Home Sweet Home...The Moral of the Story

Sorry for the delay on the final post. It was good that I did so I could take time to reflect and update you on what is going on since settling in. Home Sweet Home!!! Another 1450 miles & twenty hours of driving. One the way back we took the Grand Canyon route which is more scenic. We drove through an incredible dust storm that was very creepy. We stoped in Albuquerque and stayed the night at Tavis & Amber Drennan's(Thanks for the hospitality). My final reflections are as follows. What an awesome experience! We lived life, stepped out of the box & have learned a great deal about the entertainment industry and what it takes mentally and physically to be an actor. We set up a network of management and agents that are eager to continue to provide future opportunities for Hunter in LA. We sharped Hunters acting skills and confidence by taking multiple classes and multiple auditions. We made new friends that would have never been made. We felt incredible support from our existing friends an family. We have created great memories and experiences that will never be forgotten. Personally I tightened the bond with my son and let him know that I support him and believe in his dreams. I hope I have planted a seed that he will pass on to his children. Moral of the story...LIVE LIFE...DON'T LET LIFE LIVE YOU. What a great feeling to get back home and see my beautiful wife and handsome boy! Grantsy loved his new treasure chest(Pictured Above) I am so thankful for what I have and thank the Lord everyday for all he has provided. Upon arrival life was back to normal quickly. Back to reality...Movie star mentality gone...Welcome to Texas...Now..Mow the lawn son(Pictured Above)..Ha Ha Ha!!!! Hunter plays for a select baseball team that I help coach called the Trojans. We played 5 games in a tournament between Sat & Sunday. I was very proud that even though Hunter missed 1 1/2 months of practice he got 6 hits at 11 at bats(545 batting average)and helped his team to a third place standing. We have had two commercial auditions since getting back. One is was for Hasbro GI Joe and the other is for Chucky Cheese. We just got word that Hunter has a call back for Hasbro tomorrow. The Chuck Cheese audition is today. Hunter is back to school and happy to see his friends. I posted an audition video on http://viewervideo.oprah.com/service/displayHomePageExperience.kickAction?page=Homepage&as=45960 for the Oprah Wifrey show three weeks ago. The video is still pending but hopefully it will available for view any day now...check it out...he needs the hits on his video to help create interest. Thank you for all your support and I hope you have enjoyed my blog. Maybe I will do another blog for the Smuckers commercial shoot. I am sure we will be back in LA again.....maybe next pilot season...who knows. God Bless and thanks again for the support!!

Lake House Audition at Sony Studios

Friday - evening was the Hines & Hunt party. We had a great time and met other clients of Hines & Hunt. We were also happy to see our Commercial Agent from Abrams and our Theatrical Agent from AKA. It was a great time to get face time which lets them get a chance to actually get to know Hunter and create a relationship outside of a head shot. Hunter looked really handsome. He wore a sport jacket and jeans that got him comments from his agents that he looked like a little star. That outfit seemed to impress Terrance enough that he suggested Hunter wear it to the Lake House audition on Monday.

Saturday - was a beautiful day so we headed back out to Venice Beach. You know I am a beach boy so I am in my favorite element at the beach. We rollerbladed along the beach bike path from Venice Beach to the Santa Monica Pier and back. It would have been a perfect day if Hunter didn't lock the keys in the car!!!!!

Sunday -The highlight of the day was a rebel tenant decided to dump a full bottle of bubble bath into the jacuzzi. The bubbles were 4 feet high and overflowed into the patio furniture!!! I think every kid at Oakwood came out a played in the bubbles. It looked like a scene out of a Willy Wonka movie.

Monday - Hunter had his coaching this morning with Terrance to prepare him for the Adam Sandler Lake House audition. The audition was at the Sony Studios. It was really cool to pull up to the gate at Sony Studios. Upon arrival they check the guest list and gave us a map to get to our location. While walking throughout the huge buildings you can't help but get a little feeling of what it would be like to be a star on your way to work. Lot's of people were looking at Hunter as we walked along wondering if he may be a little actor on his way to film. It was fun to fantasize a bit. I had mentioned that Terrance had suggested Hunter wear his sport coat and jeans from Friday night. His rational was that Greg Sandler is a spoiled rich kid which seemed to make sence. Unfortunatley the wardrobe idea ended up backfiring. Hunter walked into the audition and the first thing the guy asked Hunter to do was remove his jacket. He went on to say that Greg is a spoiled rich hip kid that would probably wear the latest Ed Hardy tee gear. The problem with removing the jacket is that Hunter had a white tee shirt under it. If you are in the business, one of the biggest no-no's is to wear a white tee shirt to an audition. A white tee shirt looks really bad on the video. Wardrome misfortune aside, Hunter felt really good about his performance which is the most important part. I know Hunter gave it his best and I am very proud of him. Keep posted!!!

Adam Sandler - Lake House Audition

3/27/09 - Friday - We received word today that Hunter has an audition on Monday for an Adam Sandler movie called Lake House. Hunter is auditioning for Adam Sandler's son. The audition requires that the boy be an excellent basketball player. Hunter is really pumped about this one. Especially because there is sports involved. There was a mix up between this audition and the Miley Cyrus audition. We initially got a call about the Miley Cyrus audition and then we got the script for the Adam Sandler movie. Upon further investigation the Miley Cyrus audition is still, so for now we only have the Adam Sandler audition on Monday. Keep posted and keep the prayers a comin'. Let's book something baby!!!!!

Miley Cyrus Movie Audition!!

