Daily Inspiration: Meet Chris “Boogy” Marcos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris “Boogy” Marcos.

Hi Chris “Boogy”, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Oh gosh! Where do I start? I was born and raised in Monterey, CA and I guess the “spark” started when I was in 3rd grade. The 5th graders put on a production of Johnny Appleseed. The play started with some narration, a small chorus number and an introduction to some secondary characters. But when Johnny Appleseed himself came out onto that stage, I was instantly captivated. I saw how he grabbed everyone’s attention, how he made us laugh and smile and how he made a room full of 3rd graders “feel something.” After the curtain dropped, I was changed. “I want to do that!” I told myself. I wanted to be the person that made people laugh, smile and “feel something!” Fast forward to 5th grade, I got to play Johnny Appleseed!

In middle school, I started to get interested in dancing. I remember watching “The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller” on television and being absolutely amazed by the choreography. My father saw that I was becoming interested in hip hop, so he broke out all of his VHS dance tutorial tapes featuring hip hop legends Boogaloo Shrimp and Poppin Taco. I also would put a big piece of cardboard on my backyard lawn and practice break dancing moves and tricks.

When I was in high school, I feel like I was a real-life Troy Bolton from High School Musical. I loved to dance and sing, but I hid it from the world and focused heavily on sports. I had played baseball all of my life and, for a while, thought that it was where my career was headed. However, during my senior year I suffered a major injury to my shoulder. After lots of physical therapy and potential surgery talks, I ultimately decided to quit baseball and put my focus into what I loved: performing!

I really hit my stride in college at California State University Monterey Bay where I created my own dance company on campus named Rhythmic Flow. I also got heavily involved in community theatre, landing leading roles and gaining much recognition from my community, taught DARE Dance at over ten schools around the peninsula and competed up and down the coast with my hip hop crew. The Infamous Night Rockers, all while graduating Suma Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Teledramatic Arts and Technology in 2010.

In 2011, I decided to aim higher and bring my talents and passion to Los Angeles. I hit the ground running, booking dancing gigs with Macy Gray, Bobby Brown and the Black Eyed Peas. I continued to explore my love for live theatre, performing in the Regional Premiere of “In the Heights,” the World Premiere of “Breaking Through” with award-winning choreographer Tyce Diorio, as well as many other award-winning regional shows. I’ve appeared on national commercials for Target and Jollibee and I am also the co-founder and choreographer for the West Coast’s only boyband tribute show, “Double Take: A Tribute to the Boyband Era.”

Since 2016, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Hollywood’s best appearing on ABCs General Hospital, AppleTV’s After Party starring Tiffany Haddish and Dave Franco and most recently working with Netflix on multiple projects in the voice-over world. Probably the craziest experience was performing at the 90th annual Academy Awards at the famous Kodak Theatre alongside Keala Settle and the cast of The Greatest Showman. Performing “This is Me” on national TV with a live audience full of Hollywood elite (Seriously. Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington were in the front row and I got to make conversation with Nicole Kidman after the performance) was a culmination of all the rejection, all of the tears, all of the negative energy turned into motivation, hard work and dedication throughout my career. And having friends and family call me, screaming that they saw me living my best life on national TV isn’t bad either.

I got engaged early 2020 to the love of my life, April Sheets, who I met during my first production of “In The Heights” in 2012. She is my partner, my muse, my constant reminder to be better man. It’s because of her love and support that I am able to be who I am and do what I love every day.

Most recently, she has made another one of my dreams come true, bringing our firstborn son, Keone into this world. I am absolutely in love with him and get to add “Father” to my resume.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
IT. HAS. NOT. I left a loving family, full-time job and a comfortable, easy life to pursue this career. On top of that, I am an Asian-American male in a predominantly Caucasian industry and I have ptosis in my left eye which means I don’t have the typical “Hollywood face” in a career that is massively based on looks. There were many moments of self-doubt, uncertainty and rejection. I mean I have failed over and over….and over again. But with a lot of love from family, endless support from an amazing circle of friends and a “I’m destined for greatness” attitude, I have been able to appreciate and learn from the “L’s” just as much as I do from my “W’s” So much of this industry is out of your control. As one of my close friends put it, “you may be perfect in every way, but look exactly like the casting director’s ex-boyfriend.” But I truly believe that how you respond to that adversity is one of the most important parts of the journey. You can fully appreciate the fruits of your labor when you look back at all the obstacles you had to overcome to get there.

One of my mantras that I bring into every audition room is, “Hi! I’m Chris “Boogy” Marcos and I’m happy to be here.” You’d be surprised how many people out here hate what they’re doing. So I always try to bring a breath of fresh air into the room with a light of appreciation. I think having this mindset and just simply being kind has brought me to great places in this industry and has introduced me to genuinely good people here in LA.

For example, I auditioned for a theatre company that I really wanted to be a part of. I practiced so hard and spent many hours studying and rehearsing for my audition. When I got into the room, I brought my positive energy as well as my well-rehearsed audition pieces to the table. I felt really good coming out of it. Many days passed without any callback and when I saw the cast announcement over social media, I felt defeated. However, it didn’t take me long to find my “oh well, on to the next one” mentality and really find an appreciation for what I brought into that room. Fast forward to a week later, I received an email from said theatre company with an invitation to audition for an undisclosed, outside project. “We think you’d be good for this,” is what they said. I go in with a song, a short dance routine and no knowledge of the project. I make it through three callbacks to finally learn that I have booked a live performance with the cast of The Greatest Showman at the 90th Annual Oscars! Talk about one door closing and another one opening!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a multidisciplinary, creative visionary. I am also a teaching artist, a fiancee, a bowler, a son, a friend, a brother, a father. I think what sets me apart from others is I stand on love. Everything I touch, whether it be a stage, a show, a song, a home-cooked meal, will be presented to you with genuine, unfiltered, unapologetic love.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisboogy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisboogy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisboogy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisBoogyMarcos