Why Chicago: An Interview with Justin Kimball

This is the first of (hopefully) many interviews that I will be doing with artists that have chosen Chicago as the place to build their career. When deciding where I wanted to base my acting career I had a lot of questions. I googled things like "best city to live in as an actor" and "where should I live to work as an actor" etc. Obviously, there were loads of articles and opinions about acting in Los Angeles and New York. I hope that this series of interviews will make the case for acting in Chicago, or at least provide enough information so that you can make an informed choice when deciding where you're going to work. I also wanted to know how people support their acting habit so I'll try to find out what their actor survival jobs are as well.

I've known Justin Kimball since approximately the fifth grade. We didn't live in the same town, but, much like Chicago, the arts community where we're from is pretty small. There's a lot going on if you are willing to drive 45 minutes to get there. I knew when I thought of this series he would be the perfect person to kick this off. So, without further ado, Justin Kimball.

Where are you from?

Benton IL. Southern Illinois. ACTUAL southern Illinois... not like.. by Springfield.

Tell me a little bit about what you do. 

I am mostly an actor/improviser. I do love to write but mostly for sketch and am currently directing/writing/acting for  a few web series. [Right now] I am in Theater Unspeakable's touring production of "Superman 2050" as Superman. We recently had a run at the Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington and are in the Chicago's Children Theater festival til the end of May. I am also currently working on the sketch comedy web series "Some Guys I Know" and dancing for the DLD dance company.

Why did you choose Chicago as the place to build your career?

I have always heard that Chicago is the place to go if you are a little unsure of where exactly you want your career to go. It's a great mix of theater, film and different types of comedy. I wanted to be able to explore what I wanted to do and not just be put into a "film" or  "straight theater" box. A good friend of mine told me when I first moved here "Chicago is the place people go to make art, LA is where you go to make money" and that really stuck with me.  PLUS its wayyyyy cheaper here than in LA or NY. I would probably be three different types of homeless if I lived there.

Do you have an actor survival job?

I have MANY. I teach hip hop/ break dancing at two studios. I also work for a party entertainment company called the "Ice Cream Team." Mostly I dress up like Spiderman or do stand up comedy for little kids. I also do some video editing (film/dance reels) on the side for some extra money. A "normal" job with "normal" hours just wasn't working for all the auditions/rehearsals/classes I had when I moved to Chicago.

What is your best career experience in Chicago?

The Second City Conservatory was probably my favorite part thus far. The people that I met and the experience I gained regarding how to live as an actor/improviser in Chicago really made me feel like I had a chance. I highly recommend that training program for both how much fun it is and the name recognition on your resume. The worst experience.... I have done a few "we will feed you, but won't pay you at all" plays that were very frustrating. A LOT of time put into something that I don't even put on my resume. It was also kind of a good experience though because it taught me that I really need to think about the companies I want to work for and to make sure that they are legit. Places like the "Gorilla Tango Theater" are great for new artists but ANYONE can do shows there and sometimes you can get cast in a horrible Halloween play, asked to [go] topless for no reason, and kill someone by force feeding them poison pudding. Ya know, that old story.

Dream job?

I would LOVE to be a Neo-futurist OR have my own sketch comedy show that I can be in, write, and direct.

Any advice for those considering making their home in Chicago?

Learn the CTA (Chicago transit). It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. 

Chicago seems like a big place but the arts community is surprisingly small. Go out of your way to meet people. I have gotten most of my jobs by just knowing the right people. A professor of mine gave me this advise about Chicago, "It's not about how you were on stage that night, it's about how well you drink at the bar after." 

And now, a game of Chicago favorites:

Theatre Company: The Neo-futurists! If you haven't looked up/already seen "Too much light makes the baby go blind".. what have you been doing?

Neighborhood: I love me some Lincoln Park. So much comedy.

Restaurant: Sushi Thai 3! Its kinda up north but seriously.. best Thai food. Period. No...Exclamation point.

Bar: Beer on Clark. They give out free parties almost every time you go.

Place: The planetarium. Just go there. It's the knees of bees.

Only in Chicago:

I was in an R Kelly music video where we had to ride around on the L for 13 hours while R Kelly serenaded us. I got to hang and swing on the bars! It was like a dream come true. Since then all of my train rides feel empty...

Parting words:

Come to Chicago. Come be funny/dramatic/weird/poor/musical-y with us.

