Leah's Story

written for my weekly blog at:

A month ago,  I was having the time of my life at Comic Con.  I was signing autographs with #GeekGirlsCreate, speaking on a panel with the Most Dangerous Women of Comic Con, and running around with Team Space Command, organizing signings, parties, and street teams.   It was totally amazing.

I was having a noticeable shift in personal and professional friends and associates.  I’ve noticed that when you’re on a path of creativity and tier-jumping, the universe does that, every so often, POOF, people disappear from your life, other people arrive, and still other people become more prominent.  Since going into “gypsy mode” in May, I’ve had some of the largest shifts in friends group that I can remember happening in a long time. 

When you’re in a “time of need” it’s always interesting to see who’s got your back.  Hands down my friend Michele Fisher wins the gold medal on this one, with my friend Dylan Forer coming in with the silver.  Michele provided me with shelter aka her cozy couch, and Dylan, is responsible for referring me to 90% of all the freelance music-related gigs I booked this summer.  Thank you Michele and Dylan.

But more than that, I feel like I found some life-long friends and associates, something I have been craving for a very long time in LA.  I’m single.  I’m without a BFF. And, my family is 3000 miles away.  In 2010 when I took a roadtrip/hiatus back East, I was feeling alone not only in my romantic life, but also in my professional life.A one woman show, in all areas of my life.

Yet, as I spent the past few months in gypsy mode,  other things in my life began shifting. 

I couldn’t imagine life without my weekly trivia nights, with the Talk Nerdy To Me Lover Team.  I was blessed and connected with the Space Command Team, taking a position as their Social Media Manager, and having 3, sometimes 4 hour Sunday lunches with those based in LA.  And then there’s  Denise Vasquez. A soul-sister who’s been travelling in the same circle as me for a decade, yet we only recently met via the Geek Girls Create panel at Wonder Con. This girl whole-heartedly welcomed me into her life and introduced me to her circle, all of whom are just completely amazingly creative, productive people.

I had more then one person comment on “how happy I looked”, and considering the financial and living situations happening in my life, was pretty laughable. Yet, I was.

And then… I got a phone-call offering me a 20-week long tour managing gig based out of Philly (my hometown).  And before I knew what was happening I was packing up my things, making arrangements to rent my car, buying a plane ticket for my cat, and heading on planes and trains, for a training session in Boston.

Before I headed East, @JenFriel and I discussed this at Trivia night… this openness and willingness to just say yes to something that I hadn’t foresaw, something that wasn’t planned, and frankly something I wasn’t even sure I really wanted to do.  Yet, it was an adventure, and the universe was presenting me with a way to become financially secure again, in only a few months time.  In my hometown of all places.

I had already had a flight to come East for most of August to meet my brand new nieceS, but now this company was offering to change my fare and fly me back sooner (and stay longer) to take this position.

I was going with the flow.  Not questioning why. Not analyzing my options. Simply going with the flow… and the flow, all the sudden was about to take me over a waterfall, down an entire different branch of the creek I was happily rafting in.

And Jen reminded me.. this is how it works, you have to go with the flow. You have to say yes.

So I did. And I’m currently working my ASS off, 6 days a week, long days, crazy manual labor, as a tour manager for a promotional campaign.

I’m driving a 16 foot by 12 foot box truck, around the East Coast for a promotional campaign.  Yet, last month I was signing autographs at Comic Con.

Some people might not be willing to admit that.  There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in Hollywood. Fake it till you make it.  But the truth is, I’m not too proud to admit, that sometimes I have to step away from the film projects, the web-series, the panels, the parties,  and take a job, that I may not like yet alone love, in order to be able to survive, and continue to pursue my dreams.  (side note: this reminds me of this interview w/Bob Bergen in 2010— http://youtu.be/mzw7zM1e9wo  )

And that’s when going with the flow is most important… Would I rather be back in Los Angeles with Michele, Denise, Team Space Command and Team Talk Nerdy To Me, Lover? Absolutely.  But right now, in this moment, I have an opportunity to save up more money then I have had in my bank account since college.

And what that means, is when I return West, I won’t be worried about where the next paycheck is coming in, I’ll have a cushion. I’ll be able to get back to classes with Katt Shea and Bonnie Gillespie. I’ll be able to get a yoga and pilates membership, and maybe even sign up for Intermediate Fire Dancing. (Check me out— in 2010 http://tinyurl.com/8p5grae )

I’ll be able to wake up knowing that I have my basic needs met.

