Week 2 Status Report!

Chasing The George

For a second week in a row, I stepped up my awareness in certain areas of my personal and professional lives so that I can be in alignment with my career postulates. With this increased awareness, and by taking a set of actions, I am stepping into the light and power of my postulates. If I see and want these things for my career, then I need to behave and act in accordance with the things that I see and want. For example, one of my postulates is:

I am a household name infiltrating and conquering mainstream Hollywood through my film acting work and by creating TV and Film content that is just beyond the margin of comfortability (Daring and artistically free content that falls within the wheelhouse of HBO, Showtime, Netflix, The Weinstein Company and other powerful indie studio houses)

I see this postulate. I just have to fill in the blanks to get there. Take the actions to get there. So that when I do become a household name, it’s déjà vu because I already saw it X amount of time ago. But in order for me to get closer and closer to achieving this postulate (and other postulates), I need to have an increased awareness of how to live and operate my life in certain areas. For example, I have to be a leader. I have to be in the front. I have to speak my mind. My viewpoint must be unyielding with good-humored inflexibility. I have to ask for what I want from the people on my team, etc. I have to take actions and vibrate at the same frequency level of my postulates.

So I tackled the same list of actions again from my October 16th blog entry. Again, some of these actions are already a part of my everyday routine. A few other actions are a little more challenging and I need to lean into them more. That being said, I had a little more ease with tackling the challenging actions in the second week than I did in the first week. Moving forward, I have to continue tackling these challenging actions until they become a way of life for me, a part of my routine.

So without further delay, here are the list of actions I took again. This is not a final, comprehensive list of all the actions I take for my life and career. This is just a small sampling of my career administration, with a focus on challenging actions I need to step it up in. The asterisk (*) indicates a challenging action.

To sit in the front row. (Yes. In both of my acting classes)

**To speak my mind immediately. (Yes. Better. Improved.)

**To follow my impulses and instincts. (Yes. Better. Improved)

To lead. (Yes. Taught my ass off in the PDP 1.0 and PDP 2.0 classes.)

To dance while in the passenger seat of a car when a good song comes on or when the driver dances. (I did not ride shotgun this time.)

To spice things up. (Yes. Sunday night.)

To dance in the streets. (Yes.)

To make extra money. (Yes. Two times.)

To be myself without apology. (Yes. In terms of the way I laugh, the things I say, the jokes I say, the way I dance.)

**To hold my own space. (Yes. Much better. Improved)

To dance without consideration at the top of acting classes. (Yes.)

To continue administering my acting and writing careers. (Yes! Yes! Yes!)

To engage in conversation with a new person (Yes. I engaged with a customer at the smog check station, with the tech assistant at the smog check station and with two people at a Halloween party.)

To ask various industry people for something I want. (Yes. I reached out to two TV showrunners to be their assistant.)

To excite my agent again with a new piece of administrative evidence that will push my career forward. (Yes. I sent them my commercial headshot template.)

To be submitted on 3-5 TV series and 3-5 feature films. See below:

TV Series: The Fosters, Silicon Valley, Counterpart, Grey’s Anatomy.

Feature Films: Happy Anniversary, Willie and Me.

To impinge! (Yes. I stood by my Halloween costume concept and didn’t yield from it at the Halloween party. Also posted my concept on Facebook. I also impinged when I taught PDP 1.0 and PDP 2.0. I impinged with an audition I did. Etc. Etc. Etc.)

Here’s What Happened!!!

Chasing The George

So last Sunday, October 16th, I made a commitment to tackle a small list of actions that would help and push me into being the living embodiment of my postulates (The blog entry was titled, “This Week, I Commit Myself”: http://wp.me/p8uI5M-1u)

A postulate is something I see for myself and claim. A prediction. A proposition that requires no proof. Being self-evident. You see something, you work towards it and when you achieve it, it becomes déjà vu. A postulate is a way of life. I have to live my postulates and be them. Currently, I do a pretty good job of living and operating within the realm of my postulates, but I know I can step it up even more.

In other words, if I want to achieve certain things in my life and career, then I need to start living them even more so. Behave as such. Behave as if I already have them and achieved them. So I created this small list of actions to start moving faster towards the completion of my postulates. I already execute some of the actions on this list on a daily basis, while other actions on this list need more awareness and attack.