3/26/09 - Thursday - Hollywood doesn't want us to leave!!! I have stuff all over the apartment in the process of packing when I get a call from Hines & Hunt. Eddie lets us know that we have an audition on Monday for the new Miley Cyrus movie. The are looking for a boy to play a lead role as Miley's little brother. We were planning on leaving on Saturday morning so this will set us back a couple of days but it's the opportunity we came out here for and if we were home it may have been worth flying out for so what's a couple of days. Eddie also said it could be a few weeks to hear if we get a call back on Blindside. We are waiting for the script for the Miley Cyrus audition and then get a coaching most likely on Monday. We are going to a birthday party tomorrow(Friday)night held by Eddie of Hines & Hunt. This is a great opportunity to get face time with his agents and people in the industry. Who knows who will be there...Keep posted!!!

Audition Feedback

3/25/09 - Wednesday - We got a call from Hines & Hunt this afternoon. They said that they got good feedback. The casting director said that Hunter had a very good read. They are still looking at other first auditions and Hunter is still in the running for a call back. Eddie said this is good news because they liked him and we didn't get a no. We finished the evening with a Q&A with Craig Colvin. He is a top casting director here in LA. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for a callback. We still have a shot.

Hip Hop Class

3/24/09 - Tuesday - No word on a call back yet...we still have our fingers crossed. Hunter took a hip hop class tonight. Raquel had asked in one of her comments if there is anything Hunter can not do......Hip Hop is the answer Raquel!!!! Hunter gave it a shot but this is not his gig. If he worked on it he could come around but let's just say I would have to spend some good money..Ha Ha. Hunter had fun in the class and most kids in the class were pretty shaky. I am proud of Hunter trying something that he isn't comfortable doing. That builds good character. If nothing big surfaces this week, we are planning on heading home this weekend. We have had a great trip but it is time to come home and regroup for future possibilities. We sure miss everyone and look forward to seeing everyone. Especially Andrea, Grant, Stogie, Max, and little Priscilla.

The Blindside Audition

3/23/09 - Monday - The picture for today's post is of the cover of the book that the movie is based on. We are excited to have an audition on Monday. Usually the start of the week is slower than later in the week. To further prepare for the audition we met Terrance with Hines & Hunt to get a brush up coaching. Terrence has been in the business for 44 years. The audition for The Blindside was in Beverly Hills which is 9.8 miles from Oakwook and take around 45 minutes to get there. We showed up a little early and watched around 10 boys go in before it was Hunter's turn. Hunter has a lucky rock that we rubbed together and he was off. Hunter wasn't in the room very long which initially concerned me until I learned that they only perform the first scene. Hunter felt really good about his audition and said he nailed it(no mistakes). It is all up to the casting director now. Hunter can do his best and he might not be the look they want. Thank you for all your prayers. If it is meant to be....it will be. Pray for a callback!!!!!

Oprah's Smartest & Most Amazing Kids

3/22/09 - Sunday - The Oprah Show is looking for the smartest and most amazing kids. Andrea submitted Hunter's story a while back. Andrea called me first thing this morning excited to tell me that a rep from her show wanted Hunter to audition next Saturday here in Los Angeles next Saturday. The obstacle is that we have an option to submit his video or audition in person. The trick is we would have to rent drums and lug them up there and each contestant only has 90 seconds to audition. There are a lot of incredible kids & drummers out there and we are flattered to be asked to audition. This weekend was a very laid back weekend. We are excited for the opportunity tomorrow. We miss everyone and are grateful for you support. We constantly look at the comments and enjoy knowing we have support. Type at you tomorrow.

Watch Hunter's Blindside Audition

3/20/09 - Friday - We got up early and gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the taping of Hunter's audition at 9:30am. Hunter was pacing around saying his lines. He was even reciting them in the shower. Terrence with Hines & Hunt calls it SWEAT EQUITY. There is a funny vibe about this opportunity. Hunter is really excited about it. After Hunter shot his filming and nailed his lines without messing up he looked at me and said SWEAT EQUITY DADDY. The video was sent to the casting director & our managers/agents. Terrence called us after seeing the audition and was very please with Hunter's result and had kind words of encouragement. GREAT NEWS!!! While typing this blog I just got off the phone with Hines & Hunt. Hunter's film audition got him a live audition in front of the casting agent on Monday at 4:10pm...WAAHOOO!! We have to meet up with Terrence again for more coaching before the audition. Even if we don't get the role this opportunity gets Hunter more confidence, experience, and face time in front of a casting director. That is what we came out here for. Click on the link to view Hunter's film audition: http://www.virtualdvd.net/HunterKnoche1/ . The first time I watched the video it kept cutting up....the second time and there after is smooth. Enjoy and keep the prayers coming!!!!

The Blindside Movie Audition

3/19/09 - Thursday - Wahoo...Your prayers are working. Hunter has an audition opportunity for a movie called The Blindside. Hunter is auditioning for the role of SJ(Sean Jr). We went to Hines & Hunt for a coaching to prepare for the audition. The audition will be taped tomorrow morning at 9:30am. Hopefully I will get a copy to attach for you to see. The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Michael Lewis, "The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game," "Blindside" tells the true story of football player Michael Oher, who is projected to be one of the first players selected in this year's NFL draft. Oher was a homeless black teen from a broken home who was taken in by a well-to-do white family that saw extraordinary promise in him. Oher, however, faced a new set of obstacles once in his new environment. Bullock will play Leigh Anne Touhy, the affluent matriarch of the conservative suburban household that takes in Oher. After our coaching we headed off to hunter's acting class with Patrick Malone. Hunter is really pumped about this opportunity and wants it bad. He really worked hard on memorizing his lines tonight. I am excited to see the fire inside him. I am really proud to see he is dedicated to prepare. Keep the prayers coming. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

