Blog
January 25th, 2022
I feel like every time I write a new blog post, it always starts with “HEY it’s been a while!” –which it has I’m not gonna lie lol. So much has happened this past year and now we are beginning a new one!
This year, my career path has led me out of cannabis and into a new role as a receptionist for Home Societe (a cool furniture store). This will be my first role as receptionist and I am hoping that it will allow me to live my dream Pam Beesly life haha! It’s definitely a change from what I am use to, but I think I am adjusting well.
After having left my previous job in cannabis, I definitely felt lost, but I needed the break. I had spent my whole life either in school or working and had never taken time off. At the beginning it was nice to have so much time to myself and to prioritize the things that make me happy; after about a month however, the financial stress kicked in and I realized that I did not know what direction to head in at this point. I didn’t really know where I wanted to work or what I wanted to do (talk about a mid-life crisis at the ripe age of 26).
So I just started looking for something that interested me. Anything that looked sorta fun and paid decently well–this was a gigantic request apparently. Overtime, I was struggling to find something that would fit these criteria. Even with 10+ years of retail and customer service experience and my background in communications, there was barely anything that would pay over $20/h and would not make me want to unalive myself. I just wanted to find something fun, something that I would enjoy.
Not sure if anyone else struggled with this, but I just didn’t want to settle for something just because I needed a job. I realized that it’s important to me to be in a work environment that is both fun and creative, as well as have an amazing team and management who cares. With this, my 2 week job hunt turned into a 3 month job hunt…which finally landed me here.
I have major FOMO about leaving the cannabis industry and still have this desire to go off on my own and start my own business/work for myself. I don’t exactly know what that looks like right now, but I’ve been leaning towards trying to start a Youtube channel or something that would allow me to do everything that I want. I have so many interests that I have a hard time focusing in on a particular niche. Niching down is my biggest struggle: do I create a social media presence focused on cannabis, on acting, on health and wellness?? I just like/know about too many things and I think that vlogging might be a good way to encompass everything.
Julie is an actor, but she also likes to sing, to educate people on cannabis, she likes to stay active, to share her life as she tried to balance health and wellness. Julie is a creative person and someone who craves excitement. What do I bring to the table?
I can’t exactly answer this question yet, but I’ve completed Step 1 which is to get a job lol. Now that I won’t be as stressed financially, maybe I can figure out what I’m doing.
Step 2: Update Headshots and get a vlogging camera.
Advice for future me and you: Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are learning.
-An honest Life Update
P.S.: I hope all the 26 year olds are doing okay
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July 26th, 2021
Wow. Looking back on the last time I posted, it has definitely been a while! Almost two years ago now, we saw the beginning of Covid and now we are nearing the end. It’s been a slow couple of years on the acting front, but I think everyone felt that.
It’s hard not to get caught up in your own thoughts about the reasoning behind why you’re not getting auditons, or the few auditions you do get, you don’t hear anything back. For a while there, I thought I actually sucked or that I was losing touch with my craft. And then trying to figure out why all your friends are booking stuff and you’re not. Is it because I’m not that good anymore? Because I’m not as pretty? What are they doing that I’m not?
During this Covid period, that’s how I thought it was going. Although I knew that those thoughts were not helping me and were stupid to say the least, I would still give them the time of day and slowly convince myself that I wasn’t good anymore because I wasn’t as committed as my other friends. I needed to take 5 classes, and get new headshots and quit my job and fully commit to acting if I wanted to be successful and start booking things.
But I am literally full of bullshit, so I called myself out. Why was there this pressure that I needed to book things NOW. All my friends are booking so I should be to! I should be putting all my money towards this. And this is where I realized that I have no control over getting booked and no control over the way my career as an actor would go and how long it would take me to get to that point of feeling succesfull. I’ve heard this said before, but when you’re an actor, your career is a marathon, not a sprint.
Once you realize this, it’s very freeing. You let go of that sense of having to be successful right now. You begin to understand that as you grow older, you open yourself up tp more roles. Just because you don’t book something in your 20’s, doesn’t mean that you’ve failed your career. There’s no time limit when you’re an actor; you can do this forever as long as you’ve still got the passion for it.