I committed to doing these actions for a week, and man, what an experience. Many of the actions on this list were easy to complete, but a couple gave me a challenge and I found myself flinching from them.

The areas I flinched on (flinch: to back away, to retreat) was speaking my mind immediately and listening to my impulses and instincts. This is the people-pleaser in me. This is the person who wants to run for mayor and be liked. Many years ago, I was running for mayor big time and trying to please everyone. That shit was so fucking exhausting. It was not fucking realistic. Who has time for that shit? As Bianca Del Rio says, “Not today, Satan, not today.” I’m not about that because it makes me weak and puts me at affect. I have come a long way from that person I used to be.

However, there is probably 9% of that people-pleasing aspect still in me. And that 9% held me back from speaking my mind immediately this past week. I spoke my mind in certain situations, but not in others for fear of rocking the boat and disturbing the waters. That 9% also held back my impulses and instincts in a few situations. Again, to avoid getting into “trouble”.

When I flinched, I immediately busted myself and asked, “Why did you flinch on that?” “Why did you back away?” “Why did you look the other way?” “Why didn’t you speak on that?” “What do you think is going to happen?!” Because when I do speak my mind and when I do follow my impulses and instincts, it’s fucking liberating!! So, I kept calling myself out every time I flinched.

It takes a lot of energy to be a star. To be a leader. To see and be seen. To perceive and take responsibility for what you perceive. To just be. To not fidget. To hold your head up. To be the example. But I want to achieve what I see for myself and so I have to work at it.

The more I do this, the more manageable it will be. So, I will repeat the same small list of actions this week–and beyond–so that the challenging actions become second-nature. A way of life. Again, some actions on the list were easy to complete and is a part of my everyday routine, while a couple of actions were challenging.

Below is the list of actions and my status report for each line item:

To sit in the front row (Yes. I sat in the front of my acting classes. I must always sit in the front row or be in the front of a group.)

To speak my mind immediately (Yes on certain topics and no on others.)

To follow my impulses and instincts (Yes on certain things and no on others.)

To lead (Yes on certain things and no on others.)

To dance while in the passenger seat of a car when a good song comes on or when the driver dances (Yes. This pushes me to be the fool. To be present. To loosen up.)

To spice things up (Yes.)

To dance in the streets (Yes. I danced and skipped down the streets of Sherman Oaks. I also danced while holding 5-pound weights inside of Target.)

To make extra money (Yes. I made extra money on three different occasions. The intention is to create a state of affluence and financial abundance. To know that I can always create money for myself.)

To be myself without apology (Yes. In terms of my point of view, in terms of my laugh, in terms of my reactions to things, in terms of how I dress, in terms of the stand up comedy I recently did, to dance how the fuck I want to dance, etc.)

To hold my own space (Yes and no. Yes in terms of allowing myself to hold space at Queen Mary Dark Harbor Nights, holding my space on the trains and buses, at Trader Joe’s on Sunday during peak hours when the Brooklyn in me went in and out with groceries in FIVE minutes. No in terms of fidgeting. No in terms of looking the other way when a few people looked at me throughout the week. No in terms of not speaking my mind immediately.)

To dance without consideration at the top of my acting classes (Yes.)

To continue administering my acting and writing careers (Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!)

To engage in conversation with a new person (Yes.)

To ask various industry people for something I want (Yes, yes, yes! I asked for advice and leads on self-publishing a book.)

To excite my agent again with a new piece of administrative evidence that will push my career forward (Yes. I emailed him my theatrical headshot template.)

To be submitted on 3-5 TV series and 3-5 feature films (I was submitted on several TV series including: Criminal Minds, Speechless, The Real O’Neals, Master of None, Dear White People, etc. I was submitted on 3 feature films: Skin In The Game, Patriarch, Killer Complex.)

So, here we go again for this week! Round two!

This Week, I Commit Myself:

Chasing The George

To sit in the front row.

To speak my mind immediately.

To follow my impulses and instincts.

To lead.

To dance while in the passenger seat of a car when a good song comes on or when the driver dances.

To spice things up.

To dance in the streets.

To make extra money.

To be myself without apology.

To hold my own space.

To dance without consideration at the top of acting classes.

To continue administering my acting and writing careers.