INSIDE LA INK

3/18/09 - Wednesday - Per Aunt Danielle's request we went to LA Ink and took a shot inside the reality TV show home base for LA INK. There was a lady getting a tattoo as you can see in the picture. No TV Cameras and no sighting of Kat Von D(the lead character). It is a cool shop with lots of entertaining decor. I hope you enjoy the picture Aunt Danny. Thank you for the encouraging comments in the blog we love and miss you and you family. The start of this week has been dead for us. There has been some action for some roles in pilots but unfortunately they are asking for kids in the 8-9 year old range. I have heard that the end of pilot season is supposed to be the best action for kids roles because they usually cast the adults first and then cast the kids to match the adults. This is a crazy business that can't be evaluated. There is no telling what age, size, ethnicity, or personality they are looking for from season to season. For all you know you can come out and not be a match for what they happen to looking for at that current time. There is a lot of luck involved but you have to be prepared when you get you chance. We are grateful for the amount of print and commercial auditions we have had but we are very frustrated with the amount of theatrical auditions which is why we came out. We have a great team in place(Hines & Hunt and AKA Talent Agency)that are fighting for those auditions but they can only book what Hunter matches up for. Unfortunately there hasn't been any pilots calling for Hunter's match yet. They are working on some possibilities which we are awaiting word on. The most frustrating thing is that we are missing out on audition experience since our expectations to book a pilot are far less than the experience gained in the auditions. Please pray for Hunter's match in upcoming pilots and theatrical auditions. Thank You for your prayers.

Getty Museum & St. Pats Party

3/17/09 - Tuesday - The Getty Museum was our adventure this St. Patrick's Day. I attached a slide show for you to view some pictures. Click on the slide show and it will enlarge for better viewing. The Getty Museum was INCREDIBLE!!! Paul Getty's vision was to allow everyone to enjoy art so there is NO CHARGE to attend. The City of LA built a parking garage and monorail up to the museum and they charge $10 to park. This is the second Getty Museum(the other in Malibu) which took 13 years to build. All the stone white stone was shipped in from Italy. Every block weighs 250lbs and was bolted on the building one by one. My senses were on overload. It was a beautiful day and there was so much to see. The Art, Furniture, Architecture of the Museum, and the Garden were unreal. I could have laid out on the perfectly manicured lawn all day. One thing the pictures don't portray is the wonderful smells of the garden or the overwhelming size of the museum. We spent most of day at museum and then went back to Oakwood. We attended the St. Pats Party....free food and Karaoke!!! Daddy busted out the karaoke and Hunter was dreading the embarrassment. Once I got up there...I asked for some mothers to help me as my back up dancers. Everyone had a blast and guess what...Hunter lost his embarrassment and even came up on stage. There are some very blurry pictures of me up on stage. My pictures look a little different when I am not taking them..Ha Ha. There is a picture of Hunter and Ruby(Event Coordinator/Mother Hen). I also took some shots of Keeton and his mother Tiffany. They are our buddies from Dallas. Keeton is a really good little singer and WOW'ed the crowd.

Kidz Bop Video & Grant's Treasure Chest

3/15/09 - Sunday - Today was a laid back day. We finally got Hunter's Kidz Bop audition video. I will attach the link to the video at the end of this post. Just click on it and it should take you to his video. I was proud that Hunter stepped out of his element and got a respectable result singing and dancing even though that is not his niche. After seeing the video I wish we would have had a couple of takes to fix the mistakes but I think Hunter did a great job of marketing himself in the drumming department. Truthfully Hunter shouldn't get picked for singing or dancing but hopefully they would be open to a drummer and go to YouTube to see him on a full drum kit. Not that he didn't do good...It's just that I am sure there are some incredible children singers and dancers in Hollywood. I really miss my little buddy Grant. I thought it would be nice to bring Grant home a special hand made gift from his daddy that he can keep for years to come. I hand painted a chest and made it Grant's very own personalized Treasure Chest. It's took me a while to finish it but it will be well worth it to see the look on his face when he gets it. Momma don't show grant this picture so I can surprise him. We finished the day off playing 3 games of pick up basketball with some teenagers. I have been working out 5 days a week and eating better. The next time you see me there may be less of me. We hope to have some auditions tomorrow...keep posted. Here is the link to Hunter's video...he didn't want me to post it but I am proud of his effort. http://www.realtoreeltalent.com/auditions/kidz_bop/hunter_knoche.html . Let Hunter know what you think in the comments.

AKA Talent Agency Signing & DMI Audition

3/15/09 - Saturday - Exciting News...As stated earlier in my blog we have been a bit frustrated because we were hoping for more Theatrical(TV & Movie) auditions. There are many variables why this happens. Hines & Hunt(Managers) had been handling those submissions. To help bolster the amount of submissions Hines & Hunt found an agent interested in signing Hunter. We met with Julie at AKA Talent Agency and feel really good about her ability to help our Theatrical possibilities. This completes our team of management and agent. Hunter had an audition in Santa Monica at 10 am this morning for the Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is the domestic and international planning and management organization that builds demand for dairy products on behalf of America’s 60,000-plus dairy producers. DMI and international, state and regional organizations manage the American Dairy Association®, the National Dairy Council® and the U.S. Dairy Export Council®. This is a campaign to provide better nutrition in public schools. It's a print job that would be marketed through Internet, newspaper, banner ads, and posters in schools. We showed up, they took multiple pictures, and were on our way. After the audition we had lunch with our manager(Eddie) from Hines & Hunt. This was a great opportunity to pick his brain and get to know him better. After speaking with Eddie I feel good about what we have accomplished and the amount of auditions we have gone out on. I have heard of lots of kids that have been out here for 8 months with 3 total auditions!! Our plan is to leave at the end of this month. If our new agent at AKA is able to drum up theatrical auditions we will consider extending the trip a couple of weeks. Thanks for all the prayers....they are working and we are grateful for what we have accomplished so far. Keep the prayers coming.

