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it's a small world


In last week’s video blog post, I said that I’d be writing about choosing your own family on Monday, which you can read here, and that I’d write about my experience on the show "Adam Ruins Everything" for today.

Last Wednesday, after a fun 4th of July, I worked on set of the show “Adam Ruins Everything.” It was a great experience and a really fun crew. I feel as though I’ve really lucked out because I’ve had the good fortune of working on a lot of sets with really kind crews. I don’t have a ton of Hollywood horror stories; I only really have positive experiences! Yes, I’m a positive-minded, half-glass-full kind of person, but I really have lucked out.

Have you ever ridden the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World or Disneyland? It was one of my mom’s favorite rides, and as yesterday was her birthday, I figured it’s only fitting to have it be the theme of today’s post.

It really is a small world. In the last week, especially, I’ve had a lot of those small world type of things happen. When I was on set of "Adam Ruins Everything," one of the guest stars of the day was Neil Casey, an actor and improviser I really admire. When I worked Saturday nights at UCB Franklin, I would often catch him performing in a two-man show with Zach Woods, rightfully named ‘Casey & Woods.’ It was incredible to see the two of them create their entire world from nothing on the stage, so to be able to see him work and bring that same level of commitment to a working set is an experience I’ll remember for a long time to come.

Neil Casey, interestingly enough, is also a member of the improv team ‘The Smokes’ with one of my teachers - Billy Merritt. Billy actually invited my team - The Camp Hickory Players - to perform tonight as part of The Very Important Improvised One Act Play Festival (if you’re in the LA area, you can get tickets here - $5 or free with UCB student ID)! It’s funny to me that my Mom’s always been right - it really is a small world where people’s paths continually cross. It's like that game - 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon!

Another small world coincidence that happened to me the other morning was at my gym. Again, working Saturday nights at UCB Franklin afforded me some incredible opportunities to see some really great improv. Another improviser I really admire, who performed often during ASSSSCAT, is Ben Schwartz. I would see him perform fairly regularly and actually worked on set of a Netflix movie he’s in called “Happy Anniversary,” so it was funny to me to see another great improviser I recognized in such a normal, everyday life setting.

On Sunday, as well, I got to reconnect with my friend Karin for a photoshoot. Perhaps one of the funniest ‘small world’ situations occurred while recording Underpaints Club with her! In case you didn’t get a chance to watch, we realized about halfway through our stream that the director of Quake Heroes (the film in which I was the female lead) was actually one of her best friends.

People often joke about how small a world it is (especially in the entertainment industry), but as I reflect back on the last week, including a show I did at iO West that was hosted by my neighbor and by a friend I met on set of Netflix’s “Flaked,” getting to work with Neil Casey, bumping into Ben Schwartz at the gym, and sitting next to a former coworker from CBS Philadelphia on the plane ride back to LA, I see how true it is and how small the world becomes.

Have you had any situations like the ones I mentioned above? If so I’d love to hear about them! I love that the world can feel that small sometimes, especially when the world is actually anything but. It’s been incredible to see things working and moving in the right direction for my career, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Thank you so much for reading, and, as always, if you have any pressing questions or if you want to discuss something further with me, feel free to subscribe below or reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m so grateful you're here and that I’ve been getting a lot of really challenging questions and even better feedback from a community all over the world. I couldn’t do this without you! So THANK YOU! I’m here for you, and I love hearing from you, too! You’re the best, and you have everything you need inside of you! Please believe it! Starve your ego, feed your soul - and follow your heart!

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