June 2, 2025

#025: The Actor's Blueprint: Tony Hale III Wouldn't Settle for Only One Passion

What happens when a creative refuses to choose between passion and practicality? Tony Hale III, professional actor and corporate tech professional, shatters the myth that artists must struggle or sacrifice to pursue their craft.

Growing up watching classic films with his grandfather in Memphis, Tony's path to acting wasn't straightforward. A fateful high school elective class introduced him to theater, where his teacher immediately recognized his talent. Fast forward to today, and Tony has built parallel careers – one in professional acting across various genres and another at a Fortune 500 tech company. Unlike many creatives who view their day jobs as merely financial support, Tony finds genuine fulfillment in both pursuits.

What truly sets Tony apart is his deliberate approach to selecting roles. "If it's not a challenge, I'm not doing it," he explains, turning down projects that don't align with his artistic vision. This selectivity stems from a desire to portray characters with power and depth rather than perpetuating stereotypes. The result? A portfolio that makes him difficult to typecast and a reputation for delivering exceptional performances.

Behind Tony's success lies a profound personal journey. Through therapy, he's embraced vulnerability both on and off screen – something that has transformed his acting and strengthened his relationships. His commitment to treating everyone with dignity on set comes from remembering his own early experiences as an extra and understanding that every role matters in creating something meaningful.

For fellow creatives, Tony offers powerful guidance: "You are your biggest believer. Never let someone put a dollar on your worth." His story demonstrates that with intentional choices, boundary-setting, and the courage to stay true to your values, it's possible to create a creative life that reflects your authentic self rather than industry expectations.

Whether you're juggling multiple passions or seeking to make bolder choices in your creative career, Tony's insights will inspire you to approach your art with both heart and strategy.

Tony's Profile

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For the Love of Creatives Community

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00:00 - Tony's Background and Acting Journey

06:35 - Finding Pride in Positive Impact

13:43 - Choosing Meaningful Roles with Purpose

22:33 - The Healing Power of Therapy

30:33 - Balancing Two Successful Careers

43:03 - Community's Role in Creative Success

51:43 - Setting Boundaries and Owning Your Worth

WEBVTT

00:00:10.727 --> 00:00:34.741
But the community here is so amazing and so tight-knit that there are so many people that believe in me to do the, believe in me to portray roles to the utmost ability, because they've seen it, they know it, they don't have to blink.

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If I give Tony, if I give Tony this chance, tony's going to do it, tony's going to kill it.

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I got nothing to worry about, so now I will say that even though you have community, it doesn't mean that everybody is a part of it, right?

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Hello and welcome to another episode of For the Love of Creatives.

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I'm Maddox and I'm Dwight.

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We're the Connections and Community Guys, and today we are joined by our featured guest, tony Hale III.

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Welcome, tony.

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Hello everyone, great to be here.

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Iii.

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Welcome, tony Hello everyone.

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Great to be here, glad to have you.

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So let's dive right in First, before we really get into the question and answer part.

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Tony, we're going to give you an opportunity to introduce yourself because we're quite sure that you could do a more thorough job of that than we can do.

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So tell you know in just a minute or so.

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Tell the audience, tell us who you are, what you're about, whatever you'd like to say.

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Perfect, perfect.

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As mentioned everyone, my name is Tony Held III.

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I am a professional actor currently residing in the Dallas Texas area.

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I grew up, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee.

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I moved here to Dallas in August of 2024 from Nashville, tennessee, which I resided in for about three years.

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And just a little bit about my academic background.

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I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's in business and graduated from Georgetown University with a master's in IT.

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So that's a little bit about my academic background.

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A little bit about me.

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Let's see For those, I'm sure everyone who's going to watch this you know that I have a huge knack for the performing arts.

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I love the performing arts and, yeah, that's a.

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That's a little bit about me.

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So it's great to be here, great to engage in conversation with these gentlemen and hopefully provide some gems that could, you know, encourage everyone and, you know, help someone to start in the middle and then go to the other ends.

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But to date, in your creative journey, your creative career, what is the thing that you feel most proud of right now?

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Because we're in the middle of the story.

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We hadn't gotten to the end of the story right now.

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You know, I'm proud of the fact that everyone is enlightened by the presence that I give off, by the energy that I give off in pretty much every room that I walk into, right, and when I first got back into acting I had no idea where I was going to go.

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And these past three years, since I've been on the TV and film side, I recently learned that I have, that I've motivated so many people.

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You know, I got so much love and so much respect from a lot of people in the industry and I'd say that that's a very proud thing.

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You know, motivating people and giving them something to look up to is something that I always strive to, you know, promote out here in this world, because we got enough negativity already.

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And I try to, you know, walk in a different type of light.

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I try to, you know, I try to be different than the stereotypical norms that we're used to in this industry, really the world, honestly.

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So I try to be different and I try to, you know, stand on business, unlike most people who stand on it a different way.

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So I just try to be a different example and that's and the, the, the enlightenment and the and the happiness that I bring to people on set and pretty much everywhere I go is a thing that I'm the most proud of.

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So people on set and pretty much everywhere I go- is the thing that I'm the most proud of.

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So, you know, I love what you're saying.

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It makes me think of a very wise person many years ago said to me don't try to be the best.

