News
October 2023
I had a blast working with August Broussard and his team again for the 48 Hour Film Project Horror Edition. Our selected genre was demonic possession, so I ended up playing a demon called Bizzlepub, who was reluctantly summoned by a group of teenagers, and gets a little bit sassy with them. Due to some issues on the editing day, the film did not get submitted in time to qualify for the awards, but it was still a lot of fun summoning up this character!
November 2023
In September I began the Improv 500 classes with Unexpected Productions. 7 of the 16 in the class had also been in my 400 class, AND 2 of them have been with me since 100! I did 400 classes from July to September, but I missed the class showcase because that week I tested positive for Covid for the first time. This class gelled together very quickly. After all the initial getting to know each other exercises and games, we started working on the Harold - Unexpected Productions long-form improv game of choice. One that I initially found very daunting, but thanks to our great teacher Tony Beeman, and my fun classmates, I was enjoying it by our last class. Was still crapping my pants as we got ready for our class showcase, where the audience gave us the word 'Lovely', then ended up having a lot of fun!
October 2023
After the wonderful Angela DiMarco at Mighty Tripod Acting Studio recommended me to Ruchi Loomba, when she was looking for people to cast in her new short film It's A Secret, she reached out and offered me the role of a father who attends a dinner party at their friend's place. A fun little film about two girls (one being "my daughter" above) trying to work out the mysteries of the tampon, and exactly what it is. So cute. Here I am with my onscreen family, including Julie Clark as my wife, who I had the pleasure of working with previously in July when doing Harrison Quinn for the 48 Hour Film Project.
September/October 2023
Writer/Director August Broussard reached out asking if I would be available to do a role in a short film he had written to submit for film school applications. In The Lost And Found was a powerful short about a teen boy coming to terms with his own father taking the life of the boy's best friend/partner in a hate crime. I played the father of the dead boy. While doing this film, August also asked me to be a part of his 48 Hour Film Project Team again for the Horror Edition, so I happily accepted the chance to work with him again.
September 2023
When Mighty Tripod Acting Studio offered a workshop dedicated to Fighting on Film with Stuntman and Fight Choreographer Ryan Spickard, I signed up straight away. It was so great to get hands on experience with the best way to punch someone on camera, so that it looks like you are a total badass! It's all about the perspective, and learning just where you both need to be (puncher and punchee) to make the hit read onscreen was invaluable information. We worked on the best ways to both throw a punch, and take a punch. It all culminated in a little two person scenario for each of us, with one as the captor (who escapes their bonds) and one as the captive. The classic hero/villain battle ensued. Lots of fun!
October 2023
Seven months ago, on a rainy day in March in Volunteer Park, I filmed my first scene for the short film Guinevere's Tower by Bri Smalley (shown here in the photo with me, dressed in her costume to play the title character of Guinevere). In the first weekend of October, I filmed my last scene for the character of Nofri. It was also his biggest scene, and final major scene in the film. It was nice to be able to film this at the end of the shoot, as Nofri had probably developed slightly since the start of filming, so it was great to have time to build up to that scene. I had an amazing time with the cast and crew, shooting scenes in Volunteer and River Meadows Parks, as well as on the University of Washington campus. Also had fun at the set location built by David L. Anderson on their property in Granite Falls. They have built the below Shadowood Tavern, along with other period style set pieces, specifically so they can be used for film shoot locations. We used a corner of the tavern to portray Nofri's little alchemy lab. Now the film goes into an extensive period of post-production, and I look forward to seeing the final cut sometime early next year!
July 2023
I had forgotten when I entered my short film I'm Okay... into the Close: Up San Francisco Short Film Festival, that the entry fee included a review of my film. I had entered over a year ago, and forgot about it after my film was not selected for the festival. Then suddenly just before the end of July this lovely review showed up in my inbox. I absolutely agree with their final statements, because I had never initially intended it to be for film festival viewing, so am the first to admit the film quality was low, but that was also part of the point for me. I wanted it to be a simple story, that didn't provide the meaning of life. It was a fun escape for me, and I made it to simply entertain the audience in the few minutes that it ran, so that everyone could have as much fun as possible during that time. And I am SO happy their review seems to indicate that was the case!
July/August 2023
In July, David at Mighty Tripod Acting Studio reached out and asked if anyone would be interested in doing small group intensives on a semi-regular basis to work with him on monologues, scenes, audition material etc. Four of us signed up for the first group, and I ended up getting an audition just minutes before leaving for the intensive, so took that in and worked on that. That small intensive later became a larger group in August, for what is now The Actor's Gym. Such a hugely beneficial little Gym it is! Some work on scenes together. Some work on upcoming auditions. For the next one, I worked on a scene from the short film I am currently shooting. These will be ongoing, and I will be attending whenever I am available!
August 2023
When David at Mighty Tripod Acting Studio sent out a notification that they were holding a workshop with Paul Weber, the casting director for such tv series as Spartacus (shot in my homeland!), Stargate, and The Outer Limits, I didn't hesitate in booking myself a spot! We all learned so much about the nature of the business in general, and the nature of the business in L.A. on that day. Not to mention some of the amazing behind the scenes stories we got to hear, from someone who has been in the casting business for many years, who came into it as an actor in the beginning, like many of us.
August 2023
Nike Imoru (PSoA) continues to offer amazing one-off sessions as part of The Actor's Way platform. At the start of August she presented one on headshots, and prior to presenting the session, she had reached out to a few of us, and asked if we were ok with our headshots being utilized possibly. To my happy surprise, one of my headshots, as you can see above, popped up during the session as an example of a good one, while she was talking through the psychology of headshots. It's always nice to know when the resources you have are at least working in your favor, with the people who need to utilize them in the industry. Nike is an unbelievably generous casting director in this industry, who has decided to give her time every month to some of the people she loves to work with the most - us actors! And I always continue to learn just as much from watching her coach others, as I do from any coaching she may give to me. These monthly sessions are invaluable!
July 2023
One of my improv classmates, Angel, asked if I wanted to perform in the Duos Comedy Showcase with her. Every Wednesday night at the Market Theater, Unexpected Productions hosts Seattle's only improv open mic. Each show features multiple two-person teams creating spontaneous scenes on the fly. I had thought it would be great to play a game that has lots of opportunities for physical action, so we decided to play the game called Animal People, where we each get the offer of an animal from the audience, and then imbue our characters with those animal's characteristics. Angel was given frog from the audience, and I was given stick bug/insect, then our location was at the rodeo, so I ended up playing with my legs very stiff and straight most of the time, so I couldn't bend them, and had to leap into things when getting dressed, as you can see below. I leapt around like a crazy man for a lot of the scene, needless to say. We both had a great time for our first try at Duos!
July 2023
For this summer's 48 Hour Film Project, some of the team behind the StartUp: Palmieri Tech web series decided to put together a team, and so team A Cut Above was born! We were given doppelgänger as our genre. We also needed the line "Calm down. There's enough for everyone" to be in the film somewhere, so I suggested since I'm the little guy, it may be amusing to have me saying that, which is what we went with. I ended up playing the womanizing best friend of the lead. Totally type cast, I know, haha! Many on the team had never experienced the madness of the 48 Hour before, and while we didn't get the film in within the required timeframe in the end, it was a lot of fun!
March/April/May 2023
Not wanting to stop the momentum already started, I signed up for the Improv 300 classes at Unexpected Productions while I was finishing my 200 classes. This time six of my 200 classmates also joined the class, and all seven of us had also done the 100 class together, so it was so great to all be going on this journey together. We were all starting to form a strong bond, which really made for some great improv scenes. The 300 class finished with a showcase performance at the Market Theater, which was an amazing and intense experience. My first time doing improv up onstage in front of a large audience in over 30 years!
MayJune 2023
The wonderful casting director, acting coach, and (aptly dubbed) Patron Saint of Actors (PSoA) Nike Imoru decided to offer a monthly subscription based platform for actors for a limited time, called The Actor's Way. She wanted to see if there was enough interest in the community for an online platform, where she would hold a monthly Zoom Mastery Class on the last Thursday of each month, offering the opportunity for actors to audition with provided scenes, and receive coaching from her. Not only was there interest, but she quickly had 100 subscribers for the first limited round, and it has been amazing not only receiving the coaching, but learning from the coaching of others! She will also include one-off sessions on other topics, the first of which was on Casting Networks Profiles. All so beneficial!
January/March 2023
I was cast in the role of Nofri in the fantasy film Guinevere's Tower by Bri Smalley in January. The film is shooting in weekends over the spring/summer/fall. For the tower in the title, they have obtained a permit to film at the water tower in Volunteer Park, so we filmed our first scenes there at the start of March - in the freezing cold and rain. Nothing like those outdoor shoots in winter! I get to play two variations of my character: Godfather Nofri, as seen above in Volunteer Park, and Alchemist Nofri, as seen below in River Meadows Park in Arlington (our other shooting location). These photos are obviously from later/warmer shoot days.
January 2023
I auditioned for Char Coulbert at the Seattle Film Institute, for a project in November 2022, and did what I considered to be one of my worst auditions in recent history! It was just one of those days where my inner saboteur got in the way, along with all the nerves, and I just kept stumbling through a monologue I normally had no issues with. Needless to say, I did not get that part. HOWEVER, two months later Char emailed me saying she had a role she would like me to audition for in her SFI film she had written. That audition went great, and just six days later I was shooting the role of the ghost Edrich in her short film Stuck In Limbo. It just goes to show, never give up hope if you have a really bad audition. You never know if you may still make enough of an impression to be called in for another role!
March 2023
My voice is something I know I need to work on when it comes to performance work, so when Mighty Tripod Acting Studio offered their Empower Your Voice workshop with Meg McLynn, I jumped at the opportunity to work on that. It was so beneficial! Next up, I want to start taking singing lessons somewhere! It has been a long time since I did that.
January/February 2023
I arrived at the audition for A Casual Liaison all ready to audition for one of the lead roles in the short film, to find out that the role had already been cast. They asked if I would be ok with auditioning for the robber character who enters at the end of the film. He had just a couple of lines, but it was a pivotal scene, and like they say - there are no small roles, only small actors..... hey wait a minute, I'm not that short! Anyway, I had looked over that role too, and it was a very energetic role, so I threw everything into it, and they loved it. Not only did they end up casting me, but they also gave the character a name, and added extra scenes in as a backstory for him, to explain his actions at the end of the film. So, it just goes to show that you should not just throw away those smaller roles if you don't get the big role you wanted, as you never know where it may end up!
