Our Doritos commercial made the Top 40!

Someone pinch me.  Or grab my ass.   I'm not sure I'd feel either.  So, it appears our Doritos commercial was called out as a Top 40 spot and has been nominated for a "Nacho Average Ad" Award.  If we can momentarily get over the cheesy name (see what I did there), I'd say this is PRETTY DAMN COOL.

This is my third Doritos commercial with director/friend/lover-of-value-meals, Ryan Andersen.  So, two years ago, we were one of about 40 people contacted by Doritos.  They told us we were in the running for the Top 5 with our spot, Par For The Crunch.  Then last year, we didn't hear anything for our spot, Oh man Oh man Oh man.  And to be honest, we probably crossed the line with that spot but I still love it.  Fast forward to our spot for this year, Ryan and I were hoping that Doritos would still be contacting people if they were in the running.  I mean, if you were the last one eliminated from the Top 5, wouldn't you want to know?  We felt really good about our spot this year. We loved the concept.  We loved our talent.  It just felt really good.  It's really nice to get this award nomination.  It's nice to get that validation for what we've felt all along.  We've got a great spot with a great bunch of kids.

So, we were placed in a group with four other spots.  It's up to a public vote as to which one is the best.  If you would, check it out.  If you think our spot is the best in the group, we'd love your vote!  Below is a step by step guide to finding our spot and voting for it.  I hope you like it!

1) Go to https://apps.facebook.com/crashthesuperbowl/
2) Click the icon for "'Straight A' Award" category.  You may have to click the white triangle arrow to scroll to the other categories if 'Straight A' Award is not on the first page.

Click image to see in full size

3) Once you select "Straight A" Award, find the thumbnail image for our spot called There Goes Brutus 
Again and click "My Pick" link above the thumbnail.

Click image to see in full size

4) Vote every day.  Because you care.

Interceptor, Paranoia, Sex, Drugs and Money

Hey kids!  A few things to announce..

Recently wrapped on Interceptor.  It's a short film directed by Angel Ruiz and will be submitted to the YouTube Film Festival.  Wish us luck.  The top 10 entries will be screened at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.  I'm really excited about this one.  It's got a great story - so much so that I'm booking my first class ticket to Italy as we speak (read).  

For those of you checking out the Phoenix Film Festival this weekend, try and score a ticket to Paranoia - a feature film made in Arizona.  I got an itty bitty part in it but damn, I look good.  Check out the trailer:

Ooooh, mysterious!

Last, but definitely not least.  I did a goofy indie comedy several years ago and it finally made its way onto Netflix.  It's available on streaming only.  Be sure to check out Sex, Drugs and Money.  I play the worst terrorist ever with the worst accent ever.  Enjoy!

As always, I appreciate your support!

Peter Piper Pizza, Triggers, 2011 recap

Oh man - it's been a year and forever since I've last blogged - and quite frankly, I'm surprised that you guys hadn't said anything about it.... Ok, not really.  But, I've decided it's good business to keep this going so here goes! The anticipation in the air is palpable!

So, first off, I booked a principal role in a Peter Piper Pizza commercial.  No idea when or where it's playing - I should probably call my agent and find out.  I recently participated in a commercial showcase over at Good Faith Casting and it sure paid off.   The exposure from that event was directly responsible for getting me called in.  Now booking it was all me but I definitively utilized my learnings from Faith's teachings.  I'll tell you what - the hardest thing about every commercial shoot I've done is booking it.  The level of improv and quick thinking during the audition is so much tougher than anything you're asked to do on the day of shooting.  Not that I'm complaining.

For all you Military Channel fans out there, you may have caught a mini-series called Triggers on that channel recently.  And if you did, you may have caught yourself asking, "Does the same guy die in every episode?"  Why yes he does! I did a bunch a reenactments for the show and yeah, I die in each.  No ideas why the Military Channel hates me so much.  No worries if you didn't set your DVR, I'll be putting up a death reel shortly.  Oh yeah!

So, that's about it.. Thanks for tuning in.. Below, I'm going to give a brief recap to some notables from last year that I never got around to blogging about.. Enjoy!

A look into 2011-ish..

Here's a director's cut of a Casino Arizona commercial I was in.

Cash In On That - Casino Arizona Commercial - Director's Cut - watch more funny videos

Here's a clip of mine in Paramount's Middle Men:

Middle Men clip featuring Raj Suri - watch more funny videos

Here's a trailer to short I was in which was well received at last year's Comicon in San Diego.

Stitched Trailer on YouTube

Paranoia Trailer which will be screening at this year's Phoenix Film Festival

Paranoia Trailer on YouTube

As always - thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Check out our new Doritos Commercials!

It's that time of year again... check out our entries in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Competition!

Version 1: http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/?video=15869
Version 2:  http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery?video=17195

Make sure click "Skip" in the upper right corner of your screen to go straight to the video.  These links don't work on a mobile device.  Let me know what you think and which one you like better.

I wrote the spot and was inspired by the arrival of this little guy who just came into my life.

Pretty cute, huh? One day when he's old enough, I'll show him this ridiculous spot and tell him I wrote it for him.

