Donald Does L.A.

Los Angeles is an Amazing Place!

2013-05-20T20:16:00.001-07:00

T'was a flipping great weekend!

Our friend from college, Summer, has been staying with us, so we've been entertaining her as much as possible.

Friday night Kaylie, Summer, and David joined for a game of Pathfinder near Canoga. It. Was. Awesome. Kaylie and David really enjoyed it! I'm glad that I don't have to feel like the biggest dork n the apartment anymore. David going to become a regular player in our group and Kaylie is going to play as much as she can. The guy that runs the game does a kick ass job and goes out of his way to make sure we have a great time. Happy to have Kaylie and David sharing in something that I have so much fun with.

Saturday, Summer and David went to the Griffith Observatory. I spent the day researching stuff online and relaxing. We played boardgames that night. Fun times!

On Sunday, Kaylie, Summer, and I went to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. It was a lot of fun. 20 acres of crazy renaissance activities. About 90% of the guest were dressed up in medieval garb. Next year, we will be dressing up as well. They had lots of shows, things to buy, and food. It was a cool experience. I also tried mead for the first time at the fair. The verdict? Donald loves mead. A lot. I feel like a badass viking when I'm drinking it. Before we headed home, we bought a bottle of mead to split. We stayed up till 5:00am playing cards and being generally awesome.

Today, we went to Venice Beach. We ended up buying a couple of boogie boards and having a blast. We saw some very interesting people at the beach. Lots of speedos and g-strings. The smell of marijuana and salt water permeated the air. It appears that Venice is home to two groups of people: potheads and fitness buffs.

It was a great weekend. Sorry for not posting more often, but I was a busy boy!

Tomorrow, I have a table read for a feature film.

Los Angeles is an amazing place!

Reflection On The CD Workshop

2013-05-19T22:07:00.001-07:00

It's been a couple of days now. I've had time to reflect more on what I learned.

Here's what I will do differently for my next CD workshop:

I'll choose new material.

The script I chose to perform for my first CD workshop was something that I could imagine auditioning with.

It was solid.

It was ok.

It didn't showcase me.

I need to choose material that enhances what I'm already great at. Not material that I need to enhance with my acting.

I need material that puts me in the spotlight.

Lesson Learned.

I'll let you know how it goes next time with my new script.

My First CD Workshop

2013-05-16T22:18:00.001-07:00

I attended my first workshop at The Actors Key (theactorskey.com) tonight.

It was interesting.

How does it work?

I paid a $12 fee to join the website. I then paid $50 for the CD Workshop tonight.

It started with a Q &A session with the Casting Director. It got strange. Lots of actors acting like EVERYTHING that she said was amazing. Lots of sucking up.

Then, we all went into the hall to wait until our turn came up to perform for her.

You go in the order you arrive at The Actor Key. Donald went last. It was a 2 hour wait.

While I waited, I watched the other actors. I saw some intense, crazy actor stuff. Lots of practicing what faces they would make. Lots of talking to the wall.

I went in, did my thing, and left.

One cool thing is we get written feedback.

My biggest criticism? I had only average energy. I think waiting for 2 hours and performing at 9:30pm zapped my energy.

Lesson learned. Next time, ill be showing up earlier.

Now, I'm off to figure out which CD Workshop to go to next week!

Relaxed Focus

2013-05-16T00:45:00.001-07:00

I was hitting the pads with my buddy, Chase, tonight and I had a realization.

When I'm slapping the feces out of the pads, I'm connected. I'm plugged in. I'm in the moment.

I'm 100% present.

I'm also relaxed.

I'm loose.

I'm not tense.

This is what I've been trying to accomplish with my acting.

When I focus on my partner, I tend to tense up. Being tense on camera doesn't read well.

Tomorrow, (at the request of my manager) I'm going to my first Casting Director workshop.

I'd been holding off on beginning CD WORKSHOPS until I had more extra money, but my manager is right. I'm NEVER going to be seen by the important CD's until I attend their workshops. So, tomorrow I'll begin going to at least one CD Workshop a week. These workshops cost $35 - $65 a pop, but it's guaranteed acting time in front of the decision makers. Seems valuable.

I plan on putting myself in the same mindset that I'm in when I'm slapping the pads. Focused, connected, and relaxed.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

You Are Who You Surround Yourself With.

2013-05-14T10:03:00.001-07:00

12 years ago, I was a Junior in High School. The cast of our One Act Play was on a camp out/retreat. I was friends with most people in the cast but I hadn't got to talk to the lead actor as much as the others. (You know me, I want deep conversation.)

