Cypress Bayou Cast at Magic City Con

Good morning, everyone!  I’m really excited to share my first acting blog with you all!  Now, just to be clear, my acting posts will not be about the craft, coaching, etc., but more about my experiences as an actor!  However, my hubby and acting coach, Dean West, does have an amazing blog that covers every aspect of acting and the industry; so feel free to check it out at www.thedeanwest.com!

For now, I’m kind of starting in the middle of introducing my work to you all; so as I get the urges and shows and/or films are released, I will go back and write about those!  Cypress Bayou is one of the projects that’s most dear to my heart since we have literally become a family; so I am excited to start here with the “actor” page of the blog.  Welcome to Cypress Bayou at Magic City Con in Birmingham, Alabama!

I wanted to share this past weekend with you all because it was such a fun learning experience for Dean and I, as it was our first con event for Cypress Bayou.  For those of you that are new, we were cast in an upcoming television series, called Cypress Bayou, and filmed the trailer/teaser about a year and a half ago.  It is currently going through network negotiations; so once we are allowed to say when and where it will be filming and released, we will definitely announce all info on our social media accounts and blogs!  In the mean time, we do have an Instagram Fan page where you can also get updates; so join the club @CBayouFandom  If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, here you go:

We also have a 22 minute master trailer but we cannot release that yet.  We did get to show it at Magic City Con this past weekend during our panels and it went amazing.  If you saw my Insta-story over the weekend, we were allowed to show a few snippets of it; so if you were around, you got a sneak peek!  Also, we had the pleasure of doing two different interviews while we were there; so once we get copies, I will add them here 🙂

Thank you to everyone who came out, asked questions, and watched our clips!  We beyond appreciate your support!  Speaking of that, this weekend was a super humbling experience, as well!  It was so heartwarming to know the amount of people who came out to support us at this early of a stage in the process, as we beyond appreciate the belief and faith in us as creators.  As actors, we strive and aim to create a story and characters for you all to relate to your own life in some way, shape, or form; so it means the world to us to know that we are relating to you all before you’ve even seen the show.  Each of us got to explain our character in a nutshell during the panels; and I am not sure if I can explain here so I will hold off for now until I get a clear green light.  That will come in a later blog 😉

As I said earlier, this was Dean and I’s first con; so all we knew was that people would be dressed up in the favorite “hero” costumes; but it was so much more than that!  It was about people coming together in a fun atmosphere with such common interests.  There was no judgement, no choosing sides (well, maybe DC or Marvel… that one’s for you Micah Floyd), but everyone was just freely themselves and it was such a beautiful thing.  Most costumes were self-made and, from simple to elaborate, everyone appreciated the art of each others work.  If you get the opportunity to attend, I highly recommend it!

^Cecil Grimes Cosplay was so much fun^

We had our own table for signing autographs; and I was so enlightened by the amount of people who wanted cast photos, autographs, selfies, etc.  Just to be clear, I didn’t doubt us at all and I’m not saying that we aren’t worth it; but I was excited and surprised by the amount of people who already know about the show and our characters from only seeing the trailers and keeping up with all of us on social media.  I’m so excited to see the impact we have not only as individuals, but also as a cast.  I know some of us support animal rescue, some anti-bullying, etc.; and this weekend showed me that we can make a difference and people are interested and listening!

One of my favorite things about this con was that we actually got to hang out with some of our supporters, aka Cypress Bayou Street Team (pictured below)!  They were telling us that at some cons they have to stand in line and aren’t allowed to speak to the actors outside of their signing time; or that they can’t even stand in the line with their friend if they don’t have a ticket or an autograph.  I was so glad that we were able to hang out with them and enjoy getting to know those who have been supporting us from the very beginning!  I totally respect the cons that do not allow that; but I was glad to get to meet our “street team”, socialize with them, and, most importantly, thank them personally for all of their support, especially this early in the process!

All in all, we met some amazing people and supporters, took some really fun photos at The Walking Dead booth (aka Cecil Grimes Cosplay), had two successful panels, hosted two great parties (with one being 80’s karaoke, where Jeremi and I rapped Baby Got Back … below for your entertainment), promoted our show and trailer, met Steve Valentine and Ming Chen, saw some amazing costumes, and we are ready to do it all again at the next one!

And, most certainly, I want to send out another huge thank you to Maiya Boutique for dressing me for the weekend events!!!  I received numerous compliments on my outfits throughout the weekend!  The beautiful ladies at Maiya are so beyond helpful with styling; so you are always in great hands to leave with something fun and trendy feeling like a million bucks!  Thanks again, Maiya ladies, for always keeping my fashion fresh and fun!

And since you all already saw my Superhero shot, I had to include Dean’s, as well!  Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed my first acting blog; and I appreciate you all coming along on all of these #TeamWest adventures with us!  Here’s to the next!

XOXO,

Michelle