I'M MAKING MY DEBUT ON TELEVISION!
Sorry for the all caps, but I'm super excited about this Thursday. For those who don't remember, I recorded a scene last year for the FX comedy starring Jim Jefferies, "Legit". Well, that episode is airing this Thursday at 10:30 PM! Get excited people. Read more
After a brief hiatus, Chasing L.A. is finally coming back people!!! For those who don't know about my web series, Chasing L.A. follows my journey out here in Los Angeles. Everything you see is real, never staged. I take my camera and tripod with me everywhere and shoot my Read more
It's happened again! I'm referring to my annual session with Genna Sandler Photography. I've shot with Genna Sandler at least once a year for the past 3 years. Each time we both get so much better than before. Anyway, the pictures are below! I'll use them to update my various Read more
If I could describe how I've been feeling for the last couple of weeks, some people would suggest counseling, therapy, maybe even a straitjacket. Ok, it hasn't been that bad. However, until recently I've been lost, confused, depressed, distraught, overwhelmed, frustrated, and woke up most mornings wallowing in self-pity. Read more
Sorry for the all caps, but I’m super excited about this Thursday. For those who don’t remember, I recorded a scene last year for the FX comedy starring Jim Jefferies, “Legit”. Well, that episode is airing this Thursday at 10:30 PM! Get excited people. Spread the word to the world. I’m going to be on TV! WOOHOO. I had a couple of lines and I’m super happy about it. So, make sure you record the episode, tweet about it, tell your family and friends, and get some Butter Lovers popcorn. Well, maybe get some Smart Balance popcorn. In fact, east some salad. That’s a little bit healthier. Anyway, here’s a promo for Thursday’s episode. Don’t forget to tune in. As always, thanks for all the support. Also, don’t forget to keep up with my Chasing L.A. web series. You can always find me on http://www.youtube.com/chasingla! Keep chasing your dreams.
After a brief hiatus, Chasing L.A. is finally coming back people!!! For those who don’t know about my web series, Chasing L.A. follows my journey out here in Los Angeles. Everything you see is real, never staged. I take my camera and tripod with me everywhere and shoot my videos. I’m planning on producing a lot more content this time around, and I’m committed to making my web series a great success. It’s a lot of work to produce, shoot, and edit a whole web series by yourself, but nobody ever said success would be easy. It’s all about staying positive, learning what works, and moving forward.
If you haven’t subscribed on YouTube, click here and please help me out! I appreciate all your support and can’t wait to start posting videos again.
Before I begin, I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s supported me over the last couple of months. It seems like just yesterday that I started the Chasing L.A. web series. That point of my life was certainly one of the most miserable and lowest moments I ‘ve experienced so far. Everybody comes out here chasing the dream because they think they have something special, but there are way too many people who are chasing the same dream. It’s easy to lose hope and think that you are just another number out here in the big city. It’s at that point when you hope that somebody or something reminds you how special you actually are. Luckily for me, there were so many people, especially two very important people in my life, who reminded me how amazing I am.
During this past month, the television show I’ve been working on for the last 5 months premiered and my job ended. I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to work on the show and that I met so many amazing people. Now it’s time to get ready for the next chapter in this crazy thing we call life. Season 1 of Chasing L.A. has also come to an end, and I’ve released the season finale. Check it out here or watch below. Hopefully the next season will have even more positive news. I will be blogging more as I continue on this journey, and I hope that I have inspired you in some way to never give up on your dreams, never let fear hold you back, do what makes you happy, be true to yourself, and don’t worry about what others think. Keep chasing your dreams, and I’ll keep chasing mine.
Happy New Year? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some would say nothing will change and the same cycle of boredom and unhappiness will continue on into 2013. The same drama will continue to disrupt their lives. There will continue to be missed opportunities and lack of success because the universe is against them. LEAVE THAT MENTALITY BEHIND! 2012 was my life-changing year because it was during 2012 that I realized my full potential, accepted my authentic self, and accepted the fact that the only person holding me back was me. Instead of listing all the personal accomplishments from this past year, I’d rather inspire you with some lessons I learned that will continue to impact me for years to come. Many of them will tie together, but each one is equally important on it’s own.
