RPM

In early June, I went to a seminar entitled "How to Jumpstart Your Career". It was an informational seminar for people who feel that their career has stalled somewhat. During that seminar, I was told about a new agency called "RPM". I sent my information in and they called me in for a reading.

Usually, they call people for a meeting first to get to know them, but for some reason they skipped that part with me. I went in and they didn't have a file on me and the person I was reading for was not part of their agency. He was filling in for a member of the agency who is an actor and was booked for that day. They had no sides, or copy, for us to read and decided that me and this girl would just do an improv type of audition. Perfect for me.

The girl went first and she was to come home and accuse me of cheating for the third time during our relationship. I was to respond to her, just sitting in the chair next to the guy we were reading for. She went, and I didn't think that she did a very good job.

I went and thought I did a pretty good job. The guy gave us feedback and told me that I was too "theatery", that I had to know where the camera was because I had to know about frame lines and angles and recommended that I take an on-camera class to get used to that. He also said that I wasn't loud enough, and that maybe it was because we were in an office. He gave me a 6 or 7 on his scale of 10.

Then he talked to the girl that I was reading with. She was a cute blonde girl, and he said "it looks like you waited to come out here until you were ready. And you are ready. I give you a solid 7"

Puh-lease!!!

First of all, he said nothing about my acting. Second of all, the reason I was not too loud was that we were not in an enclosed area. The room that we were reading in had an open doorway to the office WHERE PEOPLE WERE CONDUCTING BUSINESS! I didn't feel it was necessary to yell, when a person was on the phone 10 feet away. Third, there was no camera in the room, and if there was I would have made sure that it could see me at all times, but there wasn't so I just acted to my partner.

So I left the reading feeling really bad. Then I talked to my IO coach who is a working actor and I respect a great deal. He told me not to worry about it too much and that a lot of what I described sounded pretty amateurish to him. They should have had a camera there if I was not reading for someone in the agency and volume has nothing to do with acting because you are always mic'd and if you yell all you do is piss of the sound guy. He said that maybe they were not an agency that I needed to have represent me.

So I felt a lot better after that. I sent a thank you card the next day and asked for a meeting with someone from the agency just so they could see who I was and what my career goals were.

I got a call today from a woman at the agency asking me to come in for a meeting. I feel a little better, but I still don't know if they are for me.

I guess we will see after I go in and meet with them.

Special shout-out to my friend Dave P. who came to see me in one of my shows a couple of weeks ago. He sent me a comment through the blog site, and I have no way of contacting him. So thank you Dave for coming to see the show.