NOMINATE YOURSELF, ANOTHER PERSON OR A BUSINESS TO APPEAR ON THE I LOVE KELOWNA PODCAST
NOMINATE YOURSELF, ANOTHER PERSON OR A BUSINESS TO APPEAR ON THE I LOVE KELOWNA PODCAST
Yeah, that realm is hard to find.
Speaker 1:All right, so I'm sitting here today Uh, it's July 7th 2023. This is going to be episode 240. Okay, i love going to podcasts. It's been a long time, wow, and I'm sitting here with Mark Tompkins, who was here back in late 2018. We published an episode February 5th 2019. That was episode 62. Mark Tompkins welcome back, crazy Thanks.
Speaker 2:Uh, thanks for having me back And yeah, we got a lot to talk about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we sure do, And uh, it's great to see you and you were very persistent And I've been procrastinating and trying to get the show relaunched And, uh, you were persistent. So here we are And I thank you for that.
Speaker 2:Well, if anybody knows me, they know I like, uh like, to be out there and doing whatever I can. So a podcast is perfect for me, right?
Speaker 1:And you're one of the rare guests that we've had that was actually born and raised in Kelowna. Probably 90, 95% of the people I talked to, uh, either lived somewhere else or were born and raised somewhere else and moved to Kelowna later.
Speaker 2:Yep So born in KGH right.
Speaker 1:Now you are an actor. Yes, today You were doing something different a few years ago when we spoke, and I want to talk a little bit about your childhood in Kelowna. Is there anything there that kind of led you to this point now, becoming an actor? So tell us a bit about what it was like growing up in Kelowna.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, it's kind of funny. you asked that because I I didn't think I would have told until right now, but my parents, even my grandparents, always had a video camera. So I grew up with video cameras and you know, i I growing up in Kelowna we're up in East Kelowna by the, in the orchards there and picking apples and cherries and all the fun stuff. But yeah, we got, i always had a, a camera around. So, without me knowing it, you know, 40, 40, some years later now, now I'm on, now I'm doing movies and commercials and stuff. So right.
Speaker 2:Uh, yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty cool. So you know, my parents and grandparents laid the groundwork, obviously.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And then, yeah, so it's, uh, it's a pretty cool journey, so among your family.
Speaker 1:if the parents, grandparents, would bring out the video camera, were you always jumping in front of the other kids and you're trying to be the start of the show?
Speaker 2:Uh, both doing the camera work and being the star of the show or having parties and just being the guy cleaning up, yeah Right. So if you watch my parties back in the day, i've got video. I used to have my video camera everywhere and all my friends and they'd be party and I'd be cleaning the house up. So right.
Speaker 1:So you would narrate your clean up operation.
Speaker 2:They would just catch me cleaning up.
Speaker 1:Oh, I see.
Speaker 2:People would take the camera like you'd have 10 different camera guys throughout the night. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crazy. So, um, tell us a little bit about the journey. So you were doing, um, tell us what you were doing in 2019, 2018, when we last spoke, yeah, So I was, uh, i still am owner of Buzz marketing, but I'm I'm uh, stepping away, uh.
Speaker 2:so this will probably be the first time. it'll it'll be, but I haven't been. I haven't been in the business for about a year now. So when I met my fiance, sequoia Wiseman, um, about a year and a half ago, we both kind of sat down and said, hey, what you know, what do we want to do with their lives? And we, we both, actually, by chance, had the same, um, uh, the same agent, and and then we decided to, hey, let's, we both want to act and maybe do some producing. And since, you know, it took about two weeks, and all of a sudden, when we actually decided to do it, we, you know, we ended up shooting a movie together almost right away, and, and she's had multiple roles and she's shooting for the stars and I'm doing some some acting and producing. It was as well. So, yeah, it just kind of started working out and put it out into the stars and it happened, right.
Speaker 1:So um, what's like, how do you find a role? Do you just like look in a classifieds, or how did you?