November 2022
The results came in for the final film festival I entered my short film I'm Okay... in - the Berlin based FilmHaus. My film was a nominee in the Best Comedy and Best New Media categories, and a finalist in the Best Directorial Debut category. Click here to see my film!
January 2023
I continued my improv journey at Unexpected Productions, by signing up for their Improv 200 classes while I was still finishing the 100. I started those two days after I flew back in from a four week trip to New Zealand! I was also joined by eight of my fellow classmates from my 100 class, which made for a great start to the year!
October 2022
Through my work with both Mighty Tripod Productions and Nike Imoru, I met the wonderful local actress Christina Williams. She was working on a new web series created by local actor/writer/director Johnny C. Jones called StartUp: Palmieri Tech, for his new production company, Filthy Filming Productions. They were looking for someone to fill one of the roles, so she recommended me, and in the last weekend in October I filmed my first scene for that. My character is a voiceover on the phone in two of the first three episodes filmed so far, and they plan to bring me onscreen in episode 4! I play Marshal Anderson, the Technical Account Manager for the StartUp's main client. He's a straight-to-the-point Kiwi who doesn't mince words!
October 2022
It had been many years (like around 30!) since I had used to regularly perform improvisation with a troupe onstage back in my hometown Christchurch, when it used to be sponsored by one of the local banks, and we had teams playing every Sunday. With improv becoming more and more of an important asset to have as an actor these days, I decided to enter that world again, and chose Unexpected Productions to take me on that journey, by enrolling in their Improv 100 class. The tutor Mark Shone was fantastic, so my class quickly bonded, and became a very fun group to work with!
October 2022
I had heard for a long time about all the great classes for people in the performing arts at the Freehold Theatre Lab/Studio, and had just been waiting for the right class to check them out. My friend Christina Williams had signed up for their Intro To Directing For The Camera class as an actor, and said they were looking for more actors. I decided to join her for the next 6 weeks, working with Emmy Award winning director John Jacobsen, who selected the famous scene from Chinatown as the new directors' project in class. I also signed up at the same time for another round of the Camera 2: Scene Work class at Mighty Tripod Acting Studio, so did that on Sunday nights and Freehold on Thursday nights, starting in the first week of October. Nothing like working on multiple scenes, with varying direction styles, to keep you alert and on your toes. I learned a LOT! I added improv on Mondays in mid-October, because I can never have too many classes on top of my regular 40 hrs/week job, right?!
October 2022
The horror returned a little earlier than expected, when August Broussard asked me to be a part of his 48 Hour Film Project Team again - this time for their Horror Edition! We all had a blast shooting in the Blue Fox Drive-In Theatre in Oak Harbor. We did a zombie flick, and I was playing one of the survivors, avoiding zombies in an arcade. Our film Bro Code was one of the 20 selected to win awards, taking away Best Body Count! There were a lot of "corpses" lying around!
September 2022
I had never had the chance to meet or work with local casting director Nike Imoru, so jumped at the opportunity when she offered a 5 week online workshop on Zoom Auditions. I quickly discovered that she is not only an outstanding casting director, but also an amazing coach for actors as well. They certainly don't call her the Patron Saint of Actors for nothing! I learned so much in that 5 weeks, found some great audition scenes that really fit me, and started a wonderful working relationship with one of the powerhouses in the local industry. Not to mention, she is also an import like me - in this case via the UK/London!
August 2022
Baggage Claim, directed by Angela DiMarco, and edited by David Hogan for Mighty Tripod Productions in lightning speed, was completed. It is such a fun little film. Josh and I had a blast shooting it, as is evident by some of the little improv scenes included at the end of the short. A fun little comedy, with a dash of sci-fi! I very much look forward to working on more films with Angela and David at Mighty Tripod Productions!
September 2022
Had a fun audition for local horror film specialists Dark Haus Pictures. They enjoyed my audition enough to offer me a different role, but the film has been put on hold for now, so no horror just yet.
August/September 2022
I'm Okay... won an Honorable Mention Award in the Seattle Film Summit! It was so great to win an award in one of the local festivals in my current hometown. Plus. they had a virtual showcase for all the award winners, so we all had one day in September, me on the 15th, when our films were screening on their website all day for their festival audience to see. PLUS! My acting agent also asked me to be involved in some table reads for some script excerpts at the Summit, so I got to bring characters to life for four different scripts as well!
July 2022
While I had participated in teams in New Zealand for the 48 Hour Film Project, I had never tried the competition in the States, so decided to leap in this year. I joined a team run by local writer/director August Broussard, and had a lot of fun making the crazy little action/comedy called What The Heart Wants!
June 2022
Angela DiMarco and David Hogan of Mighty Tripod Acting Studio reached out asking if I would be available to play a role in a short film Angela had co-written with one of her students, Joshua. They wanted to shoot the film so that Josh would have some good footage for a reel. Playing Uncle Pete to Josh's Axel ended up being an unbelievable amount of fun. The script is so cute, and very funny. Got to improvise a little as well, and can't wait to see the final cut. I had such a blast!
June 2022
Angela DiMarco of Mighty Tripod Acting Studio introduced me to local film-maker Joshua Woodcock after a performance of Mrs. Caliban at Book-It Repertory, in which she was playing the role of Estelle. In true Mama DiMarco fashion, she introduced me and Miki Murray (another Mighty Tripod acting student who was also at the performance) to Josh, as Angela loves to connect creatives. Josh was casting a short film that he had recently finished writing. Soon after, he reached out to Miki and I to play roles in his short Oh Sh!t. It was so great to get back to shooting a role in a film! I play an Uber Driver who picks up the main character, played by Miki.
