i narrate a new york times #1 best-selling author!

I've been doing voice overs for years, but this is my first audiobook! I couldn't be happier with the opportunity to be the voice of Magnus Chase in Rick Riordan's new series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Rick is the author of the highly successful Percy Jackson series, and his books have been translated into 37 languages and sold more than 30 million copies!

Here is the synopsis of book one, The Sword of Summer:

"Magnus Chase has seen his share of trouble. Ever since that terrible night two years ago when his mother told him to run, he has lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, staying one step ahead of the police and truant officers.

One day, Magnus learns that someone else is trying to track him down—his uncle Randolph, a man his mother had always warned him about. When Magnus tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls right into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Magnus’s birthright: a weapon that has been lost for thousands years.

The more Randolph talks, the more puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories about the gods of Asgard, wolves, and Doomsday bubble up from Magnus’s memory. But he doesn’t have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents. . . .

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die."

Rick's books are so popular they even made a trailer for this one: Magnus Chase trailer Wha?!? (That's obviously not me narrating the trailer...)

The hard cover book and audiobook will be released on Tuesday 06 October 2015! Check out a sample here: Penguin Random House

i'm in a new comedy!

The Ass from paul santana on Vimeo.

I was honored to be asked by the award-winning director Paul Santana (below) to be in his latest project, a short film starring his wife Amanda. Paul is mostly a commercial director who travels throughout North America creating and shooting incredible spots for Supply & Demand, and sometimes he'll make his own content.

I met him a few years ago when I booked the lead in a short film for Epson that he wrote and directed, and our relationship grew from there. I'm proud he hasn't forgotten me, and always happy to work with him. Working with his wife was a treat, as she is a hilarious Canadian. Eh?

I hope you take the time to watch this little ditty.

Also starring Amanda Parsons, Jessica Noboa, and Kevin McCorkle.

The Ass

oh, hello 2015.

It seems every new post that I make has the obligatory beginning of "It's been so long since I've posted!" And it's true; I don't write often, and I've never had any complaints about it. In this modern Facebook/Instagram look-at-me-and-all-the-cool-things-I'm-doing era combined with my general lack of sharing news, I feel that the people who need to know already know. "But what about your fans, Guetig, and the people that 'don't know'?"

Let's just say I'm having a difficult time balancing my private vs public persona, and whilst I lean toward the private, the industry I'm in yearns for more. As an actor, I'm often required to be active, social, and networking at all times for the benefit of being seen, being heard, and being valid. "Outta sight, outta mind", as the saying goes. And since I'm nowhere near famous, I can still control what levels of news leaks out into the ether, regardless of what my publicist says she needs to push.

With that in mind, I have some news to share. It's been nine months since my last confession, and while it's definitely not baby related ('cause everyone seems to be havin' babies around me), I suppose it does involve some rebirths. For the sake of ease and time, I'll simply list them below:

- I spent the summer in Europe again as the Director of Operations for the Global Young Leaders Conference, an international relations forum for 300 high school students from 42 countries. This was my fifth time with the program, and this time I was pretty much in charge. At times it was amazing to call the shots, and sometimes it was extremely stressful and overwhelming to be in charge of moving 300 minors through three countries. Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Munich, and Salzburg were on the docket this year, all quite familiar to me except for Berlin. What an interesting, wonderful, cosmopolitan city that is, eh?

- The romantic comedy, Split, that I filmed two years(!) ago is getting finished! My costars and I had ADR sessions in LA, NYC, and Louisville to help fill out the audio. (ADR stands for automated dialogue replacement, by the way; it's a standard post-production procedure for improving audio quality or changing dialogue.) I'll be sharing more news when it's officially out, I promise.

- I booked a commercial for the Kansas Lottery! It was shot in LA and aired regionally in Kansas. Did you see it? Do you live in Kansas? Was it funny?

- I starred in five episodes of the award-winning web series Jon and Jen Are Married, created by my super-talented friend Greg Fitzsimmons.

- A short film I shot years ago finally came out! The Brazilian writer won a grant to fly to LA to shoot it, and I was lucky enough to be in it. As soon as I get an electronic link, I'll share it.

- I was cast in an award-winning director's short film, playing the husband of his real-life wife. Stay tuned.

- I was the voice of a New Zealand shoe company for a commercial produced by a Brazilian agency in Brazil. Weird, I know. Watch/listen to the spot here!

