Wow, time just flies; It’s already been two months since I last wrote here! I have however, been moderately active on my Twitter account with the feed being displayed on the right of my site. In any case, here’s an attempt at a short summary!

First off, I got new pictures a few weeks back! Taken by long time friends Shalan&Paul, these will serve as my actor headshots and will be used in other ways such as with social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Check out a few of my favorites:

My work on Nikita also continued with a few days on set, and now have a total of five episodes under my belt. It was great to be back and see everyone again! Check out a short scene I’m featured in, part of episode 313 called Reunion that aired earlier this month:

Something new this year, because I’m now part of ACTRA, I was able to check out their Winter Conference and attended a lot of interesting and informative workshops. A few days later, I went to the ACTRA Awards show which I really enjoyed. During both events, I not only ran into a lot of actor friends and reconnected with people I had worked with before, but met some great new people!

Now, let’s not forget, Harlequin book covers! I’ve already been shot on about five new covers this year and a few new ones have been released. Check em out:

One thing I hadn’t done in awhile is work on a short student film. Well I recently had my last day on set of one, and had a great time. I played a French Canadian character and didn’t just have the chance to do some accent work, but spoke in French for the most part! That’s usually something I’ve done in commercials and corporate work, but rarely have I had the chance to do it in film/TV. Speaking of corporate work, I’ve had some of that with a couple of past clients so far this year.

Now that Spring is here, things should get even busier! I’m really looking forward to landing some great work, as well as putting some of my own projects together! The adventure continues…

Ahhh, another great year went by! I want to say it’s one of my best years for my acting career, but every year has been filled with such great experiences and they’re all part of the path that got me to where I am today. Anyway, let’s get on with it and start going over a few highlights that made 2012 a great one!

I put out my second short film to date called Friendship Upgrade and although it was a lot of work, I was so happy to have done it. I learned so much and had a great time making this idea come to life. With the experience of having put out another film I feel even more confident about my next projects.

Early in the spring, I booked a Canadian national TV commercial that was shot in both official languages (English and French) and is currently still airing! It’s probably the commercial in which I’ve had the biggest exposure to date in my career. As again, not only is it all over Canadian TV stations, it seems to air quite a bit (according to friends) and I also play the leader of a growing crowd of people. Was a blast to shoot!

Plus, I met Kina Grannis in person after my 2nd day on set (completely unrelated to the shoot). You might remember her as the lovely signer/songwriter that was featured on the tablet in Friendship Upgrade but more likely, you’ve seen her videos/heard her music before!

Midway through the year, I auditioned for a role on the TV show Nikita. It was awesome because it’s a show both my mom back home and I watch! We followed it through the first two seasons while the role was for the premiere episode of season three.

Not only was I excited to find out I was offered the part and had an amazing time on set, shooting the episode, meeting the cast and crew, but the role grew into a bigger part and I was brought back for more episodes and given the name “Sammy”. So awesome! My agent and I decided that due to this, it was the right time to join ACTRA, the union for Canadian actors, and did so in October.

I should also mention the love I got from the Nikita online fan base, especially on Twitter! Even before my first episode aired, I had a lot of encouraging and positive messages from them; an unexpected surprise! This role has been the gift that keeps on giving…something that I just said to Tina Gerussi (responsible for the Canadian casting of Nikita) today!

I’ve also had so many great times and memories during auditions, on independent projects, shooting corporate work, working on more advertisement projects and let’s not forget more fun Harlequin book covers (may take a few moments for pictures to appear)! So thankful for the amazing experiences I’ve shared with a lot of great people (both ones that I’ve met and ones that I’ve known from before)!

All in all, a great year and an amazing one ahead of me! Speaking of, catch my third Nikita appearance on Friday, January 18th at 8:00pm EST on the CW (USA) and (if I’m not mistaken) 9:00pm EST on CTV Two (Canada).

