2019 Year In Review - Dedicated to SkekAt

In many ways, 2019 was a dream year. Every project booked was without an audition. They came directly from established relationships. I didn't book a whole lot but each gig was meaningful. Actual auditions amounted to nothing. After the holiday break, I returned to LA mid-January and booked 3 gigs nearly upon arrival, without auditioning. One of those gigs was an unexpected Febreze Superbowl booking. It was an internet-only commercial but still great.

In 2019, I began to mentally check out from acting self-submissions. I've been slowly but surely going down this path for a while which led to a conscious decision not to renew my subscription with LA Casting. I released myself from that task and left it for my agent. Not many auditions came from my agent either and I'm okay with that. 2018 ended with a spark of renewed interest with my autobiographical screenplay. Therefore, a membership with screenwriting networks like the International Screenwriters Association and Inktip was needed. This action laid the foundation to become a fulltime screenwriter.  Once I put on my screenwriting hat I essentially never took it off.

Uploading my screenplay on a screenwriting website elevated my efforts to further perfect my screenplay. I spent most of the first quarter of 2019 rewriting my autobio and within that process, I discovered my script's true voice. My rewrite was strong but I still wasn't sure how what to do with it. Initially, I was anti contests. Early April, while talking to Tehana during a tennis session, she offered me an opportunity for screenwriting workshop scholarship with We Make Movies. Her offer inspired me to fully embrace the contest circuit. Without fear, I submitted my autobio and spent an average of $60.00 on each submission. Out of 8 contests, I only placed in one. I advanced as a semi-finalist in the Screencraft Comedy contest. Lack of placement in the other contests was disappointing but I certainly grew a special appreciation for ScreenCraft. I later submitted three more times to ScreenCraft related contests and retired from all other contest entries.

My biggest benefactor of 2019 entered my life with a right swipe on Tinder and a match symbolizing why this year is the most significant year of my quest. Not long after meeting Atarah Ji Willaims I accepted a gig in Colorado for a feature film role. During that trip, I found the inspiration to write more scripts.  I asked Atarah and a guy named Michael Klug to join me as writing partners.  Hank Braxton, director of the movie shot in Colorado, recommended Michael during a car ride on the way to shoot the next scene. By the end of the year, I had 3 additional scripts completed. Two scripts with Atarah and one with Michael. All three scripts are specials but I attribute my 2019 success to Atarah.

I will go on record to say that Atarah is my first creative partner. I've had several people help me over the years but she is the first true person I've collaborated with.  From inception to completion, our accomplishments are magical. Between June and October, we completed two uniquely powerful screenplays with potentially more in the pipeline. Within a short period of time, Atarah became my creative partner, my girl, and my friend.

I don't use the word friend loosely but it's one of the most heartfelt ways I could describe her. We spent nearly every weekend together since we met and our time was appropriately balanced between creative responsibilities and fun. When we weren't reviewing our scripts we were playing Nintendo Switch, watching a movie or TV show. Getting away from my garage on the weekends is a blessing. I love my box but a break is always well appreciated.

Budget restrictions never stopped us from enjoying the things we loved such as tea and popcorn. Twice she let me borrow her car for an out of the area gig. She introduced me to her world and I met a lot of her great family and friends. She shared her Zorka (dog) and her home with me making me feel welcome all the time.

We share two children together (scripts) and those seeds are growing stronger and brighter every day. I don't know what the future holds but the idea of writing a script without her doesn't seem practical. Atarah makes my writing better and I have the universe and Tinder to thank for our connection. I've spent years swiping on that app, rarely ever making a connection. I swipe with an open mind and without expectations. Somehow while swiping, I ended up finding my creative companion. A higher power has to be the reason why we matched or is it a coincidence? She'll tell you herself, she was getting ready to close her account before we matched.

I don't know what the future holds but as of right now I can't imagine writing without her. God willing we'll soon begin producing together. My 2019 is dedicated to Atarah Ji Williams, aka SkekAt. Our two scripts are bound for success, which will be linked to many other unknown future successes. In due time, we'll sell the scripts and pray that our minds will continue to remain in sync for the benefit of creating beautiful art.

Atarah, thank you so much for swiping into my life and for advancing my creative endeavors. Most importantly, thank you for making my words sound so much better. You are a vital puzzle piece to my quest and we are forever linked.

As the quest continues...

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