Rising Stars: Meet Joshua Samra of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Samra.

Hi Joshua, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It started with my love for practical FX when I was a kid. I grew up on horror, and I always looked up to creature actors like Doug Jones. The way they embody characters through presence, body language, and tone. They didn’t just wear a costume, they made those creatures feel real.

I knew early on I wanted to capture that. I wanted to act.

As I got older, I got use to seeing a lot of incredible cosplayers, some high budget, some more casual, but most of it stayed in that hobby space. Even the really well done stuff often didn’t have a sense of character behind it. There wasn’t much focus on actually being the character, especially in the horror scene.

What I was drawn to was immersion. Bringing something unreal to life in a way people could experience face to face, Like stepping into a film.

And I saw that people wanted that kind of interaction. You look at places like Disneyland, where meeting characters is part of the magic. So I kept thinking… why doesn’t horror have that at the same level?

No one was really doing it in that way, so I decided to build it myself.

I started doing freelance monster work, connecting with special FX artists in Los Angeles and costume makers across the U.S. and Europe to bring my ideas to life with a more cinematic, film quality approach. From there, I began offering a range of characters for different types of events.

Now I’m booked for immersive experiences, high-profile events, private parties, conventions, photoshoots with everything from families and couples to brands. The goal has always been to create something that can adapt to different environments while still feeling authentic.

Over time, I fell in love with becoming these characters. I pushed my acting further, took vocal coaching, and kept developing every aspect of the performance to make them feel as real as possible.

That’s the short version of how I got here. Turning a lifelong love for horror and monsters into full time work. I’m still building and evolving it every year, but at the core, it’s about giving people an experience they usually only expect from films or theme parks… and bringing it right in front of them.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest challenges was getting people to understand that I’m not a cosplayer or just a guy in a costume. I’m an actor.

That might sound simple, but was one of the most difficult parts. I was bringing a different type of work into a space where most people are used to cosplay and haunters/scare work that only required you to scare someone. So the question became: how do I show people that what I offer is something else entirely?

It wasn’t just about the look. It was about performance, presence, interaction, and creating a full cinematic moment for guests, clients, and attendees.

The problem was, there wasn’t really anything to compare it to. No one was doing it the way I was trying to do it. So I couldn’t just point to an example. I had to be the example.

That meant putting myself out there. Attending public events fully in character, staying immersed, and letting people experience it firsthand. Letting them feel the difference instead of trying to explain it. That’s what started to click for people.

Where it got more difficult was breaking into bigger spaces. Getting in front of companies, event producers, and showrunners who hadn’t seen anything like this before. It’s one thing to impress a crowd in person, it’s another to translate that into an opportunity when people don’t yet have a reference point for what you do.

But that challenge is also what shaped everything. It forced me to be clear about my identity as an actor, and to build something that speaks for itself the moment people experience it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I do is immersive character acting, with a focus on horror and creature performance.

I specialize in high end meet & greets and interactive experiences where guests aren’t just looking at a character, they’re engaging with one. My work is built around performance first: presence, body language, voice, and real time interaction. The goal is to make these characters feel believable enough that people forget they’re standing in front of a performer.

I’m known for bringing a more cinematic approach into live environments. A lot of my work is centered around creating moments that feel like they were pulled straight out of a film or a theme park experience, but placed directly into events, conventions, and private settings.

What sets me apart is that I don’t approach this as cosplay or costuming. I approach it as acting. Every character I bring out is something I’ve developed with intention, from the physicality to the voice to how they interact with people one on one. I also work closely with special FX artists and costume makers to make sure the visual side matches the level of performance, so everything feels cohesive and film quality.

I’ve built this into a full freelance business, working across immersive events, conventions, private parties, and photoshoots. I’ve designed it to be flexible enough to fit different environments while still delivering the same level of experience.

What I’m most proud of is how far I’ve taken it. I built all of this from the ground up, and my username “Dead Static” has grown into a recognizable name within the horror and event space. People have seen my work across social media and across the country, and I’ve reached a lot of the goals I set for myself early on.

At the same time, I’m still building. I’m still pushing to grow, refine, and expand what this can become. But I’m proud of where it stands now, and the fact that I’ve carved out something that didn’t really exist before.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being an actor but also a creative director. I love world building, story boarding, & character creation. I love being able to put something together for people to enjoy. Then seeing them resonate with it and enjoy it. It makes me feel like my hard work paid off. That I have a decent head on shoulders and a good eye for creativity. But also the ability to see what people like & enjoy. Thats what makes me happy, fulfilling something creatively I love but also seeing other people resonate with it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dead_static