Joining SAG-AFTRA
Less than two weeks after returning to LA from my holiday break at the start of 2018 I had an audition that led to a quick booking a week later. That project turned out to be a SAG project that required me to join the union. It was a no-brainer because the amount the project was paying was near equivalent to joining fee. The name of the project is called Oishi Demon Hunter and they've run into a lot of technical problems with it since then. Oishi may never see the light of day but I'm grateful because it gave me my SAG card. My SAG card made me a more respected actor, increased my pay rate with background work and provided me invaluable access a myriad of professional workshops. The workshops are a game changer and because of them, I started to see the light. The knowledge I've learned will play a pivotal role in my big bookings in 2019 and beyond.
Producer Meeting
Early in 2018, I was able to set up a lunch meeting with a casting director who had some producing aspirations. It didn't transpire into what I had hoped but she sparked a rewrite of my screenplay. In our conversation she got me thinking in terms of targeting my screenplay to potential Disney audience. Specifically, she also inspired me to write a better ending. My current ending is fire and it was worth the lunch meeting, even though she didn't take on the project.
Screenplay Revival
While I was working on the Oishi project, one of my cast members spent some time talking the pilots he had in development while working on his pitch decks between scenes. I asked him if I could look over his pitch decks and take some notes and he ended sending me what he had. Justin's gift blasted my mind into an unreal realm of creativity. Thus, a pitch deck and sizzle reel for my screenplay were born. A couple of months before I was exposed to the idea of a pitch deck but I couldn't find any examples online. Justin work's inspired some next level greatness. Sometime in 2017, I developed a bunch of documents associated with my screenplay as a result, I was able to easily piece them into a colorful and professional pitch deck.
Central Casting
Since I arrived in LA I heard about the top casting services and immediately signed up. I also heard about Central Casting which focuses on background work and I decided to skip it. I didn't like how they operated and there were a few other reasons I wasn't attracted to it. People often talk about Central Casting but I always avoided that service. During the last quarter of 2017, Hank Braxton, the director of Snake Outta Compton suggested it. Background work was not on my agenda for the future. I totally rubbed it off. A little while later it came up again in conversation. I don't recall how it came up the second time but I finally gave in. December of 2017 was slow I had free time on my hands so in the spirit of staying busy I went through the dreaded process of signing up. This ending up being a great decision. I didn't a lot of background work in 2018 and without it, I would've been a broke puppy. I was even featured in some shows. I retired from television show background work at the end of the year that that's because that mission was accomplished.
Video Game Parties
One of my most powerful gifts is my ability to bring people together. The core of everything I accomplish is with the goal and purpose of unity. In the past, I've brought people together through talk shows, festivals, talent showcases, my web series and this year I added video game parties to my resume. I had the idea late in 2017 and around the start of 2018 I created the Nintendo Switch Couch Co-Op Squad Facebook group. The building process began and it became a mostly quarterly event. I totaled four video game parties in 2018 and it was certainly one of my greatest highlights of the year. It was really nice to bring people together outside of talk shows and heavily structures productions. I don't have any more planned video game parties for 2019 but I'm sure some impromptu sessions will take place. The Nintendo Switch is an amazing unifier and I will continue to use it throughout the years.
Plenty of Sports
2017 welcomed a consistent inclusion of basketball and tennis. I wrote about it in my review and I'm proud to say 2018 also included plenty of sports. I had a lot of great times competing and having fun. It was very rare if a week passed and I didn't get to play basketball twice and tennis at least once a week. In the case of a schedule conflict, I used the weekend as makeup days. Moving forward, I plan to continue my sporty tradition throughout my duration on this planet. A life without sports isn't a life I want to go back to. I do suspect 2019 will bring forth lots of scheduling challenges but where there's a will there's a way. I will always make room for my basketball and tennis.
This Is America
Being a part of an award-winning music video which is essentially the biggest music video of 2018 doesn't mean a damn thing. It means more for the artist, the casting director, and the production team then it does for the background and/or principal actors. The notoriety among my peers, on the other hand, is priceless. Childish Gambino's This Is America music video dropped on May 5th and people noticed. Every day for the next month people were tagging, texting and giving me shout outs. In the making of the video, I completely discounted the chance of getting noticed. I was wrong and This is America became my most recognized work to date.
