Category: week review

As this year comes to a close, I have reflected on how I want 2016 to be different.

I’d like to create some consistency in my social media and youtube videos. SmallTalk2015 was a great trial run for every month (I suspended it for the Nov/Dec months due to holidays). I’ll love having more things to share in the new year.

The biggest change, my lovely wife Jacqui and I will finally be living together in February! I’m excited to continue to work on our website and (eventually) our web series MattandJacqui.com and having her help we will be able to put more art out there. = )

Here’s my past few months in a nutshell:

Oct
– 3 my UCB 101 performance. I’ll be taking 201 in 2016.
– 22 Back to the Future day. I had a few parties, and it was a great time to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Jacqui and I will continue to have parties.
– 31 – SmallTalk2015 Halloween Special.

Nov
– 18 Worked on a sketch with Dan Braswell and Co. that will be unveiled in 2016.. It was great to see some old Monkeybutler friends again.
– 20 Jessica Jones release party. Another video party (although I forgot to take a group photo!). I find it super useful to watch shows with other industry friends because it is a great way to reconnect with others and keep current on what’s happening out there.

Dec
– 24-31 spent Christmas with my wife and her family in Australia.

 

T 22-two new releases:

New interview on SmallTalk2015, where I interview “Johnny Depp”. 

Guest star on the Lower the Bar podcast: https://www.facebook.com/lowerthebarpodcast/posts/622788421196023

F 25 – finished the audiobook of Good in a Room. Great insights on what makes a good meeting. 

Sat 26

9 Sun – UCB class #2. I love learning slight variations of improv games I already know. We worked on spacework and now I have a show recommendation to see SOUNDTRACK.

12 W – Judd Apatow in Off Camera podcast says that back in Freaks and Geeks days he gave the advice to all the actors to “become a writer and make your own stuff” which several people did. This is all cementing all the hard work I’m doing with TRKS and SmallTalk.. and soon a short film and sketches.

13 Th – Four of my new headshots went ‘live’ on http://www.lacasting.com/matthewhirsch

14 Fri – I went to a murder mystery party and played “Ramsey Gordon” celebrity chef on the chef team. I tried not to yell too much.

15 Sat- Since I got back from Oz I’ve upgraded my computer RAM, ordered a fan, and bought a vertical mouse to avoid carpal tunnel issues. Finally my Custom mousepad arrived yesterday. Yes! Today I’m editing my kids show and preparing the next SmallTalk2015 episode.

Su 2: UCB class #1. I like the look of their ‘textbook’. All sorts of quirky illustrations. It was good to be in class again. With all these newcomers to LA it’s easy to get re-energized about my purpose here and excited about getting my career ramped up.

Listened to Off Camera podcast episode with Jeff Bridges. I thought it was interesting that both he and Matt Damon refer to acting as a “magic trick”. How does an actor get the audience to believe his character and get involved in the story they are trying to tell?

Tu 28: Met up with Andre to discuss projects and acting resources. He mentioned the Off Camera Podcast and the series The Chair. Then we watched Top 15 Mistakes Beginner Filmmakers Make.

W 29: Signed up for class at UCB starts first week of August. I haven’t seen their new space. I’m excited to jump back into improv after almost a year away!

I listened to a couple episodes of the Off Camera podcast. I finished the Damon episode and then listened to the episode with Jon Hamm from Mad Men. Both episodes were fascinating to hear how these actors engage the process and their hard work and lessons learned. Continue reading July 26 – August 1

June 29 – July 26: visited my wife in Melbourne, Australia. A nice vacation, but chilly as it’s winter there.

 

We taped ourselves as we read scripts a couple days. It will be nice to have her with me in the US at some point so we can continually practice our craft together (also she is working on her American accent)

Helped tape an episode for a cooking show for her father. Plus had my headshot photos retouched.

Slips of scattered scraps of papers have mini post updates that I never got around to uploading.. they are everywhere. Here are highlights from memory:

Apr: New headshots taken. These are some of the many I will be taking this year as I incorporate them into my portfolio. // Taped new components for the next episode of TRKS4.com

May: Weekends I tape with Andre and Rob. We improvise dialog and practice shots from the Master Shots books by Christopher Kenworthy

June: Tue 9: Taped Andre and Rob’s parts for trks4 episode 5.

Saturday: I finally bought a car! It’s a 2004 Toyota Corolla.

No more renting cars each week for me! Haha. It needs new tires though, but it is in good condition otherwise. I know I’ll miss my Electric Nissan LEAF that I drove around for 3 years (on a lease), but soon I’ll be able to save up an buy an electric car with cash. = )

Sat: I auditioned with my ‘family’. I thought it was funny that I was playing the part of a dad. I don’t have my own kids yet, but I’ve worked with kids a lot volunteering, babysitting, and at preschools.

We watched other families audition (which is unusual in itself) and a dad was able to effortlessly cover a line that was skipped by one of the kids. However, the exact situation happened to me and my family, and I didn’t step in. Whoops! Good ol’ lessons right.. they’ll make you stronger the next time. 😉

Fri- I worked on my lines for hours. I whispered them into the Rehearsal 2 app and played it while during my commute. – then the audition happened and I TOTALLY ended up using the board. Whoops! A bad habit I’d like to erase. I need more practice at home while reciting memorized text with that very tempting said text next to my eyeline.

Bonus was seeing my friend Sethward. He’s a great guy and I look forward to the show and tell later this month.