- I've been getting a lot of voice over auditions for animated pilots, radio/TV commercials, and video games. Been slowing down on the TV/film front for awhile because...

- I now work at Disney|ABC! I am the assistant to the VP of Creative Services and Events, which basically means I support my team as we handle any events for the Disney and ABC channels, both internal and external. That's everything from executive meetings to screenings to press tours to the Oscars. I haven't had a 9a-6p job in awhile, but this one is different all the time and comes with lots of perks. I mean, it is Disney|ABC. Have I met any famous people? Yes, yes I have.

- What else did you miss? I worked the US Sumo Open, went sledding in the Alps, hung out with Jeff Bridges and Johnny Depp, watched Purple Rain in a cemetery, watched Germany play in the World Cup IN BERLIN, went to my first NBA game, went to my first Rose Bowl, cooked my first turkey, and saw some of my favorite people get married and have babies.

Am I bragging? YOU BET I AM.

a blog about nothing.

It's been so long since I've written! I almost forgot I had a blog! You probably didn't even know I had one 'til now, so this is the best worst place to start!

People always ask me what I do. "Oh, me?" as if they weren't looking directly at me, awaiting an answer. "Oh, well, I do nothing." There's usually some awkward laughter at the stupidity of my answer on their behalf, and the topic often changes to how adorable sprinkles make doughnuts look.

If they press on, I assure them I am not privy to a trust fund, nor have I won the lottery. Nothing about my life would suggest that I have a lot of money, because I don't. "But you seem to have a lot of free time..." they muse. "Ah, yes, mostly because I do nothing." "But how do you pay your bills?"

That's when the conversation gets really fun or really boring; I must tell them the truth. And the truth of doing nothing is really the truth of doing everything. When it feels like you do everything but have very little to show for it, the result resembles doing nothing. Hence, an easier answer to a simple question.

Being an actor in LA is very difficult. I still wow myself that not only have I survived Hollywood for six years, but I'm also still positive and making strides forward. Baby strides, strides I can't really see, but strides nonetheless. I've seen so many people come and go when this business was not what they expected, or they didn't reach their dreams fast enough. I get frustrated and upset all the time; rejection is never easy, and this town is full of it.

I've also seen a lot of people's hard work pay off, people who kept trudging along and fought through the obstacles to achieve success. But what is success? How is that measured? I am extremely hard on myself and have come to realize that I will always yearn for more, perhaps always keeping my "success" out of reach.

Life is all about perspective and attitude, no matter what field. I am grateful for everything I have, especially the unseen. In a tangible Hollywood, my success is also unseen. Facebook photos and blog posts are a mere facade to what really goes on, but that's the smoke and mirrors of the business, eh?

One of my favorite recent quotes that I truly believe in: "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien Here's to hoping my years of "doing nothing" will pay off.

If I ever create an LLC for my acting/writing/producing career, it will be called Nothing, LLC. I will be the President of Nothing. And I will love every minute of it.

Follow me on Twitter! Smoke and mirrors and random things! @kckasem

'one big holiday' is available on itunes!

Three years ago I made a film with some talented people about some talented people. What transpired in that week was a beautiful experience, and I like to think that its beauty translates to the screen within One Big Holiday.

The short documentary was first released in May 2011 with My Morning Jacket's album Circuital in the deluxe box set. It was an awesome honor that the band chose to include the film and share with its devoted fans. And now, I am proud to say that it is available to everyone on iTunes! Get it here.

Fans of My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville will dig the film, and those who are unfamiliar with neither may fall in love with both. Or not. But how will you know if you don't watch it?

I am indebted to everyone who made the film possible: the fellas in the band and their manager Mike Martinovich for allowing us in for a week, the fine folks we interviewed, the gracious people who donated money and food, and my hardworking and trusting crew. And finally, without the big-picture idea from Director Michael Feld, none of this would have been possible.

I hope you enjoy the film.

*Show poster above, credit to Brandon Jones (http://www.branjofarms.com)

it's festival time!

Life isn't about how many rejections you get, but rather how many acceptances. With that said, I'd like to proudly announce that my little film One Big Holiday has been accepted into its first festival! Thank you to the LA Film+Music Weekend for including us in your 2012 program!

We have some other excitements on the horizon, but for now we are relishing the idea that a public audience of film and music enthusiasts can see My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville on the big screen. Hooray!

