Last night I slept in my rental car….

Last night I slept in my rental car….

So now that I have your attention let me tell you what has been going on, Oh don’t get me wrong I did in fact sleep in my rental car, however that is actually the tail end of an awesome update story so please consider it a triumph of sorts and to be honest it’s not the first time I slept in a car (insert nervous laugh).

Being on the west coast has definitely been a change of pace, that pace often being much, much slower this time around things seemed to move so much faster. From the moment I stepped off the airplane my phone was buzzing with to do’s, meetings, shows and so much more. I spent the weekend working at the Irvine Improv with Aries Spears and I had a great time. I have spent most of my time driving between LA and Fontana where I’m staying despite the sometimes 2hr commute it actually hasn’t been that bad and thank GOD for podcasts!! I actually listen to them during the commute and educate myself while I sit parked on various California highways. I am also blessed to have wonderful friends out there that have helped me with everything from Cars to a place to stay, which brings me to my next story, sleeping in my rental car. So one night after a day of meetings in LA a girlfriend of mine from Fontanta gave me the keys to her friends place and said “you can stay there since it’s closer to LA and my friend is out of town” her friend, Ironically enough, was in NY. I was thrilled with the idea of driving less and agreed to stay at her friends place but there was this little voice whispering to me… “Don’t do it” a voice that I ignored. After a very long day of meetings and shows I arrive at my destination eyes burning from lack of sleep and just exhausted from the day. I finally find the building in question and make my way to the apartment I am meant to stay at something in my gut still telling me that this is somehow not going to work out. I get to the door, there is a metal gate before you get to the apartment door I breathe a sigh of relief and try the key, it goes well first door open, success! Now for the actual apartment door, first lock down second more critical lock to go. It’s not working, that little voice telling me…”I told you so”. I still refuse to listen to the voice and spend a good amount of time trying the lock, with no success. It’s 3am now and I am even more tired I go back to my rental and in my head go over the list of people it’s too late to contact and the people I would stay with but don’t want to plus I was far too tired to drive. My next step, hotels, which by the way judge you very harshly when you ask if they charge by the hour; Once I realized that a hotel was going to cost more than it was worth I decided that sleeping in my car was probably the best option. The plan was to sleep a good four to six hours then go to LA fitness get a workout in and then shower, change and get on with my day. Sleeping in the car was something I had done for countless open call comedy auditions in NYC so it wasn’t a foreign concept to me. So, I curled up in the back seat put on a podcast and prayed that no cops would pass by and think I was a vagrant who broke into someone’s car to sleep in it. Lucky for me my plan worked like a charm and a few hours and a workout later I was in the LA Fitness locker room reflecting on my night smiling to myself saying “I’ve finally arrived”.

I Heart NACA

Hey yous guys! I am currently writing this blog from thousands of feet in the sky on my flight back to LA from Nashville Tenn. where this year’s NACA conferences were held. Normally by this time on any flight I take I would be completely knocked out all comfy and cozy in my window seat but I am so amped from NACA I can’t sleep! This was my first time doing NACA and what a learning experience! For those of you who have no idea what NACA is let me break it down for you; NACA stands for “National Association For Campus Activities” and the NACA conferences are a gathering of students looking to book various entertainment for their schools. The NACA conferences give performers like myself a chance to book college work which builds not only capital but fan base (I sound like such a grown up). The setup is similar to a lot of conventions each person/group gets a booth and people come by and you give them your pitch (and some free stuff which always helps, candy works wonders!) in hopes that (If you are one of the lucky ones who gets to showcase) they will come see you perform or do whatever it is you do.

During NACA, various showcases are ongoing throughout the entire convention so there is always something to do and always a chance to talk to students and try to get them to come to your show and the more work you put in getting the word out about your event the more people/potential clients you get so you best believe the NBC stand up for diversity crew took advantage of every opportunity; talking to students everywhere and anywhere. The great thing about NACA shows are held on and off of the convention center site so you can visit other venues in the surrounding areas and walk in like NACA royalty with your badge that says you are part of the convention, fancy huh?

