A highlight of this year was the number of background gigs that I worked and an increase in my volunteerism throughout my community. It is also the year that my sister Rachel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ava.
I participated in the Polar Bear Plunge in Coney Island on New Year’s Day with the Ridge Runners and my brother, Aaron.
In February, I was invited by Jacquie Marynowski to an open mic at Prime Produce. I decided to tell jokes. Many were original jokes that I wrote throughout the pandemic, and some were jokes that I borrowed (stole?) from some of my funnier friends, like Mike Gargiulo and Howard Lockser. After I told the jokes, I decided to go up a second time and talk about the time I played a dead body on an episode of Law & Order: SVU. I totally winged that, and I got some laughs out of it.
In February, I got hired to be a background performer in a new Spielberg film about aliens. They needed actors with their own cars. The scene was a gas station with a minimart in a small town in New Jersey. We were asked to park our cars all over the gas station. Our actions were to walk very quickly to the minimart, grab whatever we could, then leave the minimart immediately. We had to act as if we knew the aliens had already came to Earth, and we had to act fast to survive. Non-View was the working title, but has since been renamed Disclosure Day. It will be premiering in the summer of 2026.
I have been working several part-time jobs to help pay for my son’s college. One of them is to provide early intervention services for special needs children who have not yet reached the age of three. I worked with these children in their homes after my full-time job. One of the children has a pet pigeon. The pigeon occasionally interacts with me during my sessions with the child. Here is the pigeon sitting on my knee.
In April, my sister Rachel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ava. Ava is a very photogenic and cute baby. Within months after her birth, she often has a big smile in the photos that are taken of her. Rachel moved to Virginia into a big house to start a new life for her growing family.
In May, I went backpacking with my son Hunter along a section of the Appalachian Trail. We hiked for several miles from Bear Mountain to West Mountain, where we slept on top of a mountain. It was the first time that we used an app to help us find drinking water along the route.
Both of my children are now adults. I am enjoying seeing how independent they have become. I have been transitioning myself into a new life by engaging in my own pursuits and strengthening my relationship with friends, both old and new. Parents need to understand that their children are little for only a short part of their lives and that when they reach adulthood, they need to become independent. In this photo, Hunter is 21, and Emma is celebrating her 25th birthday.
June was full of interesting endeavors. My friend Jose Mendez, a professional photographer whom I know through the Staten Island Trail Riders, was a special guest speaker at the school where I work. He showed my students he took of various insects. The students were mesmerized by his photos
My mom and I volunteered to clean up a part of a walking trail in Staten Island. At 82, she worked harder than those who were less than half her age.
I entered an original script for the film short category at the Staten Island Summer of Shorts Film Festival. I was interviewed at the festival. You can view the interview here.
I portrayed a taxi driver in a scene for the Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me from Nowhere. It was exciting to drive an old 1980s taxi in the scene.
In July, I went backpacking with my daughter Emma. We started at the Delaware Water Gap and hiked the Appalachian Trail towards Sunfish Pond. We set up our tents to enjoy the sunset on top of the mountain.
Under the leadership of City Council candidate Kayla Santosuosso, I helped organize a community cleanup of a park in Bath Beach. On Election Day in November, Kayla won and will become my new district leader of District 47 for the next four years. I wish her the best of luck.
On September 11, the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, I attended a vigil. I carried a photo of my friend John Perry, a police officer who did not survive after he entered the tower to try to help save others. A reporter interviewed me. You can read the interview here.
In October, I donated my son’s train table to a center for special needs children. Jenna, the owner, told me how much the boys enjoyed playing with the table.
During early voting, I electioneered for Kayla Santosuosso. It was a great feeling knowing that my efforts helped her receive more votes.
I stopped by Assemblymember William Colton’s office to donate some books. Noticing that they had nowhere to put the donated books, I offered to find a used bookcase for his office. Within 24 hours, I was able to find and pick up a bookcase for them. Thank you, Larry He, for your support! He works as the Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Colton.
In November, I attended a film screening for Jay Kelly. After the film, George Clooney came out for a Q&A with the audience members.
I portrayed two roles in one day for the film, I Play Rocky. It’s the story about how Sylvester Stallone got Rocky made in the early 1970s. It was fun portraying a cop and a fight spectator wearing clothes from that period.
I organized a leaf raking in the Staten Island Greenbelt. Two young volunteers helped me rake about a mile of the family trail. Leaf raking helps uncover the trail route so that hikers using the trail will not get lost.
A year ago, I was a background performer portraying a bar patron in the film Song Sung Blue. I can be seen in the promo. If you look to the left of Hugh Jackman in the photo on the right, you can see me singing and dancing along with the others. The film is not out in theaters.
In December, a student in my classroom needed a new winter jacket. After I asked members of my Buy Nothing group if anyone had a jacket, I ended up receiving many jackets. I donated the jackets to many families who needed one
Ken Jacowitz is a fellow background actor who works hard to get featured roles in film and TV. He was recently featured in a funny scene on HBO’s The Chair Company. That scene can be viewed here.
My son has now completed 3 1/2 years of college at Cornell University. He has one more semester until he graduates in May. I’m very excited for him.
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