Meet Erik Ruof of Torrance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Ruof.

Hi Erik, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As far back as I can remember I’ve always had this internal drive to entertain. Naturally I think humans have to entertain each other in order to make sense of this bizarre existence we all share. I knew from a young age that my purpose was to make people laugh, think, and maybe feel a little disgusted.
I was an absolute weirdo and an outcast in school. I had a dual nature about me. On one hand I’m passing all of my classes in flying colors then on the other hand I’m shoving pens in my mouth in order to look like a walrus. I recreated moments from the newest SpongeBob episodes, quoted whatever movie hit theaters that week, and regurgitated George Carlin jokes.
I often wonder why I started doing what I do. Did I just want attention? Did I just want to befriend the bullies to avoid the beatdowns? Did I think being entertaining enough would mean people would invite me to the cool parties? Was I insane? It’s probably a mix of all of the above.
Although I exercised my creativity at a young age, I received a lot of negative feedback around me that made me ashamed of what I loved to do. I felt like a square peg that was being shaved of its corners in order to fit into the matrix of round holes. And for a while I gave into making decisions outside of myself and went to university to study Mathematics and Computer Science.
I learned that if you avoid your calling for long enough, it finds a way to catch up to you. I graduated into the pandemic and got slapped by some serious existential episodes. The economy wasn’t cutting it anyway and failed to get a job doing something I hated. So I decided that I might as well fail to get a job doing something I loved.
I’m about three years into full pursuit of what David Lynch dubs the “art life.” I feel as if I’ve learned and experienced more in that time than the twenty something years that led to that pivotal point.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If anyone in the entertainment industry has had a smooth road journey I’d ask them “how does it feel to be a liar?!” There are many peaks to hit in this line of work but success isn’t a linear path. It’s not like the typical office job where you start entry level then move upstairs then you get your name on a parking spot and then your run the company (I’ve obviously never worked in an office).
I could have an awesome opportunity one week then have nothing the next several weeks. Compounded with the onslaught of rejection from varying directions that feeds self doubt, it can put so much on your plate that instinctually you just want to drop the plate and let everything crash. However, your calling has a way of catching up with you. Despite the times I was on the edge of quitting, I called my own bluff and promptly jumped back into the fray.
There were times I wasn’t getting hired for periods of time. I was sending auditions and getting back crickets. I couldn’t stand the radio silence so I had to make some noise. That meant learning how to start piecing together my own productions, meeting others in the industry, and using social media as a creative outlet.
I’m immensely happy to be where I’m at now and I mainly chalk it up to my persistence in putting myself out there, to constantly learning, and to never being afraid to be cringe. If youre afraid to be cringe, youre afraid to live.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in reacting to imaginary circumstances in front of a camera. I’m lucky to be able to sufficiently support myself acting in short films, vertical dramas, and social media skits. I dont reckon I’m known for much outside of the viral videos of me doing impressions of cartoon characters, superheroes, and Pitbull AKA Mr. 305 AKA Mr. Worldwide.
I’m proud of those videos and the work that I put into delving into roles in order to give my best performance of other people’s words to be captured by another person with a lens. I’m also proud of the work I’ve done that people don’t see. I don’t always create art for public consumption. It’s a process of self exploration and discovery. While I wouldn’t label myself as a writer, I write journal entries, stories and poetry day in and day out. I produce music alone in my room: just me, a guitar, and a mini keyboard. I do one man Shakespeare readings in the mirror and perform each character differently.
This isn’t what sets me a part from anybody in my mind. In fact I lack a lot of formal training in this stuff. I didn’t go to film school. I didn’t do theater growing up. I’ve tried and failed at so many things. To be frank I don’t even know why I keep getting hired. It feels like a joke that the people that hire me keep falling for. I know that goes against cutesy manifestation culture but I’m human so I have doubts sometimes. When I work with people that have been in the industry since they were in utero I feel like an imposter.
But I wouldn’t trade away any of the life experience I had. What I used to look back on with shame I now treat as being very precious to me. I accept it, I keep my head down, and I keep moving forward. That’s what I’m most proud of.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
It’s commonly passed around that you should enjoy the journey as opposed to fixating on the destination and I do believe that. I’ve fallen in love with the process of learning new skills and experimenting with new ideas in a way that people with more exposure and fame might feel pressured to not undergo. This thought is what has comforted me to the point of acquiring the proper amount of patience needed for the slow burn of self betterment and self expression.
The overall lesson is a lesson in gratitude catered to your current situation and seeing it as a privilege. This is the lighthouse that illuminates your path through the dark storms of doubt and depression. This is how you can become able to stay consistent in practicing your craft in order to step up your game.
There’s obviously a list of other valuable sub-lessons that you learn along the way but they all orbit in the gravity of gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/erikruof?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=b9d5d87d-4de8-4ccd-95f6-243a580f05b5
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erik_ruof?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@erik_ruof?_t=ZT-8yDmQ8Xjkk9&_r=1