Kidz Bop Film Audition

3/13/09 -Friday - Yesterday we had an audition for a Katy Perry video for Kidz Bop. Not to be confused with yesterday, today we filmed an audition for a different Kidz Bop project. This is a $15,000 deal that is an 18 month contract. The film audition requirements are very specific. Slate name, birth date, agent, and contact number . Sing for 1 minute. Freestyle dance for 30 seconds. If you don't provide exact requirements your audition will be tossed. Hunter felt completely out of his element and kept doubting himself. We decided to put a little spin in the audition to market his true talent. We brought his drum pad and seat. Hunter sang a Jason Mras song I'm Yours while drumming the beat. After his 1 minute was up he danced/lip sinked for 30 seconds to Katy Perry's Hot and Cold. I am still waiting for the video audition to be emailed to me. I will attach it tomorrow so everyone can see it...sure to provide laughs. While hunter is not the best singer or dancer we were trying to play by the rules while marketing his drumming so maybe they could put a drummer in the videos which makes total sense. I was really impressed, Hunter did the whole audition in one take. I would have screwed the slate up 4 times alone. A cute story...after the audition Hunter told me he messed up the words in the middle of the song but he kept going and smiled Real Big..Ha Ha. I was so proud of him because he overcame his fears with flying colors and gained allot of confidence for future endeavours. That's what this experience is all about. We finished the evening by going to a big car show at Bob's Big Boy. Hey Dad...I saw an old Ford Truck exactly like the one your restoring. I am so bummed I didn't bring my camera to take pics for you. We have another audition tomorrow morning at 10am in Santa Monica. Keep posted on the audition and Hunter's Kidz Bop Video tomorrow.

Kidz Bop Audition

3/12/09 - Thursday - Hunter had an audition today for a commercial with Kidz Bop. The commercials have kids 9-12 singing pop songs. Kidz Bop puts these songs on CD and sells them. Kidz Bop is making a music video to the Katy Perry song - Hot and Cold and need kids to be in the video. Hunter's audition request was to lip sink to the song and dance along. We had so much fun with this one. I got to laughing at Hunter so hard that I think I peed my pants. We couldn't come up with a routine..I finally got frustrated and went to work out for an hour. Hunter decided to go on YouTube to pick up some moves. It reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite when he learned to dance from the Hip Hop instructional video. Surprisingly like in the movie, Hunter actually did learn some moves. I returned from my workout and Hunter's little skinny butt was bustin a move. At the audition everything changed...Hunter was asked to go in with a group of 4 kids and sing the song out loud with lots of energy. After they sing the song each kid had to do a little free style dancing as if you were in your bedroom in front of the mirror. When Hunter came out of his audition the casting director said that Hunter had lots of energy and did really well. It's pretty rare you get any feed back from a casting director. Hunter said he made the casting director bust out laughing with a funky move he learned off YouTube...LOL. After our audition we raced off to Patrick Malone's Acting Studio for his acting class. After his class I got a chance to talk to Patrick to see how Hunter was coming along. He said Hunter had a break through class and that Hunter was the best he had seen him. After acting class we raced over to get Hunter some Hip Hop looking cloths. Hunter is shooting an audition film tomorrow and has to look Hip Hop. Keep tuned in and I'll let you know how it went. Keep the comments & questions coming.

Reality Check!!!!!

3/11/08 - No Pictures Today...Just a reflection of the reality of why we are out here, our expectations, and the competition we are facing. Maybe this should have been my first post. I am attaching an article that really brings things to reality of LA and pilot season...http://www.bizparentz.org/thebizness/pilotseason.html . Here is a little clip of the article: Here’s the 411 on casting: All those kids are submitted by their agents electronically for a role. Of the 1000 kids (or more!) submitted for each role in a show, the casting director will choose a much smaller number to come to a first audition. For a television show, they may only see 20 children. For a commercial, they will typically audition 100 at a first audition. Films and pilots have a longer time frame to cast, so they will often see 50-100 for each role. Of those only a few will get a “callback”. Only one will get the job. As you can see, it is quite an accomplishment just to get an audition! I don't want to put a damper on our trip but be real to why and what we are doing out here. I feel this a good idea to help others understand our motive and keep expectations real. Our goal of this trip are as follows 1.) Enjoy a life experience together as a family that creates memories for years to come and to let Hunter know that we believe in his dreams 2.) Set up Management and Agents 3.) See if Hunter is well received and worthy of auditions/bookings 4.) Learn as much as we can about the industry, gain experience in auditions, & sharpen Hunter's skills by taking acting classes from LA experts 5.) Evaluate if this is something Hunter is passionate about and something he is willing to sacrifice for the long haul 6.) Book Something if it is meant to be. We still have weeks remaining here but I can tell you already that the our trip is already a COMPLETE SUCCESS and he has not booked a thing. One of the biggest lessons leaned out here so far is YOU HAVE TO EARN YOUR STRIPES. I feel Hunter has built his resume, taken classes, and paid his dues to make him worthy of making the trip to LA. What I have found is that the next level to success is to go to enough auditions and see enough casting directors to earn his stripes to book something big. The odds of Hunter booking something big over kids that have paid their dues is slim. Thanks for following our adventure and supporting us along the way. One final note of good news...I posted a picture of Hunter's and his new found friend Camden a while back. We just found out that Camden booked a role on a new pilot with ABC. Camden is going to be the son of Aylssa Milano. Keep posted...we have an audition tomorrow.