Speaker 2:get your first day. So our agent, Shana Whitney from VA entertainment, uh, she finds us all our gigs essentially. So she send us, sends us the auditions and since COVID happened, it's been a lot easier for um, for actors to to actually get roles, because traditionally you would, a lot of the times you would have to actually go in and and do live auditions. But now, um, you just set up the right equipment in your house, So we've got a little studio in our house and you can do auditions and you send them in. So it's, it's easier. You don't have to travel as much and then, and yeah, so, um, it's, it's much better, I think now, um, I think it might go back to the older, older school ways, but I'll take advantage of it. Well, it's here.
Speaker 1:That's um interesting. You say that about COVID because I find, uh, the technology is great. We can do interviews remotely. When I started doing interviews remotely in early 2020 with the COVID thing, the sound quality was terrible. So, you notice, sometimes on a zoom call it'll sound like the person is in a closet or it'll glitch out. And now the software is so advanced Like I could talk to someone in Australia and it sounds like they're sitting right next to me, like we are now. But at the same time I find, uh, once the lockdowns and everything over people really craving to have that human connection again. So hopefully it's the best of both worlds We can use the tech but also get together. Um, so how does an audition happen? Do you go into a local studio?
Speaker 2:and stand in front of a camera. No, we just do it right in our own, our own houses. So so, yeah, we, uh, they give us a small script and and like the outline of what, what they want, yeah, and then we just record in our house, edit it a little bit, but it's pretty straightforward. You just have to know how to act right, Which is the hard part.
Speaker 1:I think you use iPhone and a tripod or just use your phone and and send it in through that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you want a pretty good setup and you can put some mics on it and, uh, you know you need a good background And um, so there's, there's some technicalities to it, but uh, but yeah, it's pretty straightforward. If I can figure it out, almost anybody can.
Speaker 1:Right. Are you a perfectionist Like will you do an audition 30, 40, 50 times before you're ready to send it? Or is it just like one shot and you know No?
Speaker 2:no, it depends on what it is Right. I'm not not a perfectionist that way, because if you, in my opinion, it's like just do it, and you know you can do it a couple of times, as long as the lines are right.
Speaker 2:And you feel good about your reactions, that the learning the lines you always have to do. That It's the. It's like how you react to the other actor, or even pretending to act. You know when, when, when you've got a script there, you've got to react to the other person even though they're not there. So that's that's a big part of how the the choosing is happening is is how you act. Besides the, the actual words, right, racial expressions and movements and things like that.
Speaker 1:So you have a script, do you just pause when it's the other actors, supposedly.
Speaker 2:You can do it a few different ways. So you can you can just do your lines, or you can have another actor on the side that's that's doing the other lines with you, or you can record yourself with timing And so you can use yourself as the other actor, so you can essentially do it yourself, which works That's. It's a little bit harder that way, but it's easier when you have somebody there with you.
Speaker 1:Right, and what do you prefer to do?
Speaker 2:I prefer doing it by myself, because I don't like people looking at me when I'm doing it. For some reason I don't mind being on camera, but it's when it comes down to like actually filming with the lines, because I'm very good at ad-libbing and like just going off the cuff. But when it comes to acting, the lines is a second layer of, i have to say it, the specific way, so it takes me a little bit longer. Yeah, so Koi is really good. She can learn lines so quickly And then her facial expressions and how she acts is amazing. So right, i learned a lot of her.
Speaker 1:Cool Are the two of you auditioning for the same parts, or sometimes Different parts.
Speaker 2:Sometimes the same movie, like we've auditioned for a few of the same ones. And then there's some independent films, like we're going to be shooting an independent film together later this year And then another one as well. We're in which two different roles in the movie. So that's. We're doing one with Kim Coates from Sons of Anarchy and Lachlan Monroe, so a few other ones, so that's shooting later this year or next year.
Speaker 1:Right, so you do the auditions here at home in Kelowna. And then what happens? if you get chosen for a part, you have to travel.
