Today we’d like to introduce you to Grayson Niles.
Hi Grayson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Ottawa, Canada in the middle of the summer, though it remains my least favorite season because it’s hard to ski in August. I was an energetic and creative kid who loved attention and playing make-believe. That all changed dramatically at age eleven when my mom, stepdad, and I moved to Houston, Texas. In July. I truly did not know it was legal for the temperature to get that hot, but I had to learn quickly.
It was an enormous change, especially since my siblings were old enough to stay in Canada to either finish high school or continue college. I was the baby who had no choice and now had to learn about football and authentic barbecue. Two things I love to this day but at the time were not on my list of priorities. As a result of the culture shock, I found myself more reclusive and introverted than I had ever been. I was fortunate to have found a close group of friends with shared interests and love of SpongeBob, but I lost a lot of my previous creativity and unearned confidence.
Fast forward several years and I found myself in my sophomore year of college looking for a degree path. One of my best friends told me she was going to study film and theatre production, and I responded, “you can do that?”. I fell headfirst into the world of production and never looked back.
After school I moved to Los Angeles, fully intent on becoming a sound designer. But after a tumultuous first year in the city, I felt very lost. I was working an unfulfilling day job, had no creative outlet, and didn’t know what to do with myself. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I signed up for an acting class.
Acting was the only part of filmmaking I hadn’t studied in college, and to be honest it scared me to death. My heroes were actors. So much of my life had been watching outrageously talented people on my tv screen make me laugh and cry and fill me with bravery by proxy. The idea of being that vulnerable and engaging truly terrified me, but I knew that if I didn’t take a chance on something I’d feel stuck for who knows how long. So, I swallowed my nerves long enough to go to my first class. And as cliched as it sounds, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
It’s shocking how much I learned about myself in that class. Not only that, it gave me the courage to sign up for improv classes; another skill my younger self would have panicked at the sheer thought of performing. Improv is really what opened me up to the comedy scene as a whole and was the first time in my life I actually felt like I belonged somewhere. It was also the first time I had ever been truly bad at something yet wanted to keep going no matter how much I bombed.
Much of my childhood was spent quitting things I wasn’t naturally prolific at. I always figured you were either good at something right away, or you’d suck forever. One of my proudest accomplishments is learning the value of failing, and how important it is to getting out of your own way. I’m not saying I’m immune to the fear of failure, but I don’t allow it to consume my aspirations any longer.
Fast forward to now, and I find myself the most confident and creative I’ve ever been. The daily struggle of self-discipline and focus is very real, but the fundamental blocks I had in my younger years have been confronted and worked through. I write, act, and perform more than my eleven-year-old self would ever believe. Not only that, but I genuinely believe I’m pretty good at it. It took me almost 30 years to allow myself to believe I was actually good at anything. And now that I’ve gotten this far, it’s only up from here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been fortunate in the regard that most of my obstacles are self-inflicted. To this day I struggle with self-doubt, anxiety, and lack of focus. But unlike my earlier years, I am able to acknowledge when I’m spiraling or having a particularly hard day. I credit therapy for introducing me to my own feelings and giving them value. I’m now emotionally mature enough to recognize when I’m getting in my own way. Righting the ship doesn’t always happen immediately, but it usually doesn’t take more than a couple of days. Unlike my younger years where I would fall into creative purgatory for weeks at a time.
I’ve been overwhelmingly fortunate to have had supportive family and friends throughout my life, which I do not take for granted. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the people around me, and I can only hope to return the favor when they need 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?
I’m an actor and comedian specializing in long-form improv and characters. At the start of 2022, I got onto TikTok and have gotten a lot of positive feedback for my original characters and silly bits. I also write and direct, and this year filmed my first full-length sketch that I directed, which was incredibly rewarding. It was the first long-term creative investment I really completed and I’m very proud of it. It’s hard to say what sets me apart from other because I feel like my heroes all do the polished version of whatever I’m trying to achieve, but I think my strengths are my physicality, observational specificity, and my ability to make up important-sounding-but-vague skills like “observational specificity.”
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When I was around 8, my dad, sister, and I took a road trip through Eastern Canada. The majority of our drive was in Newfoundland, a picturesque maritime landscape of seaside cliffs and steamed mussels. We made a lot of stops throughout the province, but none was as memorable as our venture to a tiny, humorously named town between New Harbour and Broad Cove. I’m unsure if the name is suitable for a Voyage LA article, but if you Google Map it you’ll know when you see it.
I’ll never forget the memory of pulling up to the town, seeing the “Welcome to _____” sign, and my teenage sister bursting into laughter. I was still a naïve and uneducated child and didn’t understand why the name was so funny. I begged to get in on the joke, but my father, stifling laughter, couldn’t bring himself to tell me. (Again, this story is much funnier if you look up the town, located 20km north of Whitborne along Highway 80. You’ll know it when you see it.)
I can’t remember exactly when I learned the context of why that town’s name was so funny, but to this day it’s one of my fondest memories of childhood innocence. And if you ever find yourself in the provincial capital of St. John’s, Newfoundland, this gem of a town is only an hour’s drive West. You’ll know it when you see it.
Contact Info:
- Website: graysonniles.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graysonniles/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graysonnilescrane
Image Credits
Jonny Marlow
Rick Craft
Juliette Lin
