Daily Inspiration: Meet Dennis Sosa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dennis Sosa.

Hi Dennis, 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?
Acting was never really at the top of my list as a career path. I found myself in front of a camera back in 2016. A friend of mine asked me to be in a comedy short she produced/wrote and I agreed to do it. I had always worked behind the camera up to that point in the production department so being in front of the camera was never something I thought I would end up doing. It turned out to be a lot of fun and I was encouraged by the other actors on set to pursue this because I came off natural and comfortable in front of the camera. So I took a leap of faith and jumped into the most difficult career any person could choose to pursue. It’s been a journey of patience, persistence, and good fortune. I have had small victories here and there that keep me going. Fortunately, I have a great commercial agent in Lily Willert who continues to believe in me and encourages me to keep pushing forward. I am still working on acquiring a theatrical agent but I’m not quite ready yet. Life happened and I had to take a brief hiatus from the acting. I am jumping back into acting classes and I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Pursuing an acting career is by no means a smooth journey. Having grown up in this city and in the industry, I was afforded a slight advantage in terms of what to expect from the entertainment world as an actor. My sister was a personal assistant for a director and from a young age, I was on sets seeing the glitz and glamour firsthand as well as the many obstacles that accompanied the aforementioned. I also got to see how casting operated and how dismissive that aspect could be. I quickly learned you have to have a lot of patience, amongst other traits, to pursue an acting career. You encounter so many struggles along the way. You have your great days in class and leave feeling like a million bucks. You carry that energy and confidence into your next audition, only to feel dejected when you don’t do as great of a job as you wanted to. The constant rejection is demoralizing along the way so you have to develop a thick skin. I have auditioned for so many roles where I thought I had killed it and felt great about it. For a long time, I would walk out of my auditions fully expecting a call back only to never get one. It took me a long time to learn to leave it all behind in that room. There was always a common piece of knowledge handed out in every class I have taken in this city and that is that once you leave that room just forget about it. Expectations breed disappointment and disappointment is very abundant in this industry. Manage your expectations and check your ego at the door. It’s truly a cutthroat industry.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My career path prior to acting was completely different. I worked as a graphic designer for nearly 8 years. I eventually hit a point where it was an unfulfilling career for me. Prior to that, I was working as a PA on music videos and reality shows which was really interesting but also taxing due to the long days and quick turnaround times. My very first production job was on a Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule music video. I was 18 and thrilled about it. The first day was a VERY long day. We wrapped at 3am and call time the next day was 5am. The following day was a 16-hour day as well. Needless to say, I got burned out quickly. I bounced around in different departments. I worked as a production assistant, camera operator, assistant camera op, and DIT. I have also worked for Apple, Trader Joes, and continue to freelance as a photographer. I am now fortunate enough to have a full-time job as a post-production coordinator at NBC Universal. It’s a great job that allows me some flexibility if an audition comes up for me. If there is anything I am proud of is that I am still standing and pursuing this career. I have crossed paths with people who have come to this city with expectations of being an overnight success only to get hit with a harsh dose of reality and throwing the towel in all to soon. You do have those very rare few occasions where you hear of overnight successes but those are few and far between.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking a risk is absolutely terrifying! Pursuing this career was a major risk for me. I spent so much time passing up on jobs because I was afraid I would miss an audition that could possibly be my big break. I eventually hit a point where I decided that I needed to just say yes to any job that came my way, no matter what that meant for my acting career. That in turn was also a risk but I had to take it. You have to be able to put a roof over your head and food on your table. Stressing over your next paycheck is detrimental to your mental and physical health. In addition to that, that stress carries over into any audition you may have come your way. Your desperation to book that role permeates profoundly and those casting directors pick up on that. It affects your performance negatively and you do not want that. I’ll never forget receiving an audition for State Farm and at the time I was working on a reality show as a camera AC. We were shooting an hour and half outside of LA and my job was critical so I couldn’t really step away. I had to reject the audition and that really was a hard pill to swallow. What made it even harder was I heard back and they were willing to accommodate me and see me the next day instead. I still had to reject the audition because I couldn’t step away from this job. I could have been the next Jake from State Farm but I will never know. Took me a minute to let go of that. I was frustrated with myself and resented that job. But in the end you learn that everything falls into place as it should. Be patient! Whether it be in matters of work, the heart, or just life in general…….do it. Yes, you might encounter pain and suffering but you could also encounter success and joy! No risk, no reward! Take the risk! Take that leap of faith!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dendensosa
• Other: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/fce75122-9157-11ea-9bfa-0291f623b406

Image Credits
3 Headshots: Joanna Degeneres Set stills for the flannel tee shirt photos: Lizze Gordon Other set shots; Screenrgabs