1. More Paperwork & Consulate Interview
Although a petition for an O1 visa may have been approved by the USCIS, you still need to do an interview at your country’s consulate to get the actual thing in your passport. And to be able to do that interview, you need to file some (read: a lot) more paperwork. But I do that with love of course. Joy even. I have my interview on Wednesday and although I’m told the interview is merely a formality since the petition process is so thorough, I’m still a little hesitant to fully believe my dream has come true until I have my passport with O1B stamp in my hands.

2. The Budget
Hope for the best, expect the worst. Nothing in the film industry is ever set in stone until you set foot on the actual set, so although I have high hopes for the future a little sane financial planning and preparation must always be done. I’ve made an overview of my expected monthly expenses and income and will review that every month, so I never lose sight of wether or not I should do another fancy lunch at Abbot Kinney. If you’re interested in knowing what living expenses in LA are like, check the “finance” tag or read this post!

3. The Personal Stuff
You don’t just leave a country without being sentimental about it. There are friends, family, special places with memories and personal possessions that need a proper goodbye. So I planned my goodbye party at a place in Amsterdam that’s full of memories from my previous life as a student, and put my precious furniture and some clothing up for sale.

4. The LA Preparations
Although I have to wait for my O1B stamp, I’m already tentatively looking for housing in Los Angeles. The truth is I haven’t had my own living quarters for over two years, and I can’t wait to find a more permanent place that I can decorate and make my own. If any of you have any leads, please let me know!

Hopefully, by the end of this week, all that’s left on my to-do list is packing my suitcase and finding a place to live in LA. And then, once I’m there, planning to see those many LA angels again that have helped me get here!

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I do want to say something though, for everyone who might feel down or hopeless at the moment… I’ve been there. For the sake of being positive I’ve kept those feelings and thoughts away from this blog, first because I wanted to inspire and second because I wanted to be a less whiny person in general. However, make no mistake, it’s been a long, hard road.

I started working towards this around June 2010, making my first serious trip to LA in August 2011, returning in January 2012 and going back again in June for three months. My ups and downs during this time are all chronicled on this blog, week per week. It was a crazy, exhausting ride. In the process of working towards my dreams I had to give up my apartment,  job, relationship and lovely life in Amsterdam, making the many months I spent in the Netherlands difficult to bear. I’ve felt incredibly lonely at times and there were days I just didn’t know what to get up out of bed for.

But I went jogging three times a week anyway, created abs of steel (or so I’d like to think) doing sit-ups and wrote a screenplay. And although those things didn’t stop the heavy weight from pulling at me, they did prevent it from crushing me. So if you ever feel at your lowest, just do things that keep you busy and make you feel productive, and know that I’ve been there, and that there is hope. You just have to be willing to the distance.

Thanks everyone for your kind words and continued support and I hope you’ll bear with me once the real adventure starts!

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All the writing I have done recently has really made me realize how healthy it is…

Not physically of course. Sitting around with your eyes glued to a screen all day, only occasionally rushing off to shove some food down your throat is about as unhealthy as you can get, but mentally it’s great.

It’s healthy to find another focus in life besides acting. It takes the pressure off and turns off that sometimes silly film industry mindset for a bit. And when you do something creative it trains and expands your imagination and makes you more rounded as an individual which in turn helps your acting again.

I even find myself daydreaming about having my screenplays realized more than acting recently. With acting I’ve always found it frustrating that you can claim so little ownership over the final product. You don’t choose the words you say, you don’t choose wich of your takes are used, you’re just a tiny little bolt in a huge creative machine. Which is a lot of fun when you have a great script and a director whose vision you trust, but I think I’ll always keep the desire to tell more of the story than just my character’s journey.

How about you, what are your passions aside from acting, and do you find they help you?

PS: I promised to do a live chat/stream, so if you guys are interested in that, let me know which time works for you. Thank you Laura, Elsbeth, Fernando, Eunhyo, Barry, Thomas and Sarah for your donations!

