F. Ed Knutson Blogopolis

EdUpdate/Birthday Recollection

Hi,
 
I am having a recollection of my last year, as it is my 54th birthday so  I'll tell you a bit about what I have going on.
 
As you most likely know, after I had the family out last September, and was busy acting in plays, I started checking out how to get into film.
 
I signed up with an agent in the fall of '09 and I only got sent on one audtion, in Studio City the day after Easter 2010. I did get to see my grandson Aiden, and my son Steven, his fiance Chyrill, and some family.
 
I stopped being in plays in March for a break. Play after play. Rehearsals, memorization, repetition, night after night, dress rehearsals, and tech nites.
 
So I knew of other acting classes I'd need to take to learn, and practice new acting skills to apply to film-work vs. theater work. Auditioning for film is entirely different in itself.
 
I've taken several audition workshops, and since then I understand why I did not get even a call-back after my Easter audition.
 
I even took a workshop in Scottsdale the day before my vacation at my mom's in June this year. Each film/tv acting Audition & Acting Workshop is 1/10th of the price I was paying for my Voice-Acting classes in the past!
 
Not only am I learning from these, there is usually a well-known CD or casting director that has cast some famous shows and or movies etc. I've done quite well from the critiques I've received.
 
On the last day of May the talent agency that represented me, ended their contract with all of their talent, and we were supposed to re-sign with an agency of their choosing in town, as all were supposedly going to "exclusive" even with non-union.
 
Previously actors who were new to the industry and whereas they were not "union", yet they could sign up with several agencies in town. This created confusion with the Hollywood folks managing their casting of actors in Las Vegas.
 
This was due to several agents sending in the portfolio of the same actor as another agent. The CD gets two or even more headshots and resumes of the very same actor. So Hollywood was not real happy with doing business here in SO-NEV that they would often bring their own actors
 
SO. That left me as unrepresented. Which I still am, as of this writing. That does not mean that I cannot get a part, it just means that I do not have an agency to share my earnings with, and I don't have an agent to try to get me work so they can get paid!
 
When taking my first audition workshop in early June, we met at Casting Call Entertainment Inc. over off of Flamingo, between McLeod and Eastern. The second workshop was there also, and by then I'd talked with Sharry there about coming to speak with them about them representing me. We set it up for the next Tuesday evening at 7pm.
 
 
Tuesday 7pm came, and I met Sharry Flaherty and Desriee Burroughs of Casting Call Entertainment, and sat on their couch, in the meeting room. I came to find out at our meeting that they were not a talent agency, but a talent management company. Since there is quite a difference, I told them that I'm sorry that I had misunderstood, and hoped that I had not wasted too much of their time.
 
They both asked me to stay and chat about what I was looking for, what I wanted to do, and such. So I did, explaining my phrase that I repeat often: "I just want to be a character actor".
 
We chatted about how I got into acting, where I've gone with it, classes I've taken, work in theater, voice over, and more. I also asked them about Casting Call Entertainment Inc. Sharry was the one to actually start the company because her son Josh wanted to be an actor, so she told him that they would make it into a "business".
 
Sharry went about studying, learning, and developing such a business, and now manages a small select number or performers in the Casting Call Entertainment "family". She does lots of work in finding a match for agents, as well as casting directors, and providing sources for acting related classes/workshops, and sources for head shots and demo reels of one's work.

 

They commented how much they liked my attitude, and liked me… so far as they'd seen. However they'd like me to work with a professional instructor that was able to give them some feedback on my skill level etc. So, again with prices only 1/10^th of my previous V.O. classes, I came in the next Wednesday after my play rehearsals for a 3.5 hour class with Tim Colceri.

 

Tim's class was serious biz. He has been in well over 50 movies, and is a high energy former US Marine! He put me in the "hot-seat" for the start of class and drilled me with one question about myself after the other. Questions to not only gauge who I am and where I came from, but to see how I told my own stories. To see how well I can be the storyteller.

 

He gave me some verbal exercises, then some physical reaction and space movement exercises. I did quite well. Later we did a series of improv exercises, and finished the evening after 11pm. He then gave a bit of counsel to each of us, there were about 15 of us. He had pretty much only kudos for me. Then later again in private he reiterated his good comment to me.

 

Sharry invited me to the Open Mic night the coming Friday evening at 6:30pm. I went and decided to do my monologue from "Judgment At Nuremberg" as Colonel Tad Lawson the prosecutor, performing the opening prosecutor speech regarding judgment of  the Third Reich Judges. I thought I did quite well. Josh Cohen, of Cohencidence Productions was there watching too.

So I felt like I am going in the right direction, and I'm leaving it all in God's saving hands!

 

The next two weeks I'll be in rehearsal for a play I'm part of that is going to the Kansas City Fringe Festival. We'll be leaving the 25^th of this month, and returning the 1^st of August. I hope to get some time to see the old cowboy history of the town!

 

When I get back, my friend Sharon Tillery, (who got me into acting) and Thomas her husband will be in from Portland, Oregon on the 5^th of August. Thomas is part of a semi-pro football team that will be competing in their finals here in Las Vegas!!! Out of town visiting friends... woo-hoooo!

 

Also I will re-connect with Casting Call, and Sharry and Desiree to see what direction I will be taking regarding our connection. So that's how it is the 54^th Birthday of myself; F. Ed Knutson

 

Love and hope for your best!

 

GBU

 

Ed

 

P.S. check out this site that is a Christian film production co.
I was cast as the part of Sir Magnus in their upcoming short movie; "Sir Magnus & The Dragon".
http://www.standingsun.com/dragon/wp/?page_id=15
 

Ed-sites:

Acting:

www.insurgotheater.org
http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/fedknutson
www.fedknutson.nowcasting.com/

www.christianactors.org/resumes_view.php?id=467

Voice Over: www.voiceopolis.com

Radio job: www.kkvv.com

TeleCommunications: www.oxicomm.com

 

 

 

 

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The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. Get busy.

posted by F. Ed @ 6:09 PM 0 comments