This week I got to play a broker on a TV commercial for the Insurance Broker Association of Canada (IBAC). It was a really easy shoot, and didn’t take long for them to shoot my scene. Basically I pretended to talk on the phone, checking out some documents. Then we did a variations where I mostly listened to the imaginary client. When the commercial comes out, watch out for me wearing a light blue shirt and sitting at a desk!

Next, I participated in a Tim Horton’s photoshoot. I initially thought it was a print ad, but they said they’re going to be using it internally, so only employees of the company will see it. You never know though, I was involved in a group picture which may well be used publicly in the future! For now, check out the picture of me on the left, in a Tim Horton’s employee uniform. The best part is that we did this in an actual Tim Horton’s, and before I met all the other models, I wasn’t sure who was an employee and who hired to be a part of the shoot!

Haven’t written in a while but can you blame me? We’re having such a great summer this year that I kept delaying writing a new entry! Been having auditions here and there, trying to plan a few of my own projects and had a few photoshoots.

Actually, just last weekend, I had a photoshoot with David Wile. I had done a few creatives and editorials with him in the past, and since I needed some new shots, he was happy to set up a shoot with me. I added a few of those in the picture section and one in this post. It was the 4th time working with him and it went great as usual!

Just over a week ago, I worked with Robert Goshgarian on a 4th Harlequin book cover! This one is going to be called “Caught Off Guard”, written by Kira Sinclair. It will feature me in a tux (with or without jacket) with a young lady on balcony during a snowy night. The shoot went great, everyone was easy to work with and they even asked me to stay for lunch. We had some great Indian food!

What’s coming up? Well I’ve booked a TV Commercial and a Print Ad! Both of these will be shooting next week. What I’ll say for now is that the print job is for a very well known Canadian company! As for the TV ad, you’ll have to wait for next week for that one!

It’s the nature of the business. You do something, but usually only get to see and share it months later! Well now’s the time to show you a few things…

First of all, the cover of a new Harlequin book. This one is called Bachelor’s Bought Bride, and is written by Jennifer Lewis. Wearing a spiffy suit, a woman in my arms and overlooking the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, I must say it’s my favorite cover so far. Okay, well I’ve only done one before that. I do have a third coming up which is gonna be pretty cool too (hint: I’ll be holding twin babies)! Going back to this one, you can click on the picture to see a larger version of it AND if you’re into these books, check it out and potentially buy it here!

Next is a picture for Timberland. I believe that this will only be used in catalogs, in store, etc. so unless you own a business that orders from Timberland, you might only be able to see it here!

Last but certainly not least… Actually maybe in this case it’s actually the best for last! Remember the feature film that was shot in Ottawa, where I play the supporting lead character Brian? Well a teaser trailer has been put together for it. Check out the “Day Four” trailer here!

Things have been going good for me recently…the highlight would have to be being cast in an episode of Flashpoint! That’s right, I played a “bad guy” named Mike, and got to be a part of some fun action sequences! Did I get to shoot a gun? Yep, a real one, but with blank bullets. The one featured in the picture on the left isn’t the one used, that one is fake. You’re gonna have to watch the episode to see the real one!

It was one of the biggest sets I’ve been on so far, in terms of sheer amount of people and organization involved. So much happens behind the scenes of a day (out of usually seven) of shooting an episode for this show. It was great being a part of it (I had three days on set: March 5th, 8th and 9th).

Directing the episode (named “The Other Lane”) was a funny and passionate Erik Canuel. As a part of the arms dealers, I played alongside Ian Tracey, Colin Cunningham, Stefano DiMatteo and Jeff Parazzo. As for interacting with the good guys (the “SRU” team as they’re known in the show), I ended up having a confrontation with Amy Jo Johnson and David Paetkau (not in real life, but in the episode of course)!