Speaker 2:We haven't really had to yet, but Sequoia has gone to a few different places in the Okanagan, but yeah there's, she was very close to getting rolling LA and and Vancouver. But Kelowna is exploding in the in the the movie industry And there's a ton of movies here And there's a lot of infrastructure being being done. So a lot of the stuff we're doing is just here in Kelowna, which is awesome.
Speaker 1:That's incredible. Kelowna is exploding, So your agent will try to pick things that are local. I guess I just know it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:It's, yeah, locals easier to get because they want a lot of the roles. they want you to be local, so they don't have to pay for, you know, hotels and travel and stuff which they don't like to do unless you're, you know, a huge actor. So that's down the road.
Speaker 1:Right, it's happening. Why do you think that is that Kelowna is expanding so much for?
Speaker 2:Well, from like, from Sequoia is because she was in it before me a little bit before when COVID hit. I hate saying COVID all the time, but anyways it's. Kelowna is the first place to really open up, so a lot of the movies came here And then, once they came here, they saw it the first. we have mountains, we have big white, we've got lake. you can literally be in Hawaii or in Michigan right.
Speaker 2:And be in the same location. So you know, sequoia just shot a movie where she, in the same day, she was in winter clothes and in summer clothes. So right, so you can pretty much do anything anywhere in Kelowna.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's beautiful, it's scenic, And I lived in Los Angeles briefly and I've lived in Vancouver and trying to get from one side of the city to the other is like it's very time consuming. Yeah, i heard it's great.
Speaker 2:I lived in Vancouver and I was like no way. That's why I like Kelowna in 20 minutes you can pretty much be anywhere, and if you. You know people complain about the traffic here. It's not a real thing, Right.
Speaker 1:Sorry to all those people that complained.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:No, it's not real. And you know people come here and they say, well, which side if they're retiring in Kelowna? and they say, well, should I check out West Kelowna or Kelowna? And I said it depends. If you need to be somewhere at eight to nine am, yeah Right, if you like going at vineyards and golfing, and occasionally you want to come downtown for dinner. West Kelowna is amazing, it's incredible. But if you have to work downtown, you got to be on that bridge every morning at eight. You probably want something on this side. But other than a couple of little issues like that, the traffic is not. I grew up in Toronto and I mean it's. It's a little weird when people complain about the traffic here, Yeah, yeah. So so tell us, you got some roles already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and tell us what that experience was like like did you jump out of your chair when you saw that you got accepted and Well, we, we.
Speaker 2:that was our. actually one of our first auditions was Sequoia and Ice. We actually went into the audition together And we were it was kind of a weird situation because that usually doesn't happen, apparently And so we went into the audition and it was for a gangster movie. So I was playing a gangster and I can't remember what her role was. She'll probably tell me But it. but when we auditioned they actually called us and they're like we don't like you for the roles, but we're going to write you into the movie.
Speaker 2:So they actually put a role for us, so they made us influencers, so I was her cameraman essentially, and so that's how we got into the movie. So it was really cool to do one of our first ones together.
Speaker 1:Very cool Was that filmed here?
Speaker 2:In Vernon.
Speaker 1:In Vernon. Yeah, okay, and did you drive to Vernon each day? Like how long It was just a one day shoot, one day shoot.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So just sort of like an extra or.
Speaker 2:No, no, we had roles in there, So so she was a reporter, so she had like a speaking role, and then there was a kind of a kerfuffle with one of the gangsters and he pushed, he pushes her out of the way and we're swearing and stuff. So yeah, can't, kind of can't wait till it comes out. It's gonna be cool.
Speaker 1:Can you tell us about this movie Like what is it coming out?
Speaker 2:I'm not sure. It's an independent film and it's local, so it should be. I think they're still filming some part, so I would assume next year sometime it'll come out. Yeah, i don't have too too much information that I don't want to say. The movie industry is really like fickle. They don't like you talking too much about it. Right. So before it comes out, right, I don't like you to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I think it probably diluting the promotional activities that they're going to do, and you know they have a launch procedure and all that 100%. Yeah. So do you tell your agents I only want certain roles or send me anything that's within this range, or does she just send you stuff and say, yeah, that looks good or no?
