Kids’ Acting Classes at Gray Studios

Master Teacher David Gray
Back in June I was invited to bring my children to a commercial audition workshop to get a taste of the services that Gray Studios, an acting coaching and teaching business that operates all over Los Angeles, provides in our area. My younger son, who had just starred as “third paperboy from the left” in a musical production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was eager to try it out.

Parents are not required to stay during the workshop, so I went to Trader Joe’s. Naturally. The problem is that my son barely gave me any information about the class! Just like with regular school, all I got out of him was a series of one word answers. How was it? “Good.” What did you do? “Games.” Do you want to audition for commercials now? “Sure.” Don’t get me wrong – he liked it. But he was done performing, so he wouldn’t even describe it to me. I know he had fun, because the teachers told me he was hamming it up with the rest of them.

 

gray studios workshoipMy kid: back row far left

 

So even though I can’t tell you exactly what happened, I can tell you more about Gray Studios. They are a group of working actors who have over 100 years combined experience working in film and television. Their classes include Audition Technique for film and television, and they partner with entertainment industry leaders for classes in Commercial, Voice Over, and Improv.

 

David ccoaching the On-Tape week
Some of the Gray Studios Alumni include:
Ariel Winter – Modern Family
Tyler Posey – Teen Wolf
Matt Moy – 2 Broke Girls
Cody Saintgnue – Teen Wolf
Hayley McFarland – Sons of Anarchy
Brant Dougherty – Pretty Little Liars

 

Gray Studios offers classes in Thousand Oaks on Tuesdays, and they are adding Saturday classes this fall. Their age breakdowns are 4-6, 7-11, and 12-17. Students from their classes often get signed by top industry agents. Check out their website for more information!

 

Our family enjoyed one complimentary workshop to facilitate this feature. I hope this helps you with a resource for your budding star!

New Costco in Woodland Hills [Giveaway]

In celebration of the new Costco warehouse opening in Woodland Hills on September 12, Agoura Hills Mom is giving away a $100 gift basket!

Costco has been courting me with gifts. They arrive at my house in unremarkable boxes, which are filled with the most random assortment of items. Chocolate covered raisins, body wash, canned tuna, granola, freeze-dried apples and grapes, peanut butter. Each time we receive a box I am so delighted that I made a big deal of it, and the kids come running. Yesterday the big hit was an enormous plastic bin of animal crackers.

All this is to build excitement for the new Costco Warehouse opening in Woodland Hills on September 12. This location will provide all the amenities — on top of the bulk purchasing, prepared meals, discounted household items, and inexpensive pizza we know and love — that other newer buildings have. It’s big – 154,000 square feet. There will be an Optical department with an eye doctor, a hearing aid center, and a pharmacy. Plus it will have a 20-pump gas station!

As a Costco member for many years, they had me at “Hello.” However, in Agoura Hills, we have one of the nicest Costco warehouses I have ever visited close by in Westlake Village, so the bar is high for this new location to dazzle me. Gas pumps with less expensive gas should do the trick right there.

A Costco membership costs $55 year for a household, business and executive levels are also available at additional cost. You can sign up now at Nordstrom in Woodland Hills, otherwise the new location at 21800 Victory Blvd. opens at 8am Saturday, September 12.

What I didn’t know because of course before this I barely had time to pay attention — your boxes of nuts and body lotion got my attention, Costco! — is that Costco offers savings on services too, like auto insurance which I am shopping around for right now. There is also Costco travel, which I did poke around on this summer when planning a short family getaway. Costco is also focused on supplying healthier and more sustainable products and food items.

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Giveaway: To get a taste of the eclectic fare they sell, enter here to win a basket of Costco items valued at over $100! Just leave a comment here by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, September 9, 2015. One entry per email address. Extra entry if you share this post on Facebook and tag Agoura Hills Mom. Winner will need to arrange local pickup Saturday, September 12 or later.

I received free products from Costco and an invitation to the VIP opening party to facilitate this feature. All opinions are my own. Follow Agoura Hills Mom on instagram to catch my pics from the party on Friday the 11th.

Cheap Ice Cream Cones at Baskin Robbins, Monday August 31

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Great news, sweaty Conejo Valley folks. On August 31, Baskin Robbins is celebrating its 70th birthday by selling ice cream scoops for $1.31 each! As long as it’s in a cup, sugar, or wafer cone, a scoop of the delicious treat is only $1.31 (waffle cones, as pictured below, are extra). I confirmed that our local Agoura Hills location at Kanan and Thousand Oaks is participating in this promotion. It’s one of our go-to local businesses for a little tasty pick-me-up or celebration.

boy with ice cream coneThis boy loves technicolor sherbet.