May 2022
This arrived in the mail. I couldn't resist getting a trophy when the Cannes Shorts Film Festival offered. I figured it would be nice to commemorate my first ever official Best Actor award. Not to mention, it is fun being able to say I won the award from a festival in Cannes. The reception to I'm Okay... really has been absolutely amazing!
May 2022
I won Best Actor for I'm Okay... in the Cannes Shorts Film Festival!!! While it is not THE Cannes, it is very nice to be able to say I won a Best Actor award in a festival based in Cannes!
May 2022
I'm Okay... won two awards in the Best Actor & Director Awards - New York. I won a Silver Award in the Best Actor in a Comedy category, and I also won a Bronze Award in the Best 1st Time Director category! Was thrilled to win awards from my previous home base.
May/June 2022
I have continued taking classes with Mighty Tripod Acting Studio, Did a Co-Star workshop with Sean Cook through them. Followed that up with their Scene Study class. I have found a couple of good scenes I can use, and a great monologue while doing their classes. Plus I have already got film work through them, so taking these classes has been the best decision I've made lately in regards to my creative career
April 2022
I'm Okay... was nominated for two awards in the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival in London. The film ended up in the top 10 for the Best Lockdown Film category, and in the top 20 for the Best Comedy category! It was nice to add the United Kingdom to the festival list.
April 2022
I'm Okay... was a semi-finalist in the Seattle Movie Awards. Very happy the film was considered by the local movie awards in my current home.
January / February / March 2022
After a long break, I finally got myself back into acting classes, with the wonderful local company Mighty Tripod Acting Studio, run by the amazing Angela DiMarco and David Hogan. I have so far done their Auditioning For The Camera, and Self-Tape Academy classes. I am really enjoying working with them, and learning from them! Also did an Acting For Commercials workshop with Rachel Paulson through them, which was a fantastic learning experience!
January 2022
I'm Okay... won another award!It received a Special Mention Award in the One-Reeler Short Film Competition. Not only that! One of the judges for the competition gave us a great quote: "Quirky and memorable with a hilarious performance from the lead"
December 2021
On December 24th I'm Okay... was finally released online for the world to see. To visit the video page itself, you can go to https://youtu.be/5A9ZzYkeKIk. Please feel free to share the video anywhere and with anyone. For more information on the film, check out the official website at https://www.im-okay-film.com/. All the Jameses would love the attention, as would Kiwi & Woolly - not to mention Red, who is already preparing his Oscar speech!
November 2021
I'm Okay... finally had its first festival screenings as an official selection in the FlickFair On-Demand Film Festival! You could view The Jameses' film (or Red's film, if you ask him!) throughout the month of November. It was great to be selected and have a full month of online festival screenings available!
October 2021
I'm Okay... won another award! This time it is a Special Mention Award from the Global Shorts International Short Film Competition. This was from another direct contact from the festival, asking to include I'm Okay... in the competition. The Jameses are thrilled with the response to their very uncomplicated, comic little film.
October 2021
I'm Okay... was selected as a semi-finalist in the September round of the Vancouver Independent Film Festival.
October 2021
Since I'm Okay... had actual online screenings in the FlickFair On-Demand Film Festival, I decided it was time to try my hand at building a website from scratch for the film, to help increase its online presence. And so https://www.im-okay-film.com/ was born. I had a lot of fun putting it together, and as well as Kiwi & Woolly having their own page, so has Red, who is actually also in the film!
September 2021
After seeing the film listed as an award winner on the Best Shorts Competition website, the FlickFair On-Demand Film Festival invited I'm Okay... as an official selection for their festival, so I'm Okay... had some screenings online in November!
September 2021
I'm Okay... won two awards in the Best Shorts Competition. The film won an Award of Recognition in the Film Short Category, and I won an Award of Merit in the Actor: Leading category! It was super exciting for I'm Okay... to receive its first festival awards!
June 2021
Had a great time shooting a role in my first short film in Seattle since Return To Sender, This new film is about a BBQ party with a twist, and I was asked to do the role by my fellow cast mate from Return To Sender, Tyler Roy Roberts. It was great getting to work with him again, in this BBQ party that gets crazy! Plus the director, Ty Minton-Small, I remember auditioning for five years ago , so it was great to get the chance to work with him too. Not to mention, I was the grill master at the BBQ, or at least I thought I was! Will keep you posted on where and when you will be able to see it!
June 2021
Editing on I'm Okay... is finally completed! Huge thanks to Will Earl for all the amazing work he did with the opening and closing sequences of the film. I also really love the music that London based composer Thomas Thorogood put together specifically for my film. My friend Natasya Yusoff also did some landscape versions of the poster, for those future video thumbnails. Plus I got a great logo and animation made by BuzzFlick for Kiwi & Woolly Productions, the name I decided to use, in honor of those two characters in I'm Okay... So while I cannot show you the film at the moment, I can show you the little animation and logo that was created and designed for the film! The animation also features Kiwi and Woolly providing the voiceover. Check it out below! Have started submitting to film festivals, including New Zealand's Show Me Shorts film festival. Excited! Watch this space for more details!
