Periodic update time!

Here's a rundown of what I've been up to (I like hyperlinks):

• On Halloween, I shot a music video for a French band that sings songs in English. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing footage soon. Song is called "Pay" and you can hear it here on their facebook page (scroll down on the left).
  
  
• Like I've mentioned, I played bass in the backing band for Call Me Classy - tons of fun. What I haven't said before is that the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter is Tom Ashton. You may recognize him from spots like these:
  
  
  
  
  
  The drummer, RJ, is in the show, too, and he is a fuckin' riot. So funny. A couple videos I shot/edited/appear in are also interspersed throughout. Things went so well that we're having another show on Dec. 15th at the Triad Theatre. Details and tickets are here.

• Through Scott Powers Studios, I attended a "Friday Lunch Bunch" with agent Barry Kolker and got a phone call today about coming in for a meeting! So that's pretty cool. I'm doing another Lunch Bunch with Ingrid French on Friday.
  
  
• I'm signed up to take a four-week on-camera class with James Calleri of Calleri Casting through The Network. That starts Monday and I'm stoked to finally be taking it - I submitted several times in the past, but either didn't get accepted or had to bail for various reasons.
  
  
• Got new headshots printed! I'm committing to the beard look in hopes of really differentiating myself from the masses. Here are the two:
  
  
  
  
  

  Big thanks to my brother Noah for taking such good shots. He's amazing. He's also getting published - his college admission essay is getting printed in the next edition of this book. He's certainly one to watch.
  
  
• I've been using my photography work as a means of networking for acting. Through my gig as the photographer for the Hudson Union Society, I've been able to meet and connect with Joe Pantoliano, James Gandolfini, Oliver Stone, Matthew Modine, Jeremy Irons, David Lynch, Tony Gilroy, Harold Ramis, Peter Sarsgaard, and many more. You can see photos here. Events are open to anyone and some are free once you're a member. They're always very interesting. Not just entertainment people, either - authors, TV personalities, politicians, military brass, and musicians, as well. Check out videos online for free here.

Call Me Classy held over!

One more show - cheaper, earlier, and more fun than ever!

Tuesday, Dec. 15th, 2009

8:00 PM

Triad Theatre

158 W. 72nd St.

View Larger Map

Reservations: 212-252-2076

$10 CASH ONLY at the door

No drink minimum this time...but the bar will still be open!

Playing bass? Again? Videos? What is going on here?

Even though I'm not a bass player, I'm somehow playing bass again. And live this time, to boot.

My hilarious friend and collaborator, Claysey Everett (http://www.clayseyeverett.com) is putting up a one-woman show and she's got a backing band. Another good friend and collaborator, Tom Ashton (http://www.tomashton.com) is playing guitar and singing while new friend RJ Rabin is dominating the drums. Together, we will be The Ash-holes. It's gonna be awesome.

In addition to my stumbling through the songs, there will be four video shorts interspersed throughout the show which Claysey and I shot and edited co-starring Karl Hammerle (http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/KarlHammerle) and Joe Naples (http://www.theactorsprojectnyc.com/joenaples.html). Those are shaping up really, really well. And rumor has it I might even be doing some character work during the show, too. So it's going to be a busy couple of evenings!

Here are the details:

Tuesday, Oct. 20th and Monday, Oct. 29th

9:45 PM, doors open at 9:30

Triad Theatre

158 W. 72nd St.

View Larger Map

Reservations: 212-252-2076

$15 Cover + 2 drink minimum

CASH ONLY

SAG Waivers = 3

Got my third SAG Waiver today! That means I'm eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild when I want to (and want to shell out the $2,335 it costs to join nowadays). It's an exciting development and I'm looking forward to the next steps!

Imagine Me Summer Films

This summer I was cast in two projects with the ImagineMe Film Conservatory -- my third round with this award-winning company which works with middle and high school students to develop their own films. It's always a lot of fun working with the kids!

One of the projects was a piece called Saranoia. I play Jared, the fiancée. Here's the film, in two parts:

The other project was entitled When Life Gives You Lemons. In this one, I'm Avery Mann. Here's the film, in two parts, as well:

Part II coming...

Wait -- scratch that.

Guess I won't be doing the Monologue Challenge after all.

I got a call from a casting director yesterday to do photo doubling in a scene with Al Pacino. It's an HBO project about Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian, entitled You Don't Know Jack, and co-stars John Goodman and Susan Sarandon. It's directed by Barry Levinson (yeah, the Oscar-winning director of Rain Man). So I decided to do that instead.

