In 1991, he portrayed the lead character "Jay" in the local Emmy Award winning television series, "The Awakening." This was a religious-themed project in Chicago, his hometown. The two hour "Awakening" movie was an off-shoot of the "Gospel Theatre" series, for which he wrote and performed in dozens of original sketches for the weekly television series, radio broadcasts and live stage presentations from 1987 to 1993 -- the year he re-located to Los Angeles, California.
