The Migration

I have two auditions scheduled for Monday, one at 11:40 am, the other at 5:50 pm. You know, I really don't understand why I'm getting so many auditions right now. This is very unusual for me. I usually average about one a week. Lately, it's been about 3 or 4 per week.

I shouldn't complain, since there are folks who would love to do that many per week. I don't know. I guess I'm weighing the fact that I have a paycheck coming in every week versus the POTENTIAL to have a paycheck coming in. I think I just enjoy a certain level of stability, particularly of the financial kind. To jeopardize that stability creates stress in my life.

I've heard that a lot of New York artists and actors have moved to Hollywood in the past two years. Apparently, New York has become a place more suitable for Wall Street types than creative ones. An article in the L.A. Weekly about publishers moving to the West Coast also said something to that effect. It's just too expensive to live there. And while it may be expensive to live here, it doesn't compare. I probably get twice as much space, not to mention 2 parking spaces, at my Hollywood apartment.

Anyway, if the talent seems to be moving west, I'm sure the projects getting cast are also moving west. And I have to assume that since the cost of living is lower here, the money paid to the talent is also lower than in New York. But this is just an assumption. Personally, if I had to pay $1800 for a tiny apartment in New York, I wouldn't be an actor or a model unless I was making a minimum of $2500 per job. As it is, most of my print jobs pay between $1000-$1800 each. But my rent is only $800, so I can get by on that.

Yesterday, while at the photo shoot, I met a model who used to live in my building. She's very pretty -- and very curvy for a petite frame -- and she said she had strange people out on the street harassing her whenever she left the apartment. Fortunately, I don't have that problem. She now lives in West L.A. for twice the rent. But she had to do it out of safety reasons. I just hope she's booking more jobs.