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As you make your way in the film industry  you sometimes encounter people that make themselves seem like more than they really are. In job interviews a little exaggeration about your resume and skills is rule more than exception of course, and not necessarily a bad thing, but I’ve met people that lied to the point where they made things up completely. And it taught me something…

Way back when I did one of my first short films I refused to refer to myself as an actress. I felt like I had to deserve that title, although I had no particular standard by which to measure when I would be deserving though. I remember some of the crew members commenting on it, saying that if you don’t see yourself as an actress, others won’t either. Stubborn as I was, I didn’t listen and decided I should make my own rules.

But they were absolutely right. There’s this fine line you need to walk between being blatantly honest and putting out a good image. Especially when you’re like me and just naturally tend to overshare things in a self deprecating, joking way, making sure to always point out flaws and failures. Humility is a good thing, but it’s not beneficial to over accentuate the negative, even if it’s in a joking way. Because who wants to hire you if you make it seem like you yourself wouldn’t even?

What it comes down to is just showing the good things you’ve done and putting out a positive vibe. And that doesn’t mean making up upcoming projects out of nowhere and describing a role in a reality show as a regular on a major network TV. I’ve come across these people and just never got the point, the truth is found easily and comes out eventually anyway.

But the next time you’re about to put yourself down in favor of humility or out of insecurity, do think about what that conveys to your colleagues. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way, but hopefully now you won’t have to!

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I met Samba on my last trip to Los Angeles, and he’s helped me a lot with informing me on the visa proces and keeping faith while waiting those long, long months. And he was kind enough to want to share this information with you too!

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
From a very early age I remember loving to get dressed up and make people laugh. Like the Superman costume my mother made me when I was five. But I remember when it first hit me that I wanted to become an actor: I was seven and I was watching the play Oliver Twist being performed at my school in Ethiopia. I remember sitting in the audience and seeing all the actors shine on stage, having so much fun and making the audience laugh. I told myself: “this is what I want to do”.

How did your career start?
I moved from Ethiopia to Holland when I was 18 to go to college. At an open mic I tried to perform a comedic monologue, but what ended up coming out was my very first standup comedy set. I started to do standup and a few years later in 2006 I decided to participate in Holland’s biggest national comedy competition. To my great surprise I won, and that’s what launched my career as a professional (i.e. handsomely paid lol) actor and comedian in Holland.

When did you start considering moving to Hollywood and why?
I always knew I wanted to be an actor in Hollywood. Ever since I was 12. My dad got me Steven Spielberg’s Director’s Chair for Christmas, a CD-ROM game where you wrote, produced and directed a movie along with Steven Spielberg at Universal Studios. It was amazing! And ever since then I knew that Hollywood was my destination. While working in Holland, I knew that I was preparing myself for an international career and I gave myself until 2010 to be as good as possible and then somehow make my move to Los Angeles.

What was your first time in Los Angeles like?
It was in 2006. I loved it because I did all the touristy stuff. It really felt like home. But then I would see how Hollywood Boulevard was just full of homeless and less fortunate people, and that’s when I realized that LA also had a whole other side (which I would soon discover when I moved here).

How did you go about meeting agents?
I took part in a showcase program in 2009 called ‘Hey Hollywood Here I Come’ which invites international actors to audition in front of about 20 agents. I got seven callbacks after doing a comedic monologue. I met with every single agent, but not all of them wanted to sponsor me for my work visa, so that filtered down my choice.

What did you do once you found a sponsor/petitioner for your O-1b visa?
Once I found an agent willing to sponsor me, I signed with their office, found an immigration lawyer and returned to Holland to begin my visa application, which took nine months. (We feel you here, Samba – Shanice)

What was it like receiving approval from immigration and what were the weeks after like?
It was the best news ever after a stressful period, which taught me a very valuable lesson in patience and faith. After screaming in excitement for about two hours, it was time to make serious plans for moving to LA now that it was official. Having enough savings, packing, saying goodbye, having enough savings…

What was the hardest thing about moving to LA?
LA is such a big city – the size of my country Holland. So especially in the beginning it was hard to find a social and supportive circle of friends. One can get very lonely here because of being so caught up in the ‘desperation typhoon’ that exists among so many artists here. That’s the negative energy that exists here: everyone out for themselves, desperate and seeing everybody else as a potential threat. But once you step out of that and are able to see it for what it is, you realize the joy, gratitude and excitement you have for being able to be here- among the best of the best- to pursue your childhood dreams. It took me a year to really settle in and develop this perspective.

