Branding myself

As an actress I am a business. I have to create my brand, get interest in my brand, and then eventually sell my brand. So with all that being said the first step is to create a brand.

I have never spent much time on this step, instead I went to school and learned all about business and then forgot how to apply it to myself and my acting career. So, now at 26 I am going back to the basics and branding myself. Why? It started with a comment from an agent I did a workshop with. She had literally no notes on my acting (only massive praise) but said that I need to take more time on my appearance when presenting myself to people in the industry. She said that I need to show that I care about myself and my brand and that I am not wanting.

I always thought "why choose just one way to showcase myself when I am so versatile? Don't they want to see a blank canvas?" The more I am out in the film world the more I am realizing that once you make it these things are true, but first you have to break into the industry.

While at Actorfest (a giant conference for actors) I noticed how a girl that was in a very stylized outfit from the 80's was getting a ton of notice and attention, while the rest of us in jeans and scarves were blending together. She was no better than me in her reads, but she gave them something to remember.

I have always been very girly and have loved the style of the 50s and 60s (the Golden age of glamour in Hollywood). I have owned many dresses resembling this time period for most of my adult life. And I love shopping in vintage stores! So why not let that speak for me? Why not dress in what suits me best, even if it isn't trendy and popular, and give them all something extra to remember me by? Sure it might take me a little extra time in the morning to make sure I have a great red lipstick on and that I am put together, but this extra time is more than worth its weight in branding me.

So this is the beginning of the "new" Alissa. The stylish and unique Alissa.

Little Angels

Recently I read the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Wow. So much to take in, so much so that I begged Gabe to go see the movie with me only a few weeks later when it came out in the theaters. The movie was beautiful, and it reminded me that even though we can't always see what is ahead of us, everything that is happening is happening for a reason.

A random memory popped into my head as I was pondering this. I had just graduated from college and I was working a job that I just couldn't handle at the time. I was project coordinator for an adult day center. We worked with the elderly, generally those suffering with Alzheimer's or Dementia. My job was to create the daily schedule of events / entertainment for the clients, choosing things that would help them to maintain the cognitive skills and abilities they still had while not challenging them too much. From my schedule of events my program assistants were supposed to actually preside over the events. However, because we were a very small non profit organization we were always understaffed and I ended up running most the events myself. On top of all of this I was also responsible for each clients monthly and annual write ups from the physicals the nurses would do for them. I had to notate not only their physical stats but I had to individual meetings with each of them and note any changes in mental or physical abilities.

I loved those clients more than life itself, but at 20 years old I just wasn't prepared to handle it. I was working all day and all night to try and get everything done, and I wasn't allowed overtime pay. I was also getting some attitude issues from some of the staff I was managing, they were not keen on the fact that I was 20  and their "superior" while they were at least twice my age with more experience in the field. I didn't let that stop me and I did eventually win them over.

I think all of this was manageable, but what really broke my heart was losing clients. In the short 3 months that I was there we lost 2 of my favorite clients. These people were more family to me in some ways than my own family, I certainly saw more of them and spent more time with them. I remember the day my favorite client Pete passed away, I went into the office and burst out crying. This was too much. I was too attached. And ultimately, I think this was the breaking point for me.

After leaving this job I was looking for something else I could do that would still make a difference in the world but that wouldn't drain my emotions quite so much. I applied for a position working with a company that helps rescue animals from shelters (way less emotionally draining... right.) I was qualified for the position and was excited to interview.

The interview went swimmingly well, until the interviewer referenced how she went to Westminster too and did drama with some of the same people. We started chit chatting and soon enough it came out that I fully well intended on continuing to act in my life. She told me that used to be her dream and then she got her position and she no longer had time for it. She told me that she wanted to offer me the position but was not going to because she didn't want me to give up on my dream because the job was too time consuming and demanding.

This had never happened to me before. I have pretty much gotten every job I have ever applied and interviewed for... have a great interviewing knack I guess hah. This was the first time someone wasn't offering me the position, on not based on age or qualifications, but simply because they didn't want me to lose my dream. At the time, I was so frustrated thinking I could have handled it. But now looking back I realize she was a little angel in my life keeping me on track. I am not meant to do something else, I am meant to act and to change the world through my art.

Anyway, I just thought I would share this little gem of a memory that hit me after watching Life of Pi. What moments in life have kept you on track?

For Your Safety!

We have officially finished and submitted one of our short films to a film festival! We have been working with a great friend and writer to film one of her shorts to get us all more exposure. Gabe and I picked one of her 4 page scripts (which is off beat, quirky, and hilarious) to film. It is also important to note that we have a distributor for the film!

We got everything together, found a location, a costume for me (very specific costume required as you can see in the picture!), and got everyone necessary on board. Filming didn't take too long once we were all set to go. The first night only took us about 3 hours to film, and then the second time when we did pick up shots only took about an hour. The film in its completed form is around 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

What a fun part to play! My character, Cindy, is a flight attendant who just doesn't know when to stop being at work... which leads to an interesting night with the random frat boy she brought home. I love getting to play characters that are quirky. They allow me to really finess my comedic timing! Every time I watch it she makes me laugh because she is so looney.

After filming we had to edit, sound edit, color correct, get a soundtrack, and get a logo for the title cards. We accomplished all of this in a matter of about 1 1/2 months from conception to completion. That is one of the things I love about how Gabe and I work together on projects. We follow through. We had a deadline of Nov. 30th for the first festival submission the distributor was sending it to, and we got it completed, and completed well, in that time.

Gabe and I refuse to sit around and wait for someone to give us our chance. We will build our own bridge there. This marks the second short film we have completed this year, and we are currently working on the third, which will be finished by the end of the year. Whether by traditional methods or by building our own path we will succeed, because success is the only option we have allowed ourselves. So watch out world, we will be taking over your tv and film screens soon enough!