Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Theurer.
Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Oh, look another young guy who moved to Hollywood to be a star. Trust me, I’ve heard that many times since I’ve moved here. At first, I was just another kid who moved to Hollywood with no idea what this place was about. I grew up in Georgia. Chasing the dream of getting out of a small town to pursue a fulfilled life. I went to school to learn video broadcasting and used that to platform myself above others. I now knew more about being in front of the camera by being behind it.
At 19, I packed up my bags and moved to LA with my partner. Sadly the beginning of my LA life wasn’t the dream I wished. I was deceived by my current manager at the time that Hollywood was a dark seedy place. He tried to pray upon my sexually, as well as ruin my relationship as he tried to force me to stay in the closet. Through legal battles and a lot of recovering, I found my stride and my love for the city as I met new friends and they formed my new family here in L.A.
I’ve been in L.A. for five years now and I’ve grown in all aspects especially my career. When my mom first visited me five years ago, I couldn’t be proud of much. Last she visited, I made sure she was proud of her son when she came back. My wonderful agent Peter Kallinteris opened many doors for me and I’ve had the blessing of acting on numerous TV shows, commercials and films. From that, I opened my own production company and began creating my own content. Getting to produce films has brought even more joy to this city for me. It has allowed me to give back to other artists who need that foot in the door.
My recent work ranges from YA (A spin-off of The Bay on Amazon), Slapface the movie, From The Bridge – a sci-fi documentary dedicated to the fans featuring Stan Lee, Gene Simons, and many more. Through all my content, I am always working and advocating for the LGBTQ community. I recently finished a short/ proof of concept for a sci-fi LGBTQ show that I am super excited for.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenges I faced kind of go hand in hand. My struggle moving out here dealing with my scumbag manager as well as my sexuality.
My former manager preyed upon a small-town kid with big dreams. The Hollywood you see in films that scares everyone came true for me. Through it all, my manager insisted I stay in the closet as it would hinder my career. If coming from the bible belt wasn’t tough enough for a young bi guy, my manager only made things worse. My relationships suffered from it for sure and so did my friendships. I eventually overcame and handled my manager accordingly.
Outside of that, the industry for so long did want you to be the cookie-cutter version we all saw on TV. The gay community was told to be silent and not to be themselves. I can happily say I took a stand against that years ago continued to be my authentic self. Through this many more doors have opened for me and the LGBTQ community has been there to support me the whole way.
Dead I Productions – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dead I Productions was opened last year as I wanted to share my knowledge and experience behind the camera as much as possible. I’ve now produced a handful of short films and am attached to a feature and tv show. I aim to use my production company to uplift the LGBTQ community and minorities in the film industry.
My production company was born after while acting, I have done everything from being a personal trainer, I was the asst. kitchen manager for a steak house, a welder, and dove a lot into video editing to continue my acting career. It wasn’t until last year knew I needed to make the leap and focus more on producing films and minimize my distractions with the other type of jobs, even though it’s a scary leap.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is measured in many different ways. While an Oscar or Emmy are great accolades, they don’t define success. To me, success is defined by personal satisfaction. If two people interviewed with me, I wouldn’t judge strictly off of how many gigs they’ve had. I want to hear their journey. Success to me is someone appreciating the accomplishments they’ve made. Success to me is never giving up.
Personally, success to me has been setting weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly markers. Doing this has help me not become sidetracked with the rubbish we run into day to day.
Contact Info:
- Website: nicktheurer.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ntheurer92
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actornicktheurer/
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