Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Dammann
Hi Austin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I spend my childhood in Santa Cruz, a small beach town on the coast of California; my high school was walking distance from the ocean. I spent my time skating, surfing, and planning my move to Los Angeles when I was finished with school. I knew I wanted to be an actor for most of my life. I dove in headfirst researching agencies, production companies, and BFA acting programs. As soon as I was able I moved down south for school, earning my BFA in Screen Acting from Chapman University. I was lucky enough to train under some of the most talented artists I have ever met, and give them full credit for shaping me into the actor I am today. Upon graduation I got my first manager and moved to the heart of Hollywood, just in time for the industry to grind to a halt in 2020. Impeccable timing! While this was a significant setback, as it was for many, I was lucky enough to hit the ground running when filming picked up again. The shutdown reinforced for me the importance of creating opportunities for yourself; gone are the days when you can sit back and let it happen for you. I work every day to create things that I love, and that has been the single greatest contributor to both my life and my career!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Ha! Not at all. The road of an aspiring actor is famously paved with rejection, and I’m no exception. I don’t say this to complain; I’m very aware of how lucky I am to pursue my passion, and I understand that these trials and tribulations are par for the course in an unforgiving industry. But this has been a tough few years to be an actor on the rise in Hollywood. From pandemic shutdowns to strikes to the rise of AI, breaking into the industry sometimes feels like a Sisyphean task. With that in mind, however, every small victory feels much more important; every win becomes a lifeline to grasp until the next arrives. I believe that a successful career is built on a thousand individual victories, all working together to build something greater than any individual part. So I’ll keep fighting for the small wins, and one day will hopefully look back and see that they’ve turned into something to be proud of.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an actor! I wouldn’t say there’s anything I specialize in, necessarily – one of the things I appreciate about acting is the inherent diversity in material. No project is exactly the same, and no role requires the same recipe of thoughts, feelings, emotions, et cetera. I actively try to avoid any “specializations” – I find that’s a one way ticket to being typecast.
I’d say I’m most proud of the work I have put in to become the actor I am today. I think back on when I decided to become an actor and laugh – I really had no idea what I was doing. It took years of dedicated training, and the help of incredibly talented mentors and professors, to break down my mental blocks in order to find truth in my art. People like to reference the “It” factor, an elusive cocktail of looks, charisma and acting ability. Whether I have “It” isn’t for me to say, but I can say one thing for certain – when I started my acting journey I sure as hell didn’t!
How do you think about happiness?
My motorcycle. Animals. Entertaining people. Skateboarding. A really good book. Art (in any way, shape or form). Understanding something I didn’t before. A job well done.
The Stoic philosopher Seneca said “it is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.” Life can be incredibly rich and incredibly fulfilling, but it’s up to the individual to spend their life in pursuit of something worthwhile. I find that the things that make me happy are those that remind me that I’m alive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austindammann.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austindammann/
Image Credits
Dirk Fenstermacher, Kaela Murphy
