Goodbye, WI!

Well, friends, it's time to say goodbye to Wisconsin. It has been a wild ride.

These past few weeks have been simply fantastic. Everything went off without a hitch, and it's mainly thanks to the folks who have helped make my wild and crazy dreams a reality.

I'd like to give a personal thanks and shout out to (in no particular order)...

- My Parents!
- Ante Udovicic
- Chad Piechocki
- Scott and Joe
- Jessica Wiza
- Debbie Thatcher
- Katrina Cravy
- Mike Hill
- Bill Jackson
- Rex Sikes
- Jim Cullen
- Sara Albrecht
- Carly Kaczmarowski
- The Kick Family
- Andy Jensen
- Daniel Kyle
- Carly Rieder
- Brian Urbanek
- Josh Cornelius
- Dvon Zerbe
- Joe Brazgel
- Jessica Fuchs
- Adam Seaman
- Steve Tonar

I KNOW there are others who I am missing on my list. I simply cannot begin to thank everyone enough. Your kind spirit and hard work have truly made for a fantastic and unforgettable event for our kids.

There is talk of whether or not I will return to offer the camp next summer. At this point, I'm leaning towards no, but anything is possible. We'll see where the next few months lead us...

Now Screening Online: Camper Films!

Some of you have been asking where you can see the videos that our campers made for our Red Carpet Premiere, and I am thrilled to announce that they are all ONLINE!

Check out our OFFICIAL Camp YouTube Page at www.youtube.com/MilwEntCamp

Here, you can check out all the camper's films, as well as other fun videos from camp.

Below, you will find some of my favorite picks. Some of which even star yours truly! ;)

Red Carpet Premiere - SUCCESS!

I am pleased to say that our Red Carpet Premiere was a success! I cannot thank everyone enough for supporting us and making this magical evening possible. All of our campers had a great time screening their films, and the audience loved every minute of it.

Take a minute to check out the slideshow which shows some of the highlights from our special night!



If you are interested in seeing more awesome pictures from our Premiere, please check them out by clicking here. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find the albums. They are at the bottom! AND, as you'll notice, there is more than one album!

I am very pleased with how everything turned out, and I am now looking forward to some relaxing last few days in Wisconsin before I head back to California.

FOX 6 was GREAT!

Did you see us?! Did you see us on FOX 6's "Real Milwaukee" this morning?

If you missed it, fear not! You can watch the whole interview below. Also, be sure to check out the great pictures we scored at the FOX 6 Studios.

Special thanks to all of our friends at FOX for allowing us to come in and talk about our Red Carpet Premiere to all of Southeastern Wisconsin!

Picnic and a Show!

Today was a really great day back home! Some friends and family came over around lunch time for a picnic, which was very enjoyable. It's always nice to be surrounded by friends and family -- especially when you don't get to see them as often as you'd like.




As if the day couldn't get better, tonight Jessica and I went to see JERSEY BOYS at the Marcus Center. What an INCREDIBLE show! Simply amazing! I loved every second of it, and so did Jessica. I'm really glad we got to see it!

Tomorrow, I am going to be appearing on FOX 6's talk show "Real Milwaukee" to be interviewed about our camp and the Red Carpet Premiere. Be sure to check it out!

Week 2 - Done!

Whew! Believe it or not, I am STILL breathing after an extremely intense second week of camp. Boy, I have not worked this hard in a while. Luckily, I have a fantastic staff that has been nothing but incredible over the past few days.

All this week, our 'campers' were filming their projects. They would start the morning off by going 'on location' with cameras, equipment, and a video mentor who would help them and guide them on their filmmaking journey. From there, the kids came inside to begin editing their projects with their editing mentors.

I have truly been blown away by the quality of ALL the kids' films. This is mainly because we have had such fantastic video and editing mentors helping us out, all of whom specialize in different areas in the industry. One of our editors works for WISN 12, while another is a master at Photoshop. Oh yeah, and one of them is an Emmy award winner. Pretty crazy, eh? Andy Jensen (our editing mentor) brought in his Emmy to share with the camp, and needless to say, it was a HIT!



It sure would be nice to own a golden lady someday. For now, it's just a dream...but hopefully I'll be able to make it a reality sooner than later.

Only a few days remain in the camp, and now, it's the moment we've all been building up to. This coming week will be our Red Carpet Movie Premiere, where the kids will have a chance to screen their films before a LIVE audience. Fingers crossed all goes well.

For now, I have some work to do! :) Check out some pictures below of our trip to SUMMERFEST that we took yesterday to celebrate the end of our second week!