March 2021
My wonderful friend Natasya Yusoff came up with this fantastic poster for I'm Okay... that nicely captures the film's craziness. I really did have a lot of fun playing around with some of the many personalities of James C. Stewart! Plus, Thomas Thorogood, who composed the music for Time Saver, has agreed to do the music for I'm Okay... which I am very excited about, as his music really added to the tension in Time Saver!
March 2021
While I was in New Zealand, I volunteered to be a part of one of the teams for the 48 Hours Film Festival. We got sci-fi for our genre, and the result was Time Saver. I had an amazing time working on my first film shoot in Christchurch since before I stopped living there in 1999! Plus, we got second in the audience favorites for our heat! They did an awesome job with the cinematography and design, which resulted in the film being nominated for two awards! Click here to watch the film.
January 2021
Decided what better time to get much needed new headshots, than while I was down in New Zealand! Several people referred me to the wonderful Lara Macgregor, and I cannot recommend her enough - she was fantastic, and I am super happy with the results. I finally have more than just the two headshots that I can use! Plus they were all taken outdoors at the Arts Centre in my hometown Christchurch - a place I absolutely love, which just added to the whole experience! If you're in NZ and need new headshots, click here to check out Lara, and message her for a booking! Click here to check out the rest of the images on my Headshots page!
February 2021
Super happy to announce that Hanna at HvR Actor Management has agreed to take me on to her agency's books, to represent me in New Zealand whenever I am down there. Would love to act in NZ again!
January 2021
Editing continues on my short film, which has been titled I'm Okay... with an opening sequence currently being worked on by the great editors at BDP Entertainment. It has been an amazing experience so far for my film making debut, featuring some of the many personalities of James C. Stewart! Here's the synopsis I've come up with so far for the film: What happens when you are isolated in a hotel room for two weeks by yourself? James is about to find out! He might think he is okay, but his other personalities have a little something to say about that.
November 2020
I have come back to New Zealand for a few months, to be with my Dad while he goes through chemotherapy treatments. During my two weeks of manged isolation, I recorded a short film for a little distraction to pass the time, and document the effects isolation has on someone in a fun way. It is currently being edited, and worked on for potential festival submissions, after my coach at the Online Acting Ensemble liked it so much, they offered to produce it. Watch this space for more details!
October 2020
Finally decided it was time to get myself back into some acting, in this time of no in person classes, after having taken a little break from it all. I wanted to find somewhere that offers online classes, that likes to work with people from all over the States (and the world), and found L.A. based company Hollywood Backdoor Alliance were starting up the Online Acting Ensemble, so auditioned and got myself a spot in the ensemble. Now we meet online once a week to work on our craft, working on monologues and scenes, as well as the business of acting!
October 2019
My face is in a book again! This time looking very green. The wonderful photographer John Keatley has released a book of his Uniform series, where he explores identity by giving a human face to green army men toys. This is also being accompanied by exhibitions of the series in Seattle and Los Angeles!
August 2019
After two years of having a beard, I decided to shave and try out having bright purple hair for the first time ever, just before heading down to the Nevada desert for Burning Man. Check out what the desert sun and temperatures did to the color on my Miscellaneous page! And check out my bearded headshots on my Headshots page!
October 2018
I am finally able to share a short film I did a few years ago in NYC! It is a 50s-era story about a boy who comes home to find a runaway robotic man seeking refuge in his bedroom. I play the title character T.I.M. You can check it out here! Enjoy!
August 2018
My indie feature film debut here in the States, the sci-fi comedy Asockalypse!, is now available on DVD. It is currently on sale through Amazon, so I know I finally made the big time, when I am on sale on there! I play an alien clone, a Blahnonian, that dies several times throughout the movie, which is lots of fun in itself, popping up onscreen again and again, just when you think I am gone! Us evil alien Blahnonians have only one goal: steal all of Earth's socks to power our ship.
February 2018
The feature film Relativity, that was shot in Chicago, is live online! This was my third collaboration with the amazing writer/director Ryan Blewett, and his first full length feature. An amazing experience, and I have a supporting role, so I pop up throughout. Here's to many more collaborations! Watch the film here!
January 2018
The short film Couch Surfer is now available online for your viewing pleasure! I play Todd, a Kiwi trying to save an innocent lass from a bunch of Aussies who have invaded her apartment. Had fun adding in some Kiwi slang. Check the film out here! You can also read some great reviews: UK Film Review, Reel Talk Reviews, IndyRed Reviews, and The Independent Critic
October 2017
The first short film I shot a role in here in Seattle is now online! I have a lead role in Return To Sender, playing a husband who walks in on his wife with the mailman! The film was originally going to be non-union, but after my audition they filed the necessary paperwork with SAG-AFTRA so that I could be involved! Check it out here.
July 2017
Performed in a staged reading of an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here, directed by Paul O'Connell for Theatre9/12. My first theatre work in Seattle! This play could not be more relevant at the moment. Was a big cast of fantastic local actors. This was all free for the audience at the Trinity Parish Hall at 609 8th Avenue on July 29th and July 30th.
January 2017
The photo series Uniform became photographer John Keatley's first solo exhibition, when it went on display at the Treason Art Gallery in Seattle. So my face ended up on a gallery wall for the first time ever! Check out some images from the exhibition here. It also received a great review in the Seattle Times!