Also, international actors who are not aware of how things work in Hollywood (headshots, resumes, networking, casting websites etc.) really need to prepare themselves as best as possible because once you move here it may seem like there is SO much to do, and you can lose yourself in that. In fact I just recently wrote an e-Book for international actors moving to LA – a sort of ‘survival guide’ with all the vital tips to make an effective start in Hollywood- which will soon be available.

What is the biggest difference between auditioning in the Netherlands and auditioning in LA?
In LA there are 300,000 actors and in Holland there are maybe 3,000. It’s just such a different world here. Auditions are quick, they demand a high level of confidence and skill and you must really be aware of what makes you stick out from everyone else who kinda looks like you. That’s right, there are MANY other actors who look like you also auditioning – but when you know what makes you unique, you are a step ahead.

Have you ever hit a low after moving, and how did you get through?
Focusing only on acting and performing can be detrimental if you don’t have a life outside of that. I struggled with that at first. You need to have a hobby, a social activity or know people outside of the industry to stay balanced. There is so much we go through as actors and artists when we’re in the industry, making it’s nice to have that space to breathe, gain perspective and get back in touch with yourself from time to time. It makes you a better actor. Once I found that balance, everything became so much more enjoyable and was no longer a race, a need or a desperation…

Finally, some advice for other actors that consider moving to LA?
Follow your dreams, always. But know that by coming to LA you are basically deciding to go to the Olympics of the film industry. The very best work here. So make sure you have enough experience and credits from back home, that you have developed tough skin, a strong sense of who you are. Also accept that it will take time. Don’t be one of those actors who leaves after a year because it didn’t work out. If this is your life passion, then give it a chance to come to life. Be patient, have faith and always work on what you feel you need to develop to be an even better artist. They say it takes 10,000 hours to truly Master a craft: be willing to go the distance my friend.

Have any more questions for Samba? Leave a comment or follow him on Twitter, Facebook  and visit his official website!

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My group of friends mostly consists of university graduates.  Lovely, smarty pants, double degree, cum laude graduates that I wish the world for. As I’ve gotten older, their paths have increasingly strayed from mine, until the recession put a little twist in that…

You see, as my friends started graduating and even before, jobs got increasingly competitive. And by jobs I don’t mean Deloitte consultant or government trainee, I mean check out girl at the supermarket and receptionist at a clothing factory. These days you need a diploma for that, and affinity with the subject matter, even if that subject matter is groceries. I am not exaggerating here, these are true stories.

During college all of this wasn’t a big deal, so your side job was being a cleaning lady, could still be worse. But upon graduating the serious job hunt started, and consequently intelligent, educated people got rejected time after time for jobs they wanted, jobs they didn’t really even want, jobs way below their level, and even got standard rejection e-mails for unpaid internships. So they kept their ‘survival’ jobs as cleaning ladies , check out girls and receptionists…

Of course this situation sounds all too familiar for actors. Although actors voluntarily subject themselves to it, rejection is the toughest part of the business. We all get disillusioned and offended and even question our abilities from time to time. And with the recession everyone suddenly seemed to share that feeling. Actually, not a day goes by that this travesty is not in the papers, on the news or the topic of conversation of the people behind you in the bus.

Coming back to the article I wrote a few weeks ago, you may say that we chose to be actors, to which there is no denying. But didn’t graduates chose their major voluntarily also? Doesn’t everyone know which jobs are usually in demand and which aren’t? Don’t we all just try to choose something we love or have an interest in? Something we think will make us happy?

And so a selfish part of me kind of likes that part of the recession. The part that made me feel understood, made me feel like we were all in same boat, going through a humbling experience together.