At the beginning of this month, I went into the Toronto ACTRA office and joined ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), the Canadian union for actors. So from now on, I’ll only be doing unionized work. Which means being well compensated and protected, health and retirement benefits along with more opportunities. I really look forward to the work I’ll be getting in the future!

In other news, season three of Nikita is now ongoing! I announced this on my Twitter page, but in case you missed it, the season premiere of Nikita titled 3.0 just aired on Friday October 19th, 2012! This is my first appearance on the show, and you can watch Episode 301 online: ctv.ca (Canada) or cwtv.com (USA).

Speaking of Nikita, the main reason I had for joining the union was the fact that I landed three episodes on this awesome show. With those, I’m able to become a full member and actually just completed a day and half full member workshop.

I had a really great time shooting my third episode also earlier in the month/end of last month and felt so blessed to have had this opportunity. Actually, they just had me go in for ADR this past week. It’s kind of like doing voice overs, replacing the original recording due to factors ranging from background production noise to performance tweaks. That went great as well, and I ran into Noah Bean and Lyndsy Fonseca before heading into the studio; it was nice to see and chat with them again and I hope to see the whole gang if they bring me back for future episodes!

Also since the last update, more Harlequin covers bookings! Actually, one of the ones I did back in May is now released: Secrets, Lies & Lullabies by Heidi Betts (picture on the left). Moreover, I finished off my non-union commitments and had some fun commercial auditions this week!

Wow, I realized it’s been just about a month and a half since I last wrote an update here! So I figured, I’d point out a few ways to keep in the loop in between my blog posts for those curious about what’s happening with my career!

Despite not always updating the site in a timely fashion, I try and keep active on my Twitter account. Also, I often try to include pictures with those tweets; from on or off set. So if you’re on it, feel free to follow me! Also, all my tweets go to my Facebook actor page which is accessible to everyone, regardless of whether or not you have Facebook (and if you do have a account, feel free to give it a like).

Also, for those who’d rather be notified of a new updated instead of checking in once in awhile, I have a subscription option! It’s pretty simple, if you look on the “sidebar” to the right of the page and scroll down you’ll see the “Subscribe to SAMYOSMAN.COM” section where you can enter your email and be notified when I post a new blog entry. Don’t worry, you won’t be getting any junk mail and you can unsubscribe at any time. Don’t forget to check your inbox once you submit your email address as you’ll need to confirm your subscription prior to getting the updates.

With that out of the way, I can now share some news with you! Let me start by showing you these Brushpoint web videos that I’m a part of. The first is more of a commercial while the other leans on the side of instructional video; both featuring myself as the main guy! I actually got this job through a recommendation from someone I worked with in the past and in the end, the production company and client were very happy with me. Here are the videos embedded below:

What else has happened since the last update? Well, another Harlequin cover for one! Been working on some of my own projects as well, but no shoot date is set for anything at this point. Also, I play the lead guy in another web/commercial video that should be ready soon. Oh, and this was also booked through a past recommendation but I still went in and auditioned for it.

I’ve also had some good auditions/callbacks and yep, another job through previous work. What could this one be? Well, how about another appearance on Nikita? That’s right! I just tweeted about it this morning, before heading to my wardrobe call. My part shoots Monday and I’m pretty excited to be back on set! This time around, I have a nice scene with a larger role, an actual character name (rather than “Division Tech”) which is actually my own name spelled slightly differently, and now, officially a recurring character on the show! Will I appear in even more episodes? We’ll have to wait and see…but let’s just say I wouldn’t say “no” if they asked me!

I’d finally like to introduce you to my new website design; it’s been a long time coming and it’s finally here! If you’re familiar with the old site, you’ll notice the featured items section on the front page has been changed and now requires you to use the arrows to switch between videos. There’s also an option to subscribe to the site (updating you with new posts) and you can do so via the form located on the right sidebar.

The about section has been revisited and partially rewritten, the resume page now includes an embedded YouTube playlist of some acting work, the pictures section has a whole lot more pictures, the production page contains the projects’ videos embedded onto it, the contact page is much more visual and finally the footer got a complete overhaul. Overall I feel the changes provides a better browsing experience without sacrificing too much simplicity. Hope you like it!