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There's only one spot for the best.

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Try to be different, try to be unique, and that's what I'm hearing you say.

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You know you're looking at all the industry, people around you and instead of being the sheep, or being the clone, as we call it, you are cutting your own path and doing it your way.

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Absolutely.

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Absolutely.

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When you're talking about having a positive impact on people, are you talking about the behind the scenes things when you're on a movie set or a project, the conversations that you have, the way you treat people, or is it more about the characters that you play and the way you embody those characters, the way you take your craft seriously?

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Or maybe it's both, but I'd love to hear more about that.

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It's definitely both.

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So I'm going to kind of reiterate on the first part that you had spoke about.

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So when I'm on every set so here's the thing about my craft and my personality right On set I never come in angry.

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I always bring great vibes and great energies on set.

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I don't treat people like they're less than Like if I'm the lead or like a supporting character in a film.

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I interact with everybody.

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I interact with the crew, I interact with the extras, because at the end of the day, we're all required to make this excitement, to make this project.

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So without, without the extras, without the crew people, we don't, we don't have a movie.

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And I understand how it feels to be small, because when I got into this, when I got on the TV and film side, I understood what it was like to feel small.

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Right, because I did do some extra roles and all, and I understand.

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And so I never want to give this idea that I don't remember how it feels to be small, because I do, and so I always thought that there was no need to always come with such negative energy and such a bad attitude, which is something that I see quite often on film sets, right, so me.

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I'm not like that.

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Anyone you talk to almost everyone that you talk to is going to tell you that Tony is an awesome dude to be around.

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Energy is always well.

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He's never stuck up, or anything like that.

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Energy is always well.

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He's never stuck up, or anything like that.

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Now for my characters that I play.

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One thing about all of the characters that I play is that I'm very particular and I'm very strategic.

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Right, I play characters that I know I can portray to my utmost ability, and if I cannot portray those characters to my utmost ability, I more than likely will not accept the role.

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So I want people to feel and I want people to understand what it is that I'm trying to convey, the messages that I want to send in those characters, and what I want people to realize is that I don't play a lot of stereotypical characters.

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I play characters that resemble power.

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For example, I played a period piece of a very prominent character.

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I love playing period pieces.

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I love playing dramas, comedies and everything.

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So each character is a representation of they are a representation of my art, of my true artistry and my ability to, and my ability to, really get the messages across the way on one, if that makes sense.

00:08:44.168 --> 00:08:47.955
So you know I've always read that Johnny Depp is very much like that.

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He's very particular about the characters that he plays and turns down a lot of jobs and I've always admired that about him.

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That's the high road, because a lot of people just take whatever pays the paycheck, right, right, and they get a role.

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And even if it's a bad role they take it because you know it's a job.

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Oh yeah, absolutely, and and and, and.

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Don't get me wrong at all.

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There is nothing wrong with making, with, with making money for doing something that you love to do.

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Just don't let that be the only thing that you're after.

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Like you, you have to be after more than just that.

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Right Cause for cause.

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For me, um, I care about telling a great story.

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I care about telling a great story and having my audiences just wowed by the performances that I put on.

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That means a lot more to me than money at times.

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Right, because you could pay me probably half a million to do a project.

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But if I'm going into the movie theaters and then you got everyone watching my stuff and then they say it's terrible or this is bad, or they walk out, that's going to make me feel some type of way.

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So I don't like feeling like that.

00:10:02.865 --> 00:10:05.687
So yeah, you take real pride in what you do.

00:10:05.687 --> 00:10:21.192
You know my situation was very, very different, but it wasn't fame or anything, but I had my own salon for 40 years and I cared more about the people than I did my paycheck.

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And you know they would ask for a service that I didn't think was good for them or right for them, and I would turn them down.

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I would say no, I won't do that.

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So I really respect what you're saying there.

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I want to backtrack for a minute.

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You talked about the other side of it, the treating people on set as they were equals, treating them with kindness, respect.

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Where did that come from?

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What's the root of that?

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I mean, I know you said that you had been in positions where you weren't treated as good as you could have been.

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You know you were the extra in the movie and didn't feel like you were the equal, but I'm wondering, is it deeper than that?

00:11:04.629 --> 00:11:06.822
Where's the root of that?

00:11:08.164 --> 00:11:14.378
You know, um, I I came up in a pretty, uh, harsh environment.

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Uh, there were a lot of mean people around me.

00:11:17.542 --> 00:11:35.037
Um, I dealt with a lot of that and um, and, to be honest, and and to be honest, I guess I always aim to be better than that and plus the, the, the man who helped raise me, he was a kind guy, a very kind man.

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He, he was really my best friend and I always watched him.

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I watched how he treated people and I watched, you know, I watched how he went about things and he taught me that right is nothing but right and wrong is nothing but wrong.

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And growing up, you know, I was taught that I'm not responsible for how others treat me.

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I learned that early, like um, in my early teen years.

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But I'm responsible for how I treat others, not how they treat me.

00:12:02.543 --> 00:12:11.811
Um, and so a lot of the mean people I came up around, I did not like them and I guess that's kind of why I'm like that, Like I don't want to like.

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There's no reason for me to be a mean person, you know.

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So it kind of stems from the things I saw and and it just stems on how I was raised and taught.