It was like working 24hrs but worth it because in the end the night of the showcase we had an estimated 2,000 people and even though at the top of the show the left side of our stage and screen set up took a slow motion domino effect nose dive and nearly crushed front row, the show was a hit! Our booth was completely mobbed after the show with students wanting to book the Stand up for diversity (S.U.F.D) tour package. I cannot wait to see what fun shows lay ahead for the SUFD crew and I really hope to be a part of NACA 2014 although there is no time like the first time, now that I have a better idea of how it works I think doing it again would be a whole other amazing experience. Until next time you lovely people. Brillon OUT!

The Journey begins!!!

The Journey begins!!!

This week marks the beginning of my LA-NBC-Pilot season Journey!! I can’t wait to get things started. I leave for LA on January 24th and things are already being set in place. I have a few shows planned already and I’m looking forward to it, I will be working with some amazing performers like Pablo Francisco and Bobcat Goldthwait.

I’m really amped and receiving a lot of love and support from fans, friends and fellow comics.  I have a game plan and that plan is (drum roll please)…..to be AWESOME! Okay seriously though I plan on hitting the ground running. I mean really being prepared to work my Puerto Rican tail off (great now everyone will think Latinos have tails) there will be pictures, videos, blogs, vlogs and so much more! You will get to experience the whole process as I go through it.

It’s great to be able to document this great experience for you and everyone else who is watching my progress. There will be a lot to share with you, meetings, the NACA conference, Auditions and of course comedy shows. It all begins with my arrival in LA on Thursday January 24th!

I feel like Dorthy when she set out on the yellow brick road! Except the Latina version, so I’d be Dorthia and I’d have a Chihuahua dog named pepito and the yellow brick road would be made of plantains.

See you all very soon!

XOXOXO

GB

This one’s for you Grandma

Greetings blog readers!!!

Feast your eyeballs on the MOST EPIC BLOG EVER!!!!  Okay well that could just be gallons of cough syrup talking, been fighting a cold and talking all sorts of over the counter cough meds that might just be making me goofier than usual; oh well…..

I guess I should start by introducing myself……

My name is Gina Brillon I’m a Latina Stand-up comic born and Raised in the Bronx New York and I am also the 2012 winner of Stand up for diversity!!! (Cue celebration music, confetti and balloons) To really have you grasp the awesomeness of that I should first let you know that I am the first woman to win, that’s right…GIRL POWER!!!  And second I need to give you a back story on the history of Ms. Gina Brillon (um…that’s me)

Once upon a time in the boogie down Bronx….

There lived a little Puerto Rican girl who loved to make people laugh, so that’s what she did. Little Gina Brillon (see what I did there, talking in third person) would do anything for a laugh, her best audience….her grandmother Vivian Castillo. Gina would spend hours practicing her “bits” on her grandmother and since Gina was one of the few people who could make her grandmother laugh her parents allowed it. By the time Gina was in Junior high she was known as the funny girl in all her classes but it wasn’t until her high school years that she developed a love for the stage when she joined the drama club and musical theater. Still her favorite audience member was Vivian.  It was the night before Thanksgiving 1996 at the age of sixteen that Gina’s life would change, that night Vivian became very sick and passed away. Gina made a promise to herself and God that she would never stop making people laugh and that if she ever received anything for making people laugh it would be dedicated to her grandmother.  The next year at 17yrs old Gina hit the stage at Stand up NY Comedy Club doing stand-up comedy for the first time and she hasn’t stopped since.

That should give you an idea of exactly why the wonderful opportunity that NBC has given me means so much. There’s of course more to the story being not only a female comic but and ethnic female comic at that and having to fight for respect and stage time but those stories I will save for the time is right. For now I guess the most important thing to me is that all you readers of this understand how much I love what I do and why I love it. I cannot wait to share my journey with you guys, buckle up cause we are in for a crazy ride this year