Now for the Chapman’s ice cream commercial in which I play the guy leading the group! Below I’ve included the videos of the French version followed by the English one:

This was shot about a month ago and I had some good times on set! Spent two full, sunny days outdoors over a weekend while meeting and working with a whole lot of great people. Speaking of great people, I also met Kina Grannis in person, the lovely singer/songwriter who’s video I used in Friendship Upgrade, as she was performing in Toronto that evening! Nothing but good things to say about her! Also, you might also notice how red I was from being out in the sun all weekend.

Now, you may be aware that I’m on a mostly vegan diet…but don’t worry, I didn’t have to eat any ice cream. I was upfront about it from the day I went into the audition so they were aware. Even if it would have cost me the job, honesty is the best policy. Besides, not a lot of actors in Toronto are fully bilingual so I knew I had a good chance!

You might argue that I should avoid this type of work altogether, and that’s something I might consider in the future, but I’m at least pretty sure at this point I won’t be doing anything advertising the consumption of meat!

Additionally, since the last update, other than putting in a lot of time into this site, I’ve gotten some corporate and catalogue work here and there, and even a new Harlequin book cover shoot! Speaking of, I now display all the released covers at the bottom of the pictures section! Also added are some stills and on set shots of the commercial!

Hopefully, if you’ve been on the site this month, you realized that my last post was an April Fools’ joke. That video is years old!

Now that I’ve cleared up any confusion, I’d like to continue by announcing the air date of “Shot in the Dark“, the Cold Blood episode in which I play the suspected killer! Is he really the one who did it? Well, you’ll have to watch it to find out! Unfortunately, I believe it’s only airing in the United States right now (Thursday April 26th, at 9:00pm EST on Investigation Discovery). Will do my best to find out when a Canadian air date is set!

Now, for some new Harlequin book covers! These are number twelve and thirteen of the books in which I’m featured as the likeness of the leading man.

They are Not Just Friends by Kate Hoffmann and Relentless Pursuit by Sara Orwig. Check them out if you’re into those kinds of books!

As an actor, you usually have a look that you sort of stick to. This is defined by things such as your physical characteristics that you might not have a lot of control over, but also things that you can easily switch up. Changing your hair, and for men (well, there are always exceptions), facial hair as well, are an easy way to change your look in a big way.

The reason for sticking to a look is that we get auditions based on this. For example, if they’re looking for a blue eyed, blond guy with long hair, I wouldn’t be sent out. If they’re looking for a bald guy with a goatee, although it wouldn’t be impossible for me to shave my head and grow the goatee, I probably won’t get seen for that role either unless I actually go through with the change, take some pictures and use those as a headshot for awhile. This will mean I have to maintain this new look until I decide to change again, repeating the process of taking new shots and sending those new pictures out for casting.

So for awhile now, I’ve maintained my hair at a certain length (sometimes a bit shorter/longer depending on how long it’s been since I’ve gotten a haircut) and will sometimes grow my beard until I have an audition or jobs that require me to shave (unless they actually want facial hair and I happen to have something going on). But that’s really most of the “play” I can get, other than cutting my hair a bit shorter, or growing it out a bit more before I do cut it short again. The bottom line is that I gotta try and stay close to my main head shot.

Well, I’ve decided to switch it up! I got a new, really different haircut and want to try my luck, see how much work I can get with it. It might not be as versatile as what I’ve been going with for the last while, but hey, they say change is good and with the start of Spring and all, I say let’s try something new! Check it out via this video that was shot right after the cut!

UPDATE: April Fools!

It’s been awhile since I last updated my site, but not to worry; I’ve been keeping busy! I’m actually days away from moving, which is quite the process (just finding a place to my liking has been pretty time consuming). The reason for this? They’re shooting an episode of “Holmes on Homes” in the house I currently live in, which means Mike Holmes and his team are going to renovate it. They already came by to shoot the per-renovations segments with the homeowners, and I made a little cameo…which will be my first time on a reality TV show if I’m not mistaken.