So don’t worry about not booking those Young Cheerleader roles or the Young Hottie (still do it but don’t be as pressed); look forward to the roles to come as well. The Meryl Streep roles or the Steve Carell roles. Biggest takeaway from my rant today: just because you’re not booking anything right now, doesn’t mean your career is over. You’ve got all the time in the world so don’t be so hard on yourself.
PS: After two years of not booking anything, I can finally say that I booked a French TV Series where I was on set for 2 days! Let’s get the ball rolling.
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July 2nd, 2019
Well hey there!
It’s been a while, I know, but life gets BUSY! I’ve been having one of those ruts lately where I’ve had a million things going on at once and no time to really focus on one. Hopefully as the summer goes along, I’ll regain some focus and find my priorities again! Just throwing it out there that life isn’t all handy dandy and I sure as hell don’t have everything figured out (maybe like 10%). Auditions have been slow and I haven’t had much time for training, but I’m also enjoying my time with family and friends.
I guess the whole point of this blog post was mostly to be like, “Hey! I’m still here!” and to let you guys know that finding this thing called balance in life is really hard! But one day at a time, right? All I know is that I still love acting and it’s all good if not everything happens tomorrow; don’t judge your success by how long it’s taking you.
April 8th, 2019
Yes this is definitely Grey’s Anatomy and I am definitely a nurse.
Just kidding. The fun part of being an actor is that I get to experience different careers every time I work! For example, here are some pictures of me doing some standardized patient work for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (bringing you the most concerned face of 2019).
I tried to save him with an I.V. but it was all in vein. I’m also a comedian.
Have fun with it and find ways you can work professionally in your community!
March 5th, 2019
The long awaited release of Past Redemption Season 2 is almost here! Check out this awesome poster. I had such a good time playing this character, and all I can say is: I can’t wait for y’all to meet her! And tip of the day: keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, try characters you are not familiar with, and have fun!
January 25th, 2019
Whenever I get a new gig, often times someone will ask me “Oh cool! So How much are you getting paid?” And I often just stand there like: “Uh…nothing?” Of course! That’s the question my parents/family/friends/cats have been asking me my whole life!!! And today I had a pretty good reason to be proud of myself for taking those gigs even if they were not paid.
I had to do a self-tape today that required me to act as if I was high on an opiate. Last year, I was able to get involved with the web series Past Redemption, where my character was a drug-addict. Just having that bit of experience and knowledge about what kind of character that was, I was able to bring it back very quickly and feel confident in my performance. So you can take your pile of money and shove it (right into my savings hahahaha…ha)
Moral of the story: Volunteer Work=Exposure+Practice
January 2nd, 2019
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you’re ready and excited for 2019. Here’s to kicking it off on a positive note, our 15 second horror short won 1st overall for the 15 Second Horror Film Challenge, out of over 500+ entries. Let’s go 2019!!
November 21st, 2018
We won Top Twist Ending in the 15 Second Horror Challenge! Check out the submitted excerpt from We Know You Are Home:
Another little announcement (off-topic, I know) but I recently announced that I am an active cannabis user. As an actor, I had many thoughts about the back lash I would receive from the acting community, if this would affect my gigs, would people not want to work with me because of this? So I became a closet smoker (lol I cringed at myself there).
However when cannabis became legal in Canada, I thought to myself, why do I feel like I have to hide this from people? I enjoy cannabis and find many benefits that increase my everyday well-being. Being an actor who smokes weed does not mean you are stupid, slow, unable to memorize lines, or less talented. I am here to prove that and encourage everyone to talk about their own cannabis usage!:)
November 7th, 2018
WOW! Guys what a week it’s been! After being on set in Toronto filming my first TV show, I was so happy to come home to all these beautiful reviews and messages about We Know You Are Home! I couldn’t believe it, I had never gotten any reviews before for my work. I felt so lucky to have been a part of so many horror projects this year and getting this type of feedback is soooooo worth it. I’d also like to reiterate that this was a project I volunteered for; I was not paid or compensated at all, except of course for a veggie platter, some Halloween candy and loads of good times. It just goes to show you that any project has the potential to lead to something, even if you did it for free. But now that Halloween’s done, hopefully the holidays have something else in store for me, perhaps a little less spooky this time haha!
October 30th, 2018
Just in time for Halloween! Check out my new horror film We Know You Are Home, directed by Andrew JD Robinson. It’s already getting some spooky reviews, I hope I can scare a few of you;)
October 22nd, 2018
So this happened!!