October 2016
Shot a role in my first short film in the Pacific Northwest - Return To Sender for Kontent Partners. Lots of fun!
June 2016
I finally added the very first film I did in the United States up on YouTube and on my Videos page. The Wall, written and directed by Tim Chung for the School of Visual Arts.
June 2016
The short film The Tower of Babel, which I had the lead role of Felix the priest in, has been released online. You can view the full short film by clicking here. I loved this shoot, as it was shot chronologically and all with only three cuts, in the beautiful Sleeping Giant State Park in Connecticut. The longest section involved one continuous 15 minute take! The role was specifically written for me by writer/director Ryan Blewett, who I met while he was still at NYU Film School, after performing the title role of Macbeth in scenes he filmed from the play, including the infamous dagger scene. I enjoyed putting Shakespeare onscreen.
May 2016
The episode I shot a co-star role in for the awardwinning comedic web series Method or Madness, playing a bad speed dater for Rare View Films, went live online. Had a lot of fun improvising the character. You can click here to view the episode. I also ended up extending the character into a theatre monologue while working with Red Shirt Theatre Company.
December 2015
Red, my cheeky little monkey of a traveling companion, finally insisted he have his own page on my website, not to mention a little button with his face on it so you can see him on every page and access his glorious gallery of adventures from everywhere. You know you want to click on that monkey! Or simply click here to check out The Red Series.
October 2015
Super happy and excited to announce that, after an awesome meeting with Erin Bryn Fetridge, I now have an agent!!! I am going to be represented for film, television and commercials in the Pacific Northwest area by The Actors Group!
September 2015
Invited to join the Theatre9/12 company in Seattle, led by Artistic Director Charles Waxberg, who worked with Stella Adler in NYC. They hold weekly scene study and monologue classes, that are pay what you can, which is a great way for the company to keep active and creatively working. They also put up two major productions each year, which are predominantly cast from within the company!
August 2015
My second audition in Seattle led to being short-listed down to the final two! A video submission for a fantasy series, which turned out is being produced by someone who saw me in The Tower of Babel and enjoyed my performance. They asked me to submit a video even though I was about 20 years younger than the listed age for the character, and liked my choices so much they very nearly considered changing the role to fit me!
July 2015
Shot the supporting role of Charles Greene in Relativity, the first feature film by NYU graduate Ryan Blewett. My third collaboration with the writer/director since first working together in 2011 while he was still at NYU, he wrote the supporting role specifically for me. The film was shot in Chicago, and was my first ever visit to the city. I will definitely have to go back again so I can have more time to look around. I did not have time to compare Chicago style pizza to it's NYC counterpart!
July 2015
After finishing the run of the play in New York City, I said farewell after eight awesome years of living there, stopped off in Chicago to shoot the feature role, then headed to Seattle to take on the Pacific Northwest! I have so many fantastic memories I'm taking with me from the Big Apple, with lots of theatre, film and web series. Seven years Co-Artistic Directing Redd Tale Theatre company was definitely a highlight!
June 2015
After being involved in the original workshop reading of the new play We Will Always Talk This Way by Jack Gilbert in 2013, I revisited the character of Bill in a full production for American Theatre of Actors. The season ran June 17-27 at ATA's Beckmann Theater located at 314 West 54th Street. Was awesome to get back onstage again after a little break away!
March 2015
I am Co-Executive Director of a fantastic new project - The Ginny B! An arts laboratory to be based in Seattle, The Ginny B is dedicated to our friend, Virginia "Ginny" Bartholomew - a loving, talented actress and friend we lost to cancer in 2013. Check out the details on our website here, 'like' us on Facebook here, and follow us on Twitter @TheGinnyB.
February 13, 2015
Ripple Effect Artists, of which I am part of the ensemble, had an awesome fundraiser on Friday February 13th at the People's United Bank that involved lots of chocolate! We also did a few Shakespearean scenes on the night which I was involved in.
August 11, 2014
Cast as Messerschmann in a free public reading of Ring Around the Moon by Jean Anouilh, adapted by Christopher Fry, for Ripple Effect Artists at the Centre for Social Innovation. I found out after the show, that the incredible actor and comedian Robin Williams had taken his own life. He was one of my all time favorites, and a huge loss to the performing arts world. RIP Genie!
August 2014
Cast in the supporting role of Professor Duncan, a shapeshifting lab manager for a secret organization, in the web series pilot for Ghost Baby, written and directed by Nick Krassowski.
June 26, 2014
Cast as Harold in a public reading of a new play for Australian Made Entertainment - the wedding comedy Cake: A Wedding Comedy by Peter Buck Dettman, part of their monthly reading series From Down Under to Down Stage.
June 2014
Cast as Ozzie Spice, an investigative reporter for The Dirt Down Under, for the short film shoot Everyone Loves Eddie. The film was shown at a 50th birthday celebration which I also emceed.
May 2014
Shot the supporting role of Todd, a New Zealander who faces off against some Aussies, in the short film Couch Surfer for Kinetic Studios. Check out the trailer here.
April 2014
Shot the lead role in the short film T.I.M. for writer/director Alex Hunter at NYU Film School. Set in the 1950s, I play the robotic title character, who is the first artificially intelligent model of his kind and has run away from his creator in pursuit of life in the human world. In Tim’s eyes, he is equal to a human.