But the larger part of me doesn’t really mind either way. Because just like everything, the economy has ups and downs, and even if we have to work a little harder and suffer a little longer, I’m sure in the end we’re going to be okay.
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With the word artist I associated a self-pitying guy in skinny jeans lying on top of his paintings, tears about the suffering he endures for his art mixing with the randomly splattered paint. As if someone is forcing him to devote his life to painting. Yet a little more than a year ago, I was doing exactly what this image describes…

Okay, I wasn’t a guy nor do I wear skinny jeans or make abstract paintings, but I had so much self-pity. I wasn’t in the best situation of my life, and was whining to all my stable-lived friends about how hard it was to want to be an actress. Oh, the irony.

So now I have two slightly conflicting opinions on artists. I do still very much feel like they shouldn’t whine too much about “suffering for their art”, because it is true that no one forces them devote their life to art and suffer poverty and brain melting survival jobs as a consequence.

On the other hand I’ve come to realize that being an artist isn’t really something you choose. It’s much more a personality type.

I know, because I’ve tried hard to not be an artist. I went to university, I did some serious office jobs… But working in different companies it would always become apparent that the creative tasks were where I shined, the creative environments where I fitted in. In most other environments I just didn’t get the code of conduct, the social conventions.

Another thing I didn’t consciously choose is my dream of becoming an actress. It has been with me as long as I can remember and I have no idea why. I don’t think anybody chooses their hobbies and interests; they’re just ingrained in your personality.

And sure, my life would be much easier if my interests where in say, IT, or engineering. The supply-demand ratios are much more favorable. But in the end, everybody does have a choice what to do with their life, and I do choose to reach for the stars. And naturally that isn’t gonna be an easy path.

So, while wanting to be an artist isn’t necessarily a choice, pursuing it to all ends is. And therefore I think artists shouldn’t whine and wallow in self-pity, but are allowed to spill their sorrows and point out the difficulties from time to time to the ignorant.

Thoughts?

PS: Thanks everyone who donated to the site! Hopefully I’ll be able to organize something akin to a livestream soon!

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More and more I’ve been getting e-mails, Facebook messages and comments from people that want me to Skype or sit down with them to help with their individual questions. And while up until now I have said that I unfortunately don’t have the time to help everyone individually I may have found a way to do this after all…

When I just started this blog it took about two to three hours of my time each week; writing posts, finding nice pictures to go with them and adding features. Over time the amount of hours kept increasing, replying to comments, messages, e-mails and maintaining the site. Of course I’m very happy to be able to do this but the costs do outshine the benefits sometimes, making writing this blog feel like a job.

So I thought of starting a tiny crowd funding effort. As you can see there is a small donate button on the top right of this page, enabling you to make a donation of your choosing to this website. This April I’ll have to renew the $99.25 lease with my host to keep this site online, so how about this: if you guys donate enough for me to renew that lease I’ll answer all your individual questions. I can do that by a Skype conference, a livestream, a chat or perhaps you have better ideas? There’s also another option: I can do an individual chat or Skype session with anyone that donates. Maybe this is a good compromise?

I understand this can seem a bit odd and out of nowhere so please feel free to let me know honestly how you guys feel about this. And if you guys have any better ideas, I’d love to hear them of course!

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Now it’s just a waiting game. The USCIS website states that the processing times for O1 visas are just two weeks, which I find absolutely amazing since it used to be much longer. Add to that the processing time for union letters and I should have my verdict in five weeks. But maybe something will delay my departure…

Because this week  I have two auditions coming up!  And as fate would have it, they’re on the same day. One is for a commercial again – which I’m a bit over at this point since the auditions are silly and they always pick a more classic looking girl anyway – but one is for a feature film. And those auditions are just much more fun because you actually get to act. It’s not just smile, show your profile and show your hands.

This role specifically seems like it could be an interesting one since it’s far, far removed from who I am and I love those kinds of challenges. The film starts shooting in May and while it is of course  a long shot to think I’d get the part I feel like it also would be fitting in a way.

Life throws me those well-isn’t-this-funny-and-kind-of-ironic moments all the time when it comes to acting.  Like that one time I won a role in a Dutch TV show a week after finding out the agent I had found wouldn’t work out and I had to leave LA because of it. Or that time I got the great news that an agent  was willing to sponsor my visa twenty minutes after I got utterly disappointing news in my personal life. I feel like “that one time I got a part in a Dutch film after finally receiving my US work visa” fits perfectly in that collection. Also, I’m wishfulthinking (of course that’s a verb!)