I’m not married. I have no children. The only person’s happiness I’m responsible for is my own. And for far too long, I’ve lived under constant financial duress. I’m not complaining, I haven’t had a 9-5 long-term day gig since the late 90’s, I have had many, many adventures. What I am doing is honoring my worth in my chosen career, no longer working on deferred and free projects, and things are shifting. I’m being offered more SAG projects, films and web-series with roles written specifically for me, and I am super excited about shooting Legendary later this year….

My head is still spinning at how quick and unplanned this trip was, I’m one of the most adventurous, spontaneous, people I know… but this… was totally unplanned.

                                                  Live Love. Love Life.

                                                           XOXOXO

(Originally written for my weekly Adventures in Randomness & Rock n Roll at www.talknerdytomelover.com )

Seven weeks have passed since I updated my Gypsy Mode status.  I’m still with my friend Michele in Sherman Oaks, and surprisingly we are having a great time sharing space with each other, and her little doggie Oreo.

Sleeping on a couch and living out of suitcases eventually takes a bit of a mental toll on ya, or me anyway.  It’s a bit of a claustrophobic feeling I get knowing that it’s not my space, and as such I keep my things put away, I live out of suitcases and bags, and every morning I pack up my pillow and blankets to turn the couch back into a couch.  BUT, all this aside, my friend Michele has been amazing, and has treated me like family. Never once, making me feel guilty or ashamed of my current situation.

Emotionally, I am happy.  I just experienced the most amazing week at Comic Con in San Diego, and I have 2 very exciting acting projects on the horizon. (Legendary, shooting in Portland and Everything, shooting in Missouri).

Financially, things are about the same. Booking gigs here and there, just enough to pay for the bare essentials and bills.

A few offers for rooms and guest houses have developed; with people that I know, but until I have re-established some sort of savings and/or steady income, I don’t feel comfortable or capable of taking on a lease somewhere.

And turns out, I’ll be spending the next month, possibly longer on the East Coast.

What started out as a planned trip to visit family, friends, and my brand new baby nieces, has now turned into a job opportunity in the form of a tour manager for a promotional campaign from Quaker Oats.

The tour manager gig begins August 1, so I’ll actually be leaving at the end of this week, almost 2 weeks earlier than planned as their flying me in early, to attend a training session in Boston. 

Having already established a flow of income before I even get to Philly is pretty darn awesome, and on top of that my Philly agent is already submitting me on local projects.   It’s a win-win situation all-around.

This Gypsy is going to roam around the east coast for a bit.

                                     Live Love. Love Life.

                                             XOXOX

Comic Con in one word was AMAZING.

This was my fourth year attending the International San Diego Comic Con; arguably the largest gathering of geeks, nerds, dorks, and creative, talented, passionate people in the universe. www.comic-con.org

This year held a lot of SDCC firsts for me!  

MY FIRST SDCC SIGNING/APPEARANCE :  For this I have to give a big shout-out to Jonathon London at GeekScape.  Jonathon emailed me a few days before con and invited me to bring my fellow Co-Stars from the soon to be epic-fantasy series, Legendary to a signing at his booth.   After discussing it, Jonathon and I thought it would be fun to invite the whole Geek Girls Create team.

              GEEK GIRLS CREATE SIGNING AT GEEKSCAPE BOOTH

The signing was a lot of fun, and an absolute great way to start off SDCC2012.  The best part about a signing/appearance, is the young girls.  And I don’t mean that in a creepy way, I mean the young girls that come up to the table and share a piece of their soul with you.  Their eyes light up, and you can see the energy flow of inspiration travelling thru them, as they connect with you, someone who inspires them.  If I have one mission in this lifetime, it is to uplift and inspire thru my stories and life adventures.  And that’s one of the things Geek Girls Create allows me to do.

My first SDCC Panel: 

                                          MY BADGE!

For this I have to thank the amazing Katrina Hill.   Our GGC panel was not accepted this year, but Katrina worked her magic and invited TEN amazing women onto her panel, “The Most Dangerous Women of Comic Con”.  Katrina wanted to spotlight the movers and shakers in this industry, those of us who are outspoken, proactive, and positive… she organized a great group, and special shout out to our panel moderator Bonnie Burton who somehow made time-stop and allowed all 10 of us ample talk time.

