Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Carganilla
Hi Paul, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was raised in an arts-centric household. My parents made sure my brother and I were exposed to music and theater from a very young age. They encouraged us to celebrate creativity at every opportunity… to follow our hearts’ fire and never ignore it.
Growing up, I loved exploring creative opportunities. Throughout high school, I stayed heavily involved in band, theater, and music. When I reached college, my love of theater and acting really bloomed and filled my heart. Something about the theater community – being around passionate creators who were coming together to collaborate and make something big: together… I found that very exciting and rewarding. I set my sights on finding a path in which I would find myself in that sort of collaborative creative environment for the rest of my life. Like most bright-eyed, bushy-tailed actors, my dream was to eventually be a Hollywood success, and find myself on stage at the Academy Awards some day. I got an agent and started to audition for commercials, film, and television.
My first professional acting job was as an ‘AGVA’ (union) performer in the Disneyland Parks. For over a decade, I worked full-time as an actor, improvisor, comedian, and event host there in Anaheim. I loved the energy and variety of the roles I got to play: Aladdin’s storyteller/genie, a Pirate of the Caribbean, the Sheriff of Frontierland, a Green Army Man Drill Sergeant (just to name a handful). Of course, it wasn’t the Hollywood career I ultimately wanted to work toward, but I was paying the bills as a full-time actor with a steady gig (not a high percentage of actors can say that). I had countless unique and incredible experiences working for ‘The Mouse’, and made some of my best lifelong friends at Disney, and I will always be grateful for my time there.
During those Disney years, in my free time, I was expanding my knowledge and skills as an independent creator.. I was creating podcasts, learning all about screenwriting, learning how to use a camera, how to edit, etc…
Fortunately, around that same time, YouTube and social media developed and evolved into platforms that could offer independent creators an opportunity to produce and distribute their own projects. While ‘waiting for my Hollywood career to start’, I harnessed these new tools to launch into many of my own original projects. It started with several web series and music videos. Then, crowdfunding platforms hit the scene, and I had the opportunity to write/direct/produce/and edit my own short films (“Sparked”, “The Flame”), a full-length documentary (“The Live to Dream Project”), and eventually, a feature film (“The Haunted Man”).
Along the way, my wife and I started our family. Our daughter, Everly arrived in 2014, and in 2018, her brother Noah made our little family complete. I made an unexpected career pivot and found a new full-time job as the spokesperson and content creator for a local government agency. All the while, I was hosting a live variety show called “Paulie’s Picnic” with my family and friends. We would gather in various spaces (dance studios, breweries, back yards, etc…) for fun and festive nights filled with live music, stand-up, and improv comedy. Audience members would bring their own lawn chairs, snacks, and beverages, and settle in for an unpredictable and wildly entertaining show. These performances offered a perfect outlet to keep my live-performance fire lit… and really supportive creative community formed around “Paulie’s Picnics”.
Enter: COVID.
In 2020, we suddenly had no performance opportunities. No gathering. All my friends who had made their living on stage had nowhere to perform. By God’s grace, I have some really technically-savvy friends, and we found a way to continue Paulie’s Picnic – LIVE on YouTube via a broadcasted Zoom ‘meeting’. Every Saturday night, we had a place to go. Every Saturday night, friends would ‘gather’ virtually for live improv comedy and amazing musical performances safely from home. Our now-virtual creative community then grew and evolved, and our one weekly show begat ‘spin-off’ productions. By 2021, we had a different live show on our ‘Vaudacity’ YouTube network every night of the week.
Obviously, the pandemic faded, and performers thankfully went back to work. Today, there are still a few regularly-scheduled weekly livestreams on the network, and we still occasionally gather for online variety shows around Halloween & Christmas. While the livestreams aren’t nearly as frequent, I left the whole virtual-entertainment era with new technical production skills, and today, I host numerous audio podcasts.
But, what about making movies and being on set?
One day, when my (extremely intelligent) daughter Everly was five years old, she asked my wife and I if she could “be in TV”. We were able to connect her with talent reps, and she started booking work immediately. Today, she’s ten years old, and she has already had the opportunity to work directly with many of Hollywood’s heavy-hitters, including actors and directors that inspired me when I was starting out. My son Noah wants to follow in her footsteps, and has appeared in several memorable national commercial spots. These kids find abundant joy being on set. They genuinely love acting and being on camera. My wife and I feel truly blessed to watch and support their very-young careers… as their acting coaches, cheerleaders, and of course, parents.
Reflecting on my creative journey, it looks nothing-like the ‘path to creative success’ I envisioned back in college. It has been a twisty, windy, road filled with forks, ramps, and tumbles. Consequently, it is so much more rich and robust than I ever could have imagined. In every new step, every new project, and every new chapter, I have gained new tools, new skills, and new perspective. In the beginning, I dreamt of being an Oscar-winning actor. Today, I am a podcast host, producer, director, editor, screenwriter, graphic designer, photographer, actor, acting coach, and best of all… dad. Have I been to the Academy Awards, yet? No. But I now know the measure of true “success”. My journey has forged me into a well-rounded and experienced creator with the drive and capability to tackle any new project my heart’s fire leads me to. Most importantly, over the years, my creative tribe has assembled, and I am surrounded by an amazing family and collaborative community that I know I can count on for support and inspiration at every turn. That is more valuable than any Oscar statue.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every road has struggles, obstacles, and challenges… especially for people who want to earn money being creative. For actors, dealing with rejection… or, not even being “rejected”, but just not being cast in a role… project after project, can be demoralizing. Creative people continue their work and their journey because they are extremely passionate about their work. When that work isn’t wanted, or isn’t ‘good enough’, it can be easy to experience feelings of frustration, heartbreak, and low levels of self-worth.
You have to stay focused on the work, as opposed to results. The old cliché about the journey being more valuable than the destination is an important reality throughout the lives of creatives. You have to have tough skin and strong resolve to live a life in which you follow your heart’s fire each day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As mentioned in my story, To pay the bills, I’m producing multimedia content for a local government agency.
CREATIVELY:
I am currently hosting three podcasts…
1 – [ My current NUMBER ONE (priority-wise), if you are looking for something specific that I would like to be highlighted in this article? is…. ]
“Titanic: Legacy” – a podcast that explores the lasting impact of Titanic through conversations with creators and historians who continue to be inspired by Titanic today.
2-
“Magical Mystery Hour” – a podcast in which my co-host Amanda Benjamin talk about mysterious topics such as hauntings, cryptids, true crime, time slips, and more… and we mix in a little live music, as well.
3 –
“COVEpod: The Carganilla Online Variety Entertainment Podcast” – a podcast that aims to both entertain and inspire through a variety of entertainment offerings, including: storytelling, interviews, music, poetry, and more.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Since my wife and I both worked at Disney, most people who know us think that we met there.
We met in junior college many years before we worked at Disney together.
In fact, for the first 18 months of our dating relationship, we lived on opposite sides of the county. She was attending NYU and I was living in Long Beach, CA.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulcarganilla.com
- Instagram: @paulcarganilla
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulcarganilla
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-carganilla-92471025/
- Twitter: @paulcarganilla
- Youtube: @COVEpodcast
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@TitanicLegacyPodcast
