It's been one month exactly since I got back from Colombia which was amazing but honestly I was glad to get home. The last week or so I'd made so many lists of things to do when I got back in England I got more and more eager to get back and crack on with acting. I wanted to find a new agent, release Bump, and pick up where I left off with voice overs and acting jobs.
Bump. Making Bump is probably my proudest moment so far. I was so excited to be able to show people and the feedback has been really great. I want to make 2 more short films this year and will be releasing another I wrote and directed last year soon. I've been pretty lazy on the side of finding and entering film festivals but I think that's because I've done all I need to do with the film to make me happy. I made it. I'm proud of it. I showed people. I'm happy. Writing has become a bigger love the more I do it and, like acting, it doesn't look like I'll ever stop doing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFInsR3UQeA&nohtml5=False
Finding a new agent. My friend Carys had a meeting with Amy Hubbard of Hubbard casting which is one of the biggest casting agencies in the world and she gave my friend a list of 10 agents. I saw this list and emailed them Monday morning 8am asking for representation along with my showreel. Unfortunately there was no response so after ideas from my friend Dom I emailed the following Monday morning with simply "I emailed a week ago and wanted to show you this" and a link to Bump. No response. My plan became finding a new thing each week to send them until I got a reply. The week later I emailed them showing off my guitar capabilities with my silly comedy song "My First" linked below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAIkx8ZWHFg
I received an email back from Pelham Associates run by an ex actor called Peter Cleall who wanted to meet me. I still think it's ridiculous that my exceptionally silly song about losing your virginity got me a meeting with a great agent but that's why I sent it. I did all I could to stand out and I wanted to show that I wasn't a one trick pony but also wrote films and songs. We met and for my 3 and a half years of acting and having an agent previously I could be clear with what I wanted and they were lovely about my abilities and it was promising. They said they'd let me know in a few days and that was on Monday. I honestly felt all week that it was probably going to be bad news. It was a good meeting but the waiting was horrible. I called my parents last night with no news and said to them I think it's probably a no because I haven't heard from them yet. This morning I get this from them:
Hi Sam
Dione and I enjoyed meeting you on Monday and would like to offer you representation as an actor. Please give me a call on the above number if you wish to go ahead.
Best
Peter Cleall
I had already started to think about what I should send to new agents on Monday before this email. This is the biggest moment in my career so far. I've got an agent who has amazing contacts and who can progress my career further in film, tv and theatre. I am so thankful to be in this position but there's work to do now. It's about how much I can work for myself and put the effort in for my agent just as much as doing well in the auditions Peter gets for me. I made myself an ambitious resolution for this year to try and get a line or two in a tv series or film at least but in the back of my head I knew it could take another year to find an agent to give me that opportunity.
I want to finish this blog by saying I want this to be proof to not let anything stop what you love doing. I know my family are always wanting the best for me because anything can happen and they worry that things might not go my way. I know so many people through Uni and elsewhere whose advice to young actors would be to 'do anything else.' There have been countless times I felt down about my career not just in London but also through university and in Bournemouth worrying that I'm not progressing fast enough. The main thing is I've got this agent not from going to drama school which everyone told me I'd need to go to to have any serious success in acting (In your face drama school) but through knowing what I want, being realistic, being lucky and being driven. Never do what you're content to settle with if you're not happy. Do what makes you happy. There's a book called 'Fuck it Do What You Love' and that's right. Make it happen. Do what you love! I'm so pleased I never gave up when I didn't get into drama school, had shit days, felt like a terrible actor. That's part of it. And for this moment it was all worth it.