Week 1 - Complete!

Hey, everybody! I know folks are curious about how camp is going, so I wanted to quick hop online and drop a note on my blog.

So far, I am proud to say things are going along GREAT! We have had a fantastic first week of camp, and I am really excited to see what the future holds next week. All of our 'campers' have selected ideas for their films, and over the course of the week, they managed to script, storyboard, and plan for shooting (which will take place all next week). On top of that, we had the chance to tour TMJ4 Studios - where the kids got to watch a live newscast! AND, we traveled to the Scottish Rite Theater - where we even had the honor of holding an all-day theater workshop for the kids with the amazing Mr. Bill Jackson.

I really could not have asked for a better first week. I'm sure more excitement awaits us next week. The parade is tomorrow and we are all crossing our fingers for no rain!

Cross your fingers the weather holds out, and enjoy these highlights from the first week of my camp!

A Visit with Anthony

This weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Wausau, WI to meet with my friend, Anthony. Anthony recently moved up north to take a new gig working an IT position.

Over the course of two days, I had a chance to see Anthony's new neighborhood and see some of the neat sights. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Rib Mountain, which is the third highest point in the state of Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to going back during the winter months to see how the snow transforms this state park into a winter wonderland!

Check out some pictures from my visit!

Heritage Days Parade

Today, the Heritage Days Parade went off without a hitch! No rain! And our kids looked great. Enjoy some of the fun pictures we took during our time on the route today.

Special thanks to Scott and Joe for coming out and supporting our camp! You guys are the best!!

Hello, Wisconsin!

I am back home in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI to offer Year 3 of my Summer Entertainment Camp. I normally don't blog when I am home (since this is my HOLLYWOOD Blog, after all...), but this summer, I am making an exception. This year, the stakes are much higher and the pressure is on. By the end of our two week camp, every single student will have written, directed, and edited their own film.

I'm just now beginning to setup for what is bound to be a VERY busy two weeks, and already, I have a LOT to be thankful for. We have an incredible host location (South Milwaukee High School) and an amazing sponsor (Prime Financial Credit Union). We are even hosting a Red Carpet Movie Premiere at the end of the camp, so the kids can have the feeling I did (four years ago) of premiering a movie on the silver screen!

I also cannot thank my parents enough for all of their help and support during this crazy time. These next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun, but I'm sure I can be a real thrill to put up with at times with all my crazy schedules! :P

More updates to come soon! Here's hoping for a great camp!



Check out the AWESOME bulletin board in my classroom for camp -- created by my mom and Mrs. Thatcher! :)

Shooting Went GREAT!

That's a wrap, folks!

We just wrapped shooting for our pilot episode of MOUTH TO MOUTH. It's been an intense weekend, and I am exhausted! But, I think all the hard work will soon pay off. In a few months, I will be able to share a fantastic web series with everyone. From there, it's anybody's guess as to what will happen.

During this weekend's shoot, I really learned a lot. Without sounding too cliche, I learned a lot about myself and my friends. I also learned more about this crazy thing we call film.

I have been so lucky and fortunate to have been surrounded by some real talent this weekend. Our cast is fantastic - top notch - the best of the best. I cannot believe we were able to bring on such incredible people to a project that is slowly getting its start. Furthermore, our crew consists of some of the hardest working people in the business. I am lucky to call them all my friends, and I cannot thank them enough for all their time, energy, and effort this weekend.

Take a look at some of the highlights from our weekend on set. (Photo Credit goes to the amazing Andi Shaw)

Web Series Rehearsal

Today was a GREAT day! We had our first 'official' rehearsal for MOUTH TO MOUTH!

A special thanks to Nathan Polzin, one of our lead characters, for helping us find a location to hold our rehearsal. I must say that I felt pretty 'official' holding rehearsal in a Hollywood theater. Call me crazy, but I think it was pretty cool.

Things are coming along very nicely and I am really excited to see how our pilot episode will turn out! One thing is for sure: We have a FANTASTIC cast!

More soon!

That's a Wrap!

This past Friday, we had our official wrap party for Top Model. It was a lot of fun being able to hang out with all the new (and old) friends from this season.

Throughout the evening, I somehow became a discussion point when the group learned that I wasn't a drinker. Everyone tried to find me an alcoholic beverage that they thought I would like, but to everyone's 'disappointment', there was nothing that they shared with me that I enjoyed. I probably sipped a wide variety of 10 drinks or so, but after each one, I'd immediately reach back for my coke and wash it down. Ah well.

Nonetheless, it was a fun time. Some pictures are below!