Speaker 2:You have a profile and then they look through it and they look for certain things and like skills and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's, it's, the agent has the job of finding the roles for you. I'll take pretty much anything Right. I actually almost got a part where I was gonna have to be completely naked And so like I got it and then I guess he was in Vancouver so I was gonna have to travel, and I think they cast somebody else after the fact. So I was like, okay, well, that was a bit of relief.
Speaker 1:Right, i know some famous actors have said that once they got stereotyped in a certain role it was difficult to transition. But some have pulled it off, like Schwarzenegger with the Terminator and Conan before that and then. But he was able to transition into comedy and people said that was impossible because he had a happy accent and you know he's going to play a robot or some you know tough guy. But to be in actual comedy is would be impossible.
Speaker 1:But everything they told him was impossible, he was able to do but I know some doctors have said they don't want to be stereotyped. But the thing is you don't want to turn down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, i won't speak for sequoia, but I'll take whatever it's. I just I just enjoy it. It's, it's like one of my passions and that's why I got into it. But then, you know, also after I got into the acting, because I had kind of stepped away from buzz for a little while and I kind of miss the business world. So that's why I went. You know, i met with Jason Netherton from IWG corporate services and I've been working with them for a while and and I I missed the networking meeting, you know, face-to-face with, with gentlemen like yourselves and business, business owners. And so there was an opportunity for me in sequoia and we We took the opportunity to, because I I had to get back in the business world, and so we became VP of sales for IWG corporate services. So we're, we're doing both like our. Our Agendas are more than full, so right, but we're we're loving every minute of it.
Speaker 1:Tell us a bit about IWG. What, what is it? What do?
Speaker 2:you do there. So it's corporate services and what we do is everything from bookkeeping and accounting all the way to merger acquisitions. So we've got a staff about 20. We hire all local people, so all of our staff are are here in Kelowna and You know we've got paralegals, we've got bookkeepers, we've got accountants and everything else on the Sun HR, hr managers And we help local businesses, everything from a brand new business that needs incorporations all the way to, you know, big business that just needs help.
Speaker 2:You know there's a lot of businesses in Kelowna where they they start off making, you know, a couple hundred thousand dollars a year and then two or three years later They're making millions and they, they they're overwhelmed and they're overworked and they, you know, they're wearing 40 hats and they just don't know who to turn to. So they come to us And we, we help them, you know just, you know a give them relief, like I love when they come first meeting with us and they're like I feel like I have People to help us now instead of just being alone as business owners, right, so it's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Do you do Consulting as well, like if someone needs to get organized, gets better software things like yeah 100%, yeah.
Speaker 2:So so what we do is we do an organizational health assessment.
Speaker 2:It's it's 600 bucks. It's the best six hundred dollars It'll ever spend as a business. Mm-hmm, i've got hugs after them that they're just so happy because they learn about their business and then from that We figure out what they need and and and how we can help them. So we, you know there's everything from implementing a CRM to help them manage their customers and also just giving them a business plan and and a business, like You know, two to five year plan of what they should do, and then we have the staff to actually help them. So a lot of consultants will come in and go, hey, do about do all this stuff, and they're like We're already doing everything, like we can't do anymore, right? so so we come in and we take some of that work workload off of them, take some of the stuff they don't like doing and and get them happy with the business again. So you know, giving them a little more time, making them more money and and just being happy being a business owner and not being overwhelmed right on.
Speaker 1:So How does this overlap with the acting? so is the acting taking up a lot of your time? or you just wait for an audition, send it in and then see what out. See what out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of all over. The place of Jason is like is great, he used to be an actor and so he knows the business pretty well And and so he gives a lot of flexibility and and so we're able to to work around our schedules And we're, we're both in sales, so sales, you're, you're working all the time anyway. So right, you know, we're, you know it's not an, it's not a usual nine to five. You know, sometimes you get up early if you're selling out east, and then sometimes you're at a networking event till 11 at night. So right, so we're with both, with both roles, work It, they. They kind of fit hand-in-hand and they work really really well together. Nice.
