So… I haven’t really written about auditioning and those types of things on this blog, mostly because I’m aware that I work at a tech start-up and you know, I try to write about technology. Then… my right-brain starts to kick in and I write poems about Target and my obsession with downloading yoga classes. haha. But I just wanted to write about it…

Anyway, last week I auditioned for an upcoming TNT pilot called “Men of A Certain Age,” with Ray Romano and Andre Braugher, and everything actually went well. I went in, auditioned, read several times, and they brought me back to read for the role again. The role, by the way, was for a recurring guest star, and the characters was non race-specific, which means that the producers aren’t necessarily looking for a particular ethnicity.

Acting/Auditioning can be strange, especially when you’re in the waiting room and everyone auditioning kind of looks like you, and you’re thinking…
“Wow. That girl looks like me but shorter and with a tan.”
“This girl is trying the hoochie look. I should’ve worn a tighter top.”
“Um. That one is a model. I have no chance.”
“That one is trying to bring back the grunge look”
“Ooohh….cute boots, I wonder where she got them.”
“OMG. I have 20 minutes left on my meter!”

Then…you go inside the room, and usually its you, the casting director and a camera or several producers. This can be extremely nerve-wracking especially when you have a scene when you’re supposed to be extremely sad, emotional, screaming.. and then end it on a soft note.

And then you’re done. You leave wondering if you totally sucked, if you rocked it, or if you got a ticket on your car. I’ve gone on countless auditions and have gotten to the point where it’s not so stressful about the auditioning part, its the “staying positive and creative” aspect that can get a bit dicey. So…that’s my rant for the night.

Oh, and a bunch of new developers started today, and just wanted to give them a big shout-out/Holla/Welcome to docstoc. We’re looking for office space right now because we’re all crammed into the office like sardines at the moment.!

Good night and see you at twisttup tomorrow!

This is a quick post, but I came across Jenna’s blog, a.k.a. Pam Beasley from “The Office.”

She gives great advice on acting, following what you want, and by the way, I’ve met her in real life when I had a role on the show.

Can I just say how friendly and nice she was? I was super nervous and she came up to me, shook my hand, and asked me if I needed anything. SERIOUSLY.

Cool, nice people rock. Holla

Gotta love Wednesday. You’re thinking…two more days until you can say its the weekend.
Anyway, so I had an audition today for an Un-Named NBC Show and spent most of my time in the car to get to the casting office.

Its weird b/c auditioning in NYC, you need to filler time just in case the following happens
1) The N/R/1/2/9 trains aren’t running on schedule
2) Its raining and you’re on 35th St/9th Ave and you need to be on 14th St/6th Ave in 10 minutes.
You think: Should I attempt to get a cab and just get poured on or should I try to take the Express N/R and see if I can make it? Getting a cab in NYC on a rainy day? Yeah right. Nice try.
3) You think about possibly power-walking to your destination. Hey, miracles do happen
4) A policeman on a horse strolls by and you think, “Should I make up some crazy story so he can take me to 14th St/6th Ave?”

In LA…
1) You need filler time just in case there’s traffic.
2) Traffic. Traffic. Traffic.
3) Make sure you have good music to listen to. After being spoiled by youtube, its difficult to listen to regular radio.
4) Don’t apply makeup in the car. Unless you’ve parked. Seriously.

Well…I’ll let ya know if anything happens with the role. The good thing is that I made the “People in the casting office” laugh. Perhaps they were laughing AT me. But hey, I’ll take it.

So, I’m BEYOND excited to introduce the readers of girlatastartup to Kari Kurto, Casting Associate of Dava Waite Peaslee Casting. (They cast funny, awesome shows from Showtime’s, “Weeds” to NBC’s “My Name is Earl) We met for coffee at an independent coffee shop on Melrose which had a cool vibe, great coffee, and full of screenwriters clicking away on their laptops. So….

Kari, what’s up? So, tell the readers about yourself
I took acting classes as a kid, theater in high school. Then I went to Emerson college and realized I didn’t want to act as a career, but I loved casting. So, I started Emerson Casting and cast local talent in plays and short films. I was working full-time, going to school, and of course having a social life, but I loved it.

