There is something so beautiful about the way life works sometimes.

We make a casting decision late today on Still of the Night and I call the actor’s agent. The voicemail has already been switched on, indicating the agency (one of the biggies) is closed until 4 January 2006. I don’t HAVE to have this guy’s contract locked today, but I sure as hell need him to know the offer has been made, get at least a verbal yes, and move forward in good faith with letting the non-cast actors’ representatives know status.

I go to IMDB-Pro to look up this actor’s manager info. Nope. Wrong info. Call the management company, whose employees have never heard of him… obviously outdated info. Fine. Call the attorney of record (for no reason other than to be SURE that someone, somewhere knows an offer is coming over). Leave a message with assistant.

Exhale. This may be as far as I can get with this deal this year.

Couple of hours later, phone rings… it’s the attorney. I give him all of the info about the project, he says he’ll do his best to get the info to his client, just so that we can know if he’s even going to be available to do it (he’s a series regular on a hot new show right now), we joke about how we’re still busy at work at dark on the day when everyone in Hollywood left town at noon for the rest of the year. Hee hee, ho ho, good convo. Six minutes, tops.

One of the things he says, at the end of the conversation, is that he’s very well-versed (surprisingly) in indie film deals, seeing as he reps a few producers and has built more than a few distribution deals, writer packaging, blah blah blah, and maybe we should get to know each other better.

Yes.

Let’s do that. I tell him I’m just about to hit my three-year mark with casting, the next film I’ve got on my plate is a $2M feature film that I’m just really excited about, I’m movin’ on up, yada yada, and it might be a good time for me to take a meeting at this level.

Why NOT have someone who is PAID (commission) to read scripts and negotiate my casting deals for me? Why NOT?!?

I’m sooooo in.

Oh, and a footnote… the owner of the big-deal agency that had been closed a few hours earlier just called me on his cell to give me a verbal yes on the deal, let me know how much his client loved auditioning for me and specifically for this project, and that we’ll do the paperwork in the new year, “Tell Gary Marsh that I love him when you have dinner with him next week,” and so on.

Life… she is goooooooooooooooood.

AND — Keith is on his way home with well-reviewed gluten-free pizza crust so that I can have something I’ve been craving (but finding unsatisfactory) for the year I’ve been gluten-free. Yippee! I just LOVE it when it all comes together! Thanks, universe! You rock!