I struck up a conversation with him about God. We talked for hours, way past when everyone else went to sleep. During the course of our conversation, we realized that we had the same dream. We both wanted to be in and make movies. We made a pact that we would both end up in Los Angeles and pursue the dream together.

From then on out, we've been best friends.

He moved out to Los Angeles years before I did. He's much braver than me.

He was the voice that kept pushing me to make the move to LA when I was teaching and everything else in my life was persuading to stay in a life of comfort and little risk.

He gave me a place to stay while I was apartment hunting. He'd give me the shirt off his back if I needed it. He's awesome like that.

Even now, he challenges me to learn Kung Fu, Ballet, Parkour, and improve my physicality. We all need friends that challenge us.

They say you are who you surround yourself with.

That's a good thing.

I choose to surround myself with that rare combination of dreamers who make things happen.

He's one of 'em.

Only in Hollywood

2013-05-13T14:32:00.001-07:00

Had an audition for that comedic feature this morning.

Of all the things in life, auditions are often the weirdest and in the middle of ALL that weirdness, we're expected to be natural.

It's a funny business friends.

I got there at 11:00am and there were no actors there at all. I was the only name on the sign in sheet. I felt like I was about to get Punk'd.

I went into the audition room.

"Do you have any questions?" The director asked.

I thought for a moment.

"Yes. When I begin dry humping, do you want me seated or moving around the room?"

"Seated the first time and moving the second."

Only in Hollywood.

I aced my dry humping, by the way.

The Beach

2013-05-12T19:12:00.001-07:00

Spent all day today at the beach in Malibu.

GREAT TIME!

It was a weird, overcast day but we rolled with it. The water was crazy cold! Next time, I'll bring some water shoes. Lots of rocks under the water. Took a lot of time, patience, and courage for me to wade out.

Saw a couple of people flying kites. I can't remember the last time I flew a kite! These kites were huge and looked like a lot of fun.

Saw a guy paddle boarding. I REALLY wanna try this! You just stand around and paddle like you're the king of the ocean. I'm gonna be a bear shaped Poseidon when I get my hands on one!

After beach time, we ate seafood at The Reel Inn. Good food at a fair price.

We took the back way ,through he canyons, home. It was beautiful. I'd LOVE to live in that area someday. Lots of trees and hills.

We pulled over and bought some fresh cherries from a truck on the side of the road. It was a pretty awesome snack for our drive home from the beach.

I have an audition tomorrow for a feature called LA MINUTE. Should be a good time! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! Hope you did AWESOME things.

Ask Donald

2013-05-09T22:45:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this is my 150th post! What?!?

In celebration, I'm opening up the blog to you guys.

Do you have a question for me?

Something you've wondered about living the actor's life in Los Angeles?

Any topics you'd like me to cover?

Ask your questions in the comments below or shoot me an email at donaldleegipson@yahoo.com

I promise to respond to EVERY idea that you throw my way.

Scout's honor.

Happy Thursday, gang!

Updates

2013-05-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Big Donald!

I'm named after my Dad, so my entire family calls me "Little Donald" to help differentiate between the two of us. It's a southern thing, I think. Charming, right?

I've got A LOT of DIFFERENT stuff going on right now.

So many awesome opportunities!

1. We start filming Season 2 of "I Hate My Coworker" (www.ihmcwebseries.com) at the end of the month. It's going to even FUNNIER than Season 1! I can't flipping wait to play Mike again! So much fun. Happy to be a part of it!

2. I'm going to be in a staged reading for a feature film on May 21st. Very excited to be a part of the film during it's earliest stages of development.

3. I'm getting ready to start up a Dialect and Accent Reduction newsletter to send out via email to people who sign up at my website (www.DonaldTheDialectCoach.com). The newsletter will have tons of FREE advice and tips. Planning to have that up and running by the 1st of June (I hope!).

4. Still going strong with my ballet/Kung fu/ Parkour workouts! Feeling great. Feeling strong.

5. My Dialect Coaching is continuing to grow. I'm REALLY enjoying working with actors and helping them gain skills that will take them to the next level!

I've got a few other secret plans up my sleeves too ;)

Exciting stuff happening on all fronts!

Rainy Day

2013-05-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

It rained last night and through a lot of the morning today.

It's weird.

I'm so used to seeing clear, blue skies that rain clouds just confuse me now.

I think I'm becoming like the others here.

We stare at the sky as drops of water pelt us in the face, then we look at each other as if to say, "What is this stuff?"