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So normally, when you experience and you see certain things in your childhood, it normally triples over into adulthood.

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But me, I'm always aiming to be better, I'm always aiming to set a great example, and so, um, you know, a big thing that I did last year to help myself a lot more was go to therapy, and therapy made me a lot more grounded.

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It helped me understand a lot more about myself as a, as a person, as a man, you know, because my experiences last year led me to that.

00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:08.927
So, yeah, yeah, I think that pretty much.

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Yeah, I think that answers the question.

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Well, you get your walking anomaly, don't you?

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I mean, you definitely are not running with the sheep.

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You're doing life on your terms, chief.

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You're doing life on your terms.

00:13:24.621 --> 00:13:33.149
I mean, I you know, I've been around the block a few times and although there are some men that will go to therapy, the vast majority are that's not.

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I mean, you got to talk about what's going on inside of you and we're not wired that way.

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Most of us.

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Absolutely, and that's something that, oh, I tell you, nowadays I'm more vulnerable and more open than I've ever been before, like I, and that's something that I did not do last year, like earlier last year.

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But as a man, I've had to swallow my pride and I've had to just be honest with myself, like bro, like you need, you need to get to the bottom of some things, man, like you do.

00:14:04.913 --> 00:14:09.505
You need to get to the bottom of some things, man, like you do.

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And going to therapy was probably one of the best things I ever did in my life, the best thing I could have ever done, and it led me to the conclusion that I am human.

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I am a human being and I can make mistakes and I should never be condemned for making mistakes that are not life threatening, that are not harmful to people.

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And you know, yeah, I think it's.

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I think it's important for all men to do, and I'm and I'm telling all men now that you do not have to feel bad, you do not have to feel less of a man because you want to get, you want to get help, you want to talk to someone.

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You should never feel that way.

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I don't care what, what, what the world says I don't care what, what, what any of that means.

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Men have feelings, and men have, and men have have the right to talk to someone, and at times they have the right to cry too.

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So I've done that and that's, I think, our that there are men who are listening that need that permission.

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Absolutely, absolutely.

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Vulnerability is one of my favorite topics.

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I could talk about it every day.

00:15:38.355 --> 00:15:47.794
I would like to know, as you lean into this vulnerability, how has it impacted your creative journey?

00:15:49.662 --> 00:15:50.823
Oh, that's a great question.

00:15:50.823 --> 00:16:00.604
You know, acting on set believe it or not, I'm a lot more vulnerable when I'm playing characters.

00:16:00.604 --> 00:16:20.725
Well, let me take that back when I'm when I was um the back then, before I started my healing journey, I was more vulnerable with my characters like being vulnerable, like acting in those characters than I was being like vulnerable as tony.

00:16:20.725 --> 00:16:27.975
And the reason why it was like that was because acting was a form of therapy for me.

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It's still a form of therapy, right, because that was my escape Playing roles like a narcissist.

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I'm not saying that I'm a narcissist or I have that in me, but sometimes it felt good to let it all out.

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When I'm playing in a drama role or something, there are roles where I've had to be very emotional.

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That emotion is there but Tony doesn't know how to let it out.

00:16:53.427 --> 00:17:02.072
But that character Jasper or Brian or anything like that I don't have to be Tony in that moment.

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I can be something totally different, you know.

00:17:04.233 --> 00:17:06.194
So that was my way of.

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That's how it kind of trickled into my creative side, if that makes sense.

00:17:12.201 --> 00:17:12.782
I get that.

00:17:12.782 --> 00:17:16.451
That would almost be safer, very safe, because you're in character.

00:17:16.451 --> 00:17:31.025
It's like the straight men who play gay roles that might not be as safe in real life, might not be as comfortable or safe, but in a role they're able to do it with ease.

00:17:31.025 --> 00:17:32.268
You see it all the time.

00:17:32.268 --> 00:17:43.444
Absolutely Mm-hmm, would you say that, okay, go back, because you're headed that direction.

00:17:43.444 --> 00:17:45.067
But let's go back to that question.

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How has that vulnerability, as you've leaned in, because you started off being vulnerable in your characters, then you got into therapy and now you're bringing therapy, bringing your vulnerability, into your everyday life and into your career How's that changed things?

00:18:06.903 --> 00:18:07.904
How's that changed your experience?

00:18:07.904 --> 00:18:09.847
How's that changed your experience?

00:18:09.847 --> 00:18:16.295
It's changed a lot, because I'm more, because now, as a man, like I'm not, I'm not afraid to be open.

00:18:16.295 --> 00:18:22.123
You know, I'm not afraid, like like I'm not closed off anymore.

00:18:22.123 --> 00:18:42.728
You know, when I go on dates with other women and stuff like that, you know I can, it's a lot easier for them to communicate with me now because I got that help, because I'm vulnerable, right, and it's easier for me to communicate with them.

00:18:42.748 --> 00:18:59.861
And so it's changed for me in a lot of ways, because now, uh, because, as men, we're, we're very prideful, we're, we're, we're, we're very prideful, uh, and some of us have egos and it's hard for us to be open about certain certain things, and I don't have that feeling anymore.

