Hello everyone!

Just a quick note to say I am still here. Audition season is here in full force, and I am ready for it.

I am also pleased to announce that I am assistant directing a Sketch Comedy Showcase with TAP NYC! Other things are in the works as I work towards getting more work! Fingers crossed!

Welcome to late February! How late is it? Well, the latest is can possibly be! 

I have a few updates to share with all of you! 

First off, NEW MEDIA IS UP!!!

Please visit the media page above to snag a glance at my new on camera reel and musical theatre reel! I am very pleased with both! 

Also, I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to everyone over at Reproductions and Actors Connection not only for the footage, but for hosting Broadway Connection last weekend.

Over two-and-a-half days, I got to not only get to know some wonderful members of the NYC creative community, but I gained invaluable feedback from everyone in the room. We met with three different casting directors, the current assistant musical director for Frozen, and showcase before 6 agents all in one weekend! (Phew!) 

It was a good reminder to me that I am doing a lot of the correct things, but there is always room to improve. Number one on the "to-improve" list is my headshots! 

Needless to say, after nearly everyone saying that my headshots and my personality do NOT match, I'm going to be getting new headshots very, very soon. 

And on another note, Empty Can Productions is still kicking butt and taking names! Our latest episodes of Down the Hatch and Guess What You're Up are on all listening platforms. GWYA has been having quite a large following, so please continue to join us on this crazy journey and Jesse and I continue to watch awful films and write news-based comedy.

Fingers crossed I'll be having more updates in the weeks ahead. Till then!

Hey all! My new Musical Theatre Reel is up! Please feel free to look and enjoy.

As for updates in other aspects, sadly not too much to share. Auditions are still happening and fingers are still crossed all around.

27 came and went. Suddenly, I find myself a year older. ("And not a penny richer" to quote a certain old screw.) Thirty is now ever closer, and I am quite excited. Dispite still awaiting the right opportunity to come, I wouldn't trade theast year for the world. I made some changes to my life recently (i.e. I'm going to thw gym a lot, and read an amazingly helpful book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k"). All of this has reminded me that everything is only a matter of time.

In addition, I am loving my current place of employment for my "survival job." I am working Front of House at New World Stages. So, while I'm not on the stage at the moment, at least I am working in a theatre. My co-workers keep me excited and constantly inspire me to keep trying.

I also have to give HUGE thank yous to Jesse for keeping me sane as we podcast together, Elizabeth for supporting both of us in this venture, and especially my AMAZING wife Anna. She is truly a constant well of support and gives me the confidence to keep trying.

I also want to thank you...yeah, you! You are supporting me just by reading these words, and that is amazing. I hope to make you all proud.

​JP

Hey all!

I know it has been a bit since my last post. Honestly, there has not been too much happening as of yet. I will be posting an in-depth update soon, but for now just know that I am still here, still trying, and still waiting.

Best,
​JP

I am currently in the midst of reading my 30th consecutive work written by Stephen King. 

I didn't anticipate that I would become fully immersed in the world's that Mr. King has created, but I am ravenously consuming his works.

Growing up, I detested reading. It was to the point where there were a couple book reports I did in grade school where I reported about the musical based on the book rather than the book itself. I have remedied that with reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but have yet to read the actual Phantom of the Opera. Even in college, when my joy for reading began to kindle, the spark was still rather small. I picked up Revival while on the road with F&T on a whim and ended up devouring the book. And so, here we are, 29.25 novels and short story collections later.

In addition, we are seeing a new King Renaissance in film. With Castle Rock recently debuting on HULU and other noted film ventures, we are going to be seeing a lot of Maine's favorite son. 

On a self-serving note, Mr. King. If you happen to be reading this, Hello! Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan. Thank you for lighting the fiery passion for reading that I now possess. Also, should you know of any projects in need of a slightly over-weight actor, let e know. :)

What on Earth does it mean to be a working actor? This is a question I have asked and struggled with since moving to the Bid Apple. I have always thought that it meant I was on Broadway, playing to a packed house every night. This is not really the case, merely a fantasy. This is still a goal I intend to achieve, mind you, but it is not the definition of what I think a working actor is.

I recently attended a free seminar presented through Reproductions. The casting director and life coach Peter Paula Rose was our host, and boy did she help to open our eyes. (Yes, her first name is Peter. Get over it.)

She said that 100% of actors are working their asses off. Every actor who is attending auditions and attempting to further hone their craft is essentially a "working actor." However, this can then be broken down even farther. Only about 10% of that initial 100% are working in the biz, while the other 90% are (much like me, dear reader) struggling to get by.  Why? A HUGE factor is mentality.

