It’s finally time! Tomorrow morning, we’re taking our first plane towards Beijing, China to shoot the rest of the two pilot episodes of the show “Lost in Beijing”! Check out a cropped still from a scene we’ve already covered… Although we could potentially be re-shooting it in China so it might not make the final cut.

I’m not sure what kind of access I will have to the Internet, and how much free time I will actually want to spend in front of a computer, being in a country that I’ve never visited before, but I will try to at write an update while I’m there. Regardless, be sure that I will write about the shoot when I get back!

A few days ago I wrote about getting a role in a US/Canada National commercial… Well I ended up playing the father, who’s part of a family of four, in an Aquafresh ad. Actually, I think this is the furthest I’ve pushed my age range, having had teenage kids. This all happened on Friday…and I had a great time on set working the other cast and crew! Plus I got to play some foosball and ping-pong in between scenes! Below is a shot with my “wife” and I.

If I understood correctly, they will first air it in the US. Then, it will most likely make an appearance on Canadian television stations and finally, there’s a chance it goes worldwide! Personally, I’m hoping it makes it across the globe!

Also, they shot a ton of difference scenes. The ones involving me were the morning bathroom with the wife, at the office with a co-worker, at a photo-booth with the family and finally, lying outside on the grass, again with the wife and kids. I don’t know which scenes will make the final cut, and if they will be airing more than one version of their upcoming commercial… However, I was told come around mid September, it should air in the US (at least). I’ll try and get my hands on a copy and/or an online link to share here!

What a awesome summer it’s been so far! Had great weather here in Toronto, great opportunities despite some slower than usual weeks…but don’t get me wrong, lots has happened since I last wrote! Here’s a short summary of what’s been going on in my career in the last couple of months.

In June, I did mostly corporate work, a bit of catalogue stuff AND a motorcycle course! That course ended with a test which I passed and now have an upgraded driver’s license to include motorcycles! Looking forward to using this new skill in some sort of acting work!

During the month of July, I had some great opportunities and came very close to getting a US/Canada national TV commercial. It’s okay though, because I had an audition for another big national, potentially worldwide commercial which I ended up getting! Will write about it once it’s been shot. I also just shot a corporate, short film style training video which went great. Got to work with a great team which I shot with about a year ago. Not to mention Jon Welch, an actor/friend who I’ve worked with a few times back when I lived in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, had some scenes with me as we played co-workers!

Finally, there are some more scenes to be shot for the TV Pilot “Lost in Beijing” starring myself and Daniel Lavigne, another fellow actor/friend from Ottawa. The exciting part is that we’ll be going to China to do it! More to come on all this, but for now…a couple of Harlequin books!

Above are the covers for Protecting the Pregnant Witness by Julie Miller and Marriage at the Cowboy’s Command by Ann Major. Click them to see a larger image!

Let’s start with a video! I had posted about this two months ago; my role in a promo video for a new show. Well, the promo has been released, the show has premiered and started it’s first season. I’m not in the show (but you never know, maybe one day), however, you can catch me a few times in the video. Check it out, see how many times you can spot me!

How many times did you see me? Well, you can go straight to the YouTube video page‘s description and actually have clickable time references to every part. The most obvious one is when he starts saying “crime of passion, boyfriend…” at around 0:18 seconds. I think it’s the angriest I’ve ever appeared on TV!

Also, not completely related to acting, but somehow it turned out that way… My friend needed some help setting up and working his booth at the 2nd Toronto Comic Con Wizard World Convention. Never been to anything like it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns out, it was a really great time! All sorts of people showed up; fans from different comic books, movies, TV shows, video games, etc. For some, it was like Halloween (being all dressed up). Some were more into it than others, actually looking like they came off the set of a movie.

I ended up meeting a few actors and other people involved in the industry somehow. One I will mention, as I actually have a picture of him with me, is Robert Maillet. He plays Dredger, the really big and tall (close to 7 feet) guy who fights Robert Downey Jr. in the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes. Big Robert (I’m sure he won’t mind that) came to our booth and as soon as he mentioned that movie title (by the way, he also played in 300), I remembered him in the film! Then, I had this photo idea, so I shared it with him, and he was all for it! I tried to have him back out, but he kept saying we can take it, so we did it. The result is what you see here.