To engage in conversation with a new person.

To ask various industry people for something I want.

To excite my agent again with a new piece of administrative evidence that will push my career forward.

To be submitted on 3-5 TV series and 3-5 feature films.

To impinge!

A postulate is something I see for myself and claim. A prediction. A proposition that requires no proof. Being self-evident. A postulate is what I see. It’s a way of life. I have to live it and be it. I will do these things above to live out my postulates, to be my postulates. Live them now so that when I eventually achieve them, it will be déjà vu.

On Sunday, October 23rd, I will give a full report on the above commitments.

I Sent My Business Plan To My Agent

Chasing The George

As I gear up to shoot a pilot presentation with some fierce artists, I wanted to first share with you all a great and powerful action I took on my journey as an artist. On September 12th, I signed with a new theatrical agent. A week later, I emailed my agent a copy of my DOIN’ (which stands for Declaration of Independence) A DOIN’ is a business plan, a concise road map, for your career. This powerful document is part of the training and development of every artist at the Richard Lawson Studios.

I emailed my DOIN’ to my agent so that he could see what I’m about as a whole, 360 degree artist. This is who and what I’m about. When I pulled up my DOIN’ on my computer, I read my dreams in a new unit of time and was blown away by them. I have some large dreams! And I loved reading through the specific administration plans I created to get closer and closer to achieving my dreams. I was also amazed by how much I had already achieved and I took pride in crossing things off my DOIN’. I was also very happy to see that certain administrative actions were now a routine part of my life.

I also added some new things to my DOIN’ and made a few things more specific–which is totally cool because your DOIN’ is a living document. A business plan evolves and changes as a person/business evolves and changes. Your DOIN’ should be alive, passionate, personal, specific and fluid. You grow and your DOIN’ grows as well.

I emailed my DOIN’ to my agent with such a tremendous sense of pride. My subtext was, “Wait till you get a load of this!” By sending him this document, we are starting off on the right foot. There are no guessing games. This is it. It’s all laid out and transparent.

Within a few days, he responded and said what a great job I did. He was really impressed with my DOIN’!

Onward and forward!

 

Creating The Evidence Equals Power

Chasing The George

Creating the evidence seems to have been the recurring theme this past week! I must have told several people that there is no greater joy than creating your own evidence. Yes, I love having representation in the form of an agent and a manager, but there is something really special and powerful about creating evidence for yourself. Evidence that is a direct extension and expression of who you are.

Several times this past week, I said to various people that when you create your own work, people look at you differently. They pay more attention. They take you more seriously as someone who is really about something. They are more interested. You’re standing face-to-face and toe-to-toe with other industry professionals with quality product that you’ve created. You’re in the arena with other industry professionals.

Two days ago, a film that I executive produced, co-wrote and co-starred in, “Human Revolution”, was submitted to Sundance! How freaking cool is that?! We also submitted to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival! How freaking cool is that?! And we have several other film festivals that we are targeting in the near future. How freaking cool is that?! It’s so exciting to get my work out there!

To be able to send people your evidence, your product, is amazing. Whether it be a short film, a pilot script, a sizzle reel for a film, a demo reel, a feature film script, etc. It’s incredibly empowering, satisfying and rewarding. At the end of the day, this product is yours. No one can ever take that away from you. You can stand firmly behind it with pride and joy.

People take me more seriously when they see how involved I am in the 360 degrees of my career. They see that I’m not just a devastatingly handsome face 🙂

My agent, who I just signed with, was thrilled that I write and create my own work. He believes that actors should create their own work in addition to the hustle that an agency provides when they go through the breakdowns, pitch their clients and negotiate contracts. I can create my own work and empower my representatives on our journey together.

A classmate of mine recently printed up a new script she wrote and held it with beaming pride. That’s what I’m talking about! That script is a direct extension of who she is and what she’s about as an artist.

Two classmates recently screened their pilot presentation and they talked about it afterwards with tremendous pride. Hell yeah!

This week, I’m going to push and shock myself with two powerful actions towards the advancement of the script I have written for James Franco (and for MYSELF!) By pushing and shocking myself, I am staying in alignment with the concept of “Chasing The George”. In this way, we can see the week-to-week progression and construction of my journey as an artist.

Chasing The George

Looking into the future of my bright career, but also staying present and in the moment.