So far I know it's a pivotal scene in the movie, a long day of shooting, and I'll be getting a SAG waiver. So that's nice. I'll have more info tomorrow.

Summer update

This has been a busy summer! I've been doing a bunch of film stuff -- took a couple classes and put three projects "in the can," as they say, even though two of them used tape and one was on memory cards. (But that's good, too. It's still work, even if the old phrases don't apply anymore.) One of those was an independent feature entitled Saturnalia, and will be my first imdb.com credit once it gets posted up there. So that's exciting! Here's a clip from the film where you see me for the first time:

This coming Monday, Aug. 31st, I'll be performing a new monologue I wrote called "Kids say the darnedest things..." in The Actor's Project NYC's Monlogue Challenge -- you can still get tickets if you want to come and vote! I've competed in three of these over the past couple years and made the finals in two of them. Hopefully this new piece will get me to the top of the podium. And if not, at least I'll have a strong piece of material that sells me and my type better than the last few that I wrote. So that's good.

As the summer winds down, I'm gonna continue pursuing film projects and training and networking and submitting. I'd like to start working with a manager or agent in the coming months and really making a push into the film and television worlds. Theatre and commercials would be great, too, of course.

One Act!

This one came together really quick. Got cast last Friday the 5th and the show goes up this Thursday the 18th -- fast! But it's shaping up to be a really good little play. I'm excited about it!

Here are the details:

• A Piece of Property, part of the Shortened Attention Span One-Act Festival
  

• The Players Theatre
  115 MacDougal St.
  Google Map

• Thu, June 18th - 8 PM
  Fri, June 19th - 8 PM
  Sat, June 20th - 8 PM
  Sun, June 21st - 3 PM

• Tickets $18
  TheaterMania.com
  OvationTix.com
  212-352-3101
  Or you can get them at the door.

Lots of film...

In the past couple months I've starred in two student films which are currently in post-production; I should have footage of those soon and will post them when I can.

Also, I just booked a role in a new feature by Gustavo Mercado, who is a professor at Hunter College and won a Showtime Latino Filmmaker award a couple years ago. My first scene films around Memorial Day and I wrap in June. Big thanks to Tom Ashton for thinking of me for the part and hooking me up with the production team! I'm very excited about this!

2009 Monologue Challenge!

The Monologue Challenge is a competition to see who can perform the best monologue. 35 will perform, 5 will be declared finalists, but only 1 will take home around $2,000 in prizes. Industry guest judges select the finalists, and then the audience selects the winner.

Last January, I made the finals, this time you can help put me in the winner's circle!

I will be performing a new monologued entitled, "Paralyzed." Come check it out! Tickets are ony $15.00 and are almost sold out.

UPDATE: Tickets available at www.theactorsprojectnyc.com/reserve.html!

UPDATE: I made the finals, but lost out in the audience vote to a brilliant monologue, written and performed by Joe Naples. He's a good guy and his monologue was amazing!

Let's get political...

As I mentioned in my latest email newsletter, I took part in the filming of some satirical videos recently. Now those videos are posted. I have small parts in three different videos, which you can see on 236.com, the Huffington Post/InterActiveCorp's news satire website. For your viewing pleasure, here are the direct links:

• Give Us Your Money, Or Else
• Trust Us, We Are Wall Street
• Will The Real Sarah Palin, Please Stand Up

They are also available on YouTube.

Ghost Town - Funny, but sad...

The movie turned out to be a lot funnier than I thought it would be, which was awesome. Unfortunately, all the time the other extras and I spent in the freezing cold chasing Ricky Gervais around the streets of Manhattan and up the steps of the Met turned out to be for naught. All the running around got cut from the final version of the film. It was still a lot of fun, though!

I'm just worried people will start thinking I'm lying about actually being in these projects! At least I have the trailer as proof, ha ha.

New Video!

This is entitled Call-In Sick Tapes and is taken from Comedic Tales II - An All Comedy Showcase performed on June 25, 2008. Video courtesy of The Actor's Project NYC.

October Showcases!

Season 12: October Showcases - presented by The Actor's Project NYC.

• Journey - A fast-paced industry showcase featuring talented actors performing monologues, songs, and short comedic scenes. This theatrical showcase is approached as a full-length play with polished performances and diverse talent. The production contains all original work that is moved quickly and effortlessly by a clever cast of over 30 actors.
  
  
  
  • Monday | October 13th | 7:30 PM
  • The Abingdon Theatre - 312 W. 36th St. (bet. 8th/9th)
  • MAP
  • Admission: $25/$30 - TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

• Carnival - a festival of actors telling tales of comedy with
  a parade of scenes and comedic sketches thrown into the mix. The showcase contains all original work inspired by current and past members of The Actor's Project NYC. It's a fun evening showcasing actors of all different levels of experience.
  
