Meet Adrian Bond

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Bond.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Adrian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
From the time I was a small child, I remember being terrible at all sports. Growing up in East TN sports were very popular, I spent a lot of time drawing, painting and creating my own comic series. As I got older, my athletic skills didn’t improve; I did, however, teach myself guitar, piano, drums, and bass. I started with covers and ended up writing and singing my own work. I played in front of large crowds and even made it onto the radio twice. After high school, I found myself at college with no clue what I wanted to do, and frankly perplexed how anyone at that age could have it figured out, so I just kind of took the basic classes and ended up in a room with no windows working for a company out of Atlanta until one day something just snapped. Not in a bad way, like snapping a bone. It felt more like handcuffs being snapped off of my life. I knew I wasn’t happy, I knew I had no clue what would make me happy, and I knew I couldn’t wait around.

So after a weekend visit to Chicago, I ended up moving there for a while. I had no plan, I found a beautiful condo downtown and decided I wanted to get back to performing. I wanted that outlet, that experience, and that thing to wake up looking forward to every day. So after stumbling around taking different advice from different people, I ended up on a few shows there. Due to some family health concerns, I moved back to the south right as Atlanta’s market was exploding with productions. Most of my family disapproved, but I was happy. I ended up on even more projects in the south. I failed a lot, I learned a lot, I doubted myself a lot. But I didn’t stop. Since that time, I’ve been flown to 8 states for filming, I’ve learned a lot of things first-handedly that without all of my fails, I would probably still be struggling with today. That’s when it occurred to me that I was good for something else as well.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh man….imposter syndrome. I’ll get into a room for a scene and feel like the least talented person there. I spend a lot of time telling myself that I was given these chances for a reason and I even make the promos in a lot of cases- but imposter syndrome is very real and all too common. My family, not all of them but a good bit of them, think my career choice is a poor life decision and they don’t hesitate to show it. I have to think this is also a pervasive problem in this industry given the number of other people I’ve spoken to who have dealt with similar struggles. I have to wake up every day remember who I want to make happy. Between the people who already aren’t happy for me and myself who’s pursuing my own happiness- I have to remember I’m not doing this for them. Lastly, there’s the simple fact that this is a very difficult world to navigate. There’s no road map. Even after receiving a BFA from prestigious schools so many people have no clue where to start with how to get an agent with no resume. How to tell who is a legitimate agent vs. a scam. How to format a resume. All the sites to join that are used for castings. There are plenty of classes on technique, but very few if any focus on the real-world business side of things.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have lived and worked in the four largest markets in the US, I have lived in Los Angeles for a bit now; as I always knew I would end up here if I could just keep pushing, and what I’ve discovered is that all of the different failures and successes I’ve had in the markets I’ve been in, all the different mentors who have shown me in the beginning and still to this very day continue to teach me aspects of this industry- what I’ve learned is that I finally feel versed enough to be of use to newer performers wanting to know how to get started. I format resumes, I teach how to create a resume even when often times people don’t think they even have one because they have such little experience, I show how to research agencies in different markets and make sure to help these performers submit in a professional and complete way, following all of the various rules of each particular submission. My rate: that when they have made it to the point where they feel comfortable, if they can find the time I hope that they’ll do the same for the next generation, just like hopefully I’ve helped them, just like those who came before me guided me.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Well, we certainly weren’t/aren’t immune to the pandemic. Many have said we were the first industry to shut down and we will be the last industry to open back up, however there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are already a *lot* of changes to my industry due to covid, however we are getting back on our feet in the safest way possible. I’m no psychic, but I would wager that this will not be a brief process. Currently, all of the major unions, mine being SAG-AFTRA, along with the AMPTA have drafted agreements to ensure the safety of everyone on set. It’s almost unfathomable how efficiently and thoroughly they were able to find so many ways to tighten any loose ends and ensure the safety of each and every cast and crew member. We as a collective industry just need to do absolutely everything we can to follow the guidelines and keep those around us and ourselves protected both while working and in between productions.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/adrianmbond

Image Credit:
Bjoern Kommerell

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