Rain has always made me drowsy but, it makes me want to Rip Van Winkle it up when it splashes the sidewalks and crosswalks of Los Angeles.

Today was an office day. I stayed inside and prepped for my accent reduction client that I'm meeting with tomorrow. I also spent a lot of time planning the next stages for my dialect coaching website (www.DonaldTheDialectCoach.com)

Felt good to spend the day getting stuff done!

Happy Monday, Everybody!

Cinco de Mayo

2013-05-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends!

We decided to go eat some Mexican food and watch Iron Man 3.

At the restaurant, I had some kind of bacon wrapped fried shrimp contraption. Pretty tasty!

(Picture not available)

After dinner, we headed to Universal City Walk to watch Iron Man 3.

City Walk is really cool!

We only allotted enough time to check out the movie and leave, but next time we'll definitely say awhile. Lots of stores and restaurants! At night, it looks like a min-Vegas with all it's neon signs.

Iron Man 3 was awesome. Robert Downey, Jr is another example of an actor just being himself on the screen. The guy is great.

T'was a fun day of celebration.

IHMC Meeting

2013-05-04T16:44:00.001-07:00

Had an awesome meeting with my friends from Vintage City Entertainment today about the 2nd season of, " I Hate My Coworker." We start filming it later this month. I'm excited to reprise my role as the goofy boss, Mike.

They're great people to be around and everything is always top notch, well written, ad well organized.

They did a focus group after last season and they've got some really awesome things coming in season 2! I'm really excited about my character's arc this season. Should be some really funny stuff!

You can catch up on ALL of the episodes from season 1 at www.Ihmcwebseries.com

Felt good to be around all of my friends from the series today at the meeting.

I can only imagine what it's like to be on a series for 10 years.

It really does begin feeling like a family.

A Razor in Review

2013-05-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

My wife is awesome.

She surprised me with the double edged safety razor that I wanted and it. Is. Incredible.

I received my package in the mail yesterday and immediately got to work.

Because of my excessive dorkiness, I'd already researched the hell out of how to shave with a DE Razor.

I knew:

1. Never press the razor into your skin. Just let gravity pull the razor down.

2. Always keep the razor at a 45 degree angle when shaving.

I made it through my first shave without any cuts. There was a little blood, but I think it was because my razor cut some of the raised imperfections off of my skin. That's pretty cool!

How was the shave? Best shave I've had. Just awesome. I did 3 passes with the razor and the result was a MUCH closer shave than my Mach 3 (or any other razor I've used).

Also, no razor burn and no ingrown hairs. Hallelujah!

I can't wait to get a brush and lather to add to my shaving ritual!

Dead Flowers

2013-05-02T16:32:00.001-07:00

I'm afraid my flower delivery days are nearing the end.

I'm hoping to release myself from this job ASAP.

I've talked before about the difficulty of finding good side jobs. We've been doing this one for a few months now.

Here are the PROS and CONS of the flowery delivery gig.

PROS

1. The boss is really nice.

2. I can take off ANYTIME I have an audition, no questions asked.

3. It's guaranteed money each week.

CONS

1. We have to use our own car, which were racking up AT LEAST 500 miles on per week. That's 2000 miles per month and 24,000 a year! Yikes!

2. We have to pay for our own gas. We're averaging spending AT LEAST $100 a week on gas.

3. After taking the price of gas from our paycheck each week, we make between $4.50 and $6.50 an hour.

4. It's mind-numbingly tedious.

5. There's no telling how much we'll end up paying for tires, oil changes, and regular car maintenance due to the workload and miles from the job.

6. It's beginning to conflict with my dialect and articulation coaching.

7. It's preventing Kaylie and I from looking for new opportunities during the day.

8. It's a very frustrating job with little reward or payoff.

As you can see, the cons definitely outweigh the pros.

The only issue? The summer is approaching. Tutoring will become more scarce ( if not nonexistent.) I will still have my coaching business which I can focus on though.

I'm gonna be taking a leap of faith by quitting this job but, hey, I've been known to make a leap of faith a time or two ;)

One option is holding onto it until summer's over.

Another option is holding onto it until something better comes along, but you know how I feel about waiting. Waiting is for suckers. I like to take action and make decisions.

The last option, of course, is quitting.

What do you guys think?

I'd really like your input.

Just Create

2013-05-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

Last night, I posted on Facebook, "That was an awesome ballet class!"

A guy I've known since kindergarten replied with, "You don't deserve a penis."

I've spoken a lot about how important creativity and the power to create are to me. I've said that behind every unhappy person is a person who is being blocked creatively. They're either blocking themselves or someone else is blocking them. In either case, our job as individuals is to deny those unhappy others from preventing us from experiencing happiness.