October 11th, 2018
WOAH! Check out the new short I’ve been working on with Andrew JD Robinson, “Trick r’ Treat”! It’s currently competing in the Jakob Owens Short Horror Film Contest starring myself, Michelle Standen Elston’s Johnny, Ricky, and Daniel with FX by Alina Sauve— reproduced from the upcoming 20min+ film “We Know You Are Home”! I guess you could also call it a little sneak peek (you’re welcome).
Contest guidelines include that films must be two minutes max, up to 15 shots, no dialogue, with five actors or less. Winners announced Oct 28th to the 30th!
September 29th, 2018
Check out this awesome horror short that I got to help Andrew JD Robinson with a couple of weeks ago! Stay tuned for his next short film, I might possibly be in it a lot more;)
Always love helping out local filmmakers, you never know who you’re going to meet, or where they will end up, so really push yourself to get out there and work. I also encourage you to work as much as you can, on projects big or small. Sometimes you don’t have a big role, but the cause is something greater than that. For example, I had the opportunity to work on a documentary that was being made about bullying, based on the real life experiences of a young boy. Though I did not have any lines, sometimes the project itself is worth way more than just lines. As well, I got to work with talented kids and an awesome crew which is always nice!
September 20th, 2018
Some of the shots from the Maritime Gear photo shoot I did last week! Had such a great time with Cacti Productions for this outdoor shoot. Made in Canada folks!
September 5th, 2018
It has been quite a busy month! They really aren’t kidding when they say that everything happens at once! I’ve been shooting for a lot of different projects this month, including a horror short for Monster Pool (with my amazing co-star and fellow Meuser, Blake Canning) which will be screening at the Mayfair Theatre on October 25th. I’ve also shot another horror short with Andrew J.D Robinson and a couple of corporate commercials. Woohoo!
I was also on set this past Monday shooting more of Trophée Perdue, a french web series, and this Saturday I’ll be in Venosta, QC shooting for season 2 of Past Redemption. It’s been crazy, but I am definitely not complaining! I have a few more projects lined up afterwards as well, but let’s just focus on right now.
It does get a bit hectic trying to juggle an acting career with two part-time jobs and occasional standardized patient work, but nothing an agenda and a good attitude won’t fix! Back to work, stay tuned!
July 31st, 2018
So exciting! Stay tuned for this as well as a whole lot more!
July 15th, 2018
This summer has been AWESOME! Not a whole lot going on right now, but I’ve been auditioning like crazy! It’s been nice having some time to relax, enjoy the heat and stay active, because soon I’ll be neck deep in shoots and projects. Lots of stuff coming up in August and September, including a shoot for Past Redemption, Monster Pool and a whole lot more. Stay tuned for some interesting updates and hopefully some exciting news:)
May 21st, 2018
Had an amazing time in Montreal this weekend at the Hamilton Masterclass with Andrew Chappelle! Got a lot of great feedback and had the best time kicking it with Andrew. We had a singing and dancing portion (where we learned the choreo to My Shot which was AMAZING). Great time! Thank you to In The Wings Promotions for this awesome workshop!
May 16th, 2018
Guess what? We’re putting on Unhappily Ever After again May 29th at Absolute Comedy! But this time we’ve got a little bit more of a dirty Disney kind of vibe! Come check out these comedy sketches of your favorite Disney characters. Call in to reserve your tickets!
May 14th, 2018
Went for a TFP session with head shot photographer Robert de Wit and got some really nice shots! Check these out!
April 26th, 2018
It’s Thursday night scene study! Got the opportunity to play around with one of my favorite scenes from Friends. Here’s Season 2, Episode 2, The One with the Breast Milk, enjoy! Also word of advice, even though green may look good with your hair color, don’t forget about that green screen…good thing my agent has me covered with a cardigan!
April 24th, 2018
New video is up! Check out my cover of Dua Lipa’s song New Rules!
April 17th, 2018
I uploaded a cover of Lifeboat from Heathers: The Musical and just started a singing section on the home page! Check it out below! I’m going to try posting more covers, I love singing and it’s a skill I’d love to keep pursuing. Of course my bathroom is the only studio space I have at the moment, so bear with me haha!