You can email Justin at justinkimball88@gmail.com

Find him on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7qDZ_LkTpYz2Wp53ua9TqA

Agents, Reels, and Other Soundbites from Class

Fantastic. That's how I would describe this evening's class. We had another mock cold read audition with some commercial copy. What was awesome about this evening was the postmortem (that's what my undergrad program called it. Weird right?) discussion.

This evening I learned: which agency I should absolutely not submit to (I'm sorry I can't share it, circle of trust and all); that there is absolutely nothing to be sorry about when you refuse to do something that you're not comfortable with; the relationship with an agent is a partnership he/she is not your boss; and you need to market the hell out of yourself, agent or not.

Also a theme for the evening, and something you've read a few times here, create your own content.

A few more tidbits: you need a website; the reel may be on its way out, clips are on the cusp of being the "it" tool.

Monitor Review

I shot two shorts in the last three days. Both were for a DePaul Grad school directing course.

At one of the shoots Johnny Depp came up. Someone said that he doesn't watch his work. He says that it's not his job.

Perhaps when one has achieved his level of expertise there is no need to review one's work. At my level (film newb), I find playback to be pretty invaluable. However, what I'm not interested in is viewing the monitor in the midst of filming.  Perhaps "interested" is the wrong way to word that. It's absolutely tempting. But, I think you have to trust your director. If I watch and start worrying about whether or not my chin is down or my makeup looks bad I get in my head. 

Am I going to get burned by relying too much on the director? Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see. I'll let you know if it happens.

Thoughts?

Good and Not so Good News for Chicago Television Production

Let's start with the bad news.

If you still watch Supernatural (absolutely obsessed with it in college), you probably saw the episode that took place in Chicago. It was actually shot here which is fantastic. The episode was to serve as a backdoor pilot to the Supernatural spin-off Bloodlines (formerly Tribes). I watched it, and what I remember thinking is: "Why are Sam and Dean not in this more?" I really, really don't think they should have treated the pilot this way. If you're going to start a new series, commit. It wasn't fair to the idea or the cast/crew to smoosh it in a series that viewers tune in to for two specific characters. But, nobody consulted me, and the series is dying an early death. I don't know if it was going to be shot in Chicago, or if they were going to replace the city with Canada, but I must admit I was totally dreaming hard core. I loved Supernatural. It would have been awesome to know that its underdog cousin was filming here. 

The good news: The Lee Daniels written and directed Empire is filming its pilot in the city. The empire of the title is of the hip-hop variety. The cast is impressive: Terrence Howard, Gabourey Sidibe and Taraji P. Henson. However, it's set in New York City. I hope this doesn't mean that there will be a location change if it's picked up.

Wannabe Super Villain or My First On Camera Acting Course

By K Whiteford

I've not done a lot of film work. Fifty percent of that work happened around three weeks ago. I'm gearing up, however, for a rather hectic schedule over the next month. I've been cast in three short film projects that all start shooting this month. I'm pretty excited. Baby steps and all.

Tonight I started my first On Camera course. I've taken a seminar before, but nothing as in depth as this class. The first meeting was interesting. It's a mix between the business of acting in Chicago, and working on audition technique for film. This evening we did an interview style audition, something that would happen if the spot (commercial) called for someone to merely be reading a book or sleeping on a couch, for example, rather than having a copy (script) with lines.

My question was what super power I would have if I could have anything, except flight "because everyone picks that." Well, I was going to say flight, obviously. I chose invisibility instead and launched into an explanation of how I would use this power to become a super villain cat burglar.

"So you would use your power for evil?" The instructor asked.

"Right, evil," I replied.

Evidently I also require henchmen to carry out the "fine" art I steal and a driver who drives an invisible BUT cream colored Bentley for me. I'm not really sure what this says about me, other than my adoration of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer 4eva) has carried on into my adulthood.

Anyway, we watched the playback of our interviews with one question to answer, "Were you genuine?" 

Yep, I think, that's me, making weird faces and plotting world domination. 

Playback was invaluable. I now know: I need to keep my chin down, that was not a great angle for me; I will never, ever, wear that outfit again on camera; though hair my looked fine in the mirror, it did absolutely nothing for me on screen.

So, how am I going to use the next seven weeks? Learning to audition and auditioning different hair styles and outfits. I hadn't thought to do this, but what a great way to determine what translates well to the monitor and what doesn't. Live, learn, and fix it.

P.S. 

On my way from class I got lost on my way back to the bus, which runs along Michigan Ave. How? Well, let me tell you. Where I was at, you had to go up some HIDDEN stairs to get back to the street. Absolutely baffling. I figured I just needed to head in the direction of the lake. False, silly country mouse. City engineers, how do you do it?