Why am I moving because of this? Well, since the house needs to be empty in order for them to work on it, I decided to move out and try something new. The alternative is to put my stuff in storage, find short term accommodations (could be up to two months) and move back in. Instead, I figured I should try and experience life in an apartment building. Except for a few weeks/months here and there overseas, I’ve always lived in a house…and in this case, a self contained apartment on a level of a home. It’s bittersweet as I’m really happy for the family, being on the show and getting their house fixed up…but having been here for almost three and a half years, we’ve become friends and it’s not going to be the same without them. To be honest, I never saw them as my landlords but always as my neighbors and friends.

Now was is this “BMW spec ad” I mentioned in the title? Well, a while ago…actually back in October of 2010, William Barber shot a video with a very interesting concept. One, that he had told me about years ago when we were both living in the Ottawa area; I had been looking forward to being a part of it ever since. I actually briefly talked about it here but only yesterday when I worked with Will again on yet another spec ad, did I ask him about the BMW video. He told me it’s been up on YouTube for almost a year now…and has over half a million views as I write this! Check it out here or just above this paragraph.

So other than video I acted in yesterday (all I’ll say for now is that it involves feathers and slow motion), since the last update I’ve worked on mostly corporate and advertising work. I’ve also been offered a lead role in a short film which I unfortunately had to turn down due to scheduling conflicts. However, I do have another upcoming lead role in yet another short which I look forward to shooting. That and we’re planning to finish up Kevin McMillan‘s TV pilot “Lost and Found in Beijing” my with co-star Daniel Lavigne. Finally, I’m almost ready to start putting together my new website and working on some of my own projects and collaborations…but that will all have to wait until after I get settled into my new place!

It’s always hard to believe at the end of a year, that yet another one has gone by. While I don’t think we should need a specific day to reflect on what has passed, or to set new goals, it’s kind of a good excuse to do so!

Let’s begin with the end. While I like to take the opportunity to go back home for the holidays, this year I had to postpone it by a few days…for a good reason.I landed a job that involved some “wire work”. What I mean by that is I had to be suspended in the air! It was shot at Fast Motion Studios where Plato Fountidakis and his team set up and managed the rig, working with the camera crew to put this thing together. It was shot on a blue screen (same idea a green screen) and the concept involves us flying in the air. I can’t go into details until it’s released, but I can tell you it was a great experience being there working with everyone involved!

Not only did my year end well, but I had a lot of great gigs throughout. Being a lead on a feature film, shooting for two and a half weeks and making great friends in the process was definitely a highlight. Also, I landed a lead role on a TV show episode (that “killer” role on Cold Blood I recently wrote about). Not to mention that this year, I did more Harlequin covers than any other. It’s also the first time I openly talked about my diet choice to avoid meat and meat by-products, why those choices were made and how I’ve still been able to put on some muscle weight without any problems. Another memorable experience is the TV pilot that we shot in China! Traveling, seeing a country for the first time and getting to do what I love, being a lead in a show, working with some great people? Pretty awesome! Even the commercial and corporate work have been great! Not to mention, the awesome audition opportunities (even if I don’t always get the part), multiple callbacks, getting my motorcycle license with a friend (who I’ve met being in this industry and has directed a few projects I’ve been involved in) and so many other great experiences this year.

What about 2012? Well, I’ve been working on this comedic skit that I should be shooting at the end of the first week of the New Year! It’s going to be my third production where I’ll once again be wearingthe hats of director, producer, writer, editor, etc. I’m thankful to have a really solid team on board; I’m really excited about it! Other than some other plans and goals, the great part of doing what I do is that I don’t know what opportunities will present themselves (or ones that I’ll find/create/collaborate on), but I’m really excited about the possibilities! Life is beautiful…and for me, part of that beauty is the unknown. Wish you all the best holidays and may this new year bring you lots of love, health and happiness!

