Over 7,000 individuals submitted their materials to the ABC Discovers Talent showcase this year; the 7,000 were cut down to 70, then to 35 and finally to 14. Six of the last seven years I’ve been one of the 7,000 to submit my materials. Six of those years I was one of the 6,986 individuals to not be cast in the showcase but this year I was one of the fourteen individuals to be cast. I’ve pondered this over the past few weeks. Did I do anything different? Was I a much worse actor last year? Or was it just the right time?
The day before my audition this year I had my epic crash in Rubber Chicken Baseball at Camp No Limits. I was in a lot of pain and had to drive to NYC from Connecticut. I parked in my neighborhood in Queens and took the train into Manhattan. When I got to Times Square the train I needed was running over 20 minutes late. It was the day of the USA Women’s soccer parade and Times Square was a mad house. I had 25 minutes to get to ABC for the audition. I couldn’t wait. I ran up to Eighth Avenue to catch a taxi but the traffic was bumper to bumper. I made it to another train and then speed walked seven blocks to get to the audition. I was three minutes early for my audition time. I was hot, sweaty and barely able to catch my breath. As I walked into the waiting room they called my name. Someone had gotten there early and asked if they could go next. “Absolutely,” I said. I took two minutes to drink water and do my best to cool down. I went into the audition room and was not thinking at all, I was just in the moment. I felt good about the audition, I felt like I was prepared and connected with my choices. I let go of all the frustrations and obstacles of the day and just enjoyed the fact I was getting to act in front of the head of ABC Casting. I will never know why I was not cast the previous years nor will I know why I was cast this year but I do believe that it was the right time for me and now I need to focus on this moment, this opportunity and make the best of it!
There are so many things that are completely out of our control but we can maintain our sense of perseverance. I did not give up just because I was one of 6,986 rejections six of the last seven years. In my business, rejection is part of the game – whether as an actor or as a motivational speaker. It is about getting up and continuing to move forward. We all face adversity in any goal we pursue. Let’s just remember it is all a numbers game or as my dad likes to say, “the more crap you throw up on the wall, the more is liable to stick.”
This ABC Showcase will be a brief moment in time; it doesn’t guarantee anything. It is merely an opportunity for me to throw more stuff on the wall. I think my arm is just about healed from my Rubber Chicken Baseball kerfuffle so there is going to be a whole lot of throwing on that wall!
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