Our secondary job is to NOT BLOCK OTHERS FROM CREATING.

I'm taking ballet. I'm doing Kung Fu. I'm learning Parkour. I'm pursuing every dream that I've ever had.

I'm out here doing EVERYTHING that I've ever wanted to do and I don't give a damn what ANYBODY thinks about it.

I don't "deserve" a penis? Who made the rules for what each gender deserves?!?

That's 24 karat stupidity.

That's close minded, ignorant horseshit.

What I don't deserve is your ignorant comment.

What I don't deserve is for you to tell me what defines a man.

What I don't deserve is anybody purposely blocking me from my creative endeavors.

You only live once and, I don't know about you guys, but I'm not gonna spend this life allowing anyone to tell me what activities are "manly" enough to pursue.

While other "manly" men are sitting on the couch, scratching their nuts, drinking beer, and settling for mediocrity, I'm busy having the balls to go after my dreams.

I'm busy making shit happen.

I'm busy being "man" enough to recognize what my weaknesses are and training myself in as many creative disciplines as possible in order to make them strengths.

Ignore all the things discouraging people say to you, friends.

Just Create.

An Ogre of an Audition

2013-05-01T00:18:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I had an audition for a SHREK: The Musical promo.

I was auditioning for the role of SHREK. I'm a natural!

The audition lasted about 3 minutes. It consisted entirely of me dancing to "I'm a believer."

I'm an incredibly sexy dancer and by "incredibly sexy," I mean "ridiculously goofy".

I did my thang, cut a rug, and left.

Guys, I'm at my happiest when I'm auditioning.

Here's too many, many more auditions!

A Close Shave

2013-04-29T18:24:00.001-07:00

Wasting money is for suckers!

I'm no sucker.

I've been thinking about what I'm wasting money on and I've narrowed it down to a few things.

The first one that I'm going to tackle is SHAVING.

It's ridiculous how much money I spend on razors and shaving accessories.

Razor blades are so expensive that I only shave once a week or when I have an audition.

My solution? A double edged safety razor.

I'm looking at this one in particular: The edwin jagger de89lbl. Google it. It's badass.

What so great about a DE safety razor? You buy one and it lasts a lifetime. I'll be able to give it to my son or grandson. That's legitimate badassery.

The razor blades are really cheap too. Only $1.50 for a pack of 5.

Oh yeah, it also gives you the best shave of your life.

I'm hoping to order one soon. Very soon. And I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Have any of you used a doubled edged safety razor before? What are the benefits and drawbacks?

3 Things I Learned This Weekend

2013-04-28T20:05:00.001-07:00

I went to two parties this weekend.

Parties are always a gamble for me. I'm an introvert, so I tend to sit, watch, and wait for people to talk to me. This tactic doesn't always work for me and I'm crazy jealous of my extroverted friends who get by without the awkwardness.

If I get lucky, someone at a party will engage me in conversation and I can make a genuine connection.

Luckily, this happened to me a couple of times at both parties.

I was thankful not to be the creepy guy watching people from afar at both get togethers for too long.

I LOVE talking with people but I have a really hard time getting started in conversation with strangers. I suck at small talk. I'm working on it!

I talked to a really friendly working actor at the second party. It was an awesome conversation. He told me about how he had gotten to where he is in his career today. This kind of stuff fascinates me.

Here's what I gleamed from our convo:

1. Successful Actors are positive.

I had a sinking suspicion about this all along but now I know for certain. Negativity kills in this business. Positivity is everything.

2. Successful Actors are proactive.

They don't wait around for others. They don't just talk. They DO. They take action. They make decisions. They ask for help when they need it. They control their career.

3. Everyone's path is different.

If you or I followed what Robert Downey, Jr. did to become successful it probably wouldn't work. We are all different. Our paths are different. I've talked before about the train metaphor. We're all on a train (in our acting career) but we certainly aren't taking the same route or going to the same destination.

Type Class Part Deux

2013-04-25T23:25:00.001-07:00

My buddy Skater Dave, who moved in with us 2 weeks ago, is taking the same type class that I took with Mark Atteberry.

It's blowing his mind.

Guys, seriously take this class. It will shatter everything that you THOUGHT you knew about acting.

I'm glad to see that Skater Dave is reaping the same benefits and breakthroughs that I did.

1. Learn your type.

2. Market for your type.

3. Play your type and BE YOURSELF.

Sounds simple? It is. Our brains just get in the way of the simplicity.