I was nervous, not gonna lie.  2000 people in the room, on a panel where half the girls I know and the other half are mere twitter legends.  But it went off without a hitch, and I found a new Karoake Pal in Clare Kramer, and a fellow Philly girl in Milynn Sarley.

              Clare Kramer, Milynn Sarley, & Leah Cevoli

I like making people laugh during panels, and ooh, and ahh… You have to be quick on your feet with a coherent answer, and if at all possible a joke. I like it.  I like panels. A lot.

                       Leah Cevoli, Bonnie Burton, Stephanie Thorpe

My first Film Project at SDCC:   I’ve recently become the Social Media Manager for an epic science fiction series of feature films, Space Command.  For Comic Con, I was hired as Social Media Manager, and a liason for all things SDCC.  Signings/Appearances/Meetings/Street Teams/Parties. 

       Marc Zicree, Christina Moses, and Iain McCaig with young artist Duncan, at Space Command Signing at GeekScape Booth

 And as such, after my awesome (all about Leah), Thursday ended.. the rest of Comic Con was spent working with and for Space Command.

Space Command Panel: Michael Reeves, Doug Drexler, Christina Moses, Katherine McEwan, Doug Jones, Iain McCaig, David Raiklen, Justin Massion   (not pictured: Marc Zicree, Cindy Au)

It felt great to be part of a working team of industry professionals, hell legends (Iain McCaig is our lead character designer.)

   Photo Opp with our wonderful Space Cadets: (top to bottom) Christina Blevins, Leah Cevoli, Shanta Belt, Blair Stevenson  Aisling O’Neill, and Rebecca McLean

Space Command is an Indepedent Series of Feature Films, a new Science Fiction Franchise… that is making serious strides, and I am so happy to be on-board. We welcome you to take the ride with us.  
Join Us
www.facebook.com/SpaceCommandMovie 

www.twitter.com/SpaceCommandMov

Comic Con was filled with purpose for me.  I didn’t waste time, searching the convention floor for random folks, or trying to get into the coolest parties.

I had purpose.
I had a team.
I had fans. 

Talk Nerdy To Me Lover’s:  Jen Friel, Julie Wilson, John Solitto, Melodie Tao, Leah Cevoli GeekScape’s: Jonathan London Hughes The Force’s: JC Reifenberg and Ruark Dreher

And I had a great group of friends by my side, who even throughout their busy schedules, ended up showing up for each other at all the right moments.

CEO of Geekscape Jonathan London, Me, Artist Denise Vasquez, Artist Randy Martinez, Producer Ruark Dreher

              Me, Actress & TNTML Writer Helenna Santos Levy, TNTML’s John Solitto, Talk Nerdy To Me Lover’s Founder, Jen Friel, TNTML’s Julie Wilson

 In 2008, I drove to San Diego to see the Robot Chicken panel, I had no idea what comic con was. My plan was to drive down for the panel, and drive home afterward.  And instead, I tumbled down a rabbit hole. Thank you Robot Chicken for introducing me to this world of magic, mystery, and fairy tales come to life.

  Robot Chicken’s Mad Scientist and me, as Marvel’s Dazzler
      Dazzler will be making a return appearance at SDCC’13  
                                 Get Ready!

                           Comic Con 2012.. you ROCKED my world.

Thank You.

                                               Live Love. Love Life.
                                                        XOXOXOX

                                                    #nerdsunite     

Originally posted for Talk nerdy to me, lover.

**I’ve recently joined the TALK NERDY TO ME, LOVER family and I am super excited to be writing for Jen Friel’s site on a weekly basis**

MY FIRST POST

I’ve never really considered myself a nerd.

I mean yeah, sure, I wore big ole thick glasses since 2nd grade, was a bit of a teacher’s pet all thru elementary school, did every extra credit homework assigned to me, got mostly straight A’s and took honors classes all thru school, BUT,

I LOVE, as in LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,  those long haired bad boys of rock n roll,

(notice POISON tape in hand of above nerd)

So when Jen asked me to introduce myself to all of y’all by way of talking about what makes me nerdy, I had to stop and go hmmm… what makes me nerdy?

I was pondering this question on my way to an interview for a temp. job.  A temp job working in a tax preparer’s office.  An interview I was very excited about, because I love numbers, I love charts, graphs, formulas, tax forms, spreadsheets, charts, lists (of all kinds), statistics, analyltics, and just plain ole numbers.