Obviously, he did a tiny bit of knee bending to appear shorter that me…which was really awesome of him to do. Really nice guy too, even ended up buying something from us. Then I found out we had a mutual friend in the industry as well. Small world! Okay fine, you wanna see how tall he REALLY is? Well check out this picture, which is a bit closer to reality (although I might have also bent my knees to exaggerate the difference…maybe not as much as he did).

UPDATE: Check out this YouTube video, capturing part of that moment on video (from approximately the 0:50 mark and lasts about 5 seconds)!

UPDATE: Check out the interview/behind the scenes web video with the Executive Producer on Assault and Rescue’s video page, which also includes footage from the show. You’ll see clips of me when they talk about the actors.

Back in May, I was involved in the pilot episode of a new show that was going to be called Assault and Rescue POV (which you can read about here). What I liked about the idea is all the reenactments parts in this docudrama are all from a 1st person perspective. As in, every shot is really from the eyes of one of the characters.The best part of this is during the action sequences, where you’ll see everything including guns being fired from the point of view of these different people, almost a 1st person shooter video game.

Well, I’m not sure if it’ll be a whole series anymore, but they are airing the episode we shot! In it I play Amnon Pelled, and actually take down a few people with an AK-47. Now, will you see it from “my” perspective, or from the point of view of another commando on my team, I don’t know, but I certainly look forward to seeing it! Discovery Channel is airing it on Sunday January 30th, at 8:00pm Eastern. Check out the press release and/or Frantic Film’s Assault and Rescue page for more info! You’ll notice on the 2nd link, they used a picture of me on their page (which I in turn used here)!

Operation Thunderball is also referred to as Operation Thunderbolt and Operation Entebbe. Feel free to read about it on the Wikipedia page!

Last weekend, I had my first acting job of the year, which I had booked from my first audition of the year. Not a bad start I would say! And what was this job? Well a TV commercial/promo for a new show called “Endgame”! I’m not sure when they will be airing the promo,but the show itself will air in Spring 2011, and will be featured on Showcase. It’s about a master chess player who uses his skills to solve crimes; all from the inside of his hotel room.

I had to play a few roles in this video, while you’d probably only recognize me in one of them. You’ll clearly see my face in the part where I walk aggressively towards a girl, yelling (although you won’t hear it) dressed in the business suit seen in the picture. In another shot, you’ll see me from the back, dressed all in black, about to steal a painting off the wall. And finally, my feet make an appearance, next to a dead body and a gun. That’s right, now you have the inside info that my feet were in those pair of shoes! But in all seriousness, I had a great time with great people! I love “working”!

Already? Another year over…and what a great one! Highlights include appearing in episodes of Flashpoint and Mayday, a role in the opening of a movie of the week called The Last Jinn, cool commercial projects such as the one we did for Carnival Cruise (getting paid to go on a Cruise, nice!) and a funny Dentyne Internet video skit, lead roles in multiple TV pilots, directing my first short film which I titled Forsaken, a supporting lead role in an Ottawa feature, few Harlequin cover appearances (those are always fun) and much more, in and outside of the film/TV/modeling world! I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to, but at the same time, enjoying the day to day journey.

Now to talk about a few things I haven’t even mentioned yet! Check out this picture, it’s a still from William Barber’s latest reel.

One of the projects showcased is his BMW Soul Spec ad. Once post production on the commercial is completed, I’ll be happy to put it up here. It’s a pretty cool concept and I look forward to sharing it!

Since coming back from the cruise, I was involved in a web ad for Contiki where I worked with Trevor Francis again, for the third time. He actually brought up the fact that every time I auditioned for one of his project, I was offered a job! Speaking of commercials, I volunteered in a 3D PSA (public service announcement) for WildAid which was a blast to shoot and the first 3D project I’ve been involved in. I also made an appearance in a few corporate videos, did some voiceover work and had modeling jobs here and there. Got some new shots as well (I’ve put three new photos in the Pictures section)!

Unfortunately, without going into details, something happened in the end of November which prevented me from doing on camera work and auditions. Thankfully, all is well now and I will make up for lost work in the new year! Speaking of, in January or February, we plan to shoot the first episode of a web show in which I would play the main character. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I’ve been working on the creative end (co-creating the show, writing the first episode, etc.) which has been very exciting. On that note, I wish you all the best in the new year! Happy 2011!