Everyone was a pleasure to hang out and work with. We had some long days and nights, but in the end I was doing something that I really enjoyed. Since I had a small part, I mostly had free time on set, so I caught up on some reading, etc. It was kind of like waiting for a awesome roller-coaster ride… In the end, when you get your time in front of the camera, it was all worth it. Actually…okay I had more on set time than it may seem, but the analogy still stands. I had a blast! Speaking of, check out these videos of Colin performing some cool magic tricks with forks!

Although exciting, those awesome three days weren’t all that I’ve done since the last time I wrote an update. I had an amazing time shooting an internet video (coming soon) for Dentyne, had a role in a film like training video, played a part in other corporate videos and events, had a few voice-over jobs, and landed some print work! As I had mentioned before, the last few weeks have been good!

Just last Friday, I shot my second Harlequin cover, again with Robert Gagnon. Not only will I be wearing a nice tux, but I wasn’t alone as the shot also featured a young woman… and in the background is San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge! This one should be available mid May, 2010. Once again, I had a good time working with Robert, the other model and the rest of the people involved. As for the picture on the right, it’s actually the cover from the last shoot back in April! The book is called “Mistletoe Hero” and is written by Tanya Michaels. Check out the Harlequin website to see a larger size of the cover and get more information on the book.

As for acting, I recently had a second audition (or a callback) for an ambitious short film shooting in Toronto. This is always good news as it means that you’ve made it to a short list of actors being considered for a role. Well, just today I’ve received the even better news that they are offering me the role! They also gave me great feedback on my audition. Looking forward to working on this project… more details to come!

Last week I shot a print campaign for Twixrix, a vaccine to protect against contracting both hepatitis A and B. Everyone on set, from the people representing the product and ad agency to photographer Darrin Klimek and the crew were great to work! Had lots of fun during this one, and was even offered a ride back home (I had taken the subway to the job and one of the guys was headed to my area). Anyway, it should be released by the end of the year, in magazines, brochures and on the Internet. We went through a lot of pictures, angles, setups and different expressions that I can’t tell you exactly what to expect, but in all cases I play a chef, dressed in an all white chef’s outfit, complete with hat.

I also went back home (Ottawa-Gatineau area) for the Thanksgiving weekend, but it wasn’t all just pleasure. Well maybe it was, because the audition I had, along with the little photoshoot I took part of were both very enjoyable. First I auditioned for Parktown Productions‘ upcoming feature length film and was happy to see some familiar faces. You may know them as the producers of the Live 88.5 commercials (Bathroom, Stereo) and the Calvin Klein Grand Prize winning shot film “2@2“, both which I act in. Then I met up with Kevin McMillan (who I’ve also worked with before) to take some pictures for his promotional materials he’s putting together to get funding for his TV pilot that he wants to shoot in China! If this goes through, Kevin has offered me one of two lead roles.. which would be a blast to shoot. Combining acting and traveling.. awesome!

Other than that, I still audition on a regular basis and doing great! I actually just got news of a callback for a short film I auditioned for before the weekend. Will keep you updated as usual!

In the last month or so, I had three separate photoshoots. First, at the beginning of August, I shot with Sang Nguyen for the second time. We got along very well the first time and talked about shooting again in the future. Sang expressed his preference in shooting people with longer hair so we agreed that if I could grow it out for a bit, we’d shoot together again. These two shots are just some of the ones that came from it. Was great to see and hang out with Sang again!

Then later that month, I yet again shot with my friends from Ottawa, Paul and Shalan Crivellari. The picture on the left came from the shoot, which I will be using as my main headshot! Actually, Paul and Shalan just moved to Toronto and recently launched their new website: http://www.shalanandpaul.com. I’d like to note that although, as you can see, they still do headshots, they’re getting more into fashion photography. Regardless of what kind of shots you’re looking for, if you’re in Toronto looking to be photographed, check out these newly arrived photographers! Such a great and talented couple!