00:18:59.861 --> 00:19:27.708
I mean, of course I got a little bit, but it's not to the point to where I'm closing off everything and everybody, if that makes sense, yes, so I definitely feel that it's made me, it's making my, my friendships and my relationships a lot more, you know, stronger it's, it's it's making it, it's making it easier for me to be open, and that's something that I couldn't do before.

00:19:27.708 --> 00:19:30.279
I could not do that before.

00:19:32.163 --> 00:19:37.753
Do you find that as you step into that vulnerability, it draws a different kind of human to you?

00:19:39.701 --> 00:19:47.483
Yeah, I think so, and I also think it draws in different experiences.

00:19:47.564 --> 00:21:36.891
Right, for example, I stepped away from Christ a while back, right, I wasn't going to church, I pretty much forgot who God was and all, and so I wanted to get my faith back strong again, and I was able to do that, and because I was vulnerable and I got the type of help that I needed, I was able to establish a stronger relationship with God, and so I'd say that that's one example that's beautiful, absolutely, absolutely so, yeah, I know that, I know that it had to be a real shift, uh, moving to this place of being more vulnerable and open, um, and I, I love the way that you were kind of walking back, how, you know, you got a little bit of ego, um, but uh, we, we got to acknowledge that we need some of it to protect us, you know it's oh yeah, most, most, most, you definitely need, need that right, right and and you know, um, this is, this is the thing that I've, that, that I've, that I'm so, so thankful for, I'm so, I'm so thankful for, for this because, um, you know, I used to handle conflict a bit differently than I do now, and the reason why I had to go to therapy was because of a conflictual amount of situations that had transpired with me last year.

00:21:37.451 --> 00:21:49.335
Now, I went through a lot last year and my whole world just melted down, right, and you know, there were people who I thought I could trust.

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There were people who came in and made that happen.

00:21:55.241 --> 00:22:07.411
Right Now, unhealed version of me would do everything in his power to get back at people for doing such things, right, but I don't even want to do that.

00:22:07.411 --> 00:22:22.159
I don't have to do that, you know, because and the people that watch this part, they're really going to know that I have grown a lot, but I don't see a need to bash anybody.

00:22:22.159 --> 00:22:29.038
I don't see a need to, you know, do things that are vengeful at all, because there is no point.

00:22:29.038 --> 00:22:44.034
I believe that everything happens for a reason and I believe that you know part of me growing and just letting things run its course is a prime example of me growing A very big example.

00:22:44.034 --> 00:23:00.853
So you know, and I'm letting people know that I am healed, that I am healed, I am great, I am happy, I am proud and it just is what it is.

00:23:00.873 --> 00:23:01.394
Things happen for a reason.

00:23:01.394 --> 00:23:06.071
So you're kind of back to talking about kind of setting some of the ego aside a little bit, aren't you?

00:23:06.071 --> 00:23:09.844
It's a never, ever changing thing.

00:23:09.844 --> 00:23:14.294
It's like a continuum and it vacillates back and forth from one end to the other.

00:23:14.294 --> 00:23:24.919
That part, that ego, that wants to protect us, also wants revenge when somebody does us bad, and so, yeah, it's learning to navigate.

00:23:24.919 --> 00:23:31.119
That is, it's one of the more challenging things that we do as men, absolutely.

00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:33.829
So I'd love to go back to the beginning.

00:23:33.829 --> 00:23:42.664
I would love to hear what was the first hint that you had that you were creative.

00:23:43.931 --> 00:23:44.952
Oh, that's a great question.

00:23:44.952 --> 00:23:50.723
So let me let me dive into how it all started.

00:23:50.723 --> 00:24:01.019
Let me dive into how it all started right when, when I was a kid, I didn't really care too much about all of the, all the sports and and and stuff like that.

00:24:01.019 --> 00:24:05.497
I, I just didn't care about it much like that's what everybody wanted to do.

00:24:05.497 --> 00:24:13.038
Everybody wanted to be jordan, everybody wanted to be lebron and all that stuff there, but me, I.

00:24:13.038 --> 00:24:16.933
I always wanted to be my own individual, my own person, my own self.

00:24:16.993 --> 00:24:23.190
So when I was growing up, I loved movies, I loved the movie theater.

00:24:23.190 --> 00:24:27.785
I always watched old movies with my great grandfather every day.

00:24:27.785 --> 00:24:37.737
We watched different movies all the time, from Walker the Texas Ranger, which is a very old show before my time Um, just, you know, that's.

00:24:37.737 --> 00:24:42.166
That's something that that I always loved.

00:24:42.166 --> 00:24:57.432
And I remember growing up I was probably like eight or seven years old at this time Uh, will Smith came out with the movie I robot at that time and I loved it, and that's when I knew, you know what I want to be an actor.

00:24:57.432 --> 00:25:02.002
I want to do this one day, right, and so that's what really.

00:25:02.002 --> 00:25:08.309
So all of the things I've seen as a, as a boy, all of the things that I saw on television.

00:25:08.309 --> 00:25:16.713
It stuck with me and that's what made me want to get into the movies instead of, you know, sports and all that other stuff.

00:25:16.713 --> 00:25:18.659
Right, I didn't really care for all that.

00:25:18.659 --> 00:25:29.320
And so when I got, so, when I got to high school, I remember I needed to get an elective class.