To round the week of hope off I had a screening yesterday of the pilot I filmed a while back, and apparently it’s being shopped around at networks and stands a chance of success. Another possibly tie to the Netherlands in the acting department.

Either way, in the end I just want to be able to act, wherever in the world. But in climates like these a little LA sunshine does seem like it could be a valuable addition to my life…

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I remember an interview with one of Lana del Rey’s early record’s producers where he talked about how her newer, bigger label tried to confiscate everything that was out in the open about her from before she signed with them. This is common practice, and so you don’t often find the specifics on where famous actors took classes or how they got their visa. It might not fit with the story the PR team wants to create after all. That being said, I tried to find info on how some famous foreign actors got their visa anyway. Here it goes…

Alexander Skarsgård
It is completely random that I thought of this actor first, it really has nothing to do with his appearance. Honest guv’nor! Any way, how did this fine man get his visa? Google didn’t have the answer but what is known is that he got his first role while he was on a vacation in LA. Now his situation is not exactly comparable to when you and I go on vacation in LA. You see, he went to see his working actor father there who introduced him to his LA manager who then let Alex audition for Zoolander, which became his first US acting job.

My guess is that his father already had an EB-1 green card for his extraordinary ability as an actor which would make his children automatically eligible to work in the US as well. In which case he didn’t have to get a visa, he already had one.

Naomi Watts (& Nicole Kidman)
Again, it’s not entirely clear how Naomi Watts got her visa, but I’m just gonna make an educated guess. Naomi was already doing well as an actress in Australia before she decided to try her luck in LaLaLand. Once more, her visit to LA is not exactly like the visits of the usual foreign actor. Naomi was flown in by her Australian friend who also happened to be in LA at the time. This friend was some girl named Nicole who was at the time seeing some guy named Tom. Nicole happened to be born in Hawaii due to her Australian parents studying there at the time, so she automatically got citizenship.

Staying with Nicole and Tom, Naomi got to meet everyone who was someone in Hollywood and that’s how she ended up being signed by a top notch talent agency. Since these agencies sponsor O1 visas on a very regular basis, my guess is that’s the one she got. Which is the same one  I’m applying for now!

Dominic Purcell
Another Aussie, but this time with a very different, yet very clear how-I-got-my-visa story: he won the Green Card Lottery! Yup, it’s out in the open, this one.

Evangeline Lilly
This Canadian girl crush of mine has a visa story with a lot of question marks. She has stated multiple times that she almost lost her part in Lost because her visa wasn’t approved yet. This is strange for various reasons. One, it would imply she was allowed to audition without a valid work visa and got the job without it too. Not a lot of industry people allow this. Two, it’s strange because she already had various minor and extra LA credits dating from years before Lost. So did she either work on those projects illegally or did she have some different kind of visa that needed extension back then?

I know nothing about the Canadian visa options so I really don’t have an idea but if I had to guess I’d say she got a more lenient, Canadian version of the O1 visa, since she did do commercials and guest stars on several TV shows in Canada and also had an agent in Vancouver.

Of course there are many more cases of foreign actors making the move, primarily from Britain and Australia. But most likely the majority of them just went on an O1 or EB-1 after finding a sponsor through the agency connections that exist in Melbourne and London. I wanted to point out the actors above specifically since people often use their cases as hope for themselves to get an acting job while on holiday in LA.

I’ll be the last one to say something like that isn’t gonna happen, but I do hope these cases illustrate that on top of amazing talent these people had two unique things before going on LA trips: golden connections and solid credits in their home country. Because the fact is that even if you do get a job or agent offer in the US, you need an appropriate visa, and without credits your only hopes for one are the lottery.

I learned all this the hard way. At 19 I got a management offer in LA, but since I had no visa options I couldn’t do anything with it. So I hope not to dis-encourage you with these stories, but to set your priorities straight. Good luck!

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