1). LIVE YOUR LIFE AUTHENTICALLY.
2). STOP CARING ABOUT WHAT OTHER’S THINK.
3). DON’T LET FEAR CONTROL YOU.
4). CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY AND EMBRACE IT.
5). SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU BETTER.
Life is a series of lessons and choices. In the last couple of months I made quite a few choices. I chose to stop focusing on the negative and worrying about “what if”. I chose to be happy and go confidently in the direction of my dreams. I chose to let and keep certain people in my life, but let go of others. I chose to not let others control how I live my life because my happiness should never be dependent upon someone else.
Back in October, I wrote a post on Facebook that was one of the most authentic things I’ve ever written:
“Don’t know who this is for, but I just had to say what’s on my mind. It took me a while to realize how unhappy you can be when you are not being truly authentic. Many people are terrified of what others think and say about them and choose to hide certain parts of who they are out of FEAR. Because of this they pretend and even strive to be the person that others want them to be instead of who they truly are.
Why would you want to surround yourself with people who can’t love you for you? Suppressing parts of yourself to appease people who don’t have to live your life is dumb. You can’t continue to let others dictate who you should be, how you should act, what path you should take, who you should love, or how you should live YOUR life. Being inauthentic with yourself and others only leads to false happiness. On the flip side, why not give people a chance to get to know the real you?
I’ve struggled with being myself for years. Growing up as a preacher’s kid, there was a lot of pressure and expectations from family, the congregation, and friends that a lot of kids didn’t have to deal with. There was also a fear of being judged for some reason even though I was raised to believe that only God can judge me. It wasn’t until this summer that I truly realized how that still affects me today.
For those who have been following my web series, Chasing L.A. (http://youtube.com/chasingla), you see that I’m no longer afraid to open up and be myself in front of the camera (still opening up). That’s not easy for me. I had to learn how to let people in and not be afraid of judgment. When I began hosting at AfterBuzz and later enrolled in hosting classes with Maureen Browne, I was shy and timid. Those who truly know me, know that I’m exactly opposite. However, when put in situations where I had to be myself with strangers, I was afraid to let loose and let people get to know the real me. I was lacking confidence because I wasn’t comfortable being authentic. That’s what happens when you hide behind a facade for so long.
Long story short, BE YOURSELF. Hopefully somebody gets something from this. I’m thankful for the growth that I’ve experienced so far this year and for the people who have encouraged me to be Emile Ennis Jr.
In that post I was vulnerable and exposed a part of myself that was hidden because of fear. It was through this post that I found freedom. The freedom to let people in and get to know the real me. The freedom to embrace a part of myself that I was afraid people wouldn’t accept or understand. The freedom to welcome the thought that I CAN be happy being me regardless of what I’ve been told. I’m reminded of a quote that’s widely attributed to Dr. Seuss that I think we should all follow:
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
In 2013, please remove all the negative energy from your life and focus on the positive things that are happening. Remain hopeful that good things are going to happen for you and don’t give up on your dreams. Never be afraid to be yourself and most importantly, enjoy your life. Worrying and stressing accomplishes absolutely nothing. Be proactive and change your life.
For those that missed it, tune into the latest episode of Chasing L.A., “Happy New Year!”. You can watch it by clicking here, or viewing below. As always thanks for your support. Keep chasing your dreams, and I’ll keep chasing mine.
We made it to Christmas! Remember a couple of years ago when people were actually worried that the world was going to end before Christmas 2012? Well they were completely wrong, and we are now able to celebrate Christmas peacefully this year.
It’s been a great holiday season filled with endless Christmas music, beautiful decorations, Christmas carolers, crazy last-minute shoppers and tons of annoying advertisements. However, even though my Christmas is filled with joy, there are many in Newtown, CT and around the world who are heartbroken this Christmas because of the loss of a loved one. Let us not complain today, but be thankful for the family and friends that we still have in our lives. Even though the holiday season is ending, let’s try to remain joyful in the new year.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas wherever you are! Be sure to check out the latest episode of Chasing L.A. by clicking here, or by watching below! Thanks for all your support. Keep chasing your dreams and I’ll keep chasing mine.