February 23, 2014
Performed in the Manhattan Monologue Slam Championships to compete for champion of 2013 at Pioneers Bar on February 4th.
January 12, 2014
GAYS: The Series went live online. My co-star role is featured in episode two. You can view the full episode here. I come on at 11 minutes in. The first two episodes of GAYS: The Series were voted the best new Indie Series of the Week at We Love Soaps. Check out the results here, with actors in the series also in the top lists!
January 2014
Invited to be a part of the new Rebel Theater Company, formed from selected members of the Red Shirt Entertainment Ensemble and specifically auditioned new members.
December 3, 2013
The pilot episode of the web series Terminal B is now live online - a comic look at what happens behind the scenes of a small airport in middle-of-nowhere America. You can watch the full pilot here.
December 2, 2013
Red Shirt Entertainment Ensemble, of which I am a part of, presented Scene: Retrospect on Monday December 2nd at 7pm at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd Street, between Avenues B & C. A ninety minute collection of scenes from our diverse repertoire of work throughout our journey as an emerging ensemble of theater artists and activists.
November 19, 2013
A teaser trailer has been released for GAYS: The Series in which I have a co-star role. I play Bob, an awkward guy picked up in a bar.
September 2013
Met with the people at Johnston Agency in New Canaan, Connecticut and am now freelancing with them for on-camera commercials, industrials, voice overs, and commercial print. They serve the tri-state area, so as well as work down here in NYC, I may get to take a nice train ride up to Connecticut now & again!
September 16, 2013
The first public scene night for the Red Shirt Entertainment Ensemble I am a part of was on Monday September 16th at 7pm at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd Street, between Avenues B & C. The theme was race, so we examined different dimensions of this theme through the eyes of several diverse and talented playwrights. This is the first of a series of themed scene nights, from a vast array of plays.
August 2013
Shot a co-star role as Bob in episode two of the web series GAYS: The Series. My first ever onscreen sex scene - but don't worry, I stayed fully clothed for the whole scene, thanks to the magic of framing and camera angles! No special clothing needed!
August 2013
Shot a supporting role as Monitoring Blahnonian in the indie sci-fi comedy feature film Asockalypse! My indie feature film debut here in the States, as I did have a line in the movie! There's nothing like playing an alien clone that dies several times!
July 2013
Shot the lead role Felix in the short film The Tower of Babel for Ryan Blewett Productions - a role written specifically for me after working with the writer/director on a short in 2011 while he was still at NYU! Check out the great article on the film in the Killingworth Today! View the teaser trailer here.
June 2013
Shot a co-star role in the award winning improvised comedic web series Method or Madness playing a bad speed dater for Rare View Films. Was fun fully creating a new character for the series!
June 11 2013
Attended a Naturalization Oath Ceremony on June 11th, after having English and civics tests, and officially became a U.S. citizen! So now I am a NZ AND US citizen with a great Kiwi accent! Here I am above with the Green Card I won in 2003, which granted me access to live and work in the States, before I had to hand it in.
June 2013
Played Sebastian in Twelfth Night for the Ripple Effect Artists June 20th - June 30th in the Gallery Space at Access Theater, 380 Broadway, at White Street. This production was in support of Freedom To Marry, which is an organization I definitely support!
April 22, 2013
The performing arts community lost one of it's most talented today. My best friend here in NYC, Virginia Bartholomew, sadly passed away after losing a heroic battle with a rare cancer. She was an amazing person and a powerhouse performer, which was very evident in her NYIT Award nominated performance (Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role) as my Lady Macbeth. Not to mention her award winning one-woman show Frankenstein With Mary Shelley (Best Adaptation at the United Solo Festival). We met in a short lived Shakespeare company that had some great actors in it, several who went on to become close friends like Ginny, and continued to work with us in our Redd Tale productions. She is a huge loss who will be very sorely missed. I heard the news of her passing while on set filming for a NYU short film, playing the character of Death. That was a very long shoot.
April 15, 2013
Cast as Bill in a free public theatrical reading of the new play We Will Always Talk This Way by Jack Gilbert for American Theatre of Actors on April 15th at 7pm at ATA's Company Space, 314 West 54th Street, 3rd Floor. The reading was awesome and the playwright received some fantastic feedback for the next draft! I played a very creepy character, who was a scarily good fit for me. The evil lurking within - villains are so much fun!
March 18, 2013
Cast in a theatrical remembrance concert about the Rwandan Genocide for Red Shirt Entertainment on March 18th at 7pm at the Three Jewels Community Center, 61 4th Avenue (at 9th Street) on the 3rd floor. This was the second installment of their Off-Broadway Holocaust Remembrance Project. Part of the proceeds are going to support a young student going to school in Rwanda for a year. This was a truly powerful evening of theatre, featuring Rwandan representatives of the United Nations in the audience as well as a survivor of the genocide, who spoke of her experiences after the performance. Very enlightening and humbling, listening to her tragic story.
March, 2013
Doing the American Speech class taught by Amanda Quaid at HB Studio running March 29 - June 21. Continuing my American accent work with a great teacher to help me along the way!
March 4, 2013
Cast as Juror Eight in a free public theatrical reading of Twelve Angry Men for the Ripple Effect Artists on March 4th at 8pm at Space on White, 81 White Street, between Broadway & Lafayette. Was amazing to be involved in this American classic.