I count everything. Like the stairs for instance, as I walk up and down them.
I keep lists of everything, like the number of men I’ve slept with (and the number of times with each one). 

I’m also one of those ppl that literally counts the number of Happy Birthday FB posts I get each year.

Hmm.. maybe I have a problem. I wonder if there’s a disorder associated with too much counting. I’m sure there must be.

I wasnt the best Math student, as in it wasn’t super easy for me (like say english or social studies) but again, I did get mostly A’s, except for 9th Grade Geometry where I failed miserably, (the only class I ever failed), but i still blame the cute rocker boy who sat next to me.  I think I failed on purpose, so that I could go to summer school and spend more time with him.

There’s that rocker boy theme again.. see that’s sort of the dichotomy of my life adventures. I’m a super smart, well-spoken, fast thinking,  analytical type girl, who at the drop of a dime will drive to say, Sturgis, South Dakota to interview Alice in Chains and Guns N Roses.

It’s that sort of dichotomy that attracted me to TNTML in the first place.

I first discovered Jen Friel thru Robot Chicken.  Now, you may be scratching your head and saying what in the world do Jen and Robot Chicken have in common, but see it’s really quite simple.  I’m what is known by many in the biz, as a “hyphenate”, as in actor-host-producer-writer hyphenate, one of the sub-factions of my hyphenate is that I am a voice over actor, and have recorded quite a few (over 30) character voices for Robot Chicken. 

How does that relate to Jen? Well the creators of Robot Chicken put together a social experiment of sorts about a year or so ago, (Control TV) where they allowed the viewers to choose which dates their nerdy guy of choice went on.. : enter Jen :

I began following her on twitter, and soon discovered TNTML.  I fell in love with her that same night. Here was this obviously intelligent, adorable young lady, just bearing her heart and soul and the little pieces that make up her life.  And I felt a kinship, a kinship when she wrote about family heartbreaks and secrets, that take eternity to heal, a kinship when she wrote about random adventures with random people that most of the world would look at as dangerous at best, and a serious kinship with her quest to find the right guy thru a series of sexual adventures and tales from the bedroom.

I myself, am in my 30’s , never been married, no children, and have had my fair share of escapades… I’ve got some wild tales to tell that’s for sure, but am I ready to bear it all for the TNTML community, I guess will see.

I’ve been wanting to write for TNTML since the first day I discovered it, but I had been procrastinating, not knowing what to write about, which part of my crazy little world to focus on, which face to show you guys.. the nerdy little second grader who prided herself on being the teacher’s pet,  the teenager who thought sex with random guys was equivalent to love and affection, the 20-something year old who moved 3000 miles from home, became friends with porn stars and toured with rock bands, or the 30-something year old who publishes poetry books, spends new years doing kundalini yoga, and creates vision boards hoping to eventually find her soulmate and lover.

And last week at Trivia Night (which btw I LOVE TRIVIA and BOARD GAMES of all kinds!), Jen looked at me and said, just write, you don’t have to worry about any categories or areas to focus on, just write, and I’ll put the labels on it.. just write.

And you know what, that’s sort of the procrastination of my life.. just write. A psychic on sunset strip, actually a few pychics over the years have told me I need to write, but that’s another post for another time..

So here am I writing my very first fo Talk Nerdy to Me Lover post from Las Vegas, Nevada where I am currently working at the CES convention as a promo model for Blackberry. 

I suppose the fact that I even know what CES is, already puts me in the nerd category, the fact that I LOVE it here, solidifies that. TECHNOLOGY EVERYWHERE.. and CUTE tech-savy boys everywhere.

My first time at CES, was about 10 years ago, with my girlfriend Kendra who was presenting at the AVN Awards (aka pornstar awards). I don’t remember much about that weekend tho, ‘cept there were a lot of drugs, (A LOT), a lot of alcohol, a lot of naked people, after hour strip clubs and parties, and not much sleep.

This year, is way more tame than that trip to CES, well so far anyways, I’ve still got 3 nights left in Vegas.

Thanks for accepting me into the TNTML world, I hope you enjoy my posts, and please comment.. I have abandonment issues, I need affirmations of your love on a regular basis.

Live Love. Love Life.

XOXO

Leah