Speaker 1:And when it comes to acting, is there practice that you do or anything that you do? Um, you know, i've often said look, the difference between a professional ball player in a hobby league or a beer league ball player is they're practicing all the time. Yes, And they make it look like magic when they get on the field, but they're practicing all the time.
Speaker 2:Yes, 100%. So, um, you know, the biggest thing you can do is take classes with professional actors. So, uh, carly Fawcett is one of them, uh, chad Rook, uh, so me and Sequoia have taken both of their classes and got some real good gold out of them. Like I, you know, from from a year ago to now, after taking classes and and learning the industry, i believe I'm I'm a lot better actor than I was before. I thought I thought it was decent, kind of decent, but I think I'm a lot better now and and Sequoia is like she's doing amazing, and just just to watch her just grow and get better and better, it's amazing, wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:Is it um like, what kind of stuff do they teach you as a body language or you know?
Speaker 2:body language, like learning how to prep for the audition, even the technicalities of the addition, your background, like just small little things that can make a big impact. Um, one, one of the biggest things from Chad Rook that I got, uh was, you know, when you watch him in his auditions it's, yes, he, he puts out the um, uh, the script really well. But if you watch him outside the script, his reactions and his eye movements and and what he does with his body and like just little, little fidgety things he's just brilliant, wow.
Speaker 2:So it's really cool to see, and now when I watch a movie, i I half watch in the movie and then half watching the actors and what they're doing. So it's it's really cool to to see and he's exploding right now. He's on a couple of shows Joe Pickett, um, and Billy the Kid, and he's doing a whole bunch of other things too. So, so, and he's actually come in here on. Monday. So we're we're meeting up with dinner with him and his wife, so very nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Where is that course that he does?
Speaker 2:And uh, it's on his, it's on his page. Chad Rook uh, sequelae, i know, but we'll put it, we'll, i'll give it to you so you can go There's. there's one coming up in the end of July, i see. But if you're an actor and you want to like, he is amazing at teaching. So, we did a two, a two day uh it was about I think it was a two day course five hours in each one, That was awesome.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, yeah Like like our.
Speaker 2:Our skills are nine day after after we took his course.
Speaker 1:Incredible. I've uh heard some people say that, um, even if you're in sales or in public speaking, taking uh an intensive acting class is really good Or an improv class can help you with your sales presentations and uh your public speaking. Well, i didn't need that, though, Cause I was such a good sales Right, cause you didn't need it.
Speaker 2:I'm I'm still learning in sales and and, yeah, acting does help And there's there's some there's some things as like self-awareness of when you're, of when you're talking, and I think, even through the acting, i've learned to listen a lot more And I think my sales has gotten better, because you really, if you're good at sales, in my opinion you don't really need to talk much, right, because the business owner will typically tell you what they need, um and and because because with IWG corporate services, we we offer so many different services that typically, if you talk to a business owner and let them talk for 20 minutes, we're going to fill three or four different holes for them, right, uh, pretty quickly.
Speaker 1:Makes sense. Yeah, i try to do real estate the same way. I'm not, uh, really a cold collar or anything like that, more of a consultant and advisor and and meet with 250 people doing podcasts Right Networker. I think it's helped me a great deal to just kind of listen. The first one I did I was so nervous, but um, people have said, you know I ask good questions and I help them open up and that's really the key, i think, to sales or anything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just being a good listener and understanding what's important to the other person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly So let's talk about you first, i'm sure. Yeah, how's real estate going?
Speaker 1:Real estate is going good. So, um it this year is quite good, i would say above average. Um, the biggest challenge for me with, uh, with real estate, has always been you know the ups and downs.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I don't like to bug people, i don't like to call people and say you know whatever. You would say you know because, uh, i'm just available. So if someone says, hey, sunday afternoon could you show me a house, and I say yeah, and sometimes I'll say, you know, thank you for coming out on a Sunday. Yeah, and I'm like I love looking at beautiful homes, like I'll work seven days a week, day and night, it doesn't matter. And, um, in the meantime I try to stay knowledgeable and know what's going on in the market and, uh, I'll look at homes even if I don't have anybody who wants to go with me and look at home. So that's dedication, right there, Right?
