Have you seen me on TV? My national LegalZoom Commercial.
Here is one of the three commercials that I am featured in for LegalZoom (scroll to the bottom to see all three commericials).
As a self-employed and full-time artist, opportunities to shine and show my art are so valuable. This year, I was thrilled to find out I was picked to star in a LegalZoom commercial. It has been a wild experience sitting to dinner at a restaurant and seeing myself on TV. I’m so thankful for this experience and excited to share all of the behind the scenes of how I got to be on your television screen.
I first heard about this opportunity through a friend. After applying, I was delighted to be selected for an audition with the director and a panel of judges. Did you know there is a special app now that lets actors audition for TV and movies online? As I waited in the virtual waiting room with the other artists, small business owners, and creatives, I felt super excited but very nervous as well. During the audition, I had to talk about myself, my art and show my art studio to the judges. It was really casual and much easier than I expected. A few days later, I was officially hired by the LegalZoom team to star in their commercial as one of their featured artists and small business owners.
After seeing the commercial a few months later, I was really surprised at how much work, time, and money goes into a few seconds of airtime. For my part of the commercial, we prepped for weeks! There were so many covid tests, clothes fittings and they even sent out an entire crew of people to move my entire art studio to the set in Lockhart, Texas.
On the day of the shoot, I was picked up by an amazing driver who gave me so much encouragement - it felt meant to be! Then, we pulled up to a gorgeous home that had been completely transformed into an office space with specialized rooms for wardrobe, makeup, and hair.
The beautiful house in Lockhart, Texas.
Hair and makeup station.
Snack station.
Wardrobe station.
First, I was put into my wardrobe and then sent over to the makeup room. My makeup artist, Jessica, was extremely talented and such a wonderful person to work with. She had worked with many celebrities and it was so great to chat with her about her journey. She taught me some makeup tricks - like mixing sunscreen with liquid foundation! After she did my makeup and hair, I felt so beautiful and confident enough to get the job done.
The art gallery film set in downtown Lockhart, Texas.
Once I was ready, I thought it would be time to get to the set. However, I was very wrong! I had to wait for about 2 hours before it was time. So, I made the most of the time to update my Instagram stories, have some snacks and check out the amazing property. Then, in an instant, the walkie-talkies started going “please bring the talent on set”. I quickly hurried to the private van waiting for us outside and my escort confirmed via walkie-talkie “talent is with me and we are heading over”.
It was nice to be referred to as the “talent” - I felt like a movie star!
Once we arrived at the art gallery in downtown Lockhart, time quickly sped up and it was GO time! I was brought over to the director who asked me to bead a huge piece of fabric to prep for the shoot. It was an impossible task and I had to explain that it would take me hours to accomplish. After some trial and error, I was able to quickly bead a smaller piece of fabric good enough to show up on film. It was a very tense moment for me as I didn’t expect to need to be put on the spot like that - but thankfully, there were so many people ready to help me. My entire studio was there and I had three people who were solely dedicated to taking care of me and helping me to get it done. I was wearing a sweater at the time and with all the stress, I started sweating and my makeup was not holding up. Thankfully, my makeup artist was also there every step of the way for makeup and hair touchups. She even followed me around with a small fan to keep me cool. It felt nice to be pampered - even with all of the stress!
My speed beading project on set.
My studio space on set. I love all of the colors and textures.
Once I finished speed beading the swatch of fabric (probably the worst quality piece I’ve ever beaded), the hardest part was over and I was ready to film and have fun! The crew did such an amazing job setting up my studio in the back of the gallery. And although I love my home studio, this setup was was even better! It was my dream studio. It had moody lighting, lots of space, colorful fabrics everywhere, and all of my art supplies inside! It was truly a dream to walk into and once I saw it, I felt right at home.
Next, the director, assistant director, and camera operator all joined me inside the studio. Just outside, there was a team of about 10 additional people making sure we got the shots that we needed. I did my best to follow the director's instructions although some directions were really silly like: “smile like you’re on vacation and your friend just did something goofy”. It was strange but it worked!
After a while of filming, we were told we only had 1 hour left to shoot before the crew had to leave. So we had to be quick! There was a lot of pressure but I channeled my strength and did my very best. I smiled, I pretended to bead and work on my sculpture - it was all so funny and amazing all at once. How interesting to see how everything really happens behind the scenes.
This was my beautiful desk on set. I love how they used everything I have at home and got super creative with my beloved objects.
The director really wanted to showcase my beaded shoe process.
One of my assistants helped me to draw this while I was busy beading.
Finally, it was a wrap! I was exhausted. It had been 5 hours of very intense prep and work. It was so fun too and an entirely new experience. On my way home, I was so grateful to be doing what I do. I reflected on my journey and was proud of myself for going outside of my comfort zone. My entire journey as an artist has involved stepping outside of my comfort zone - I have had to be very brave (and persistent!).
Staging the studio for another angle.
A final selfie for a job well done!
Just outside the studio with screens and all kinds of equipement.
Wherever you are on your journey of life, be brave! You never know where life is going to take you. I never dreamed that I would be on TV screens across the USA but here I am on the other side feeling so grateful and ready for the next adventure!
Here are the links for all three LegalZoom commercials:
A special thank you to all of the team at LegalZoom that made this possible. It was a pleasure working with all of you - you all made me feel so welcome and taken care of. Thank you for supporting local artists and business owners, LegalZoom!