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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May 2010 Update - Middle Men, Phoenix Comicon, tel·e·com·mut·ers, Lionsgate and Outsourced

Well, I've decided to make this blog thingy a regular monthly update. Hopefully, this brings some much needed stability into your life.

First things first - I managed to catch Middle Men at the Phoenix Film Festival and it turns out that I did indeed made the final cut! Middle Men has been picked up by Paramount and opens across the nation on August 6th so be sure to check it out!

Two short films that I acted in, Mr E-Comics and Pattern: Response, are screening at this years Phoenix Comicon.

Trailer for Mr. E-Comics

Trailer for Pattern: Response

Recently, I shot a TV pilot called tel·e·com·mut·ers. The initial cut was recently completed and will be submitted to both the New York Television Festival and the 5th Annual Independent Television Festival in LA. Both festivals will be used by the producers of the show to seek financing for a more polished pilot episode and possible pick-up for TV. Wish us luck! You can see trailers and video clips for tel·e·com·mut·ers on its Facebook Fan Page.

Finally, me and a few other actors shot a scene with local filmmaker, Sean Sinerius, as a part of a film making competition for Lionsgate. Each filmmaker was given a premise from an original screen play and a sample scene. Each filmmaker was to create a pitch as to why they should be the director. As a part of the pitch, each filmmaker was to shoot the sample scene. They could either shoot the scene as written, or modify it to make it their own or shoot something totally different in the same vein as the premise of the movie. Sean chose to shoot a modified version of the scene. To see Sean's pitch which included a 3 minute version of the scene, click here. The complete uncut scene is below!

Pearson's Interview - watch more funny videos

One last thing - congrats to the cast of Outsourced! Outsourced is a pilot that was picked up by NBC. It centers around an American call center manager sent to India to manage a bunch of not so stellar call center employees. I had the privilege of auditioning for this show and while I didn't get cast, maybe there'll be room for me in a future episode! :) Congrats to Indians making it on network TV!

Well everyone, that's it! Thanks for reading.. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

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April Screenings including a screening of Middle Men

Hey kids - just wanted to share a few upcoming screenings coming up.

This Thursday, April 1st, I've got two films screening at the upcoming Filmstock. The first one is called Pattern: Response and you can find the trailer below:

Pattern Response on Youtube

The second film at Filmstock that I've got going on is called Jones. Here's the trailer for that one below:

Jones trailer on MySpace

the director | MySpace Video

If either of those films have piqued your interest, you can catch them on April 1st at Filmstock. For more info and tickets, click here. Pattern: Response is directed by Stephen Krystek and Jones is directed by Angel Ruiz.

I got a couple of moving pictures playing at the Phoenix Film Festival as well. The first is a short called Help Wanted. You guessed it, trailer below:

Help Wanted Teaser

Big Shot Studios (HD) | MySpace Video

Help Wanted is being shown as a part of the Art Institute Alumni Showcase on April 13th at 7pm. Help Wanted is directed by Sean Sinerius. If you are interested, tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

Last, but definitely not least - Middle Men, starring Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi, will be screening as part of the Phoenix Film Festival's Closing Night Film event. Tickets for this one aren't cheap - $50 a pop. But, this is the festival's high profile event. I believe the stars of the movie will be present and it also includes admission to the post party at the Compound Grill. Plus, a good chance you'll catch a lot of local talent throughout the movie. And quite honestly, I'm not sure if I even made the final cut of the movie but I'm in the trailer so I'm guessing it's a good omen - we shall see. I play a masturbating terrorist. Feel free to comment below. Middle Men is directed by George Gallo and was cast locally by Good Faith Casting.

Trailer to Middle Men

Tickets for Middle Men

Catch me in the trailer for Middle Men!

Looks like I made the Middle Men trailer - you can catch a glimpse of me at the 3:31 mark of the restricted trailer! Warning - this trailer is NOT suitable for work.. lots of boobies flying around.. Enjoy!

Middle Men is directed by George Gallo with Arizona casting done by Good Faith Casting.

A few upcoming screenings!

Hey everyone,

Wanted to drop a note about some stuff coming up screening at various film festivals.

First off, Tia and Marco, directed by Annie Howell, will be screening at South By Southwest in Austin, TX on Sunday, March 14th at 5pm. The web premiere of Tia and Marco will be on March 8th. Be sure to check out www.futurestates.tv on March 8th! Tia and Marco is also a candidate for television broadcast on PBS.

SyntheticHuman is churning out the screenings as well with Pattern: Response screening recently in New Jersey as a part of VoxPop and then March 6th at the Arivaca Expo. Her Special Day, a film in which I'm an associate producer, will be screening Thursday, March 4th at Filmstock 3.

Thanks to everyone for cranking out great work!

The AFMC still needs your Help ARIZONA!

Below is an email sent out by Helen McCready not too long ago and I thought I'd pass it along in case you hadn't seen it...