Speaker 2:So that's the first time I've heard that And I deal, uh, you know, with buzz marketing. I used to deal with a lot of real estate agents, So uh, so I found that helped to smooth out, cause I I would tend to.
Speaker 1:if it was slow and the phone didn't ring, i would tend to get depressed, you know, and say, well, maybe I'm in the wrong career or whatever, and uh.
Speaker 2:Then all of a sudden $3 million home Right.
Speaker 1:Well, in uh, 2013, 2014,. Um, it was really slow for me And it was just, like you know, paycheck to paycheck. So I was watching a real estate coach on YouTube and he said go preview the homes that you want to sell. So I just started doing that And I noticed that I felt really good like just looking at houses, right, and then when someone would walk into my office or call me and say, Hey, it's only this house three years ago, what's going on with the downtown condo market, and I could tell them, instead of saying give me an hour, let me go online and check, right, i would say, oh, i saw this one and it's sold in five days. And here's what happened. Not to give a big speech, but I knew I felt confident that I knew what I was talking about, that I could help this person.
Speaker 2:It's a really good strategy actually for for some of the new realtors out there. I know it's a tough market. I think there's. the last I heard the other day was there's over 2000 in the Okanagan. Yeah, and I the lot before that, i heard 1300. So I'm like wow, it has exploded.
Speaker 1:Well, we had some mergers, So uh we've. Our territory now goes from like cam loops up to shoes, swap down to the US border like past the soil use, and then the entire Kootenai region.
Speaker 1:Okay, So, we've we've merged like three or four real estate boards, so, yeah, it's over 2000. But, um, i would say 90% of my business is repeat business or referral business. Yep, so it's really tough for a new agent And I would recommend this is what I did previewing homes, become knowledgeable and being useful. Try to tag along with, uh, with someone who's more experienced. Yeah, Um, i did really great, just being like a bench former.
Speaker 1:Or someone would say listen, i've got a real tour. He's great. But, um, could you give me some information? or could you show me a couple of homes, cause he's out of town now? you might think, well, this person's never going to do a deal with me, so what would I waste an hour of my life? But so many times something happened where they said my realtor had to move to Alberta for family reasons and you were so helpful to me and I want to use you. Or my realtor did something and pissed me off And he said something to my girlfriend and I just don't want to see him anymore. Or he's away for three weeks. He's up at Big White, he's not answering any calls and it's December 23rd and I really want to see this place Right And I would show it to him and I would sell it to him.
Speaker 2:All you young real estate agents out there, talk to Luke, he'll give you the goods. It's not easy, and I see real estate agents coming up. I almost became one myself. I think, yeah, that's some really good. Advice is go out and get knowledgeable, don't just sit there because the leads don't come in. You got to hustle for those leads. You got to be visible. You got to be online everywhere. So you got to put in the work. It's not just going to come to you or find a mentor or a team that you can be a part of and learn from them.
Speaker 2:Like if I had a choice and was to become a realtor right now, i think I would probably join a team, a successful team, learn from the best and then maybe go out of my own or just keep going on with the team, but I think that's the best way to go in my opinion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the best way to learn from a mentor is I always said why can't I find a mentor Like I want a mentor, and I realized it was just being helpful. So if someone said, oh man, i got to catch this flight and I got to deliver these keys, or I got to do something, or I promised my client I would do an open house. But you know, the wife wants to go to Vegas this weekend and there's a great show and we want to go see it. And I would say I'll do the open house for you, right, smart And just being helpful. And in the future they would say, hey, look, i'm going to be traveling. Do you want to call this this house with me? Go talk to the client, put the sign up, do the lockbox, take the measurements. And I would say, yeah, because they knew I was reliable and I would do a good job, so, and then they would teach me exactly what to do, Yeah, Right, it's your success.