00:25:29.320 --> 00:25:36.733
I needed, I needed an elective, and the ones I wanted they were taken, and the only one that was left was like theater.

00:25:36.733 --> 00:25:43.875
Right, I didn't really want to take theater because, you know, stage, just, I just didn't want to do it.

00:25:43.875 --> 00:25:48.590
They told me I had no choice, and so I was like, okay, I'll do it.

00:25:48.590 --> 00:25:50.695
And then that's when I met the teacher.

00:25:50.695 --> 00:25:53.742
I still stay in contact with her to this day.

00:25:54.069 --> 00:26:03.625
Dr Neomby Webster, a doctorate from Drake University, had had encouraged me to take acting serious because she saw something.

00:26:03.625 --> 00:26:11.884
She saw something that I didn't even see, and so that's when I was like, oh, ok, I'll give it a try.

00:26:11.884 --> 00:26:21.334
That's when I was like, oh, ok, I'll give it a try.

00:26:21.334 --> 00:26:26.210
And so I remember I did my first stage play and it was a full house, it was so many people in there, and I was like, ok, how am I going to do this?

00:26:26.210 --> 00:26:30.856
I've been rehearsing, I've been prepping, I've been doing everything, went out there doing everything, went out there.

00:26:30.856 --> 00:26:35.304
I killed the performance, the applause and the people.

00:26:35.304 --> 00:26:46.192
That's when I knew I definitely have a future in acting.

00:26:46.192 --> 00:26:52.423
And so from there I did more stage plays, I did acting competitions and such, and auditioned for different things, and all that as a kid.

00:26:52.482 --> 00:27:02.651
And when I got to college I took theater classes and such to kind of, you know, build upon what I've already learned and done.

00:27:02.651 --> 00:27:08.784
And three years ago was when I decided that I wanted to take it to different heights.

00:27:08.784 --> 00:27:11.494
I wanted to take it to the, to screens.

00:27:11.494 --> 00:27:16.571
Now, you know, and, um, my first gig was on TV one.

00:27:16.571 --> 00:27:17.795
That was my first gig.

00:27:17.795 --> 00:27:36.800
And since then I've done a plethora of film projects, uh, from period pieces to dramas, to comedies, to to commercials and and music videos and and everything music videos and everything, and so, and that's pretty much all she wrote.

00:27:36.800 --> 00:27:37.461
And I'm still.

00:27:37.461 --> 00:27:39.363
I still got a lot going on.

00:27:39.363 --> 00:27:44.866
So just staying busy, loving art and just taking things day by day.

00:27:57.369 --> 00:27:58.311
I love the way it goes full circle.

00:27:58.311 --> 00:28:14.800
Just when we were talking about your um well, the things that you you came, came to by way of therapy, where you were able to just have the lightness that comes from forgiveness, you said everything happens for a reason and I could see, you know, when you had to take that theater elective.

00:28:14.800 --> 00:28:21.439
You didn't want to, but you leaned into it and, once again, everything happens for a reason.

00:28:22.391 --> 00:28:25.539
No coincidences, yeah, no coincidence.

00:28:27.431 --> 00:28:30.596
Absolutely, and I want people to understand that.

00:28:30.596 --> 00:28:40.575
You know, people come into our lives for for good reasons and I still stay in contact with her to this day.

00:28:40.575 --> 00:28:42.900
I actually played a part in.

00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:51.281
We were in a movie together last year and I was able to convince the creator of that movie like, hey, you should get her.

00:28:51.281 --> 00:28:55.872
She's the one that taught me everything, so she should play this part, you know.

00:28:55.872 --> 00:29:07.045
So that was, that was a proud moment for me because I felt like that was an example of me giving back, you know, to her for what she gave to me and that was the happiest thing I could have ever.

00:29:07.045 --> 00:29:11.200
You know, done so, doc, if you see this video, thank you so much.

00:29:17.109 --> 00:29:17.411
You know.

00:29:17.411 --> 00:29:18.954
I think it's amazing that you knew at age seven you wanted to act.

00:29:18.954 --> 00:29:23.355
I mean, we all had something we wanted to do at seven or eight years old, but how many of us actually did it?

00:29:23.355 --> 00:29:24.436
It's a rare thing.

00:29:26.201 --> 00:29:27.242
Oh yeah, oh yeah.

00:29:27.242 --> 00:29:28.776
It's very rare.

00:29:28.776 --> 00:29:35.122
And you know, I had no idea that I would be acting as a.

00:29:35.122 --> 00:29:38.355
I had no clue that that that that was was was going to happen.

00:29:38.355 --> 00:29:41.852
I had no idea that I would ever even have made it this far.

00:29:41.852 --> 00:29:45.339
You know, uh, some things that we do in life and try.

00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:46.261
We may not ever do.

00:29:46.261 --> 00:29:48.211
Well then, but we're doomed if we never try.

00:29:48.211 --> 00:29:52.938
Had I never tried, I would have never known that I had the potential to do great things in this area.

00:29:52.938 --> 00:29:56.182
So I think that we owe it to ourselves to take those risks.

00:29:57.123 --> 00:29:57.983
To say yes.

00:29:58.825 --> 00:29:59.365
To say yes.

00:29:59.869 --> 00:30:07.809
Even to the things that we don't think we want to do, like taking a stage acting class in high school Right right, Exactly exactly.

