Conversations with West Bauman

Today we’d like to introduce you to West Bauman.

Hi West, 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 was born and raised on wildlife sanctuaries, which made for a pretty unconventional childhood. I was homeschooled for my early years, and when my parents divorced, I entered public school as a freshman in high school. Before that, hockey was really my entire world.

Looking back, hockey gave me more than just a sport. it gave me my first audience. The locker room was where I realized I loved entertaining people. I was always the guy doing something ridiculous just to get everyone laughing. At the time, I didn’t think of it as performing, but it was probably my first introduction to it.

I went on to play Junior A hockey in Canada before eventually landing in Milwaukee to play NCAA hockey. After my senior year season, I only had a few classes left to graduate. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t working toward the next season or the next goal. I’d always been obsessed with movies and television, so I decided to take an on-camera acting class in a strip mall just to see if I’d enjoy it. That class completely changed my life.

Once I caught the acting bug, I approached it the same way I had approached hockey. I believed that talent mattered, but disciplined practice mattered even more. I focused on training, finding great teachers, learning from people who were better than me, and putting in the work every day.

My first jobs were commercials that honestly had very little to do with acting, they mostly hired me because I fit the look they wanted. But those jobs gave me my first taste of making a living in the industry and showed me that this dream was actually possible.

Not long after, I won a free trip to Los Angeles through an Instagram contest to compete at IMTA. I took third place in the monologue competition, completely bombed my scene audition, and even walked the runway like I thought I was some kind of supermodel. It was humbling and funny looking back. I left without a single agent or manager expressing interest.

That experience taught me something far more valuable than a contract: I needed better training. If I could place 3rd against actors with BFAs and conservatory backgrounds, I wondered what would happen if I gave myself that same foundation.

So I auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts summer intensive program in New York City, took a leave of absence from my nursing career, and spent four months immersed in acting. It completely changed the way I approached the craft. I fell in love with long-form improv, developed a much deeper understanding of storytelling, and finally felt like I was building on a solid foundation instead of just relying on instinct.

From there, things started to snowball. I continued booking commercials, my confidence grew, and so did my résumé. I’ve now appeared in more than 100 commercials, including around five national campaigns. I joined SAG-AFTRA, booked my first network television role, perform and teach long-form improv, and have had the opportunity to work on some incredible independent films.

Today I’m auditioning for series regular roles on networks like HBO and for SAG feature film leads. For the first time since I walked into that little acting class in a strip mall, it genuinely feels like this could become my full-time career.

It’s funny to think that everything started because a hockey player with no acting experience decided to take one class just to see what would happen.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Ironically, the hardest part hasn’t been rejection or auditions, it’s been finding the time to actually do the work.

I’ve always had a full-time career as a registered nurse, and in the early years I genuinely loved the job. For the past 5 years nursing has really started to feel like work. Healthcare being run as a business has made it harder and harder for anyone wanting to stay clinical. The lack of flexibility in healthcare makes it very hard to have a family while also pursuing your passion. Acting on the other hand has never felt like work to me. It’s the thing I would happily spend every day doing if I could. The challenge has always been trying to balance those two careers and never really knowing if I can ever only do acting. At this point in my life if I did not have kids I think I could safely walk away from healthcare and work full time as an actor. I am a father of two young daughters, and for the first time in my acting career, I’m turning down opportunities. I am saying no to work because logistically I can’t make it work. Mostly we have difficulty finding someone to watch our kids. Simply put I don’t have the time. That’s a strange feeling after spending years fighting just to get auditions.

I’m at a crossroads where I have to decide whether I take the leap and trust that acting will provide enough work, or continue balancing both careers and accept that some opportunities will pass me by. That’s a difficult decision when your family depends on you.

One thing I’ve always known, though, is that I’ll never put my family’s well-being at risk to chase my own dream. My wife and kids come first. My goal has never been to become an actor at any cost or be “famous”. It’s been to build a life where I can pursue the work I love without sacrificing the things that matter most: my family, my friendships, financial security, and being present for the people I care about.

That’s been the real challenge. Not learning how to act, but learning how to build a creative career while still living the kind of life I want outside of it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a character actor with a background that gives me access to worlds a lot of actors haven’t lived in. I grew up outside in a small town, I am surrounded by funny and interesting people my whole life and for the majority of my adult professional working career I have worked as a registered nurse in a Neuro ICU, so I’ve spent years taking care of people on what are often the worst days of their lives. I also played hockey at a competitive level my entire life. The combination of all these things has taught me how people actually behave under stress, grief, fear, and happiness, relief.

Most of my work so far has been in commercials. I’ve appeared in more than 100 spots, including several national campaigns. Commercials taught me how to tell a story quickly, take direction efficiently, and create authentic moments in just a few seconds. More recently, I’ve begun transitioning into what I really want to be doing which is television and film. This year I joined SAG-AFTRA with FI-CORE status, booked my first network television role, and got the opportunity to audition for series regulars and SAG scale feature film leads. For anyone in the industry knowing that you are getting to audition for projects like these is huge win.

I’m also a performer and occasional teacher of long-form improv. Improv has probably had the biggest impact on my acting because it forces you to truly listen, stay present, and trust the moment instead of trying to manufacture one. It made me a much better scene partner. And is honestly so much fun to do when you are doing it.

What I’m most proud of isn’t any one booking, it’s the fact that I’ve built this career while working full-time as a nurse and raising a young family. Every audition, class, and booking has happened around night shifts, weekends, and family responsibilities. Nothing about this journey has been handed to me, and I think that’s given me a level of gratitude and work ethic that I hope people notice when they work with me.

If there’s one thing that sets me apart, it’s that I don’t feel like I’m pretending to be someone else when I act or I am on set. I draw from a life that’s been genuinely lived, from growing up on wildlife sanctuaries, to playing college hockey, to working in intensive care, to teaching improv. Every chapter has given me another perspective on people, and acting has become the place where all of those experiences come together.

I also can’t forget to mention my amazing wife Ashley. I have had many relationships where no one has understood what I was trying to accomplish and how each thing I do is a step closer to the goal. I don’t think she even understands at times but she trusts in what I am doing and that is all I can ask. Her and I do not have a lot of support when it comes to helping with our children so it is always a mad scramble for us to make a job work when I book something. I am most proud that I found her because with out marrying her I don’t think I would be able to have the amazing family I have and still be pursuing acting.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Looking back, I almost certainly had raging ADHD lol… My parents have joked that if I’d been in a traditional classroom at a young age, they probably would have been told to put me on medication. Instead, I grew up in a very unconventional environment that let me channel all of that energy into exploring.

I spent my childhood on wildlife sanctuaries, running barefoot, climbing trees, catching animals, and being outside from sunrise to sunset. I was endlessly curious and always wanted to know how things worked. I don’t think I sat still for very long.

Animals were a huge part of my life, and growing up around them taught me responsibility, patience, and respect for nature. My parents also instilled a strong work ethic from an early age. There was always something that needed to be done, and everyone pitched in.

Personality wise, I was energetic, goofy, and constantly trying to make people laugh. That instinct eventually found its way into hockey locker rooms and, years later, onto a stage. Looking back, entertaining people has been a common thread throughout my life, I just didn’t realize it at the time.

I’m really grateful I grew up the way I did. It gave me a sense of curiosity, resilience, and creativity that still influences how I approach both life and acting today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7180892/?ref_=nmbio_ov_i
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westhunter1989/