Good People

2013-04-24T23:32:00.001-07:00

As I get older, I have become crappy people intolerant.

I'm a patient man. I can deal with a lot.

Shitty people are not one of the things that I can deal with.

As I'm making new friends in California (and thank God I finally am!) I'm realizing that good people attract good people.

9 times out of 10, people who don't like me are the ones that aren't worth my energy anyway.

I've had a couple of crappy friends in the past and I've completely cut them out of my life. Is that the best thing? I don't know. I did it. I'm happier now.

I hung out with a bunch of my LA friends throughout the day today and damn it was good.

My friends are awesome and it feels great to be building up my LA family.

Good times, Good People!

Call Me Twinkle Toes

2013-04-23T23:19:00.001-07:00

I LOVE learning new things.

One thing that I've always felt hindered by is movement.

I feel like my movements can be awkward and tough to control. While I understand that I AM an awkward person, there are definitely times in film when controlled movements can come in handy.

Tonight I took a ballet class. It was tough and VERY stretch heavy. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

What did I like about ballet? I liked the balance of control and fluidity that is required in order to do the movements.

A balance of control and fluidity is certainly important with acting. We must be free,or fluid, enough to be ourselves regardless of the circumstances. At the same time, we must have enough control and focus to push thorough the hurdles of the industry.

I'm excited to continue doing ballet classes when I can.

Ill keep you updated, friends.

Happy Tuesday!

Saturday Night Bowling

2013-04-22T20:10:00.001-07:00

Saturday night, we went bowling with a group of couples that we're friends with.

It's funny to me that we moved all the way from Denton to Los Angeles and still went and did such a "normal" thing for fun.

We bowled at the Lucky Strike in downtown LA. It's safe to say that it was the nicest place that we have EVER bowled. We obviously weren't in Denton anymore.

The place was swanky. It felt like we were in a lounge. Couches and comfortable seats everywhere, a big screen playing the basketball game at the end of each lane, and alcohol pouring freely.

I felt like a pimp.

Until I started bowling. There's nothing pimp about the way I bowl. I just chunk the hell outta the ball each time i approach the lane. i dont really aim. I liken it to when I threw shot put in high school. It's very cavemanesque.

Kaylie, on the other hand, she's a BOSS.

Seriously.

Our screen told us how fast we were spinning the bowling ball down the lane and I'm not ashamed to say that hers was the fastest by far.

I think I married a professional bowler.

She beat everybody.

I think her score was 180.

Mine was 84, but I got a jack and coke outta the deal. Not bad!

We had a great time. As we were leaving, we came face to face with every clippers fan in the world because the bowling alley was right beside the stadium.

I guess I'll eventually have to become a fan of a sports team in LA.

I'm really not a big sports guy, but I can play one on TV.

Happy Monday, friends.

Desolate Road

2013-04-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

I went to a premier of one of my friends short films tonight called DESOLATE ROAD.

It was awesome!

Nothing pumps me up more than seeing people jump chest deep into the creative process.

Jason Masek and his production company are making things happen! They produce and write their own content and they do a damn good job of it. DESOLATE ROAD was shot with a RED camera and it looked effing great. The soundtrack was incredible too. The acting was top notch. I REALLY enjoyed it a lot.

It's nice to be around people who are making things happen. It's inspiring to see people take ACTION in order to accomplish goals.

It was a damn good night in a really cool venue.

The Cutting Room Floor

2013-04-20T09:49:00.001-07:00

The episode that I'm in of THE GHOST SPEAKS comes on tonight at 10:00 PST on the BIO channel.

I have a friend that caught it early.

Turns out all of my lines were cut and I'm only seen shortly a couple of times in the episode.

When we were filming, I was in 2 scenes that were fairly lengthy. For whatever reason, those scenes were cut down in a big way. I imagine they were cut because they weren't integral to the story that they were trying to recreate in 20 minutes. That's show business!

I'm excited to see the show tonight. I met some really cool people on set and I can't wait to see their work.

Check out THE GHOST SPEAKS tonight and let me know what you think!

I'll be playing the handsome bear shaped paranormal investigator ;)

A Productive Day

2013-04-19T01:10:00.001-07:00

Worked the two day jobs all day today.

Had the 2nd workout tonight. It was tough. I'd say it was 3 times harder than Monday's workout.

I almost threw up. But I DIDN'T vomit. That a win!

I really enjoy hitting the punching bag and stuff.

After the workout, I worked on a couple of projects with my buddy Chase. I really enjoy writing and we've got a couple of kick ass projects to develop!

It was a productive day in lala land.