Speaker 2:Now Right, how long you've been in the business for.
Speaker 1:So 10 and a half years in Kelowna, but I was a property manager before that. I lived in the Cayman Islands. I lived in Florida, grew up in Toronto.
Speaker 2:Sounds like you need to be on my podcast, so we're going to talk about your podcast. Do you have a podcast? No, but I'm going to. Probably, i feel like I should have one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i think everybody should really, almost everybody.
Speaker 2:You've actually inspired me, like I like doing this type of thing, and why not make content out of it? Exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, conversations are. You know, it's the foundation of all business Really having a conversation So very cool. So a little bit more about acting. Is there anything you wouldn't do? Like can you imagine getting a script and saying you know what, i'm not going to do that one?
Speaker 2:I don't think so, because it, when I won't, the one role were had to be naked. I'm like you know what, if I can't, if I can't do those those crazy things on camera, how do I expect to be doing the regular thing? So, I think off the top of my head, i don't think so. Maybe something down the road, but like I, honestly, i'm open, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Now, now I'm going to get a bunch of calls after.
Speaker 1:Hey, I got a role for you Right. Hey, whatever works, no-transcript. Yeah. Yeah, i haven't really thought about it. I mean, i think probably, like most people, at some point had the fantasy of being an actor or a musician, but I never really, you know, seriously contemplated it. Yeah, was there something in the last few years that made you say, hey, 40 years old or close to it? I'm not sure?
Speaker 2:Hey, Luke, you weren't supposed to say age.
Speaker 1:Okay, just joking. I think you're 35, right Yeah?
Speaker 2:I'm 47. Oh wow, Well, you look amazing for 47. Thank you.
Speaker 1:You must have a routine or diet or something. Good genetics, good genetics, right? What happened in the last few years? Like you, have four decades of life and then, all of a sudden, hey, i'm going to be an actor.
Speaker 2:Well, when I was in my 20s, I did like 50 commercials for ICBC.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I didn't know that When CHBC was the TV station back in the day, so I was on camera quite a bit when I was younger. How did you get into that? I just auditioned and got the part.
Speaker 1:So yeah.
Speaker 2:And my mom actually made me do it, which she's like, just go do it. And then when I got the call you got the part I'm like, wow, awesome. So I was shooting, every week we shot a new commercial, and so that kind of got me into it. And then when I met Sequoia, we just like that was the boost I needed to go, let's go back into it, or at least for me anyways. Right And yeah. And then and then actually so this is kind of a funny story when you say rockstar is, when I became an actor, i actually figured out that yes, i like acting, that's awesome, But I actually want to be a rockstar. So so this is the first time I said this out like in the public. I've talked to some people, but I'm making an album. It's going to be a Nirvana tribute album, but I'm free made and probably with some other songs on it. I'm just putting it out there because I'm doing it and I'm going to become a rockstar, i guess.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. So to all the, all the parts like singing guitar or everything.
Speaker 2:I can't play any instruments and I don't know if I can sing, but I'm just doing it. Okay, so where to be instruments come from as a computerized Yeah, it's going to be a whole bunch of different things, So we'll have some some live people. Like literally every musician and producer I've talked to in the industry. I'm like I told them, I told them about it and they're like, yeah, I want to be a part of it. No one said no to me, So I figure I'm on the right path.
Speaker 1:Right, have you seen MTV Unplugged with Nirvana?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:And they. I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago with my wife, Kara, And I think we're just sitting around, you know, drinking, and we're like what are we going to watch? So we found this and apparently they didn't play any other hit songs and everybody was like, oh it was, it's going to be a total disaster because they didn't want to play anything And apparently it's one of the best, like MTV Unplugged ever done.
Speaker 2:It's incredible, it's killer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Dave Grohl, the drummer, like I was like looking at him and I was like I don't remember him being that young you know he was like so young And it's really awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nirvana is my favorite band, so always has been.
Speaker 1:Good to know.