Today, I write an entry that doesn’t really have much to do with my acting career but I feel it’s really worth sharing. It has to do with almost completely giving up meat and anything that comes from an animal.

I used a shot of a squirrel because I don’t think I’ve ever taken a picture of a cow, chicken or any animals commonly raised for meat. Although some people will hunt and eat this little guy (or girl), at least they’re not subject to factory farming…as far as I know!

I used to eat meat at least once a day; usually at dinner. Sometimes for lunch, sometimes as a snack, sometimes in the morning. I never really thought much about it. To me, a day wasn’t complete without a portion of meat. Well, people can change…and change they do.

For what I would estimate to be about two years now, I’ve been eating a mostly vegan, plant based, whole foods diet. What does that mean exactly? Well I avoid all meats, including fish. I also avoid anything that comes from an animal including milk (as well as milk products like yogurt and cheese) and eggs. Not only that, I stay away from processed food, especially the ones that contain only elements of food (i.e. “white” or refined sugar which usually comes from sugarcane). Basically I try to eat stuff that nature gave us, in its unaltered state and mostly eat things raw. So my diet consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, etc. I also sprout some things like mung beans, instead of cooking them.

Now, one thing I still consume on a regular basis, that may not be considered vegan, is honey. Otherwise, I very rarely have anything that’s animal based. In fact, since I came back from China (wasn’t always easy to stick to the diet, especially with the language barrier) in early September, I’ve been eating completely vegan (except for honey). That was less than three months ago…and guess what? I put on over ten pounds of muscle. Wait, what? How can you not eat meat and build muscle? Where do you get your protein? Well, there’s gotta be a way if I’m putting on muscle!

I’ve always stayed in shape since my college days. However, after leaving my full time job as a software developer, I stopped going to the gym and lifting heavy weights. So I lost some muscle, but always stayed fit and maintained an athletic, toned and strong body. I had switched to more body weight, “cross fit” types of functional strength workouts. Well, recently I’ve gotten myself some adjustable dumbbells and a bench. These and the equipment I already had for years, including my chin-up bar, handles hanging from it and a couple of weight vests, I was determined to put back on some muscle. Why? A few reasons… I wanted to show people that you don’t need animal protein to bulk up. I also want to be someone who people will want to consider for some cool action based roles. Plus, I don’t mind being stronger…I have this goal of one day being able to pull off a one handed chin-up. Maybe by the time I’m 30?

So with the dumbbells I was able to do more in terms of weight training. Still, my progress was slow. I was told I should probably eat more, but I wanted to see if I could still gain some strength and muscle without going crazy with food. This was kind of an experiment to me as I don’t want to eat more than I have to. Well, finally I decided to squeeze in a bit more food in my diet, and specific foods like yams for example. Well, it seemed to have worked. I feel I’m eating a good amount, without under or over-eating. I’m also going with how hungry I am, not really having a fixed eating schedule. The thing is, I have (at least I think I have) good self control. So even if I’m a bit hungry, I can go on without food for awhile… That decision to eat more was more of a decision to not allow myself to be hungry; at least not for too long. However, I’m glad I went through this as it was a great learning experience.

Now back to the popular “where do you get your protein” question. It’s really what people ask me the most when I tell them about how I eat. Well the thing is, there’s protein in a lot of things. Did you know apples, bananas, carrots, tomatoes all have protein? That pretty much all fruits and vegetables have protein? They sure do. Of course, some more than others, and the fruits and veggies I listed usually aren’t a hugely significant source, but it’s there. However, you can easily find foods that are higher in protein that those, such as nuts, seeds, grains, beans and other legumes; all great sources.

