#sponsored Once my day begins I'm always on the go, from auditions, to castings, to training clients, to coaching CrossFit and my own fitness class #B.A.M! at NEOU, my days never slow down once they start. So the shoes I wear are not only important to me as a matter of style and something that aesthetically is able to flow with what I'm wearing regardless of the situation, but also with regards to function and comfort, because when you're constantly on your feet, you want those feet to feel good. So I partnered up with @Finishline to get a pair of the new Adidas Ultra Boost Mid's. They're ridiculously comfortable, with a bold style that I love, and are built for running, so they match the dynamic nature of my day. And Finishline made it super easy to cop them, less than five minutes on their site and I got the shoes two days later with no shipping costs. Now I've got some new kicks to coach in and run through the city. I encourage you to check them out for your holiday athletic needs, for you or the fam, everyone loves a new pair of shoes, and @finishline is gonna make sure you're covered #Finishline
FBI
In addition to having a great time of set and shooting for FBI on CBS, I had a blast getting to work with Missy Peregrym and Zeeko Zaki. It was also a huge joy to be able to watch the episode with my family over Thanksgiving, and to see two of my classmates from Anthony Meindl’s Actors Workshop, Francesca Jo Root, and Stephen Maier, in the same episode.
I am extremely grateful for my manager Brandon Cohen and Jonathan Strauss Casting for giving me the opportunity to audition for this show, and can’t wait to see what comes next! I’ve included some images and a clip from the episode!
Masculinity and Mental Health
November is Movember, and where in years past the focus has primarily been on men’s prostate health, mental health has now become a part of the focus for Movember. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, as masculinity, and mental health have been things I’ve battled with for much of my life. Earlier this month a friend of mine David Goddard sat down with me to shoot some images for a photography project he is doing for Movember. Below is one of the images and what I wrote to accompany the image.
Aesthetically I might fit the mold of the guy’s guy, the alpha male who plays it cool, always gets the girl, and wins at the end of the day - a traditional model of masculinity. However, for many years I was crippled by an inability to deal with emotions and feelings which has contributed to many personal failures in athletics, my career, and relationships. And that’s okay, because failure is a part of life, and I’m aware of it now. I know that that is now a part of who I am, and that by continuing to work with a therapist and by taking time to
work on myself, I can learn from what has happened before. I can face my failures and my victories, and put myself in a better position to succeed in the future and I can be better prepared to face failures or disappointments when they inevitably arise.
I remember being ashamed of having to see a therapist when I was in elementary school, because I thought it meant there was something wrong with me. If I can do or say anything so that young boys and young men don’t feel ashamed to see a therapist, work on their mental health, or share how things make them feel, I will. That is a big reason why I’m participating in this project. Being a man and dealing with mental health is nothing to be ashamed of, if anything I proudly wear that as a badge of honor, in the hope that somehow by doing so, I can help someone else struggling with their mental health.
Men historically have a tendency to hold things in, to suck it up, to be cool, to not show emotion. For most of my life I’ve followed this deleterious tendency, and in some way, shape, or form have been in therapy trying to deal with the impacts. When I was a child my therapy was court ordered as a result of my parents divorce. In high school it was parent ordered as they saw me struggling to form healthy relationships. Once I got to college and then graduated, I started to understand the benefit of therapy and went periodically of my own free will. For a bit I thought I had figured things out and didn’t need it any more. In the last few years I realized that we never have it all figured out and that I am much happier, more present, connected to my emotions, and honest with myself when I am actively working on my mental health regularly with a therapist.
The Light Watcher
The Light Watcher is a film about a small town family is torn apart by an unthinkable tragedy. Kate, a woman who seemed to have it all, struggles to understand what happened to cause her to lose everything in just a few moments. As the town copes with the incident, Kate finds herself outcast and gravitating towards a mysterious stranger. Now she is trapped between what was her world and an uncertain future guided by a stranger determined to make her remember her painful past.
The Light Watcher focuses on small pivotal moments in life, how we are shaped by them and how they stay with us. This dramatic Independent film is a departure from the comedy screenplays that Jen Lyon has written in the past.
"I feel that no matter what walk of life you come from, there's a unifying theme here that we can all connect to and relate. I love filmmaking and having the opportunity to bring someone into a darkened theater and invite them into a story and then having each one take a different journey through their own lens. It's beyond amazing to see and be a part of that magic."
Cast
Jared P-Smith
Jen Lyon
Chad Bianco
Jenn Plotzke
Margaret E. Owens
Dianne Rothenberg
Michael Salvatore
Lisa Viere - Salvatore
Sandy the Dog
Crew
Jessica Green - Director
Adrian Bosi - Sound Editor
Leeran Raphaely - Composer
Sean MacLaughlin - Director of Cinematography
If you would like to join us for the Premiere of The Light Watcher, please donate $5 or more below! All of our amazing supporters will get a PRIVATE screening in Manhattan as a THANK YOU for making this all become a reality!
Please support our project by contributing to https://www.paypal.me/JAG42, or contacting the producers via the CONTACT page.
If your life flashed before your eyes, what would you see?
Giant Support
Thrilled to share this crowd funding site for a project I'm going to be working on with a few friends this coming January. It's a short film about tall people, and their problems, a tall short so to speak ;-)