February 2013
My first audition through my new manager was for a speaking role in a major motion picture by an Oscar winning director. I got put on hold and down to the final round of choices. Not bad for my first ever big feature film audition in the States
February 2013
Met with Jackie Dixon, talent manager at Zanee Entertainment, and they have decided to freelance with me! I met Jackie at the Manhattan Monologue Slam Night of Champions, where she was part of the invited guest panel attending who watched the monologues in action. I did not win the slam, but I still won!
January 2013
Cast in the role of Will, a disgruntled baggage handler at the airport, in the pilot episode for the web series Terminal B. When they heard my NZ accent, after they asked me to improvise for the audition, they rewrote the character to be from there! Was fun chatting about Marmite sandwiches while in character.
January 2013
Doing the Vowels & Diphthongs of American English class taught by Amanda Quaid at HB Studio running January 4 - March 22. Time to get seriously working on that American accent!
December 2012/January 2013
Visited my homeland New Zealand for the first time in nearly five years, touring the country with my husband and catching up with family & friends. Also checked out some tourist destinations - like the Waitomo glow worm caves, White Island, and Hobbiton!
November 2012
Played the lead role of Trampoline Man in the two person short film Josef Muller for anendless film director and current NYU student Flo Baumann. Needless to say, I did lots of bouncing!
September 22, 2012
Performed in the Manhattan Monologue Slam Night of Champions on February 4th at the Cell Theatre, after winning the slam in May 2012. Was a fun night, playing with a new monologue.
September 2012
Invited to be a founding member of the new Ripple Effect ensemble. Looking forward to the regular workshops and play readings already scheduled every month, as well as great productions for great causes, as they donate a percentage of the box office from every show to a different charity! Theatre that can inspire and make a difference - can't wait!
September 2012
Started the fall semester for Austin Pendleton's Advanced Scene Study class at HB Studio running September 10 - December 17.
September 2012
The drilling company Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of The Merry Wives of Windsor was invited to do a performance for the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Ridgefield, Connecticut at the Theatre at Schlumberger.
August 6 - 9, 2012
Participated in a Research and Discovery week with the Trusty Sidekick Theater Company for a development workshop focused mainly on a new play entitled The Boy at the Edge of Everything, written by Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer. I loved getting to workshop a brand new play, with a down under connection, providing a Kiwi perspective.
July 12 - 28, 2012
Played Page in the drilling company Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Show ran Thursdays through Saturdays July 12 - 28 at 8pm in the Municipal Parking Lot at Ludlow & Broome. Fun with Shakespeare outdoors. Lost a couple of shows due to rain, including one almighty lightening storm. Final night we kept going through the rain, and the audience stayed with us. Nothing like seeing a rainbow colored sea of umbrellas to keep you motivated.
July 2012
The "Bubblehead" image from the Something Real photo shoot by Romain Laurent was included in the new paperback Crazy Photography by Diane Routex. The book features the work of more than fifty contemporary photographers from all over the world demonstrating how the way we capture and look at images has been revolutionized in recent years. So now you can buy my head on Amazon. I know you all can't wait to do that!
July 14, 2012
Performed as part of Fruit Machine for Xavier Cha for the opening of the Meeting Point exhibition at the Mount Tremper Arts Summer Festival. Our performance was dictated by the onscreen fruit, that regularly changed positions like a slot machine. Just in case you were wondering, I was the bunch of grapes.
June 2012
The "Bubblehead" image from the Something Real photo shoot by Romain Laurent was selected by the Théâtre de Cornouaille in Quimper, France to promote their 2012-2013 season. It's so cool to have my head advertising theatre in a country I am yet to visit, and not just for one show. Now I just need to get the rest of me there! Click here to view the images from the photo shoot.
June 23, 2012
Performed as part of Fruit Machine for Xavier Cha for the First Among Equals exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. My first live performance in a gallery!
June 2012
Successfully auditioned for a place in Austin Pendleton's Advanced Scene Study class at HB Studio for their summer semester running June 25 - August 20.
May 2012
The "Bubblehead" image from the Something Real photo shoot by Romain Laurent was selected as a Photo of the Month in an edition of The Red Bulletin magazine. So now my head has gone global! Click here to view the images from the photo shoot.
May 5, 2012
On my second shot at the Manhattan Monologue Slam, I managed to win it this time! It was with another self-written piece for a character created back in my drama school days. Was great to revisit this, and with a bit of adapting I had a lot of fun bringing him back to life. Plus I got some great prizes for winning, that included a headshot session with awesome NYC photographer Evan Cohen. With the cost of headshots these days, this prize was worth its weight in gold!
April 7, 2012
I had heard a little about the Manhattan Monologue Slam, and thought it was time for me to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. I'd been told my previous play monologue wasn't working for me, so I figured I'd throw myself back into writing and create my own. What better place to try it out, and it got me voted by the audience as runner up in the slam!
March 30, 2012
SAG and AFTRA merged so I am now a SAG member as well, in the new SAG-AFTRA union!
February 17, 2012
Joined AFTRA today!
February 14, 2012
Got my Actors' Equity card today! Having been a member of the New Zealand Actors' Equity since 2004, which merged with the Australian Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance in 2006, I obtained my AEA card through affiliation with them, as I had worked under their union jurisdiction up until moving to the States in 2007. I am still a paid up member back home as well, as I like to support the arts down under!