"A Curious Adventure" by Valentino Tischio

If you have read any of my blog posts before, you may know that I am a jazz musician and a  college student. This is the story of how I discovered and became an actor.  

One cold snowy December night, I was playing my first real gig, which was a banquet party  with this new band I had just been invited to play with. After the first set of music, I went outside for some fresh air, then walked back inside to find the rest of the band in the atrium of the banquet hall. They were conversing over some appetizers in a lounge, when I walked over and sat down, I was approached by an older man who was a friend of the saxophone player. He introduced himself and upon some further conversation he revealed to me that he ran a talent agency in Hollywood and started listing some of his clients which include Robert Goulet, Molly Ringwald and Mickey Denton, to name a few. We started talking about  he acting industry and he then asked me if I had ever done any theatre or any type of  acting. I had never done anything related to theatre but had always found it interesting and just never acted on interest (No pun intended). The set break came to an end and then it  was time to play the second and third set of the night and then head home. Within the next  few days, I started to research acting and thought it would be fun to give it a shot. 

Fast forward around 6 – 8 months I was signed up for an acting course, where I would learn  the fundamentals of acting and how to bring a set of lines and a character to life. Here is  the funny part, I booked a supporting role in a commercial just one day after the start of the classes! I walked in the front door of the acting studio and I was hooked. I had a great first class and was excited for the following day where I would have my acting debut in a commercial for a local college. I showed up on shoot day and learned so much in only 5 minutes. I was placed in a scene as a student chemist and was tasked with dipping a wand into a beaker and then over a Bunsen burner. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was hooked on this whole acting thing. 

Fast forward a few months, I had some professional pictures taken and had submitted my portfolio to a local talent agency. To my surprise, a few days later I received a call that they wanted to sign me and offer me representation. I was so thrilled and gratefully accepted.  

Now here is the crazy thing, I completed all my paperwork and only 3 days after I signed  with the agency, I booked my first larger production commercial. It was with a production team from LA and they were shooting in Downtown Detroit at the new Hudson building. I  showed up to the shoot thrilled and was placed in the scene as a party go-er. It was a great experience, and I met a lot of fascinating people. I am so grateful to have found another interest of mine and will continue to nurture it and enjoy it more each waking day.