An actor who is desperate for a job will come off desperate and needy. A Casting Director wants you to succeed, but they also want you to be ready for the job the instant you walk into the door. Being confident (not cocky) in your audition and knowing that you are right for the job is key. Nail the crap outta your audition and they will root for you.

As Peter was talking, I had a revelation. I am in that 90% right now. The auditions that I have been going on, while I feel decent about the work that I did in the room, I can tell you that my mentality was not where it needed to be. Because I have been struggling lately, I have taken it mentally upon me that I am not good enough and thus perpetuating a cycle. I walk in thinking ala Chorus Line, "God, I hope I get it...I really need this job." The show may be great, but that is THE WORST MENTAL MANTRA YOU CAN HAVE!!! (that was in all caps for me...cuz, you know, subtlety) If I am looking for approval, they will see that. This is something that I have been doing ever since I returned from tour. I walked back into NYC from the road with a pep in my step and a stone of need around my neck.

Everyone wants to attain some level of success in whatever they do. It is perfectly natural and if you're not striving to succeed at anything you're either a fool, lying, or running this country. All politics aside, I have had it with me being in my own way.

I have made it my solemn vow to be on Broadway by the time I am 30...and I am turning 28 in just a few months. So, what must I do? First off, I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. If I screw something up, as Anna says, "Be pissed for a day, then move on." When you've lived most of your life looking at the positive for others and at the negative for yourself, that can feel line an insurmountable task. However, I know that I have resources that will help me through literally anything I have happening in my life. 

Secondly, I need to be more aggressive abut what I want. I tend to be a very timid individual. I think that to over compensate for my size, I should let people roll over me. No more, Mr. Pyfferoen! From this point on, I will be working to stand my ground and say what I need. 

Finally, I need to remember that this is a matter of when and not if. Thinking the latter leads to doubts and further digging myself into a mental hole. The former will allow me to take any failure that I have in stride rather than in strife. So you didn't get that particular show...it must mean that something else is waiting for you. 

My point of this mini-manifesto is to get it all out there. Spiritualists often say, "If you put it out into the universe, it will come back to you." So I pray to whomever is listening out there. I have the strength already inside me, I just need to recognize it and then use it to my advantage.

So, buckle you seat-belts folks. It's gonna be quite the ride.

On a different note, I will be doing more posts in the months to come, so stay tuned.

Finally, I wanted to give a huge shout out to a great friend and mentor Lindsay Mendez and congratulate her on recently winning the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Congrats to you, my dear!

Greetings to my reading several! I hope that you've been following the adventures of myself and Jesse over at Empty Can Productions! Episode 3 of our podcast, "Down the Hatch" comes out on February 13th.

While Jesse and I are working on our company and all that entails, I am also hitting the audition game hard. Recently I had an amazing B-way audition, a stellar on-camera audition, and I am feeling great! In addition to that, I recently did a class with Actors Connection where I worked on and shot two fully produced scenes. Final cuts will be in my inbox soon and in my media page not too long after that. 

Before moving to NYC I had never even really thought about having a Reel, but it is one of the major things that you need in this city. I have a couple of clips, but these new ones are going to give me an edge...I hope.

In addition to that, I recently joined One on One and will be taking my first seminar with them in a few weeks. 

More things (and hopefully big things) are on the horizon!

Jesse Luciani and I had the idea that we would create a Production Company. So, guess what? We started one. 

Jesse and I decided that we should produce our own podcast as this company. And we did that too! Check it out here. 

That is one of the biggest updates that has been happening lately. Auditions, classes, and whatnot have all been happening lately, so fingers crossed that I can share more soon!

Greetings people! For those of you who have been wondering where I have been since my last post. I've been working and auditioning like crazy. Unfortunately, the hooks I have thrown into the casting world have yet to be snagged. I am hopeful that the new year will provide new opportunities and (knock on wood) some more successes for my career. 

I will be honest, part of the reason I have been so lax in my blog posts has to do with my lack of booking. I feel very semiconscious as an actor that is not currently working. Don't get me wrong, I have the money job and I am still working to improve myself as an actor and as a human in general, but I have been less than enthusiastic in terms of sharing my journey lately...because I feel as if I have nothing much to share. 

That being, said, in January, I will be putting out a new post about '17 in review and a look ahead to new things on the horizon. Keep positive thoughts in your minds for me!!!