00:30:10.714 --> 00:30:17.424
So I'm going to ask another question that I think will be interesting to our listeners, because this really is.

00:30:17.424 --> 00:30:33.512
We may have all kinds of people that listen, but I suspect most of our listeners are other creatives, people that are going through their own journey and their own challenges and their own successes, and creatives.

00:30:33.512 --> 00:30:38.432
We have a unique situation because oftentimes we lead dual lives.

00:30:38.432 --> 00:30:47.653
We have our craft that we do and our goal oftentimes is to do that full time, to support ourselves that way.

00:30:47.653 --> 00:31:04.394
But it doesn't always work out that way and oftentimes to get there we have to have yet another life, a job, as so many people love to refer to it as a real job, and I hate that, because acting is a real job.

00:31:04.394 --> 00:31:06.979
Art is a real job.

00:31:06.979 --> 00:31:10.633
If you do something and you love it, it is a real job.

00:31:10.633 --> 00:31:13.701
But is there a dual thing going on for you?

00:31:13.701 --> 00:31:16.174
Are you acting full time?

00:31:17.178 --> 00:31:18.942
There is a dual thing going on with me.

00:31:18.942 --> 00:31:25.279
There are two passions that I've always had in life acting and business.

00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:33.702
And I work for a Fortune 500 company I work for, do work.

00:31:33.702 --> 00:31:41.378
I do work with them a lot, probably one of the most rewarding experiences I could ever have as a professional.

00:31:41.378 --> 00:31:46.192
So, on on the side, um, I work as a business professional.

00:31:46.192 --> 00:31:59.474
Um, I've been doing that for the past five years and and um, yeah, that's my, that's my second love, like technology was my second love, and you know, um, it's very rewarding.

00:31:59.474 --> 00:32:01.358
Um, I do my education.

00:32:01.358 --> 00:32:13.597
Um is always going to be one of the most um, one of the most proudest things that I could have ever accomplished in life, and I'm going to use it without a doubt.

00:32:13.597 --> 00:32:22.623
So I don't think there's anything wrong with having two passions in your life and that's OK.

00:32:22.623 --> 00:32:23.523
Oh, my gosh.

00:32:24.490 --> 00:32:26.357
I think we should have as many as we want.

00:32:26.357 --> 00:32:30.681
I also think it's very rare to have what you have.

00:32:30.681 --> 00:32:33.338
I mean we interview I hate that word.

00:32:33.338 --> 00:32:34.912
Think it's very rare to have what you have.

00:32:34.912 --> 00:32:35.894
I mean we interview I hate that word.

00:32:35.894 --> 00:32:49.712
We have conversation with a lot of people and many of them have, you know, their craft and then some type of a day job or day work, and oftentimes that day job is not something that feeds their soul or that they love to do.

00:32:49.712 --> 00:32:57.637
It merely puts food on the table and a roof over their head and funds the supplies and the things to do their craft.

00:32:57.637 --> 00:33:01.192
Whatever that looks like, you're unique.

00:33:02.196 --> 00:33:09.820
I have yet to talk to anybody that loved both gigs the way you're describing loving both gigs Absolutely, absolutely.

00:33:09.820 --> 00:33:20.636
Now, how much of that do you think just kind of happened and how much of that do you think was very intentional on your part, like, like you set out to do that and this is something you have achieved?

00:33:20.636 --> 00:33:22.097
I have two passions.

00:33:22.097 --> 00:33:27.321
I have two professions that I'm in, that I love and feel passionate about.

00:33:27.321 --> 00:33:29.682
Was that all intentional?

00:33:29.682 --> 00:33:31.163
Was that the plan that?

00:33:31.223 --> 00:33:32.825
was always the plan.

00:33:32.825 --> 00:33:53.127
Um, when I was um as a kid, you know, I knew that I wanted to do something in the academic realm as as as well, because, even at a young, younger age, I knew that I had to be realistic about things, right Like there.

00:33:53.127 --> 00:33:54.017
There are times where you, you, I, had to be realistic about things, right like there.

00:33:54.017 --> 00:33:59.622
There are times where you, you, just have to be realistic about life and um, I knew that.

00:33:59.622 --> 00:34:23.760
I knew that I had to push myself to a greater height when it came to, you know, um, when it came to balancing my creative career and my real and my other career I don't like to say my acting career and my job, because I have two careers that I'm, that I'm in.

00:34:24.501 --> 00:34:27.532
So language is important yes, yes, yes.

00:34:27.592 --> 00:34:31.077
So I, I I have two careers and I have two passions.

00:34:31.077 --> 00:34:53.014
When I was, when I was like 16 years old, I had my very first job in high school, right, and I worked as a bag boy at Kroger's and, believe it or not, that was a very interesting experience for me and it was an experience I'll never forget, but I did not like it.

00:34:53.014 --> 00:34:56.577
It was an experience I'll never forget, but I did not like it.

00:34:56.577 --> 00:34:57.277
I did not like doing that work.

00:34:57.277 --> 00:34:57.396
I was.

00:34:57.396 --> 00:35:01.240
I had to stand up all day, push baskets in the cold and all that stuff there.

00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:16.755
And when I was doing that for about probably a month, uh, when I was doing that, um, I knew that I did not want that to be my future.