Smuckers & Jimmy Johns

3/10/09 Tuesday - Busy day today. We were sent a script from Smuckers of 16 different facial expressions that Hunter needed to perform on film. Smuckers is preparing to shot more commercials with the Smuckers Brothers(Hunter & Nolan) and wanted to see what Hunter looks like currently on film. Nolan was also filmed today in Chicago(shout out to my little buddy Nolan).They will take the expressions filmed and turn them over to an animation company to recreate Hunter's expression in an animated format. I think this gives them the ability create mock commercials and have a control group vote on which commercials they like. The chosen commercials make the cut and are filmed in May. After finishing Hunter's filming we were off to Santa Monica for a Commercial audition for Jimmy John's. This was an interesting audition because Hunter had to go in with a full prospective family to audition. Hunter felt the audition went well. After the audition we raced home ate dinner and Hunter took an acting class with Christy Carlson Romono & Nick Spano. Both got their start as child actors and have too many credits to mention. Christy just finished an 8 month stint acting on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast. They were both on Even Stevens as kids. Tomorrow is a new day...we miss you'all!!! Keep the comments coming.

Venice Beach & Austin the Fly n Lion

3/7/09 - Saturday -Hunter and I headed down to Venice Beach today to get some exercise & entertainment. We were rollerblading around and met Austin the Fly n Lion and his owner Johnny. Johnny and Austin have been seen on the X-Games & the Winter Olympics. Johnny sports a platinum mohawks and Austin is a Pomeranian shaved up to look like a miniature lion. Johnny weaves in and out of pedestrians at 20mhp on his skateboard with Austin on his shoulder. The coolest part is when Johnny pops Austin off his shoulder with his leash and harness down to the ground and back up like a yo-yo while Austin does multiple 360's. Austin also snowboards with Johnny. Venice Beach is pure entertainment with characters everywhere. We watched some street basketball. I think they argued the about fouls more than they actually played. We saw street show with acrobats and a guy that was doing back flips on a pogo stick on steroids. Venice Beach is a must see if your in the area.

IBM Audition - City Walk Experience

3-6-09 - Friday -Yeah..Hunter had a commercial audition for IBM today. We are pumped to do any auditions. Commercials are great and have paid Hunter very well but we are getting a bit frustrated...3 weeks and not one theatrical audition(Film or TV). This is the main reason we came out. His IBM commercial was at 4:20pm. Earlier in the day I was swimming laps and ran across one of Hunter's acting buddies. His name is Bryce Cass, he is cute as a button and on his way to stardom. He was on the Barney Show with Hunter and is currently on the TV show: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. Bryce's Mom invited us to eat dinner with them and a bunch of other acting kids families at the Hard Rock Cafe at the Universal Studios City Walk. We had a blast at the City Walk. I added a slideshow of pictures of our adventure. After dinner we walked around and ran across a band on break. We got to talking and the next thing you know Hunter was jamin out with them and people started to crowd around. The drummer had Hunter stand beside him in their next set and Hunter played the drum block. There was lots of cool stuff going on and everyone was enjoying themselves at the City Walk. Pray for Theatrical Auditions!!!

Museum of Natural History

3/5/09 - Thursday - No auditions today but that didn't stop us from having another adventurous day. We took some advice from Hiedi Perrigo in the comment box and went to the Museum of Natural History. We had a great educational day. I learned lots of things. Here are a few that come to mind: For my size and weight my skeleton weighs 37lbs, Most birds have a miniature comb on their 3rd claw that they use to groom themselves, and I saw this insect that looks exactly like a leaf(I took a picture of the insect..it's in the slide show). I have attached a slide show of pictures I took of our museum visit. If you click on the slide show or any pictures on the blog they will expand so you can see them better. Thanks for the comments. I wanted to respond to them. Thanks to the Perrigos for their suggestion of the museum...we really enjoyed it & we miss you all. Ludo...we miss you and look forward to continuing drum lessons..your a blessing in Hunter's life. We are staying in Burbank CA. Jakester...I am extremely happy to hear that you are playing baseball this year. I look forward to coming to watch you play...especially to hear your daddy say JAAAAKKKKEEE..Ha Ha. Raquel...thanks for the encouraging comments. Say hello to my buddy Andy Bear. Have a great day....till tomorrow...type at cha later.

Bob's Big Boy

3/4/09 -Wednesday - Unfortunately the highlight of the day was our lunch at the original Bob's Big Boy. Bobs was built in 1949. The restaurant was honored in 1993, receiving the designation as a "STATE POINT OF HISTORICAL INTEREST" by the state of California. I had the famous doubledecker hamburger and Hunter had a patty melt. This is a very weird week...last week we were busy and this week is very slow. We have other friends out here that are getting the same result this week. Keep the prayers coming and we will hopefully have some exciting news for you. If you have any questions for us feel free to post them in the comments below this posting. If it is slow again tomorrow this will give me a chance to answer any questions. I hope everyone is doing well. We would love to know how everyone else is doing. This blog is awe fully one sided. Post some news on yourself in the comments. We love and miss evryone.