A great past week of wins and achievements. Fuck it: A great 2016 of wins and achievements. I’m grateful to still be in the business and to still love what I do.

I look at this picture and I see a promising future.

I look at this picture and I look better with age. The focus is clear. I am who I am.

I look at this picture and I see a guy who is managing and administering his career with certainty. Administration is part of his DNA. He administers his career with fluidity and efficiency.

This picture looks like it’s part of a Vanity Fair magazine spread…where I’m the cover story for a particular month.

I’m on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine and the headline says, “Why We Love Jorge Ortiz” When you flip to page 170, you see the above picture and right below it, the headline says, “A man in control of his career and destiny.”

Looking into the future of my bright career, I am an actor, writer and showrunner. Look into my eyes and see that…cause I do.

Look into my eyes and see the now of Hollywood. The now of what is also sexy and beautiful.

Look into my eyes and see that I am who I am. I have my voice. I am in my body. I know what I know.

I’m on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. When you flip to page 170, the article begins with, “When I first met Jorge Ortiz for our interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, I immediately noticed how skinny he is. This is Jorge Ortiz?! The powerful artist? My thoughts were interrupted when Jorge hugged me. It was one of the best hugs I have ever experienced in my life. His hug impinged me. Jorge really connected with me in his hug (By the way, his name is pronounced “George”, but I’ll get to that a little later.)

When we sat down, Jorge disarmed me with his charm. Those deep, brown eyes! That brilliant smile. That booming, signature laugh of his. And as soon as we sat down, I quickly saw why this skinny person is one of the most powerful and influential artists on the planet. He is intelligent, grounded, focused, passionate, funny and caring. I speak to him and he listens. He actually listens and is interested in you. When he works, he gets the job done with little fanfare and attention to himself. He’s always about the work and moves it forward like a world-class engine…”

Look into my eyes.

Photo by actor, director and photographer Doug Spearman.

Writer’s Retreat 2016

Chasing The George

I had the honor and privilege of attending a writer’s retreat this past Labor Day weekend. 15 artists were carefully selected to participate in the retreat at the historic Sturtevant Camp in Sierra Madre, CA.

The most exciting and unforgettable part of the weekend was when I saved the entire group from a dangerous bear! I was writing in my journal when I heard screams coming from the dining room hall. I quickly summoned up my inner Brooklyn and charged towards the dining hall. When I entered the dining hall, I saw that a bear had cornered some of the group members. They were terrified and holding onto each other for dear life.

I whistled confidently and the bear turned around. We looked at each other dead in the eye. I was cool as fuck while the bear growled and huffed and puffed. The bear charged towards me and I wrestled him to the ground with my bare hands. I picked him up and body slammed him. I put the Stunner on him, the Codebreaker on him, the Leg Drop, the Elbow Drop, the Tombstone Piledriver, the Perfect Plex, the Go To Sleep, the Figure Four Leg Lock, the Sharpshooter, etc. Hugh Glass has nothing on me! I pinned the bear down onto the floor, the referee quickly came out and yelled out, “1, 2, 3!” The bell went “Ding! Ding! Ding!” and the crowd leapt to their feet in thunderous applause.

The referee came over and handed me the World Heavyweight Championship Title Belt. He raised my arm in victory!!!

Okay, okay, that didn’t happen!

But what DID happen was an incredible experience I will always cherish in my heart. The writer’s retreat was informative, empowering, fun, creative and spiritual at times. Through a loosely-structured program, I learned creative and fun ways to generate pitches and story ideas. I re-discovered classic improv games that I did in the past to free myself as an actor, but now, discovered that I could also use them to free myself as a writer. I also learned some cool business and industry tidbits.

When I accepted the invitation to attend the retreat, I wanted to be clear and intentional as to why I was going. In this way, I could really get the most out of the retreat weekend. My intention was to unplug from everything. Literally. There was no cell phone reception, no WiFi, no electrical outlets anywhere. All you had was your imagination and a heightened awareness of your senses because of the lack of technology. I really had an opportunity to hear things, to see things and smell things. I really had an opportunity to connect with amazing people through one-on-one and group conversations. I really had an opportunity to just be with nature. My intention was to unplug and allow the muse and the universe to speak to me.

