Welcome to my new and improved website. I consider it my cyber home. A place where I can go whenever I want to take stock, look inward, talk things out and share with others. One of the significant purposes of this website is to make announcements about projects I am working on. I have been working on My Big Break for a few years now. It is basically my memoir, my story as a struggling actor in Hollywood and my experiences working on The Room. The 10-issue arc chronicles everything from early events like my audition with Tommy Wiseau, to my decision to move back to my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona and the subsequent ascent of The Room to global cult status. We are about to release issue 3, so don’t stray too far!

This is my comic book.

I have been collaborating on My Big Break with Tommy Cannon and Kyle Bennett, and it has been a hugely rewarding experience. Get to know them and their multiple talents, check out their bio pages.

In addition to showcasing my creative endeavors, philiphaldiman.com will also be a place for me to blog about what is happening in my life. During my formative years in Los Angeles, there was always a composition book by my bed or in my backpack. It was a time for torrential personal writing for me. Those books were my blog in a time when blogs were not omniscient like the are now. Without those pages, My Big Break might not exist today. I have gotten away from this personal writing, and have for a while now wanted to get back to it. So, sweet! I’m back at it, and consider this my first blog entry.

So, I kinda want to take a brief moment to introduce myself for those who only know me as Denny from The Room. I moved back to Phoenix in 2004, right around the time when The Room was gathering a small, local cult following in Los Angeles. At that point I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Acting was on the back burner. Hell, I almost joined the Peace Corps, with plans to teach English in some soon-to-be known eastern European country. Alas, that didn’t work out, but I was definitely in flux. Eventually I decided to go back to Arizona State University and get a degree in journalism. Thankfully, it worked out! I have been a working journalist for about a decade and a freelance writer before that. I am the News Editor for Peoria Today, a weekly newspaper that covers a growing city in the West Valley; it keeps me seriously busy.

This is where I work.

I recently was given an award for a news story I wrote about a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who grew up in Peoria and is a product of the Peoria Unified School District. She has grown up a highly successful young woman in the United States. However she is “illegal” because she was brought to Arizona as a young child to live with her mom and dad, who were also undocumented. Some people might be able to see this issue in black and white, but I tend to see more gray, not only in this instance, but in life as a whole.

One thing moving back to Phoenix showed me is how much I loved the state and city I grew up in. My job allows me to shine a spotlight on what is happening here. Another way I am doing that is through a podcast I host called On the Grid. Every episode, I interview one local person who is doing something great in the Valley of the Sun. If you live in the Valley, you should totally check out On the Grid. It is my way of giving back to the town I grew up in.

This is my podcast.

Lots and lots going on. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything I put on my plate, but honestly, if I didn’t, I’d probably feel even more over(under)whelmed! 🙂

Last but not least, I recently got engaged to a woman I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with. I really don’t have much to complain about. Things are going well, and this is a place where I remind myself as such. Gratitude goes a long way in sustaining a life well lived!

So come along with me! Permission to come aboard!