HOLLYWOOD SIGN HIKERS

3/3/09 Tuesday - No Auditions no word...were patient and the Lord has his purpose already mapped for us. It was a beautiful day so Hunter completed his schoolwork and we decided to adventure out and get some cool pictures of the Hollywood sign. A little history on the sign. The sign originally said Hollywoodland. Hollywoodland was a neighborhood and the sign was a marketing ploy. There was a landslide that removed the last 4 letters(land). In 1979, The citizens of Los Angeles raised $29,000 to refurbish the sign. Hunter and I drove up Beachwood Rd to Ledgewood Drive. On our way up we passed a cool little building with a banner that said Hollywoodland Home Owners 85th anniversary. Once we drove as far as we could we hiked up the mountain a bit and got some cool pictures. Hunter finished the day by taking a class with Screen Studio Actors which was a on camera workshop. We rented our first Redbox DVD...we watched Wall-E.

I thought everything was bigger in Texas??

3/2/09 Monday - No auditions today. No word on the Subway call back. The best way to fix that problem is to eat pizza. Big Momma's & Pappa's pizza has a 28" & 36" pizza!! This pizza place is below Patrick Malone's Acting Studio. Hunter took another acting class from Patrick but this time we tried the 13-19 year old class. Hunter felt like the content in this class was a bit inappropriate and Patrick had warned us it might be. Hunter's script had him KISSING the girl in the skit but Patrick let him slide. Live and learn..we will put him back in the younger class. I am very proud of Hunter...He is growing up fast having Daddy breathing down his back and making sure he is picking up after himself, brushing his teeth, and doing his school work. Hunter decided to get up extra early this morning, be extra quite, and surprise me by doing all his school work. I wanted to thank everyone for the positive feed back. Thanks for logging in as a follower. We constantly check the blog to see if we have any new followers and if we got any new comments. The support is motivating. Thanks Again!!

OUR FIRST CELEBRITY SIGHTING!!

3/1/09 Sunday - We started the day at the Oakwood free brunch(continental breakfast). This is social event more than anything. My favorite selection is the pizza bagels. After brunch we ventured out to get Hunter some rollerblades so he could keep up with his speed demon Daddy. We decided to stop by the local Guitar Center. It's been a couple of weeks since Hunter has played his acoustic drums so he got his fix. Our first celebrity sighting was now in effect!!! Joe Walsh himself!!! For the few that don't know who he is, he is the lead guitarist for the Eagles. He has played on 30 records and is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Joe was buying a bass guitar with his new wife #5, Marjorie Bach. He was very cool and happy to take a picture with Hunter. How cool was that?? Chalk up another cool memory to the trip. Great weekend and hopefully this will be a break though week to come. LET'S BOOK SOME JOBS!!! Andrea took Grant to the Mavericks game tonight. She just called me a said that Grantsy was jumping all over, waving his Mavs sign, and dancing to Cotton Eye Joe. They put him up on the Jumbotron!! I sure wish I was there to share that with you Grant...The thought of you WARMS MY HEART..I LOVE & MISS YOU.

Venice Beach Baywatch!! Where's Pamela??

Saturday 2/28/09 - Off to Venice Beach and we had a blast...I strapped on the roller blades and Hunter pushed his scooter. We covered lots of ground and saw plenty of interesting people along the way. I can't help but think that every adventure we have is a blessing of memories for years to come. I posted a link to the blog of some pictures I took along the way. We saw surfers, entertainers, two headed turtles, and everything in between. Hunter's favorite attraction was the Venice Beach Freak Show...$3 dollars gave him access to a 2 headed pig, a cyclops sheep, and a dog with a fish tail. I highly recommend Venice Beach even though Muscle Beach was a complete bust.

"That's not a gun - THIS IS A GUN!!"

2/28/09 - The day had a weird start. I did a cardio workout on the elliptical for 45 minutes(728 calories burned...wahoo). The workout prompted an ocular migraine which starts with blotchy spots in my vision and ends with a migraine headache. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to drive Hunter to his auditions. Thankfully..my vision cleared up enough to get him to his auditions. We raced over to Abrams Artists for his voice over audition. The voice over is for an animated movie called The Legend of Santa Claus where Hunter is reading for Tap the 7 year old boy. Notable star voices already committed to the movie are: Richard Dreyfuss, Zooey Deschanel, and Sarah Silverman. Hunter had a blast in this audition because it was in a sound booth with headphones and a boom mic. It was off to his print go see with H&M Photo. There were tons of kids of all shapes and sizes. They measured Hunter and took a couple of snapshots and we were free to go. Hunter ended up playing basketball and swimming with his buddy Keeton(From Dallas). I took a nap to get rid of the headache. To finish off the evening Daddy cooked spaghetti for dinner and we watched Lord of the Rings.....Night Night Termite..We are planning on adventuring tomorrow so keep posted.

BRAD PITT SIGHTING IN LA!!!!

I can't believe we got a picture of Brad Pitt!! WOW..He is as sexy as Andrea says...Ha Ha. The funny thing is that this picture will help Andrea not miss me because she hates it when I grow a goatee. Today was a pretty laid back day(the reason for the picture of me). No auditions today but it was a sharpen your skills for tomorrow day. Hunter has been studying his voice over animated movie script for his audition tomorrow. We also received word on a print audition from JLA Talent for an H&M print go-see tomorrow. Hunter ended the evening from 6-7:30 taking an acting class with Patrick Malone. This was his first class with Patrick whom came highly recommended from Hines & Hunt. Hunter enjoyed the class and looks forward to his auditions tomorrow. Hopefully we will get some good news on the Subway call back or maybe a callback on the Trix commercial. Keep posted...till tomorrow.

