have jumped on the bandwagon!  This morning I auditioned for a film that would be shooting in August, so that’s quite a ways off.  Tomorrow I am scheduled to appear in a fitness show audience!  Fun and healthy.  Today was quite the scorcher, and our bedroom cannot seem to cool down no matter the amount of fans we apply or windows we open.  That didn’t stop me from playing a bit of tennis though!   After seeing that Wimbledon had started I became inspired, and the men on the court next to me complimented my serve, so it was a rather successful session!  Other than that, Hollywood has been fairly slow.  No crazy movie premiers or celebrity spottings!  Must be an off week 😉

Day 45 (Conner4Real)

Guys….Usher and Lonely Island and Michael Bolton OH MY.  Yesterday was a very exciting 12 hour day as I spent my time and talent on the set of a Feature Film coming out in 2016!  After a solid month of living here I was complaining about not having seen a celebrity…and now they surround me 😀  I can’t such much about the film other than it was a blast shooting and I met some really cool people.  I am making friends, yay!  This morning I slept in and finally woke up to start filming myself and submitting to roles online.  Late afternoon I went for a good stroll up into Hollywood Hills (I think I can call it my normal route by now) and took in the gorgeous views and sweltering heat.  Hopefully I can keep this background work rolling in while staying on top of my online classes!

The Lonely Island

Day 42 (working grind)

I have been all over the place doing court shows and films.  This past Wednesday I was on a court show called “Hot Bench” which was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, and I was chosen to sit in the front which totally made my day.  I also met a girl from Millard West at that show!  We both knew mutual people and bonded for a hot minute over the Midwest lifestyle…it was beautiful.  Yesterday I was part of a production called “Night Stalker” which I am assuming is a film that will be released this year.  That’s the funny thing about this business – you are told a very brief discription of what you are performing in and you almost never find out when it will air or what it’s for.  But if it pays, you show up!  Even earlier this week I was part of an indie film starring Adam Goldberg.  There were tons of extras portraying party guests and audience members and we got to see Adam work through a dramatic scene over and over again, so that was cool.  Summer is certainly starting up here in Cali…in the upper 80’s every day and let me tell you…it feels much hotter.  It’s funny because I just assumed everyone who lives in a big city walks everywhere, which is partially true because I am within walking distance of necessities such as laundry and groceries; mostly everyone, however, drives everywhere!  Walking a couple blocks can leave you drenched in your own clothes and in the entertainment industry (as most everyone here is) you will be called to the most random locations out in the middle of no where or at a school parking lot.  For this reason, the rush hour here is from 4 to 8PM as opposed to the rush hour of 5:30 to 6:30 back home 🙂  I still absolutely adore this place, and I think my driving skills have significantly improved…if this acting thing fails (it won’t) I always have racecar driving to fall back on!

Day 37 (Mom knows…)

My mom told me I needed to update my blog more…:)  It’s funny because I feel like have SO much free time here (probably because I’m used to doing a million things at once) and yet I never find time to blog.  Whoops!  Last week was okay; I filmed a short film and auditioned for a web series.  Yesterday I went to Six Flags with my roomate and it was insane!  90 degrees was the perfect excuse to do all of the water rides.  We also both thought yesterday was Father’s Day, so we called our dads to wish them a happy day only to be utterly suprised that it wasn’t even the day!  Better late than never I suppose…  Today I will be heading to the recycle center, FedEx to print off more resumes, and tonight I have a casting workshop.  I have never attended one before, but I guess I have very few minutes to perform and sell myself to a casting director.  There is no guarantee that I will gain employment from the meeting, but it can’t hurt!  Oh, last week I also saw Jurassic World which I highly recommend!  In my personal opinion it had the perfect amount of terrifying, sad, and funny moments.  Probably more terrifying though 😉  Fun fact – it premiered up the street from me!  I live a few blocks south of Hollywood Blvd and there are constantly movie premiers happening that require the entire street to be shut down.  Pretty neat!  Last week I also visited an Animal Shelter where I met a great deal of wet dogs (it was raining…I know) and dry cats.  I needed my fill of furry friends because I miss visiting my local Ames Shelter!  Summer is definitely flying by though…can’t believe I’ve already been here a full month and a half!  I’m trying to leave an impression on this city as quickly as I can: I purchased some couch covers for the lovely hostel Iive in (Lord knows this place could use a woman’s touch), so there will always be a bit of me here!  I have started my online classes and I have registered with a background casting network, so hopefully things will really start picking up in the next couple weeks!

More notable Californiaisms:

-there are as many 7 11’s here as Starbucks…….that’s a lot

-June Gloom is a very real thing

-Almost everyone has an avocado, lemon, or lime tree in their yard

-moving out of the way for a fire truck is next to impossible in the city

Day 29 (success)

The past week has been very exciting 😀  I met with two agencies who both showed interest in representing me!  I had to be honest with both of them and say that I would be leaving CA in two months to return for a final year of college.  Even so, they said they would love to have me as a talent!  I also had two improv classes this week, and those are getting significantly more fun; I’m super bummed that next week is the last week.  I also began exploring Hollywood in a greater spectrum – hiking the mountains!  I hiked two long trails in two days (which my body thoroughly hates me for) and the views are just indescribable.  Having perfect, sunny weather doesn’t hurt either 😉  Coming up this week I have a meeting with a photographer to get some more pictures with different faces and poses, my final improv class, and probably more exploring.  I also found a subleaser for my apartment back in Ames, so I officially only have one rent to pay!  YAY!  Last night my roommate took me out to the bar scene on Hollywood Blvd.  I had been looking forward to this night for quite some time becuase it marks my true adulthood in the city…  Ironically enough none of the bouncers thought I was old enough, and they peered very skeptically at my Nebraska license 🙂  It was great fun though!  Street performers and dancing and excitement everywhere!  Oh…and I have been obsessed with new music this past week.  I will link them below!

Cheerleader – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGflUbPQfW8

See You Again (remix) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbjbt4fu-Tk

Five More Hours – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf9BQN-8PGg

Dazed and Confused -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqG-i51-UJQ

Post to Be – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0hdM950YLo

You Know You Like It – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIuJVYNvC-s

Day 20 (full house)

Wow!  Because I live in temporary housing, I knew there would be people coming and going – we got 3 new housemates in the last 2 days!  One girl in my room (so now we have a full room), and 2 boys.  One of them is training to be a pro boxer, so I guess he’ll only be here a little while.  The other… no idea.  Yesterday I met with my first agency, and it went quite horribly 🙂  The man I met with basically reprimanded the decisions I’ve made to come to CA without having finished school; he thought it was perfectly improbable to transfer to a CA school if I wanted to stay, and then he went on about how I could have 10 lead roles, but the only thing casting directors care about is who I have trained with.  It was just a complete trainwreck, and I couldn’t have left the building any quicker.  However!  I have a meeting with another agency today, and they have actually asked me to prepare some dialogue…imagine that?  They actually want to see me…act?!  Mind blowing.  And on top of my excitement, it’s FRIDAY!  Everyone loves a good weekend.  I woke up to a lovely walk (hike) up the Hollywood Hills and tonight I’m going out with the new roomies.  Have a lovely weekend everyone 😀