On Sunday-after our workshop ended that focused on how to generate story ideas-we all had an opportunity to split off for two hours and just focus on ourselves and what we wanted to do in those two hours. I found a cool rock to sit on, opened my journal and started with the basics of writing, “Once upon a time…” (Thank you Eddie for taking us back to basic and classic storytelling!) I started with that simple sentence and the words began to flow out of me. Eventually, I moved over to a picnic table and continued writing. By the time the two hours were up, I had outlined a new half-hour television pilot! I unplugged and the muse and the universe spoke to me.

The muse and the universe also spoke to me when I wrote a four-page letter to God about who I am as an artist.

The muse and the universe continued speaking to me when I signed up for a late afternoon workshop on building fairy houses! Yes, you heard that correctly! Using leaves, branches, pinecones and any other things you find in the forest, you build your very own fairy house-because even fairies need a home to live in. What a great way to be creative again! To have fun and think outside the box. I built a spa for the fairies and called it the Lindsay Hopper Spa Center For Fairies. With this concept in mind, I was able to construct a spa center for fairies. Everything I used in the construction of the spa meant something. The branches meant something, the leaves meant something, the rocks meant something, etc. It was a great way to exercise another part of my creative mind. And a great opportunity for me to follow my first impression with good-humored inflexibility (Meaning, your first thought is genius. Go with your first impulse and see it to the end. Don’t talk yourself out of it and don’t let anyone else talk you out of it.)

That weekend was magical. I had an experience. And when I got back to LA, I slowly integrated myself back into technology. I didn’t want to rush back into technology. As a matter of fact, one of the first things I did was listen to music and dance.

I really do believe that outflow equals inflow. What you put out there is what you get back. My intention to unplug allowed me to walk away with the outline of a new half-hour television pilot. AND, when I got home, I received two emails from talent agents that wanted to meet with me.

The group had talked about getting together again in a month (at either someone’s house or at a restaurant) to do a follow up on what’s new, to see if we applied any of the lessons we learned from the retreat out into the real world, where we are professionally, etc. I would really love that to happen!

See you next week!

Chasing The George.

Labor Day Weekend Retreat

Chasing The George

Hello everyone! I’m posting my newest blog entry one day early because I will be away at an artistic retreat that I was personally invited to! I will be off the grid this holiday weekend to collaborate and create art with a small and select group of artists.

I’m super excited and can’t wait to share my experiences with you all in the next blog entry!

Have a great and safe holiday weekend!

Chasing The George

14 Years Ago…

On August 26th, 2002, I landed in Los Angeles from Brooklyn. I flew in on a one-way ticket, one suitcase and one CD book. I took a page from Madonna’s book when she arrived in NYC and said to the taxi driver, “Take me to the center of everything.” The taxi driver dropped her off in the middle of Times Square. My taxi driver dropped me off on the corner of Robertson Blvd. & Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.

Los Angeles has shaped me into the person and artist I am today. I found my true voice out here. I found my home here. I became an adult here.

I want to thank the following people, places and things who have contributed to my experiences over the last 14 years:

My friends past and present.

My teachers past and present.

The family past and present that I have created away from my biological family.

The guys who broke my heart, but gave me a gift instead because I channeled it into my work as an artist.

All the female hearts I had to turn down and break 🙂 🙂 🙂

The acting classes I’ve been in past and present.

My agents past and present.

The film, tv and commercial sets I’ve been on past and present.

All the auditions I’ve been on past and present.

All the scripts I’ve written past and present.

The places I’ve lived in past and present (West Hollywood, Hollywood, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Koreatown and now back in East Hollywood)

The breath-taking art work I’ve seen several times at LACMA. 

The trips to the beaches of Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu.

The sunsets.

The Hollywood sign.

Seeing Madonna live three different times (The Drowned World Tour, The Re-Invention Tour & The Confessions Tour) THERE IS NO OTHER!

Experiencing my “crazy 20’s” here and learning valuable lessons.

**********************
I am grateful that I never fell into drugs, depression, insanity or wanting to quit the business.

I am grateful for 14 years of sustained effort in my career!

I am grateful for the creative insanity I do have. That I have an awareness and consciousness of the creative insanity I put out there. All my insanity is filtered through my art. I know exactly what I’m doing.

Happy Anniversary!