Welcome to our home!!

Wednesday 2/26/09 - This is a pic of the majority of our apartment. It is 900 square feet and the mirror in the picture is a pull down queen size bed. It has everything we need, we are located right next to the clubhouse which has all the amenities. Today we kept busy and got more work possibilities. We headed back out to Santa Monica(B-E-Autiful) for the Subway call back. Hunter felt really good about his performance on the call back. There were allot of bigwigs in the room and he said they responded favorably to him. After the callback we got a call to go to JLA Talent(Print Agent)and take some photos. The photos are being submitted for a possible Lands End Catalog shoot. We also received a script for a voice over in an animated film which we set the audition for Friday. Susie from the Clutts Agency(Dallas Agent)called and said that Smuckers wants to set up a taping Thursday of Hunter in LA. They want to see what he looks like and how he sounds now. Susie said the next round of Smuckers commercials will be filmed in May. Hunter finished out the evening by taking a workshop with Little Red Door Entertainment. They have produced kids that have been in tons on TV series & national commercials(too many to mention). Say a prayer and hopefully we will get some good news from Subway. We miss and love you Momma and Grantsy pants.Type at ya later.

Hunter's First Call Back!!

Tuesday 2/24/09 - Waahooo!! Hunter got a call back on his first audition ever in LA!! The Subway commercial started with 400 kids and they want to see Hunter again. I posted yesterday that Hunter had an audition for Twix Candybars today. We showed up today and Silly Rabbit..the commercial was for Trix. Hunter ended up getting another audition for a commercial promoting a toy for Ice Age 3. It feels great to get some positive feed back(Callback) and have 2 auditions today. Your prayers are working. Hunter's spirits are high from the callback which will hopefully translate into a quit confidence to help him book the job. I got news from Hines & Hunt and they aren't keen on the idea of the documentary company filming Hunter. I don't want to jeopardize his chances so that is on hold for now. Thanks for the motivating comments...we miss you.

Sharpen your Skills!!

Monday 2/23/09 - We are like firefighters on call. When your not in action you need to sharpen your skills(That analogy goes out to my Aunt Wendy/Firefighter). Hunter had a good day of sharpening. He did his school work, practiced his drums, pitched & took ground balls, played knockout(basketball game), and finally he finished off the night with a Acting Workshop. The work shop was with Deborah Lemen who has appeared in 50 plays in LA & New York, written or directed a dozen movies, and worked opposite Patrick Swayzee, Rob Schneider, and Seth Rogan. We got some good news today...Hunter has a commercial audition tomorrow for Twix Candy Bars..keep posted!!! We love and miss you...keep sending your prayers. Final note: Thanks for taking the time to sign in as a follower...every follower motivates us and makes it worth my while to keep posting the blog knowing we are getting love.

Oscar Party

Sunday 2/22/09 - We had a GREAT day today. We played an exciting game of wiffleball with Camden, his Dad and some other boys. We had the last at bat down buy 3...I hit a 3 run homer to tie it up and Hunter hit a walk off home run to win the game 18-17. We were down by 9 at one time. Hunter's coach David Lovell would be proud. Possible exciting news!!..After wiffleball we meet with a Oscar nominated(Twin Towers)documentary company that is filming a documentary on child actors at Oakwood. They want to film us as if they were a fly on the wall and follow us around in daily activities and auditions. They are very reputable. I told them I would run it past Hines and Hunt and get back to them. It could be a neat opportunity to document a part of our trip. We finished the evening at an Oscar party at the clubhouse. As you can see in the picture the documentary company is filming the event. Special love goes out to my mother(Mimi)...Happy Birthday Mom...We love and miss you. You are a special person and we sure are fortunate to have you in our lives.

Pre-Oscar Journey

Saturday 2/21 - Today was a site seeing day. We had an awesome day checking out the Pre-Oscar setup. I attached a slide show of 64 pictures. Click on it to view the pics in a larger formate. The Oscars will be a zoo tomorrow but today we were able to navigate through the crowd. Some notable crowd members consisted of Spiderman, The Joker, Darth Vader, Jesus, Barney, and Marylin Monroe. There are some crazy people out here FOR SURE!! In the slideshow I took a picture of a colorful crazy guy, he kept repeating "I AM THE THE NEW MARYLIN MONROE". After we checked out the Oscars we drove up Mohalland Drive(Hollywood Hills)which is a mile away from Oakwood. WOW...What beautiful views. I snapped a few shots. I will get some better ones on a clearer day. Oakwood has a free brunch for the Child Actor Families so I should get some good info to post tomorrow.............stay tuned!!!

HUNTER"S FIRST AUDITION!!!!

Friday 2/20 -GREAT NEWS!!! Hunter had his first commercial audition. Let me give you a hint on who it was for...5 Dollar..5 Dollar..5 Dollar foot looooooonnnggg. Yep you got it...SUBWAY. The audition was at 5th Steet Studio in Santa Monica at 4:30. Santa Monica is 26 miles from Burbank(Oakwood). Eddie told us to give ourselves an hour to get there because of Friday traffic. We left 1:20 early to be sure we wouldn't be late. OH MY GOODNESS!! I almost pulled my hair out...the traffic is unreal here. We pulled up at 5th street at 4:29 and raced inside. 5th street studio's films the auditions and sends them off. It was a good thing because Hunter came out of the Audition like he just got a lashing. He said the guy filming the audition was very strict and our call time was the last of the day so I think he was was ready to go home. Keep your fingers crossed he gets a call back. After the audition we had a chance to go down to the pier and check things out. We had a great time and headed back into the traffic monster. THANK YOU...for all your support. This is an exciting adventure but your comments and support help us along and make it easier to be away from you'all. We constantly check to see who is following and your comments, so keep em comin'. The Oscars are on Sunday and they are setting up the red carpet so I think we are gonna check it out......keep posted!!!

