Reeling in Commercial Goodness

We all have to pay the rent somehow and until the next pilot gets a green light, I try and sell the shit out of any product that comes my way.  Its the young performers dilemma.  I want to do important things and make strong daring choices, you know . . . leave a legacy . . . make a mark in show business.  However,  until you get taft-hartley’ed in or your rich producer uncle throws you a bone, you gotta play the game.

We’ll here’s a quick 2 minute reel of some of my finer commercial moments.  You’ll find my first pro gig I ever did, a national Hyundai ad that was shot in both English and Spanish.  I think the English version was played once, but the Spanish version was in heavy rotation for over a year making me a local LA superstar among the prized busboy and landscaper demographic.

One spot that is noticeably absent was the job that gave me my SAG card, Pizza Hut.  After shooting copious amounts of footage, shot over 3 14-hour days, I received  0.3 seconds of screen time. Yeah, not everyone has the ability to jump out of a minivan and smile. (See previous Blog “No, thank you, Pizza Hut” for full story).

More live shows are on the horizon with dates at the LA Connection in Sherman Oaks, CA and The Comedy Store in Hollywood.  I’ll drop a line as we get closer.

Archived: No, thank you, Pizza hut

I finally saw the pizza hut ad I did last month.  At the risk of sounding ungreatful I must admit that I find it hard to believe that (3) 14 hour days of filming gave me a total of .85 seconds of screen time.  And then I remember its not about me, its about the pizza . . . I’m a lucky man to be able to get such an opportunity and I hope this is the beginning of something great.

Did I mention I ran into Scott Whyte!    I mean of all the productions in town who’d a thunk it?  This town gets smaller and smaller the longer I stay here.

-Z

PS Thank you for all your phone calls letting me know you saw me.  I appreciate them all . . . Even the ones at 2:30am. . . .no really . . .