  
  
  • Tuesday | October 14th | 7:30 PM
  • The Barrow Group Theatre
  • 312 W. 36th St. (bet. 8th/9th), 4th Floor
  • MAP
  • Admission: $25/$30 - TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

• Spoofs and Things - The Actor's Project NYC's very-popular, always sold-out, all-comedy industry showcase, which will have you laughing out loud! The evening features original monologues and spoofs of film, television, and stage. It will be a fun, fast-paced night with talented actors.
  
  
  
  • Monday | October 20th | 7:30 PM
  • The Abingdon Theatre - 312 W. 36th St. (bet. 8th/9th)
  • MAP
  • Admission: $25/$30 - TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Ghost Town

The film, starring Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni, and Greg Kinnear, is being released on 9/19, and I can be seen very briefly in the trailer, in what I think is the pivotal scene in the movie. We filmed this sometime around 2-4 am on December 1st. It was cold. But it was a lot of fun.

Anyway, check out the screenshot below, the trailer, and the movie, too. Maybe you'll actually be able to see me in it!

Update - Awards, challenges, and a sitcom

Thank you to everyone who came to The Actor's Project Showcases in June. Because of the outstanding support, I won the Box Office Award -- over $1,000 in prizes! I've already been taking advantage of my new lifetime membership and entry-fee waivers.

In October, I will be taking part in the next round of showcases; the dates are yet to be finalized, but I will let you know when they are.

My friends Jen Kwok and Eric Fortin -- collectively, The Tijuana Yacht Club -- have been writing a sitcom entitled Undiscovered New York: Uncovered, and I will have a recurring role. We've met several times and we are set to start shooting in the next few weeks. Should be awesome!

Finally, the next Monologue Challenge will be taking place next Thurs, August 21st. Just like one in January, industry judges will pick the finalists and the audience will pick the winner. I was a finalist last time, but there was nothing to be done about competing against the old woman talking about her suitor's "pee-pee."

Maybe this time there won't be a Michael Phelps-like juggernaut, everyone else fighting for second.

Here are the details:

• Thursday, August 21st, 7:00 PM
• 353 Studios, 353 W. 48th St., 2nd Floor
• MAP
• Admission: $15 (2 for 1 if you buy today, 8/15)
• Tickets available HERE or by calling 212-560-0991.

Discount Tickets!

I've got 6 tickets for the June 24th and 25th Showcases that will be selling for 20% off. That means you can see me make my musical debut for only $20. That's right. Musical. Who would want to miss that? I will also be playing the host in both showcases and several other characters, as well.

EMAIL ME ASAP as they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

As an added bonus, the more people that come, the better chance I have of repeating as the Box Office Award winner from The Actor's Project NYC. This time around, the prize is LIFETIME membership! That will save me well over $1,000. So please carve out a couple hours and come to one of the showcases! I'd really appreciate it.

Heck, come to both. :o)

June Showcase Details!

There will be three nights of performances. The first night, Monday, June 23rd, is a combination ticket of the Bobby Holder play Scandal in Manhattan along with the showcase Actor Stories: A Night to be Scene. It is already sold out! It's possible there will be seats available for the showcase portion since it is expected that some people will leave after the play is over, but those are not guaranteed and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact me if you're interested.

The other two showcases are called Imaginary and Comedic Tales II. They will take place the following two nights.

In all three showcases, I will be introducing the evening, playing my guitar to transition between scenes, and portraying several characters throughout the show.


Here are the details:

• Tues & Wed June 24th & 25th 7:30 PM
• Urban Stages Theatre, 259 W. 30th St.
• MAP
• Admission: $25/$30 Tickets available HERE or by calling 212-560-0991.

The Henchman and See I A... now on YouTube!

Check out www.youtube.com/watchjustinhoch for the videos! I will post them here when I get a chance.

BackStage Article! A Year in the Life of Twenty-Five Strangers Living in a City by Lake’ (Back Stage East, 01 May 2008, Page 3)

We got some really sweet press in the latest edition of Back Stage East. Check out the article. If you want, you can download a copy of it here.

---

‘ A Year in the Life of TwentyFive Strangers Living in a City by Lake’

Back Stage East
01 May 2008

If you’ve got a pile of admiration you haven’t place for, consider placing it in the lap of director Shaun Colledge. He’s helming AYear in the Life of Twenty- Five Strangers Living in a City by the Lake, a play by Matthew Fotis that traces series of...read more...

Tech Tags: Back Stage East newspaper News