I’ve been back for almost 2 weeks now and I’ve finally decided to take time to write about my trip! I had work pretty much waiting for me (spec car commercial, voice over, corporate video) and quite a few auditions, so I didn’t find (or make) the time to do this all right away. Now, without further delay, here’s a somewhat short summary of my Caribbean cruise commercial shoot!

First of all, getting to the ship. We were flown from Toronto to Orlando, Florida and stayed in a hotel for the day/night. The room was nice and big while the outdoor common area had a pool, hot tub, even a fish pond! Everything was taken care of by people from the production company (Arnold Worldwide) and Carnival Cruise Lines. To be honest, I knew we’d be treated well but they went above and beyond. Not only did they cover all expenses (taxi, hotel, food off the ship and the cruise itself), they were really good to us…and all of them easy to work with!

Now for the cruise! We boarded the Carnival Dream, one of Carnival’s biggest ships (if not the biggest). It was so huge…we spotted it from the bus drive way before we got to it. Inside; even bigger! There was so much there, great open areas, lots places to eat, live entertainment venues, night clubs, a gym, a 18 hole mini-put course, etc. Believe me, the way I’m describing it probably isn’t doing it justice. You had everything you needed to keep you busy for well over a week, plus all the food you could eat! Not to mention tons of planned events and activities.

Our team was formed by the production crew, the client (Carnival) and the talent, or actors if you will, consisting of three real families and two married couples. No, I’m not actually married, but my role was the husband in one of the couples. I actually wore a wedding band for most of the trip as not to forget it when the time came to shoot some footage! You can see my lovely “wife” Andrea in the picture on the left. No exaggeration, the whole team seemed to get along with each other, and friendships were formed between a lot of us over the week. We couldn’t of asked for a much better group of people to work with.

It didn’t feel like Andrea and I had to work really hard. We had to get up early on most days, but had a couple full days off as well. We were in a scene watching a movie on the huge outdoor screen, hanging out on the ship, checking out the comedy club, etc. Actually, on one of the days we ported, they shot us Para-sailing! So basically we had a good time while we worked AND while we didn’t! Every time we ported, we ended up getting off the ship and every time we ended up on a beach at some point. The water there was so beautiful and clean. We walked around a lot, and visited the islands as much as we could. On the boat, we never had a dull moment. Can you believe that, other than all the things I’ve already mentioned, the boat had an outdoor water park with a giant water slide!?

Needless to say, this was one of the most exciting jobs I’ve had since I started my career. Oh did I forget to mention that, on top of getting all this for free, we got paid? Yep, it’s a hard life guys! But seriously, a lot of work goes into this career, and this is one of the great rewards I’ve had. The footage will be used for a TV commercial along with some online videos, etc. So keep an eye open for it and I will link you to whatever I find!

Now to catch up with acting work… I went back home for a weekend and worked on another pilot show! This time, I was a host on David Kujuwa‘s project currently called “Knockouts: Powerful Women in Extreme Sports”. I did a quick intro and outro to the show, as well as interviewing a couple of people. Was a lot of fun meeting/interviewing people and was a pleasure working with David again (he helped with Kevin’s shoot). On top of that, Pascal Aka came to help out (he was also there helping on Kevin’s set)!

As for a future TV appearance, I booked a role on the docudrama “Mayday” and played the safety pilot on board during the Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crash. My character, Olcay or Olgay Ozgur, was one of the people who died on the crash. This is the second time I had to play a real person who passed away in a tragic event…my heart goes out to his family and friends. I worked with director James Hyslop for the third time this year and had a great time being a part of the show. Recognized quite a few people on set, on top of meeting some other cool people. Great couple of days!

Last but certainly not least; got news that I will be shooting a TV commercial for a Caribbean cruise! On top of being paid for this, they are also going to cover all expenses and actually take us on a cruise! Traveling, and getting paid to do so is always one of the huge opportunities that are possible in this industry. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun on this week long trip and I’ll write again soon after I get back!

On September 3rd, 2010 the Flashpoint episode titled “The Other Lane” aired on both CTV (Canada) and CBS (USA).

In it, I play Mike, a henchman for an arms dealer (played by Ian Tracey). Click the TV station links above to watch it online!