For those of you in Los Angeles, I invite and encourage you to attend the world premiere of One Big Holiday. Visit here for more details: http://www.lafilmweekend.com/one-big-holiday.php

World Premiere: One Big Holiday
LA Film+Music Weekend 2012
Friday 23 March
11:05pm

Downtown Independent Theatre
251 S. Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

dishnetwork with blockbuster commercial!

And here it is, in all its glory. Apparently, the :30 is airing all over the place, though I've only caught the end of it when I was in Atlanta. But texts, calls, and messages have been raining in from all over the country, so I suppose maybe you've seen it, too. If not, here is the full two-minute version.

As mentioned previously, there is a bit of dancing. With a remote. And some of the outtakes also were apparently good enough to make the final cut - my scene was all improv, and I'm quite happy with it. Enjoy.

one big holiday screenings in austria and germany!

I had the great fortune to return to Europe yet again this summer to produce an international relations conference for high school students from 42 countries. As one of the directors of the two-week program, my duty was ultimately to ensure the health and safety of all the students and staff, and logistically move 340 of us through five countries. Easy? Nope. Rewarding and memorable? Yep.

There are many highlights of aiding international teenagers in creating life-long memories and promoting global communication within the Jugendkultur, some of which are indescribable within this silly blog. Many students were traveling abroad for the first time and were awakened by the sheer beauty of Gothic architecture, the spices of Hungarian foods, and the magic of a city untouched by war.

A trip like this, especially when it's the first time away from family and friends, juxtaposes the sense of home with a spirit of adventure. This emotion can be found at the heart of my documentary One Big Holiday, and whilst its journey is a world away from workshops on conflict resolution and cross-cultural communication, it shares the inherent sense of what 'home' means to all of us. At no time do we appreciate where we come from more than when we're away from it.

I had the opportunity to screen the film in both Vienna and Munich, and could not have been prouder to see my hometown of Louisville on the screen in front of colleagues and strangers from around the world. Let's hope this is just the beginning.

the doc has arrived!

It's been an exciting week with the lead-up to the release of One Big Holiday with My Morning Jacket's deluxe box set, and it's been arriving worldwide! It's so incredible to physically see our documentary DVD with all the other packaging of MMJ's sixth, and arguably finest, album Circuital.

The film has been getting a lot of great press, including this fantastic article from Consequence of Sound: http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/05/insight-my-morning-jackets-one-big-holiday/

I am so proud to be part of this release, both as a representative of my hard-working crew and as part of the My Morning Jacket family. The film has been a labor of love and I could not be happier with the final result.

'one big holiday' release!

It's official! The documentary I produced last fall on Louisville and My Morning Jacket is being released Tuesday 31 May with the band's deluxe box set of its new album, Circuital. Titled One Big Holiday, it documents the preparations of a homecoming concert at the newly-opened downtown arena, including interviews with the members of the band, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, ear x-tacy owner John Timmons, members of opening band Wax Fang, and the conductor of the Louisville Youth Orchestra (LYO).

Directed by Michael Feld, the documentary thematically speaks to what it means to follow your dreams and the strength of having a sense of home, no matter where that may be. Beautifully shot in HD, the film combines footage of Louisville, rehearsals with My Morning Jacket and the LYO, interviews, and the concert itself. While I believe fans of the band and the city will love the film, I'm most excited about its universal appeal and showing the world the symbiotic relationship between two of my favorite things: My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville, Kentucky.

louisville/my morning jacket documentary!

I cannot say too much at this time, but the rumors are true about a film crew being in Louisville, Kentucky for a week in late October. I am proud to say that I am the Executive Producer of a documentary that takes a look at the 16th largest city in America and one of its greatest musical exports. I was part of an extremely talented and handpicked crew from Los Angeles that spent a glorious week amidst the colored foliage and cool temperatures of the River City. It all culminated with the My Morning Jacket concert within the newly-opened downtown arena, and I am terribly excited about the experience. Stay tuned.

updated actor reel!

Welcome, Oh Eleven! I have good feelings about this year, and have been quite proactive to start out the new year strong, including having new head shots taken with my beard (with my beard!) and updating my acting reel. You can see the reel above and one of the many photos below. Special thanks to award-winning editor Greg Fitzsimmons and photographer Margot Landen for their artistic talents in making me look as fantastic as possible.

first minute.

I've never attempted bloggery before, but thought it might be a nice companion to my website and easier to update. Sope, we'll see how it goes and how often I'll share my thoughts and happenings with the whole innerwebs. My goal is to keep things short and sweet, so a minute is all you'll need. Welcome. You have a minute.