I'd like to express a special thanks to Dr. Lisa Huff and Dr. Terry Huff of Desert Rose OB/GYN of Mesa, AZ.  I was pretty sure I was going to have to scrap this spot till this generous couple came along and allowed me the use of their facility in the last minute.  You won't find a nicer couple.

Here are the complete credits below.  I hope you enjoy the spots and as always, thanks for your support!

Director: Ryan Andersen
Writer/Producer: Raj Suri
Audio: Carlos Soto
Makeup/Boom/AD/Whatever We Needed without asking: Kristen Alfenito of SyntheticHuman Pictures.

Cast:
Dad - Cavin Gray Schneider
Mom - Laney Smith
Nurse - Rita Kurtz
Doctor Who Catches Baby - Stephen Gresser
Doctor Trying to Deliver Baby - Raj Suri

Check out our new Doritos/Pepsi Max commercials!

I'm super excited to share our entries in this year's Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition. Please check them out and I encourage you to comment on them. You'll have to register on the site to comment but it's real quick and the positive feedback helps a lot. When you click on the links below, you'll see an intro screen but you can click on "Skip" in the upper right corner of your screen and then you'll go straight to the video. Enjoy!!

Par for the Crunch (Alternate Version 1 | Alternate Version 2)
Cover Tim
Dersey Shore
Product Placement
Trying to get my...Ummmm.

October 2010 Update - New website, Xtraction

So, it's been some time since my last entry into this blog. It's been crazy busy for me these last several months - and not really from an acting standpoint. Things are really good with me and I'm trying to get back into gear from an acting perspective.

So, I have a new website. If you get a chance, check it out: www.RajSuriActor.com . For those of you who remember my last website, it kind of had that 1995-when-the-internet-first-came-out feel to it. Well, that's because that's when I learned HTML and it was the best I could do. And, for the most part, the old website served it's purpose. It had my headshots, my reels and my resume. All the info you needed to know on how to cast me was there but it failed in two aspects. 1) Even though it was quite functional, it looked kind of lame and somewhat unprofessional. 2) There was nothing on the site in terms of branding. Branding is so key as an actor - what makes you unique in the sea of thousands of talented actors. If you don't know the answer to that question, it's in your best interest to figure it out. As actors, we all like to believe that we can play anything and do it superbly. And for some actors (not myself), this is a true statement. But, in taking an honest look at yourself and your abilities, if you can market a certain brand that is organically YOU and create that image among agents, casting directors, producers, etc, it will provide that extra leverage in getting you through the door for certain types of jobs. Of course, I'm talking from the stand point from booking professional jobs. Anyhow, in an effort to make my site pretty and portray a brand, I enlisted the help of my good friends J and Anita. Feel free to drop them a note if you'd like to have them help you on your site.

In other news, over the summer, I had the pleasure of working on a short film called Xtraction which was produced by SunCast Entertainment. The AZ film community is very fortunate to have the team on SunCast working in the valley. It's not too often you have a team of filmmakers who have the know-how and resources to make a Hollywood caliber product with the dedication to utilizing the AZ film community - both crew AND talent. And I'm not just talking 5-and-unders for the AZ talent. I, for one, hope they stick around for the long run!

My part in Xtraction required formal training in Krav Maga by the good folks over at Total Submission Fighting Systems. Be sure to check them out. It's first time I've ever had to do any fight choreography for a film so it was big time thrill for me - even though I spent most of my time getting my ass kicked.

Check out the two videos below. One is a clip of some of a Krav Maga training/choreography practice session. The other is a brief taste of Xtraction. It looks pretty awesome. Enjoy!

Krav Maga Practice Session Video (Facebook)

Taste of Xtraction on YouTube

June 2010 Update - Xtraction, Woodstock FF, Lionsgate, Middle Men Trailer

Dear friends, family, fans and non-believers -

It's that time of month again.. No, not Aunt Flo's arrival. Time for a Raj Suri update! For those who care, keep reading!

First off, I'd like to announce a new booking! I was recently cast in Xtraction - a short film being produced by SunCast Entertainment and directed by Marco Santiago Jr. Xtraction is an action-thriller set in Mexico and deals with organ trafficking. That's pretty heavy stuff. The cool part for me is that my role has a fight scene which is requiring me to get training in Krav Maga by the good folks at Total Submission Fighting Systems. Can you say Chuck Suri? Or Raj Norris? Xtraction is cast by Helen McCready.

In other news, Tia and Marco will be screening at the Woodstock Film Festival in NYC. Congrats to director Annie Howell! Details on the screening are here.

More congrats are in order to Sean Sinerius who won the Lionsgate filmmaker competition and will be directing the project, Wrong Guys for the Job. Sean was rightfully awarded the job for his creative pitch and his winning scene entry below.

Pearson's Interview - watch more funny videos

Finally, the official Middle Men trailer has been released on iTunes. You can check it out here! Look for my boy, Daved Wilkins, at the 0:58 mark looking salaciously at the fine women walking by! Middle Men opens up nationwide on August 6th!

Well, thanks for reading! For next month's update, I'm hoping to unveil a new website, comedy reel and commercial reel!

Thanks for the support!

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