But why, why give up meat? Well, I started being exposed to some books, studies and documentaries and partway through this one book, I cut out meat cold turkey (ha!). I had chicken that I marinated, which was ready to eat, but instead I left it in the freezer and had my first vegan day. Now there have been times since then that I’ve had meat, but in the last two years, I can count those times on my hands. From eating meat over 400 times a year, to probably under 10 times in two years is a big change. You might expect me to have felt weak, ill, etc. but it was actually the opposite. I don’t get sick anymore…the closest I get is the start of something which never goes anywhere and is usually gone the next day. I didn’t just give up meat, I did my research and replaced it with the proper foods and made sure I got all I needed. But the question still remains…why?

Well, a few reasons, that you could sum up under health reasons; personal health, the health of animals, the health of the planet (if that makes sense). It’s my understanding based on what I’ve read/listened to that we, as North Americans, eat too much meat. It’s a source of a lot of health problems, notably heart related issues (leading cause of death over here). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that places where the population consume a lot of meat and animal products are also places where people have more heart issues. And this is just one health problem, albeit a major one. What about cancer, any similar correlation? Don’t worry, I’m going to list a bunch of sources at the end so you can read up on this too…plus you’ll see where I got my information and make your own decision on what you read/watch/listen to.

What about the health of animals? The incredibly high and unnatural (in my opinion) demand for meat has created “factory farming”, unnatural conditions for animals to live in. Of course, there are alternatives. You can get your meat from farmers that treat their animals well, feed them well, don’t inject them with growth hormones, etc. If we can keep the demand low, and not eat meat as often, then that could be a solution. However, if the demand stays, and we all want to switch to “organically grown” meats…well it’s just not possible. The reason factory farming exists is because the demand for meat is so high that it transformed the way we raise animals for food into what it is today.

Now as for our planet, did you know that livestock is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all of transportation combined? And that’s just one of many issues. We use so many more resources to raise one pound of chicken, beef, porc, etc. than one pound of any fruit or vegetable. Instead of growing food to raise these animals so we can eat them as food, we could instead grow food for ourselves to eat, and not have to grow as much. We’d need less land, less water, and less resources to feed more people. This is not just some conspiracy theory; there’s a United Nations report which talks about the impact of the livestock sector.

Not only have I only skimmed the surface here, that was a lot of talk without a lot of backing up….it’s best to see for yourself, make your own research, your own decisions and conclusions. So where did I get my information? Well, here’s an incomplete but good starting list for those interested: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier, Food Inc., Forks over Knives, Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, Home (free to watch), and finally that United Nations report I told you about called Livestock’s Long Shadow (full report here). There are also a few documentaries that I’m planing on watching in the near future, including Earthlings (free to watch) and Planeat. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed in these bodies of work, which is why I stress doing your own research outside of this and making up your own mind as well.

Of course, animals eat other animals. It’s natural and it’s part of the cycle of life. However, there’s a huge difference between hunting an animal that lived its life in the wild, the way it was meant to…and factory farming. One allows the animal to roam free, to eat what it should eat, to live a natural life…while the other is the complete opposite. I’m not saying let’s all start hunting…but what I’m trying to say is the fact that animals do eat other animals doesn’t excuse subjecting them to horrible, unnatural conditions. I think it’s…interesting that some people will criticize hunters but eat meat that was factory farmed. Another point I’d like to make, for those who don’t want to watch documentaries showing the mistreatment of animals (as they don’t want to actually see the animals suffering) but continue to eat them…well ignorance is not bliss. Please take a look at what you might be supporting and allowing to happen.

If you’re a God fearing person, or someone who believes in Karma, or even living with the mentality of “you get what you give”, “what comes around goes around”, “you reap what you sow”…then you’d agree that we should treat each other well if we want that in return. What about the animals? Don’t they count? Our high demand for meat is big reason of why so many of them suffer and live their lives in horrible conditions…and thus why we all suffer. Our health and the state of our planet suffers. Instead, it’d be great if we could be good to each other, and include animals, our environment and surroundings in that statement. Despite my own personal choices, I’m not saying we should all stop eating other animals…but I’m hoping we at least try and reduce our consumption to the point where they can live a happier, more natural life…so we can all benefit.