Today we’d like to introduce you to Merrick Mccartha
Hi Merrick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, I grew up in a very strong blue collar household. My parents encouraged me to always go for my dreams. Since I excelled in math as a kid, I began a path as an electrical engineer, At the same time I discovered I had a talent for performing. While attending world famous Cass Tech High School, I started participating in theater along side my science corriculum. Instilled with midwestern values, I put my engineering career first, and acting on the back burner. After moving to California, enjoying a successful career as a digital design engineer, I made the big switch to focus on acting. I just didn’t want to go through life wondering “What if..”. Fortunately I found enough success to keep me going year after year. I really didn’t know what I was getting into. It took time and great mentorship for me to become a consistently working actor in film, TV shows, and commercials.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There seems to be many myths about acting as a career. Some people think it is pure luck. Some people think it’s all about a ‘pretty face’. Neither are true for the most part. It takes years of study, industry savvy, and perseverance. I’ve had many many pitfalls, but I got up and dusted myself off, and kept going. Anyone considering this career should be very careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that things will happen quickly. It can. I mean, certainly there are stories of people where things happend relatively quickly. For the vast majority though, the successful people we see on any screen has spent many years getting to where they are.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
It took me many years to say it, but I’m an actor. I’m able to take a script, internalize it, find the personal truths in it, and present a character that connects with an audience. After years of training with amazing teachers like Laura Gardner, Gregory (Berg) Sobek, Andrew Wood, and Bruce Katzman, I’m able to do this. Proudly I’ve shared the screen with greats like Angela Bassett, Dawnn Lewis, Kenneth Choi, Sterling K Brown, Anthony Brauer, Larry David, and many more.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Peace. Happiness. Love. Family. Thankfully I have found all of these things in my pusuit as an actor. Humanity is incredibly fragile, yet incredibly powerful. Finding a balance to allow those four things in one’s life, I feel is worth it. Like many cities, Los Angeles can be a very tough town. We are unique in being the entertainment capital of the world. People come from all over the world to try and ‘make it’ in the entertainment business here. Perhaps unlike most places, Los Angeles if filled with dreams. What matters is that we keep our humanity in pursuit of those dreams. Be open to discovery. Be open to a new path. A new dream. If you can do that, you have a much better chance of ‘making it’.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.merrickmccartha.com
- Instagram: @therealmerrickmccartha
- Facebook: Merrick McCartha
Image Credits
Photos by Headshots by Peggy
