Growing up on set, the director is the person that, as a child, you admire and gives you validation.

I think from here on it's up to me to prove that I'm growing up and that I have other things to say, but in terms of the show it definitely gave me all of the opportunities I've had so far.

I find that people are constantly coming up to me now. There's been a definite surge of people recognizing me and I'm not sure if it has to do with the DVDs or not, but I've sort of assumed that it does because the show has been off the air for three years now.

Right now, my focus is really acting and directing. But I see the creativity and the work that goes into building a network, and it's fascinating to me. If those doors open for me... I think just learning as much as I can at this point is really what it's about.

There are certain people throughout my career I've earmarked as smart people I would like to work with. And I'm not just talking about advertising people.

Mentorship is really important. I really like to talk to people who have been in the music industry much longer than me about artists' block, things I'm struggling with, or the music business. It's really important for artists to have a community. Sometimes you can feel quite isolated.

If you know a good player who is tempted by pool hustling, introduce him at once to a career guidance counselor, a psychotherapist, or a surgeon who does lobotomies.

Maybe it's oldest-child syndrome, but I have always been competitive, even as a kid with sports. It spills into my career.