In other news, I’ll be attending a Hamilton masterclass in Montreal in May, which will be taught by Hamilton’s very own Andrew Chappelle! Stay tuned for updates:)
April 13th, 2018
Happy Friday the 13th! It’s been a while, I know, but I come with good news and new projects! If you happened to see my last post, 2018 started off pretty rough for me, with life having a blast just throwing curve balls. However, I’m happy to say that I’ve been feeling much better and am finally getting back on my grind. Sometimes you just have to take a break, pause life for just a moment to allow yourself to reset, and trust me you’ll surprise yourself at how quickly you’re able to bounce back when you thought you’d never be able to.
Moving on! The past couple weeks have been busy with commercial shoots and short films for the Digi60 Festival happening here in Ottawa (stay tuned for the footage on those babies) and little projects here and there. February was busy, march was a bit slow, but I think things will pick up with auditions and such (fingers crossed!) Also, something cool happened last week: the United Way campaign ran on CTV News and it was the first time I’d ever seen myself on TV!! I’d like to think I was as excited as my parents were but…
I recently started two new jobs which have allowed me to have lots of time to act, train, go to the gym and focus on myself and my career. I’ll be posting about more projects and updates more regularly so stay tuned for those! Feeling all of the positive vibes and excited for what’s to come:) Check out my latest project below that I filmed for Algonquin College’s TV and Broadcasting Students.
February 28th, 2018
I feel as though the shortest month of the year, somehow lasted twice as long. This post is is essentially just me trying to be real with you all. February and the past couple of months have been awfully hard on me, with life throwing twists and turns as it always does and taking a toll on my mental and physical health. I’m just here to say that sometimes life is going to get hard and feel like nothing is ever going to get better, and it’s completely okay to feel that way.
Sometimes you just need to take a step back and let yourself feel and ride through these emotions you might be feeling. That’s what happened to me. A lot of stuff has been going on lately and I’ve had to just take a breath and focus on myself. It’s very hard to tell yourself that it’s okay to take a breather especially when you’re immersed in pursuing your career as an actor and it’s pilot season lol. Don’t be afraid to say no or put your own health and well being before anything else, even if it means missing a few self-tapes or not being as focused on your craft.
Take the time you need, things will get better. Right now I can finally say that I’m in a way better head space than I was a few weeks ago or even a few days ago and I’m finally getting back to my own self. It’s hard to tell yourself this, but acting will always be there. Acting can wait. Acting will wait for you. But you can’t expect to be your best if you won’t take the time to make sure you’re okay. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
February 15th, 2018
I always find it funny when I take a vacation or a couple days off and I think to myself: “wow this is great, some downtime!” But in all honesty I thrive when I’m busy! Even last week when I was in Alberta for a vacation, I was doing self tapes and prepping for auditions, because clearly pilot season stops for no one haha!
I just got back a couple days ago and I’ve already done a self tape when I was there, a self tape last night and I’m currently on the train to Toronto for an audition. Couple more to do for next week too so I’m definitely taking advantage of this train ride😊
February 6th, 2018
The United Way Ottawa campaign for mental health support was one of my favorite projects. I’m so happy I got to participate and create awareness on such a relevant topic. You are never alone #HereToHear
Here’s the full campaign video:
January 29th, 2018
Had such a great weekend! On Saturday a Prepping for Pilot season intensive workshop win Lisa Meuser and Brendan Mertens, and then rehearsal for Unhappily Ever After! Tickets are on sale now🎭
January 19th, 2018
The shoot for United Way Ottawa went great today! Looking forward to seeing how it looks. Grateful for the opportunity to advocate for mental health and do what I love.
January 18th, 2018
Prepping for my shoot tomorrow with United Way Ottawa! I always get to the point where it’s way too late at night and I just get frustrated that I don’t know my lines, however I then wake up in the morning and they’re all there🧐
January 17th, 2018
Finally getting back to the gym more regularly! The holiday season was busy and I definitely wasn’t going as much as I should have been (AKA I didn’t go at all), but now it’s time to get back on that GRIND! Not expecting immediate results, but hey, at least I made it and smashed a good session, living the #sweatlife. Getting ready for that one shoot where they’ll say: “We’re gonna need you to run…the entire time.”
Julie Landriault 