You sound like it was going well for you. When did you decide to make the move to LA?
Well, my friend interned for Anne Many, who was the VP of Casting for Fox at the time, and told me that I should go out to LA and work in casting. Anne found out about Emerson Casting and told me to put some people on tape (put them on camera) for the Jason Alexander pilot called “Bob Patterson.” So I found some people, auditioned them, put them on tape, and sent it out to LA. I ended up going out there for the summer and within 2 weeks, I had an interview with Dava Waite, which is where I’m still working today. We got coffee, talked about random stuff, and she hired me on the spot. Its been 7 years since that day.

What projects have you worked on?
Wow. A ton of stuff. Tons of pilots that you’ve never heard of, the ones that didn’t get picked up by networks. Also, Yes Dear, In Case of Emergency, My Name is Earl, and Weeds.

What obstacles have you been up against in the big world of Hollywood casting?
Well, I started out at 20 years old and people wouldn’t take me seriously. I’d have big-name, famous actors come in and they’d be like, “Why am I reading with you?” I definitely had to prove myself.

What advice would you give to actors coming in to read for you or just people who are interviewing for jobs in general that aren’t in Entertainment?
Hmmm.. Well, I’d say that they should do a good job at whatever they decide to do. And oh yeah, be nice to people. It sounds simple, but it goes a LONG way.

So tell me, what’s a day in the life of Kari Kurto?
(laughs) Well, let’s see I talk/IM/E-mail all day with agents, managers, and Studio people.
Going back to the advice thing, I take time to listen to actors and the agents, and treat people how I want to be treated. I try to make sure to call the agents to let them know why their actors weren’t right for a certain part and try to give notes.

Yes, I actually met you during a workshop. You were super positive and gave great notes. Tell me why you like to teach workshops.
Its great because I actually enjoy talking to/giving notes to actors. Its fun for me.
I like to give notes and teach b/c I can take everything that I’ve learned about the biz and give that information to actors. Also, I LOVE to discover talent. And most casting offices WANT you to book the job b/c they want to be the one that finds the undiscovered talent.

Have you found your passion?
I love what I do. The best part for me is finding a great role on a smart project and then thinking of someone for the role, seeing them book it, go to Studio, go to Network, and then see the finished product.

Working in Hollywood, what’s a piece of entrepreneurial advice that you can give to the readers of girlatastartup?
Don’t take no for an answer. Ever. Just never take it as concrete. If someone tells you you’re too young, too this, too that, just KEEP GOING! Also, be as content as you can with your life because positivity is contagious. Anyone is capable of anything, and people want to be around positive people. Also, don’t make enemies. Persevere. And LA is a small world, so keep your mouth shut.

Haha. Great info. So how tech-savvy are you?
I’m Internet savvy meaning I can research my ass off. One time, Greg (Greg Garcia, creator of My Name Is Earl), wanted me to find a guy with no legs as Didi’s boyfriend. I was like, okay, and scoured the Internet, and found this great scruffy guy with Titanium legs, in the Screen Actors Guild, a great actor, and guess what Greg said?

What?
He said, “Great, but I was kind of thinking of someone with swoop Titanium legs.” It was Friday night and I was so depressed b/c I had worked so hard to find someone and was about to just drink a bottle of wine by myself, and then I open up “People” magazine and there’s this story about a kid with SWOOP Titanium legs and so I got in contact with his family, and got him on the show.

Whoa. You’re like a Casting hustler.
(laughs)

So, what did you do during the Writer’s Strike? How did you pay the rent?
Well, I ended up making hula hoops. After the writer’s strike, it was really scary, but it gave me time to trust my gut. And I found out what my next step should be.

Which is…
I’m going to start my own Casting company after July 15, with Dava’s blessing of course. Its crazy, but really exciting and I truly believe that its the right thing. I’ll cast whatever, commercials, Indie films, Cable networks, and of course Studio/Network projects. I’m ready

Any last bits of advice, inspirational words?
Don’t be afraid of going for what you want, Look people in the eye, Be good to people, Stay away from Assholes, take everything with a grain of salt, accept compliments/criticism,
Oh and keep Friends and business seperate…because once you have something that people want, everyone is your “Friend.” And lastly, if you don’t see an option in front of you, go out and create it. Don’t wait around for it.

Kari, you’re freaking awesome. Thanks for the interview. It was fun and I still owe you like 2 bucks for the coffee b/c they didn’t take debit cards!