Over the past month I have been so fortunate to receive excellent press for my work on “When Harry Tries to Marry.” I’ve posted the links, which don’t quite have the pizzazz of the scans — the layout on the printed page is fantastic! Here they are! Cover of Courier Sun! http://bit.ly/lauren-courier   Page 3!   Add Comment Matt Wells at the BBC wanted to know more about how I changed my NY accent. Here is the link of the segment that recently aired. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9334000/9334355.stm About a month ago I received a phone call from a nice journalist with a beautiful deep voice named Sam Roberts. You lost your NY accent, so what’s deal? My voice teacher Lynn Singer had referred him to me. He wanted to know more about my journey from “wuawta” to “water”. Later that day a video journalist named Erik Olsen called me from the Times office. A video complement to the story was what he was after. Two days later we met for two hours, I said a few words and I left hoping that at least if they have some video footage they won’t cut me out of the article. Then the Times staff photographer called to get a photo. The entire ordeal took ten minutes. We met on a street corner and a few snaps later he walked off satisfied. Um, or maybe I exasperated him and he was hiding it? We waited and waited and waited. Maybe the story got dropped? Two long weeks later the story hit the web edition and that Sunday made it to the front page of the Metropolitan section. The response was massive. What struck me was how many people had very personal reactions to the concept of loosing ones accent. Some called is classism, others necessary. Over six hundred people commented on the Times website and tons of blogs covered the story. Even French publication put the concept up for debate. And after we renamed their delicacy a Freedom Fry, that is saying something. I’ve got a lot to say in response. I’ve been burning to write some thangs on the web, but I was invited to speak about them in person. On December 14th you can join me live at Chelsea Studios for a panel discussion — Accents: Identity or Roadblock? Join Lynn Singer, Kevin Urban and a host of other special guests from various fields. They will be filming it for out-of-town folks, so watch out for YouTube action! 151 West 26th Street, 5th floor, 7pm The article and video: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/nyregion/21accent.html?pagewanted=all Monday night, after wrapping “Reality Check” and lugging equipment up and down Manhattan and Brooklyn, I was a guest on the Bill Russo radio show. My state required a whiskey and a nap, but for Bill I walked up the steep 101st Street hill to perform a story and participate in an interview. You see, Bill is a very special and unique entity in show business. Without looking for a kick-back or favors, he brings people together in hopes that they will inspire and collaborate. In fact, one of the main objectives of his show, broadcast from Giovanna’s Restaurant on Lexington Avenue, is to create a meeting place for artists in the Italian-American and associated genres. Bill Russo does a phenomenal job of bringing people together and the collaborations that ensue from his efforts are priceless. Here is the link to hear the story I told and the interview that followed! http://www.centannibroadcasting.com/ Scroll down to: The Bill Russo Show 8/23/2010- ‘Women Create’ with Lauren LoGiudice and Chiara Montalto Actors Lifestyle — a website with a bevy of resources for actors — interviewed me for their blog. Operated by Gilleon Smith and Ginger Kroll, it is dedicated to making life easier for actors in the city. Read below and check them out! http://actorslifestyle.com INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT! Q&A with Lauren LoGiudice This month at ActorsLifestyle we are focusing on what’s most important…YOU. Being an actor in the city is a long and hard road. Most actors in the city are often more compelled to share their successes and triumphs in the entertainment world, but hardly anyone discusses their hurdles and failures. This month we pulled information from real actors living in the city who not only experience the joys of booking acting jobs, but who also face daily obstacles to pursue a career in their desired craft. We want our readers to relate to a rare and in-depth point of view of the industry. Get answers to burning questions of what it’s really like to move to a big city and thrive. Who do you contact? How do you get started? How do you maintain? And most importantly, when you reach your goal, what was the key factor that influenced that success? We got a chance to have a one-on-one sit down with Lauren LoGiudice (pronounced Lo’Ju-Di’Che). Lauren is an actor, model, performance artist, writer, host, producer, improv comedian, and an amateur chef!. This New York native born in Queens, now living out in Brooklyn, likes to shake off the dust of the outer borough and travel the world – Lauren’s lived and worked in places that range from India to Mexico to Italy. She is also part of the New York actors community, and actively pursues success in a variety of ways within the entertainment business – including even co-founding Over/Under Productions for film, TV and video works. Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us Lauren! So to get started, let’s talk about after college…When you were moving to back to NYC, what were some deciding factors? I am from NY so deciding to settle here was like coming home. Before I came back here from college I spent some time deciding exactly what I wanted to do. It always came back to performing. For example, I spent a year in India on the Bill Clinton Fellowship exploring public health work, but ended up focusing a lot of my energy on learning classical Indian dance. You can travel far, but you always come back to yourself. I knew that once my experience in India was over I must pursue performing. Did you do research on your field? What were some reliable and resources to help you with your move? When I came to NY I started contacting the few people I knew in the entertainment industry. That consisted of only two people. They referred me to people who referred me to people…. I told them that I was interested, but wasn’t very specific about exactly what I was looking to do. They were luckily very nice and patient and gave me all the advice they could. To find out what I wanted to do I took a lot of classes — improv, dance, piano, acting — as well as performed in various downtown events. I experimented with my craft and tried out different types of performance. It took me about a year before I decided that I would focus my attention on film and TV. The more specific you are the easier it becomes to make things happen. What were some hurtles you had to jump over to get settled and established in your field? The acting industry can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. Taking time to establish a community of both people I admire and people who are in the same place as me has helped me fill those gaps. How were you able to build your social/professional network? I’m a natural networker, so this actually was and continues to be my favorite part of the business. I love meeting new people and learning about their experiences. I’ve asked lots of people to lunch and coffee, wrote letters and emails to people I admire and gone to tons of events. Life is a big cocktail party…drink up! Presently, what are some resources that you are using to build your career? What do you think are the best resources? Learning about marketing has been immensely helpful. Ginger and Gilleon [of ActorsLifestyle] have a good grip on the industry — their advice has helped immensely. They have encouraged me to write about my experience — that alone put things in perspective. They also have given me great advice about my type and how I fit into the industry. Also, Fractured Atlas offers online courses on the topic, which are just fabulous. Also, the book Career Renegade, Dyana Valetine (dyanavalentine.com), and Caryn West’s audition intensive have been instrumental. My current acting teacher Lynn Singer (lynnsingeracting.com) has been transformational. Interning at Pat McCorkle’s office was extremely educational, and learning about marketing teaches you how to brand yourself. Marketing is ever-changing as you grow as an artist, so it is a continual process. Have you had any bad experiences with acting/entertainment sites? There is a whole cottage industry that makes money off of an actor’s vulnerability and insecurity surrounding the question: When and how can I “make it”? Choose wisely when you purchase actor services. Ask around — if the service really helps, you’ll be able to find that out from other people. What are your current plans for the future? I’m always pushing myself to grow, meet new people and learn new things. I’m constantly working on my craft and trying to meet the right people to help make things happen. Ideally by the end of the year I’ll be booking lots of commercials and another feature film. I’m not shy about asking the universe for things and it usually happens, so I’m not too worried. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I want. This is important. In the meantime, I am creating my own opportunities. What advice can you give aspiring actors who are looking to live in the city and thrive? Listen, I am going to tell you how I do it, but that is not necessarily going to be the best method for you. First decide as precisely as possible the types of jobs you want. News anchor? Broadway leading lady? Television character actor? I decided early on that playing a teacup in Beauty and the Beast was not my maximum aspiration. I like to write and perform live, so I wrote Queens Girl, a solo show, and then toured it around the world. I also started a blog, Swim, Float or Drown, to establish and expand my fan base. The more people can get to know you as an artist, the more you will get fans and the more people will come FIND YOU to be in their project. Thanks so much Lauren!! Check out Lauren’s |