---------------------------------------------------------

Dear Industry Professional: Don't think the state's budget cuts will affect you and your business? THINK AGAIN. I am writing to inform the Arizona film community of the status of our industry, as it currently exists and where it may be headed in the near future. I was elected President of the AFMC (Arizona Film and Media Coalition) in September. This is my third term in the last five years. As you should be aware, the AFMC was instrumental in passing the Motion Picture Tax Incentive Program (MOPIC) through the legislature in 2005. We have been fighting to improve the law and the administration of the program for the past four years. The current law is set to expire at the END OF THIS YEAR. It is the goal of the AFMC to extend the program for an additional five years. It is a project that I agreed to undertake to ensure that the film industry remains viable and that YOU, the people who work in this industry, continue to have the ability to work in Arizona in your chosen professions. The AFMC is working to put together a broad-based presentation to the legislature to show the positive effects the MOPIC program has had on the film industry and the State. We estimate the cost to extend the MOPIC program will be $50,000. THAT'S WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP! The AFMC and the APA are asking that each member of the film community donate $50.00 to the AFMC for this effort. If this is not within your budget, please donate what you can. To show you how important the extension of the film program is, I would like to make you aware of a couple of facts: 1. The State Film Office has had its budget cut to zero. Two people are donating their time to keep the process going - they are working for FREE. This will not last very long. 2. The Phoenix Film Office has been told that if the program isn't extended, the film office will likely be closed. This is not just about movies or TV shows. I don't want to think about what will happen to ALL filming projects if the tax incentive program is not extended. There are two ways to donate. The first is to write a check to the AFMC and send it to us. The address is: Arizona Film & Media Coalition, Inc. Attn: Roxanne Chaisson, Secretary 20325 N. 51st Avenue, Suite 134 Glendale, AZ 85308 The second is to make a pay pal payment to the AFMC by visiting: http://www.azfilmandmedia.org/donations.htm Thank you for your efforts, and it is an honor to represent you as President of the AFMC. Michael McGinn President AFMC

About The Arizona Film And Media Expo will provide exposure, networking and education and bring together the most talented and influential people in the Arizona entertainment industry.

Catch me in Middle Men at the Santa Barbara Film Festival

Looks like Middle Men, recently picked up by Paramount, will be making it's U.S. premiere on February 14th at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. In a surprising twist for me, my image made its way onto the official Middle Men website.

Middle Men was shot in Arizona and features several talented Arizona-based actors. Arizona casting done by Good Faith Casting.

Updated my comedy reel

Got a chance to update my comedy reel. It's not terribly different than my last one but I was able to trim some of the fat off of it. For the most part, I was able to keep all the footage from my last comedy reel plus add the footage of the Doritos spec commercials that I did and still make the whole reel shorter.

For my recent social networking connections, I hope you enjoy it!

Updated Comedy Reel on Youtube.

Doritos Crash The Super Bowl Finalists

Well folks, the results are in! And.... our videos didn't make the final 6 for the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl finalists. I'm pretty sure we were number 7. Check out the videos from the finalist. I have to admit, they're pretty good. I'd say some would be big-time advertising campaign quality good..

But, I still love our videos directed by Bivas Biswas. In case you missed them, here they are below!

Kung Fu Crunch on my YouTube channel

TV Repo on my YouTube channel

Become a fan of Tia and Marco

Be sure to add yourself to the Tia and Marco Facebook Fan Page! I had small part in this short as a Border Patrol Agent which didn't end up making the final cut but I encourage you to become a fan of this project which was shot in Arizona and includes other local talent.

Tia and Marco is directed by Annie Howell.

My latest project: Random Doors

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know about the latest feature film that I'm working on. It's called Random Doors and it stars Tom Sponberg, Bill Conner, Katrina Matusek, Will Leon and Lindsey Kidwell. The movie is about a serial killer who murders 100 people in 1 day - and still has time to update his Facebook status. I play the lead detective in this movie.

Be sure to add the Facebook Fan Page for this movie to keep up with the latest news and see the latest stills from the project.

Random Doors is directed by Randy Huckabone.

Toodles.

Sniper: Inside the Crosshairs showing on History Channel on Dec 20th and 21st

The two hour documentary, Sniper: Inside the Crosshairs, will be showing on the History Channel on Sunday, December 20th at 9pm and on Monday, December 21st at 1am. I have a small scene in this where me and two other Taliban insurgents get shot at. They also filmed us running all over the desert so there may be a Lord of the Rings kind of scene in there.

Arizona casting done by Good Faith Casting. Sniper: Inside the Crosshairs on IMDB.

'Illusions' screening this week

The short film, Illusions, will be screening this Thursday at 7pm and on Friday at 3pm. Illusions is about the blurred line between reality and our subconscious. I think.. Actually, I'm not too sure what it's about but I do know that I acted in it. So, if you want to know what it's really about, you'll either have to ask director, Lauryn Berger, or come out and see it! :) Illusions is Lauryn's Capstone project for ASU. It similar to a thesis project.

The screenings will be at the Lyceum Theater located at:
901 S Forest Mall

Tempe, AZ 85287

http://www.asu.edu/map/interactive/?campus=tempe&building=LYC

Doritos Crash the Superbowl Commercials!

So I recently ate about 15lbs of Doritos while filming 2 different commercials as a part of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. I'm not too worried about my diet since Doritos are vegan food.

I won't go through all the rules of the competition but the main rule is that no spot can go longer than 30 seconds. I can't believe how fast that is (that's what she said). So, as you can imagine, a lot of footage was left on the cutting room floor. But I can say, unequivocally, that I am tremendously proud of these spots. I think they're really, really good and I think you guys will enjoy them. And yes, the word 'unequivocally' was the word of the day on my word-of-the-day toilet paper.

Click both the links below to check out the spots. When you click the link, a large flash screen will load momentarily. When that's done, you can click on the 'Skip Intro' link in the lower right corner of the screen to skip the flash intro. You'll then be sent directly to the video itself. I'd appreciate any positive comments you can leave on the commercial pages. You may have to create a login account to leave a comment and I know that's a pain in the ass but the best videos with the most buzz have a chance of airing during the Super Bowl so any positive feedback you can leave is greatly appreciated!! In early January, they'll also open up the competition to user votes as well to help determine which commercials play during the Super Bowl.

The links to the commercials are below. They are directed by Bivas Biswas. Enjoy!

Kung Fu Crunch

TV Repo