Page 24 - Provoke Magazine. Vol9

Gurie has children that he is building his legacy for. The rough part of this entertainment journey was that his love life and some friendships were sacrificed. Gurie: I did most of everything that I have accomplished without an agency. I achieved a lot of it on my own and I only recently signed a contract. You can only see so much when you are alone though, some opportunities require that you have an agent representing you and I am proud of what I have pulled off with no backing.
I also film and direct my own movies. I have taught myself to edit as well. I started to get back into this type of work so that I can do more things on my own. I can do it right then and there without the need to call anyone. I like to cut out the middle man. There are times when directors will withhold projects from the performers. I experienced that before, but I am resourceful, so I find ways to get it because I need the footage and I want to use it for my personal projects. I have learned to not get upset about that sort of thing anymore. I just feel like I shouldn’t have to badger you to get access to my work.
Are you still in the music industry? I go at it now from a different angle. I go into it from the licensing and pub-
lishing angle. I make the money without touching the mic or the stage. When I get into the shows and movies I can plug in people that I know, and I cut for. A lot of people don’t see that side of the world and all of the possibilities. I have seen the money that you can make! I almost had a song placed within an episode of CSI around 2011, 2012. The agent threw one of my songs out into the option pool and said it takes anywhere from 7 months to a year to hear anything back. They explained that the content would be for a club scene and that it came down to being between me and one other artist. The pricing structure is different based on how long and whether people are talking over the music or not. Seeing the contract in black and white made it real. I was on pins and needles until they gave the final decision and obviously, they went with him. Seeing the money an artist can make with placement music is life changing. I still have images of the contract I was pre- sented. Learning what I know about the business means I have a lot fewer people that can BS me.
Why should I book you if I were the casting director? I have a great range of real life. I can do homeless to tri- umph. I am someone who knows himself, but I am easy
24 Provokeusmag.com