Snake Outta Compton
We shot Snake Outta Compton, September of 2016 and two years later it got a distribution deal with Lionsgate and I became apart of a worldwide movie. The red carpet premiere was a blast and it was worth the wait. Having a premiere for a movie is a moment every actor fights for. I enjoyed it and I anticipate and I'll continue to fight for more great moments like this. I did anticipate some type of notoriety from this project but I honestly don't recall having any. It would be nice to know how well the film is actually doing but that's beyond my range of knowing. Only time will tell if there'll be a sequel or not.
Savings, Say What!
Back in 2015-ish, Wellfargo somewhat forced me into this program that randomly takes small amounts of cash from my checking account into a savings account. Behold, for the first time in my adult life I had a savings account. With one dollar I had a savings account and it increased over time. Unfortunately, it never got to chance to remain a savings status. As things became tight, I had to transfer it back into my checking to take care of business. I started 2018 broke. As a matter of fact, I had to use my mom's emergency credit card to take care of my acting bills. Furthermore, I worked a lot in 2018, as a matter of fact, I worked more this year than any other previous year. Most of that was background work but long 12 hour days equals a lot of overtime. Before long, I began to maintain a savings that I didn't have to transfer back over. I'm far from rich. It's probably enough to buy a beat-up used car but it's something I never really had before.
End of The Year Prep
In the past, I would prepare for the new year in January. That was a wrong move. I was also never hyped about the infamous pilot season that everyone gets excited about this time of year. The reason for that is because I was never properly prepped. A series of unexpected things took place during the last quarter of 2018 and it forever altered my mental scope in the direction of success. Between attending professional SAG-AFTRA workshops and finally establishing a team of people to help me audition, I figured out the combination. The new headshots I took in November are also pivotal to my upcoming success. In the past, I would scramble for new headshots when my holiday break is over after returning to LA. Not this time, I got them way before 2018 ended and now I'm more prepared than ever at the start of a new year.
Notable Mentions
1. Meeting a couple of great ladies on Tinder and that's because they have been very helpful with my quest. From helping me with my photo shoot, auditioning and store errands, I'm very grateful for the good people that brought assistance to my journey. Not for any other sick reason that you the reader might be thinking of.
2. In December, someone I met in 2016 referred me to work on a video with the motivational speaker Dhar Mann and I consider this a big win. The pay isn't great but the exposure is rewarding. Its a nice taste of being the leading man and not in the background. Turns out they might have more work for me in the future.
3. I got an unexpected contract renewal for a project I worked on 4 years ago.
4. Lastly, a new breathe of life got blown into my screenplay. My screenplay started thriving at the beginning of the year and it resurrected again at the end of the year. Leading into 2019, I'm keeping its blood pumping until it's made. Big things will happen for my screenplay in 2019.
Into 2019
Above are the reasons why 2018 was the most important year of my quest. From joining SAG-AFTRA at the beginning of the year to seeing the light at the end of the year. Everything I went through for the past 8 years finally makes sense. I don't consider what I was doing as wrong but I now understand what I need to do to make my auditions lead to big bookings. In conclusion, without a question or a doubt, 2019 will be The Year of Motown Maurice. In 2019, the world will get a full taste of who I am for the first time and to some degree, some people might get sick of seeing me everywhere. Lookout from me as the leading man on television and the big screen. These are not predictions, it's already engraved in stone. I will book my national commercial in 2019. After my first, I will sooner after lose track of my amount of national commercial bookings. I'm now more powerful than I've ever been and with my new found knowledge I will only get stronger. I've seen so many people leave LA in 2018 and it's often a shocking reminder of how tough LA can be. Tough or not, I'm on a mission to fulfill my destiny. 2019 also marks 9 years since I created The Motown Maurice Show. That means every day is a count down until it's 10 year anniversary. Sometimes perfecting is something you can't control, perfect timing is ordained.
As the quest continues...
The future of Late Night
Motown Maurice
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