Making New Friends

Thursday 2/19 - We finally have a day to get settled in. Our apartment is 900 square feet. We decided to cut cost and get the partially furnished unit. We brought the extra things not provided in the partial furnished unit. I set up the DVD player, Electronic Drum Kit, PlayStation, and tidied up the unit. After we spent the morning doing this and Hunter finished his schoolwork we decided to have a little fun. We went swimming, through the football, played badminton, and chilled in the jacuzzi. Hunter made first friend since we got here. His name is Camden(13 years old)and he is also an actor. He came out to Oakwood last pilot season with his dad and has been here since. Camden has three sisters and a mother that move out after he had success booking commercials and a pilot that never ended up funding. Camden showed us a cool spot to play wiffleball where we ended up having a blast. After wiffleball we ate and got cleaned up to go to a piano recital performed by the Oakwood kids. The documentary crew was filming again and we met more parents of the kids. Lots of the kids are currently on shows that are airing now.

Ballroom with Brian Fortuna

Wednesday 2/18 - We went to Hines & Hunt to meet the crew, check out the office, and tie up some lose ends. Their office is only a mile away from Oakwood which makes life easy. We spent the rest of the day getting groceries, buying a universal pan(for cooking), and sheets for our queen size bed. The highlight of the day was the ballroom class with Brian Fortuna. Rosie sets up activities for the child actors. Hunter was not looking forward to it but you couldn't tell once he saw the girl to guy ratio. Brian was on Dancing With The Stars two seasons ago and tough the kids how to Salsa. Lots of Laughs!! We also found out that there is an Oscar winning documentary film co. that is filming this season at Oakwood. They are constantly chasing kids around with their cameras. Maybe Hunter will get some face time in a documentary??

Time to Sell Yourself!!

Tuesday 2/17 - Tuesday is a busy day. After two long days of driving, today is Hunter's time to sell himself to his prospective agents. Hines and Hunt(Hunter's Manager)will represent Hunter for theatrical jobs(TV & Movies). The management company only has a small amount of clients and works directly with their client(Hunter)and they handle his agents. Hunter has two appointments today with Abrams(Commercial Agent) & JLA(Print Agent). These appointments consist of interviewing Hunter, reviewing his headshot and resume, and having Hunter act out a scene they have him memorize when he arrives. Hunter rocked it!! Both agencies agreed to represent Hunter. We also had to get Hunter a work permit which allows him to work as a minor as an actor. Great day!!

600 Miles to LA

Monday 2/16 - We left Tuscon AZ at 9am and got our first glimpse of the HOLLYWOOD sign at 4pm. There was lots of rain along the way but our spirits were on a high. We made it!!! Safe and sound!! We are staying at the Oakwood Extended Stay Apartment complex. Oakwood is a 1/4 mile up the hill from Warner Bros. studios and NBC(where Jay Leno's tonight show shoots).Oakwood is a famous complex that houses actors, musicians, and entertainers. Oakwood has a activities director(Rosie)that caters to child actors. Rosie's office is plastered with famous child actors, most notable was Zack Efron.

1000 Miles to Tuscon AZ

Sunday 2/15 - We left Sunday morning at 8:30am. We drove till 11:30pm which equated to 1000 miles and landed us in Tuscon AZ. What a beautiful scenic trip. This drive aloud me to reflect on what a great bonding experience was ahead for Hunter and I. Hunter read me 100 pages aloud of his latest book he was reading. We were constantly saying "Check that Out" "Oh look at that". We saw HUGE cactus, Windmills in the hundreds, and breath taking mountain ranges. There was a stretch where the speed limit was 80mph. A special thanks to Lucinda Ellis for hooking us up with a discounted rate at the Fairfield in Tuscon AZ. Needless to say we slept like two rocks...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The Journey Begins

The logistics have been hammered out. My work was incredibly cool about the opportunity which allowed me to work in LA. Hunter's school was understanding and open to help provide me with a syllabus to follow along in a home school scenario. We found the perfect place to stay in Oakwood. My wonderful wife would hold down the fort and afford us to take on this endeavour. We packed up the FJ Cruiser and prepared for a 2 month trip and 1600 miles of driving ahead of us.

Hunter's Adventure

Welcome friends and family. We have had multiple requests to share the experience of our trip so I decided to set up this blog. For those of you that didn't know, We are very proud to announce that Hunter has signed with a management company called Hines and Hunt based in Los Angeles, CA. Hines and Hunt wanted Hunter to come out for pilot season which runs from February thru the end of March. We felt it was Hunter's time to go for it so we scrambled to hammer out the logistics to make it happen. Of coarse there were allot of things to get done in a short amount of time like talk to my work, talk to Hunter's school, figure out where we would live, figure out how we would get there, etc. Since I am starting this blog 5 days into the trip I am going to break the blog up into daily sections & back track to make it easier to understand. You only live once...step outside of the box and amazing things can happen. Thanks for your interest in our journey and support. ALL PRAYERS ARE WELCOME!!