Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Paul.
Hi Lance, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I came out to LA with a thousand dollars and my car. Slept inside it on the beaches of Malibu for the first couple of months till a friend lent me his couch while I got on my feet. I originally came out to LA for acting and then broadened my scope to producing as well. After being cast in a feature that needed extra funds, I was able to negotiate an investor coming on board which got me my first producer credit and the team embraced me. Allowing me to jump in where ever I could to help the project. I absolutely loved producing. I helped in camera, set design, sound, all of it.
Finding this new outlet for my creatives really strengthened me as an actor as well. I feel if you’re desperate for that next gig or job it will come off in the audition room. By allowing me to have another outlet for my time and creatives with producing it helped me really work on my craft.
The chance to not only be creative with acting and producing but also use my financial background was amazing to me. 16 feature films later and I am now producing my next film called FLUXX. A suspense thriller that is a mix of Sunset blvd meets Fight Club meets the Shining. I have been fortunate to continue to grow each film with budgets and level of talent, but also give back when I can to future creatives. This is something very important to me chalking back to when a friend lent me his couch allowing me to get on my feet.
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?
I think everyone has their journey and if they tell you it was smooth the whole way they are probably forgetting some dips in the road. It has not always been smooth sailing, but I think the bumps are what keep you pushing and heading toward your goals. From first coming out here near penniless to numerous no’s in casting or near successes but being released from projects due to the other actor getting the role. Every near miss or five steps back I feel has helped me push forward or evolve the way I reach for my goals.
This carries over to producing as well. Finding money for projects is hard and even harder when you have the catch 22 of needing funds to get an actor attached and an actor attached to get funds. It’s the vicious cycle of this business. But in the struggles, you find creative ways to still meet your goals.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In one of my favorite hobbies, I specialize in Adventure Photography. During covid, I was fortunate enough to pick up a new hobby that has become a new secondary source of income and that’s photography and drone photography. I coupled this with my love of adventure hiking and created a nice niche where I am able to pay for my travels all around the world and adventures with my camera or my drone. Nothing is more beautiful than hiking to remote locations and then being able to capture it not only with your lens but from a bird’s eye view. I am extremely proud of the ocean wave drone photography I have captured along with astrophotography I have shot in remote national parks.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I like to embrace a renaissance view on life. I don’t think you can only clarify yourself as just an actor or a producer or whatever. I feel with the entertainment business you need to constantly change with the times and what opportunities are coming in. As an actor, you will have dry spells and that’s where producing has always benefited me. It has allowed me to stay busy and creative. The photography has been my escape from entertainment which has fortunately been financially stable for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gingerknightfilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imlancepaul/?hl=en
