Sunday, June 20, 2010

I ranked Top 10 out of thousands in Holly Wood auditions



April 25th, 2010 i drove up to Holly Wood, Ca. to audition for a new reality show on BRAVO. The show is called "Hit Makers" (http://www.hitmakerscasting.com/ )and i think it will be the next "American Idol" but for original singer songwriters. The people that are making this show have done shows like , Real Housewives of Atlanta, Shear Genius, Top Chef, etc. They have collaborated with The Writing Camp (http://www.thewritingcamp.net/ ) who have written songs for beyonce, rihanna, pussycat dolls, Sean Kingston and many others. Needless to say these people are at the top of the game and I had the privilege to sing in front of them.

Early Sunday morning I arrived at the Musician Institute on Holly Wood Blvd. and got in line with about 2,000 people. We entered the building in groups of ten and were sent into different auditioning areas with stages. On the main stage (where I sang) was the Big Dogs! about 12 people who could change my life dramatically if they found favor in me. Each person had no more then 30 seconds to prove that they were the diamond in the rough and could become great. Some people were cut off at 10 seconds and some played the whole 30 then asked to sit down. Me and 3 other people were asked to sing a another 30 sec. song (so two songs) then they interviewed us on stage about our goals and where we came from. After they finished with every one we waited in the hall for a judgment. They told some people to go home and wait for a phone call, while they told me to come back the next day? hmm kinda weird.

So I was stoked and I started practicing for the next day. My wife recommended I start preparing for a writing challenge and brush up on my writing skills, after all it was a show about writing music. When we arrived back at the institute there was no line and about 50 people sitting inside. For the next 3 hours I would be standing in line singing, sitting down and singing and pacing back in forth in the stairwell singing. I had one guy come up to me and ask if i could be quiet....I smiled and told him i was in the middle of an audition. Of course people get frustrated with you when you have been singing all day in line. But like i told this girl ,that looked terrified, if you can't sing in front of these people in line then how will you be able to sing in front of those people judging you ? plus when nerves kick in your voice could crack, you can miss a note, mess up on your instrument and just loose the raw energy you need to perform. Its good to stay warmed up and ready to go. We finally got inside and they asked us to sit in each corner of the room and write a song in 30 Min's based on 10 topics they gave us. When complete with the song we would have to perform it in front of the judges. I wrote a song then sang in front of the judges, and I felt they they responded well. They also interviewed me again about my son and reservation. They said to go home and if we didn't receive a phone call by 4pm then thanks for coming out. At 3:30 my phone rang and they asked me to come back to Holly Wood to be filmed, interviewed (at the casting office) and submitted for final review from NBC executives. When we were sitting in the waiting room the casting supervisor walked out and said " Hey whats up Paul I see you brought your son Ash again , good to see you". After all that, they said they had to go to three other cities and if you i don't hear from them by the end of June then try again next year.

Well June is almost over and it has been an emotional roller coaster. What are the odds that this self taught hopeless romantic would find favor with some of the industry's leading songwriters and producers. This business is very intimidating and there are times you feel no bigger then a nickle. But that won't stop me it has not yet and I am ready for the long haul.


It was a great time and it validated my hopes of being a great musician one day. When ever i audition and don't make it or play a show and it doesn't go completely to plan i am reminded of what my professor once said " The opposite of success is not failure, but it is when one gives up or never trys at all"-Sheldon

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