Congrats, Jenna!

A friend of mine (who I traveled to Australia with back in 2001 during the Student Ambassador Trip) got married a few days ago, and the pictures and videos are finally starting to hit the internet.

Take a look at some of the video highlights from their special day.

Mitch and Jenna's wedding highlights from Ivan Barra Films on Vimeo.

Congrats, Jenna!

Disneyland Video

Hey, folks! Things are still extremely busy over here -- so stay tuned for a really big blog post update in the near future.

Until then, enjoy my newest favorite video on YouTube. Mad props to my friends at Disney that made this video ROCK!

Jenny's Visit to LA

Wow! Time is really flying by lately. Just a week or so ago, my friend Shelly came out to visit me. Just this past weekend, Jenny came out to visit, too!

Jenny came out to spend Memorial Day weekend getting familiar with Los Angeles. As you may recall (from my earlier blog posts), she is moving out here next fall to begin her college adventure at AMDA - the American Music and Dramatics Academy.

During her visit out here, Jenny had a chance to visit her new school, tour Hollywood, and hang out with me :) It was a quick but fun weekend! Check out the pictures below!

Meanwhile, things are still going strong on Top Model. More updates as they come!

Shelly's Visit to LA

Hello, everybody!

Things have been EXTREMELY busy these past few weeks! I recently started working in 'TV Land' again with one of the best crews in television. It has been a wild ride and I am loving every second of it. The only down side is that it sucks away all of my time. But that's okay!

This past week, my friend Shelly came out to visit me in California. We had a chance to travel around and see all of the exciting landmarks that make LA special. Perhaps one of the bigger highlights of her visit (for me, anyways) was traveling to the Griffith Observatory on the night that Saturn was visible. We had no idea such a phenomenon was occurring when we arrived, but we quickly found out what was happening when we saw everyone with their telescopes out and pointing to the sky. It was so cool to see Saturn through the viewfinder of a telescope! It looked just like it does in the textbooks! (I was expecting more of a distant, blurry orange blob...)

Of course, Shelly and I also had the chance to do the more 'cliche' stuff during her visit, as well...such as Hollywood, Universal Studios, and the beach. :)


I am starting to realize that these next few months are going to FLY by. Between my job right now, and an upcoming pilot shoot for my new websiode series...AND my summer camp, I am in store for a crazy adventure! I can't wait. Hang on tight, folks! It's going to be one hell of a ride.

Dodger's Game

Last night, Elliot and I had a chance to check out a Dodger's Baseball Game. This is the first time I've been to a baseball game that was NOT the Milwaukee Brewers.

Most of you know that I'm not a sports fan to begin with, but I went because the Red Cross was handing out free tickets to employees!

In short, here were my observations...

1. A baseball game is nothing without a Sausage Race.
2. Milwaukee is SPOILED. While Dodger's Stadium may have history, Miller Park has a TON of things to do (besides just watch baseball)
3. LA has a serious passion for Dodger Baseball. Don't cheer for the other team.
4. Did I mention that a baseball game is nothing without a Sausage Race?
5. Baseball games are much more fun with Elliot.

Grilled Cheese Highlights & Looking Forward

Hello, world!

A lot of great things have been happening lately.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of serving as an official judge for the Los Angeles Grilled Cheese Convention! It was unlike anything I've ever been to before, and I had a fantastic time! Needless to say, I ate some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches on the planet, and I left with a full tummy. Some pictures highlighting my adventure are below:



In other news, I am staying very busy with my new sitcom, 'Mouth to Mouth'. Things are going extremely well and everything is falling into place. I am so happy and proud of the team I have assembled for this project. I truly do believe we have some fantastic people on board, and I am excited to work with them when we begin shooting in a month or so!

Lastly, I am proud to say that I will be returning for my third season working on a popular show for The CW Network. I received the official e-mail today, so I can now relax and look forward to being amongst friends again in the very near future. :)

As you can tell, I am BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! More updates to come soon!

Camp is Back!

It's official, everybody!

The Milwaukee Summer Entertainment Camp will be back this summer for YEAR 3! I am so excited for what's in store this summer. We are raising the stakes and I am pushing to make this year our best yet.

To kick things off, we have a fantastic new logo. Check it out.



In adding to the excitement, my good friend David Wappel also helped me create a commercial for our camp. I am VERY proud of this commercial, because it truly captures the essence of what this program is all about. It's neat to look back and see how far we have come in such a short time.



If you are interested in finding out more about my camp, don't be shy to e-mail me! Spread the word!