00:35:16.755 --> 00:35:19.989
If I was going to chase a creative career or anything like that, I'm not going to be doing this and then focusing on that one, right?

00:35:19.989 --> 00:35:28.815
So if it's going to be something that I work, it's going to be something that actually treats me with dignity and that actually pays me pretty damn well.

00:35:28.815 --> 00:35:43.512
So that's when I knew, okay, I'm definitely going to put a lot more time into two passions business technology and acting.

00:35:43.512 --> 00:36:03.987
So that's when I came to that conclusion, and part of part of that drive that I had came from a lot of the doubt, not not the doubt that I had for myself, but the doubt that that that other people had for me.

00:36:03.987 --> 00:36:19.340
Because when I I had got let go from that terrible job I had at the grocery store, I got let go and it just was what it was.

00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:24.074
And word got out around school and all that stuff there and there were some people that kind of gave me hell about it.

00:36:24.074 --> 00:36:26.880
They were questioning me like why did you get fired?

00:36:26.880 --> 00:36:30.831
How did you get fired?

00:36:30.831 --> 00:36:32.914
Are you insane or are you stupid?

00:36:32.914 --> 00:36:45.043
And then I was thinking to myself, wow, like, like, like these idiots really think that working, that working there was going to be my future.

00:36:45.043 --> 00:36:49.213
They actually thought that it was right.

00:36:49.213 --> 00:36:54.434
Like I, I'm I'm laughing, just I laugh a lot now just thinking about it.

00:36:54.434 --> 00:36:57.550
And so that's when I knew that.

00:36:57.550 --> 00:37:03.427
That's when I knew I had to try for more than one thing.

00:37:03.427 --> 00:37:11.635
I had to have more than one passion for myself and and, and it was a way of being realistic, if that makes sense.

00:37:11.945 --> 00:37:14.050
So it makes perfect sense.

00:37:14.050 --> 00:37:16.054
Very, very strategic.

00:37:16.054 --> 00:37:17.297
That's pretty amazing.

00:37:17.297 --> 00:37:20.572
I mean, you definitely have a unique story.

00:37:20.572 --> 00:37:22.456
I've not heard anything that comes close to this.

00:37:24.266 --> 00:37:30.458
Yeah, I know that it must be demanding to meet the demands of both at times.

00:37:36.695 --> 00:37:38.742
How do you stay well resourced?

00:37:38.742 --> 00:37:45.427
Oh, definitely being organized.

00:37:45.427 --> 00:37:47.014
Yeah, and I struggle with being organized.

00:37:47.014 --> 00:37:49.885
I'm just going to be honest, I'm terrible at being organized because I got so many things going on at once.

00:37:49.885 --> 00:37:50.657
I got people pulling me in that once.

00:37:50.657 --> 00:37:52.327
I got people pulling me in that direction.

00:37:52.327 --> 00:38:04.699
I got people pulling me in that direction and over the past couple of years it was hard to manage that, because there were times where I got sick.

00:38:04.699 --> 00:38:14.577
There were times where people just always blowing up my phone, like Tony, I need you to do this for me, I need you to do that for me, can you come here on this set, can you come here on that set?

00:38:15.259 --> 00:38:20.394
It was so much of that going on, that my, that, my, that my health was taking a toll.

00:38:20.394 --> 00:38:26.873
Like I tell people like, bro, I can't look, I appreciate the opportunity, but I can't do it.

00:38:26.873 --> 00:38:33.306
It's, I'm tired, I need rest, but I can't do it.

00:38:33.306 --> 00:38:34.027
It's, I'm tired, I need rest, you know.

00:38:34.027 --> 00:38:35.152
And then there and then there is my corporate career.

00:38:35.152 --> 00:38:37.177
That's actually not that hard to manage.

00:38:37.177 --> 00:38:43.413
That that's not as hard to manage because I'm only working for a set amount of hours a day, right?

00:38:43.974 --> 00:38:58.536
So, and I think one of the benefits that came out of COVID was remote work, so it makes it a lot easier to balance everything right and working for an amazing company like Microsoft.

00:38:58.536 --> 00:39:04.952
They support our goals and our aspirations outside of work.

00:39:04.952 --> 00:39:24.596
So with Microsoft it definitely makes it a lot easier to do right, because they want us to have a life, they want us to do different things and also I'm still working to become more organized and I've been doing a pretty good job at it.

00:39:24.596 --> 00:39:30.019
Say yes, but does it have an effect on my?

00:39:30.019 --> 00:39:32.442
Does it have an effect at times?

00:39:32.442 --> 00:39:35.768
Almost definitely it does, but it's a work in progress.

00:39:36.952 --> 00:39:50.427
I want to say maybe the first coach that I ever worked with said to me if you want to be successful in business and in life, create systems that support you, simple systems that support you.

00:39:50.427 --> 00:39:52.190
And I have spent.

00:39:52.190 --> 00:39:55.193
Well, that was decades ago, to be real honest.

00:39:55.193 --> 00:40:02.760
That was 2006, so almost 20 years ago, and I've spent that 20 years.

00:40:02.760 --> 00:40:09.431
And symptoms, I mean the systems can look almost any way.