Lastly, I shot with photographer David Wile. This was my first time working with him, and he had a bridal creative in mind. First he shot the woman playing the bride (named Amara, hope I didn’t misspell her name), then both of us together and finally single shots of me. This went very smoothly and I enjoyed working with David, Amara and the rest of the team! I’ve already looked at the pictures and they will soon be released.

Once again, one of the perks of working of this industry is that you’re constantly meeting new people but also have the chance to work with people you’ve already met and worked with before!

Just about a month ago, I got asked by the girls at B&M if I was willing to do a creative photoshoot with another model on the upcoming Saturday morning. Basically, Sang Nguyen, a Toronto based photographer, had an idea in mind and needed people to participate in his shoot. He was offering 2 free prints for our time. I was happy to agree. It’s always nice meeting and working with new people, not to mention getting some shots for free!

Since it was a beautiful day, I biked over to Sang‘s studio. Once I got there I was greeted Sang at his door. Then I was surprised to see Kelly Foss inside which was also from B&M. We actually met at a casting when we happened to be sitting next to each other. She peaked over my comp cards and noticed we were in the same agency. We had started talking and she turned out to be a nice girl, was good to see her again. Sang also had a makeup artist along with a hair stylist working with him.

First we took some shoots inside his studio before driving down to the beach were we spent most of the time together. We all had an awesome time.. how could we not, working on the beach on a beautiful day with great people? Most of the shots were with Kelly and I together, but we were also photographed on our own. All in all, I was happy that Sang offered me the opportunity to work with him and had lots of fun with everyone involved!

I recently got the pictures from Sang. They were chosen by B&M to add to my portfolio. Make sure to check out the Pictures section to view larger versions of these shots! I’m really happy to have met and worked with Sang. He’s a great and talented guy!

Before getting to the subject of this post, I actually just came back from helping some friends move to the city. I’ve talked about this couple before.. Paul and Shalan Crivellari! They intend to continue and expand their photography work here in Toronto. So if you’re in the area and need the services of a great pair of photographers, be sure to get in touch with them: www.cprophoto.com.

In the month of May, I had jobs involving FaceSeal Technologies (more specifically their Fitseal product) and George Brown College. Both were lots of fun and I had the chance to meet and work with great people! On top of that, I continue having regular auditions and castings.

Also, I’m finishing up my improvisation foundation classes at Bad Dog Theater. I’ve completed three levels, each having a weekly 3 hour class, lasting 7 to 8 weeks. Right now, I’m about half way through the 4th and final level of the foundation classes. If you’re an actor looking for more training or just want to have fun and meet people, I definitely recommend it! Most of my classes were taught by an awesome teacher, Alastair Forbes.

Finally, I continue to get small jobs, and doing occasional “live” modeling. This usually happens during meetings where certain companies have clients that want to see clothes being worn. Speaking of, I’ll be doing quite a few hours of it this week!

Just a week ago, I hosted the Great Canadian Mash Up which happened at Myth on the Danforth in Toronto. This event was put together by Centennial College students and was in support of a youth program in Toronto called The Remix Project. They help young people who aspire to start careers in the urban arts sector.

It was a pleasure to host this event, and witness the performances by an amazing musical line up including Liya and Promise, The Styrofoam Ones, Carmela Antonio and a Remix Project graduate; Obie.

It was actually the first time I hosted an event, and had a great time doing it. The students were really happy with me and even gave me a thank you card and a few gifts! On top of that, Carmela gave me a copy of her first LP, which I insisted she sign. Her, along with all the other artists, gave such great performances. Make sure you check out the links provided for each artist, although the music on their website does not do justice to their live acts! Once again, I had a great time hosting this event and am thankful that I was able to be a part of it!

As for the modeling end, I attended a casting at Pi Media. It went really well, and I was told that they’d want to use regarding catalogue work for Sears, one of their biggest clients. Well, the following week, they had booked me for two days in a row, with more work to come! The people there are really friendly, easy going and a pleasure to work with!