Speaker 2:Good to know, but it wasn't even my idea. It was a friend of mine, aka. He thought he's like we were just talking, he's a rapper and he's like, yeah, i've always had this idea to do a Nirvana album And I'm like you realize, that's my favorite band. I'm like I'm like let's do it. He's like okay, so now we're doing it. I don't care how it happens, it'll just happen. That's incredible.
Speaker 1:Do you have a studio? Do you have a space to Yeah?
Speaker 2:there's a few spaces. So Buzz Marketing has a space and, yeah, we've got connections now, so there's a bunch of different spots we can go to. So I haven't started out all the details, but I've started writing. So I've written one song already, actually a couple songs already, and yeah, so it's happening Wow.
Speaker 1:So is it correct to say it's a tribute album if you're writing your own songs? or would you say that Nirvana was your major influence? Well, it's not a true.
Speaker 2:I don't know the answer to that. We're going to recreate the song, so it's going to be Nirvana songs and probably some other ones like Stolen People Pilots Like a remake Yeah remake, So the music might be changed a bit, but everyone's going to know what. The song is Very cool And like. The lyrics will be changed, I think, And you know who else knows what's going to come of it. But once the creative juices start happening, you know there could be some original songs that come out too. Who knows One of the?
Speaker 1:greatest obstacles I've heard about when it comes to acting or music or public speaking is people feel inhibited, So they're not as comfortable singing in front of people as they are singing in the shower in their car when no one else is there. Yeah, And you know well, I mean, if you have that thing, which I think most people have, you sound pretty good when you're by yourself And then if people are watching, you know there's something that kind of pulls you back. I think most people who have tried to sing or do public speaking have felt this that they can talk to their friends and be totally comfortable, But when they're on stage with lights on them they talk different, They're kind of inhibited.
Speaker 2:I think well, because I've been on video a lot of times, i've done a lot of interviews, so I'm comfortable in front of the camera.
Speaker 2:The acting is the next level of that. I do get a little I don't know if nervous is the right word, but I because I'm not me when I'm, when I'm acting, so it's so I'm doing, i'm portraying somebody else, so it's a little bit different too. But with the singing part I know I'm going to have those inhibitions and I get rid of them Right, and I don't even know what the first day in the studio is going to be like. I, you know, i know I'm going to be inhibited and I got to get rid of that Right, and then you have auto-tune.
Speaker 1:So right, auto-tune is great. Is it alcohol? or do you think it's just a lot of practice like just desensitization?
Speaker 2:I think, just practice. Yeah, i mean, alcohol could help too, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's dangerous, though, right, if you overdo it.
Speaker 2:It's like well, yeah, everybody's like okay, stop, i've done. Yeah, i've sang a few times, right Yeah.
Speaker 1:I noticed early days of public speaking. if I had a couple of drinks, that was okay And obviously if you drink too much, you know you look foolish right, so that's interesting. Well, i'm looking forward to hearing how that album turns out, and Yeah, If anybody wants to be part of it, get a hold of me.
Speaker 2:I, you know I'm making it happen, So Yeah.
Speaker 1:We'll put links to all your stuff in the show notes. And really curious to hear how your acting career turns out, because it's almost brand new. Yeah, so you've got that experience with the TV commercial, so it's not exactly brand new, but your kind of dedication to it is new.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah It's exciting, awesome, mark.
Speaker 1:Is there anybody you could think of? I didn't tell you in advance, but you may recall that I like for you to nominate someone to come on the show And the only criteria is they have to agree with the title. So if they hate Kelona, they're not going to come on the show.
Speaker 2:It'll be okay with that one.
Speaker 1:Right. And the second one is that you would enjoy hearing me interview them. Yeah. So it can be anybody.
Speaker 2:So well, sequoia Wiseman, she's sitting behind me.
Speaker 1:She's in the studio And Sequoia is your fiance and you are in the acting business together. Yep, yep, awesome, okay, so we will talk to Sequoia Wiseman in the near future.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Thanks so much, Luke. it was such a pleasure. It was awesome. Thank you, Mark, Thanks.