00:40:09.431 --> 00:40:13.467
Dwight will tell you that I have a system for folding the chip bag down so the chips don't get stale.

00:40:13.467 --> 00:40:33.070
I've taken it to kind of an extreme, but yes, there's alarms on the phone, there's a variety of just crazy stuff where I track stuff, and I have systems on the computer that help me keep track of, I mean this podcast oh my God, you know just a single episode.

00:40:33.070 --> 00:40:39.492
There's a gazillion steps that have to be taken to process and publish one episode.

00:40:39.492 --> 00:40:44.847
I would never, ever be able to do that if I didn't have a really solid system in place.

00:40:45.467 --> 00:40:51.039
Well, and we also have the community within each other.

00:40:51.039 --> 00:41:02.998
So there are a lot of steps, but we also share the responsibility, like I do the promotion, for everything that we do for the podcast.

00:41:03.684 --> 00:41:07.356
Yes, we divide and conquer.

00:41:07.356 --> 00:41:17.329
I do the publishing part of the podcast and he does the promotion part of it, and that's where our strengths are.

00:41:17.329 --> 00:41:30.746
I'm strong in the production part publishing and he's much stronger in the promotion and it works and I don't think we knew it was going to unfold that way when we started it, but it certainly has gone that way and it works really well.

00:41:30.746 --> 00:41:36.759
He doesn't bother me, he lets me do my thing with the publishing and I don't much bother him.

00:41:36.759 --> 00:41:39.708
I let him do his thing with the promotion.

00:41:39.708 --> 00:41:51.132
But yes, systems are you know, whether it's timers or an app on your phone or something, systems are the best.

00:41:52.295 --> 00:41:53.858
Absolutely, absolutely.

00:41:53.858 --> 00:41:59.650
You are right about that one, and reminders are too Reminders, even AI.

00:41:59.650 --> 00:42:03.773
It's very helpful, yes.

00:42:04.114 --> 00:42:04.757
I'm leaning in.

00:42:04.757 --> 00:42:12.021
In fact, I've been in a summit this week learning how to utilize AI more effectively.

00:42:12.021 --> 00:42:16.134
It's been a little bit overwhelming so much information all at once, but good stuff.

00:42:16.615 --> 00:42:17.117
It's a lot.

00:42:19.324 --> 00:42:21.809
Let's talk about perhaps.

00:42:21.809 --> 00:42:26.474
Well, I kind of want to know.

00:42:26.474 --> 00:42:37.795
The one thing we haven't touched on so far is, in all of this, that you've done the two passions, the way that you very intentionally set this all up.

00:42:37.795 --> 00:42:42.751
I want to know how has community played a role in all this?

00:42:42.751 --> 00:42:49.871
And I'm going to qualify that or quantify that or whatever the right word is, clarify that one of those things.

00:42:49.871 --> 00:42:54.947
You know, community can mean a lot of different things.

00:42:55.349 --> 00:43:04.001
You know, community happens when there are two people together, two or more, and I believe that we have lots of communities in our lives.

00:43:04.001 --> 00:43:06.166
You know, our family can be one of the communities.

00:43:06.166 --> 00:43:07.846
Our co-workers can be another community.

00:43:07.846 --> 00:43:09.686
Our work life that could be a community.

00:43:09.686 --> 00:43:12.989
Maybe we, you know, do a.

00:43:12.989 --> 00:43:15.050
You talked about therapy.

00:43:15.050 --> 00:43:44.804
Maybe you do some group therapy and now you've got a little community of people that are in your therapy group, or, but I think that you know there's all in all, those communities play a role, most likely in your creative process, but have you had any interaction or involvement in something, some community that is centered around creativity?

00:43:45.644 --> 00:44:12.846
Absolutely, oh yes, most definitely, oh yes, most definitely.

00:44:12.846 --> 00:44:13.688
So I'm going to touch on this in this way.

00:44:13.688 --> 00:44:14.650
My stomping grounds are in Nashville, tennessee.

00:44:14.650 --> 00:44:18.583
I've definitely had my downs being there and I've definitely had my ups, and I got to give thanks to a lot of individuals who supported me, who believed in me while I was there.

00:44:18.583 --> 00:44:23.269
You know individuals like Cynthia Trice, who gave me my first short film opportunity.

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Ben Oaks, who gave me my first commercial, herschel, uh, the.

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Canaan Cox, who put me in his first music video.

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People, like, like, like him, and um, uh, who else?

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Uh, there's a, there's a lot of people who, uh, and I and I I just can't think of a Talisha Walker, a lot of people you know.

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Those are just some of the individuals who, uh, who believed in me, who have always believed in me, and, uh, that that is a prime example of community.

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Um, I gotta also give thank you to the, to the Atlanta film community as, as well.

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I gotta give thanks to, you know, tnt productions.

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I gotta give thank you to, uh, to B Daniel Watkins and so many other people, my agent, stephanie Olson.

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You know those people, that community, even here in Dallas.

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You know I haven't been here that long.

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But the community here is so amazing and so tight knit that there are so many people that believe in me to do the.

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They believe in me to portray roles to the utmost ability because they've seen it, they know it, they don't have to blink.

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If I give Tony, if I give Tony this chance, if I give Tony, if I give Tony this chance, tony's going to do it, tony's going to kill it.

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