Check Out Ty Chérie Bullocks’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Chérie Bullocks.

Hi Ty Chérie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I went to Culver City high school where there were many opportunities for students to explore. In high school, I hadn’t done many extracurricular activities. However, acting and singing was always something I just did in the privacy of my room. I would lay in my room and listen to music for hours. When no one was home, I would be in our living room pretending to be Beyoncé accepting an award. We would have movie nights in our house.

My favorite movies were Beat Street, Breakin’, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Favorite shows were The Pink Panther (the original ones), A different world, and Degrassi. The first time I ever acted was in high school. I was in a community theatre play through a company called City at Peace hosted auditions at my school. I would take the bus from Carson, CA (my home city) to a small studio in Compton and then in Hollywood multiple times a week. I loved it. The rehearsal, the friends, the storytelling and everything else. After the showcase weekend, I never realized I had tapped into something I would want to do for the rest of my life. I did what every high school grad did, went to college. I knew I wanted to work in tv and film and I knew I wanted to go to Howard University. So I started at West LA community College. I took one acting class as an elective. I remember doing this monologue where I played a woman with multiple personalities. It was an amazing feeling. The dedication and the response of the audience. However, I still didn’t consider being an actor as a career. I just focused on getting to Howard.

After a year and half at West LA, I transferred to Howard January of 2012 with an undecided major. I eventually settled on TV and Film with a minor in business. Most people knew me as the photographer or camera girl. I would take pictures for their orgs and film promo videos. I would write web series and film and direct. Most people know that Howard University is a popular HBCU with known stars like Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson, Chadwick Boseman, and Kamala Harris. Those names are what I believe every Howard student thinks about when it comes to successful careers. I know I always had it my subconscious. I would spend days. In the fine arts buildings wondering if I had made the right choice in majors but it was too late to switch and I was always shy about my passions.

One semester at Howard, I decided to take an acting class with professor Denise J. Hart. She was an amazing acting teacher but I was a very shy student. There so many talented students at Howard who were confident with their craft. I remember one class I got up to perform and I was so scared I broke down crying in front of everyone. I was so embarrassed. But it was what I needed. Because after that, I wasn’t scared to perform anymore. I graduated from Howard in 2015 with a degree in TV and film. I had started working for a tv network in 2014. I did what I thought was right. You know you go to college spend all this money. I felt I had to get a job quick. But I wasn’t happy. I worked at the TV network for two years before getting laid off. Its low key broke my stride. I didn’t know what to do next. I had lost my desire to film and create. I worked odd jobs for the next two years. I created small projects here and there. But I didn’t feel fulfilled. I was lost.

January 2018 a fellow Howard Alum of mine, Lysious Ogolo posted a casting call for his Radio One webseries We Got A Problem on Facebook. I don’t know what provoked me to do it. I knew I just wanted to audition. I prayed about it. I asked God, if this the road you want me to go let me get the role I’m auditioning for. I auditioned for the role of Angela on the show and indeed got the role. I remember being on set filming and just feeling so alive on the other side of the camera. I was so used to being behind the scenes. But being in front of the camera, I felt rejuvenated and I was instantly hooked. Ever since then, I decided acting and performing was officially what I would do with the rest of my life. I left DC in 2018 and moved to Brooklyn, NY. While working several jobs, I took acting classes, auditioned, and did background work. After living there for two years, I moved back to LA and continued my acting journey. Since I have had several auditions and been in several short films, music videos, and connected/ collaborated with other creatives. I love what I do. I made the right choice.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Acting has not been a smooth road. It’s more of a winding road with pit stops. You make progress and then life happens. It’s like a cycle. Some struggles I face that all actors face would be balancing a job with the expenses of being an actor. I would love to just never have to work and audition and act only. But it takes time to get there. Acting challenges your patience and faith. All your insecurities and lack of professionalism come to the surface. An actor is an Entrepreneur. That’s not something I really understood until I started pursuing it fully and getting into the business side. Everything has to be an investment to an actor. Because acting can feel like a slow grind, I always deal with mental battles. You take classes and you audition. People on the outside ask you what you’ve been in. They question if you’re really an actor. You can never have been in anything they seen and the answer is yes. Actors know and learn that being an actor doesn’t start when you’re booked. It’s the everyday studying, reading, creating, auditioning, and networking. It’s the investments in headshots, reels, managers, and agents. On the outside people only see the results of all that work. Another struggle is learning yourself. You have to have a good idea of who you are and how people perceive you. Those are the roles you will get. You also have to understand the psychology of people.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actress. I have been in webseries, short films and independent feature films. I also write and direct. I also recently got into voiceover and I love it. I am most proud of the person acting is making become. I can handle rejection better than most people without giving up. I am most proud of all the auditions and opportunities I have received. It’s been a privilege. What sets me apart from others I am an introvert whose learned how to be social for a living. I have a mixture of cultures under my belt from living in many major cities. I have a west coast native way to me but with a New York flair. I can even do the accents.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
It can be hard to find a mentor. I think when listening to other actors like Denzel and Will Smith, you learn that your mentors will be watching the careers of actors you admire. I admire Halle Berry, Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good, and Taraji P. Henson. So I study from them. Networking happens when you’re in audition rooms or on set. Doing background work helps you meet many actors that you can collab with in the future. I have been fortunate to tap in with my Howard network. I also go to networking parties for different industries and meet a lot of people. Or I join Facebook groups and group chats and meet people from all over the world. Social media is a powerful tool.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tybullocks/