The courage to be different: Midnight Club

It isn't easy creating something that hasn't been done before. Saman Keshavarz doesn't seem to have that problem. Currently receiving one award after the other he worked his way up to the top before even graduating: Young director award at Cannes, student Clio for "Trigger Happy", Best music video "Luv deluxe" at SXSW, an Emmy award for his latest commercial... the list goes on and on.

The funny thing is: The guy is 24 years old and seems almost introverted not to say innocent. The only way to really experience his constant creative mind is working with him. And let me tell you- I have not met many students that have the potential of an entire creative department. The recipe? Work. Hard. Be brAvE:

I met Saman last spring during his auditions for the music video trilogy "Midnight Club" (by British artist Russ Chimes) and booked the role of Faye, the evil gang leader of the group. Portraying this manipulative lady I usually had no idea what the next scene will be about, what I'd do or how everything will play out at the end. Which I gotta say, was a very new yet intriguing way of working for me. We discovered the spark of the moment, improvised and trusted Saman. We pretty much went through the entire spectrum of  actor skills without a net- a true thrill!

The result is an intense mix of film noir, Pulp Fiction and Hitchcock's suspense that takes your breath away. The performers were mostly fellow students (impressive!) and a few actors who followed Saman's extensive, spontaneous and strong lead. See all three parts here:

Part 1: NEVER LOOK BACK

Part 2: TERTRE ROUGE

Part 3: TARGA

Be a strong artist. Be different. Be brave!

The miracle of booking a JOB

The TOSHIBA campaign



Today I'd like to talk about an actor's strong belief of booking a job- if only once in a blue moon or just before he gets thrown out of the apartment! Why belief you’re asking? Well…

...because it’s the only thing that enables us to walk the entertainment walk when the part we auditioned for was filled with a reality show star that “doesn’t really have any aspiration for acting” while we’re working our third shift in the fifth part-time job.

That being said you can imagine my surprise when I recently booked something simply by submitting myself! Let down by one too many auditions and submissions to endless mini jobs, I suddenly booked a 'Toshiba laptops'- campaign that I didn’t even have to audition for!

Huh? Granted, there might’ve been a lack of actual users of the brand (what they were looking for) and a niche for me (owning one!), but the booking actually knocked me off my feet.

It made me realize how we often run after things in an attempt to force them into our life but only truly get what we really believe in. I like belief… especially when it attracts miracles in time of my biggest despair.

Merry Christmas & Belief to all of you!!
HollywoodNista

German christmas traditions



My husband and me @Christmas



 The more I travel, the more I realize how much I value certain traditions that seem to validate and appreciate a certain season or culture. It doesn't make a difference if you're from Berlin, Havana, London, Los Angeles or a tiny village in Timbuktu- we are all human and want to belong. The fun thing is discovering how different habits, upbringings and even our means affect us.

Living in Los Angeles for a while now, I must admit I begin to miss certain cultural things I grew up with and took for granted my entire life. German traditions that is. Walking into a Berlin apartment during christmas season just reminded me of that: Beautifully decorated with soft filt stars, tasteful christmas lights and, most importantly, our typical advent wreathe, the room instantly spread a lot of warmth and started to calm me down in a magical way!

For those who have never heard or even seen such a thing as a "advent wreathe": It's a twig with four big red candles on it- lit one after the other on the four sundays before christmas eve. A cute and widely performed tradition in my country. Almost as popular as our advent calendar (a board with little numbered doors that are opened between the 1st and 24th of december to enjoy the little candy behind it)- both unheard of traditions to any other country, but filling our german hearts with warmth year after year!

Did anybody realize how funny traditions actually are? Humans that grew up with it love & maintain them, people that never experienced them don't miss anything because they wouldn't know what. Well, I guess I'm used to them! I find that our German ways add a cozy, warm and appreciative touch to things I want to remind myself of next year. Feel free to ask for more inspiration! I'll do my best to make a list.

German advent wreathe

Going for dinner and a queer cabaret in berlin now...- another thing you just have to do.

Your HollywoodNista