Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Forrest.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Andre. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I was born in Seoul, S. Korea to Andrew and Kyoung Hee Forrest. Moved to the U.S. at the age of four to E. Saint Louis, Illinois. Never had many friends and was picked on for being half Korean a lot so I started keeping to myself and finding different hobbies. I began collecting rocks and also started pretending to be an announcer which usually began with me standing on a bench in our back yard and yelling “Ladies and gentlemen!” Which is one of my parents fondest memories of my childhood?
I also spent a great deal of time at my grandmothers, and we would always watch lots of movies together which was the reason I originally gained a liking to film. During the winter break of 7th grade, me and my family moved to Canton, Ohio. I was very happy with this move as it gave me the opportunity to start fresh. I made many friends here, and this is where I found my true love for the arts. It was during my time at Jackson High School, in Massillon, Ohio that I first truly began pursuing acting.
During my junior year, me and a few friends began staying after school to shoot small short films with my buddies Sony Video camera that used old tapes to record on. I also began taking theater in high school as well. I graduated from high school in 2008. I began taking on several sales type jobs for the next couple of years before eventually finding my way into the US Army Where I began working as a Combat photographer/Photo Journalist.
Here I gained a huge amount of experience behind the camera documenting various training missions and other relevant events. I lived in Germany for a couple of years, and I also spent time in Croatia as well. I left the US Army in 2013 where I began school at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Here I studied photo-illustration. During my time at Kent State, I gained an interest in dance.
I created a dance team with the university and with my team, won a state-wide competition. I also worked for a couple of local magazines, one fashion and one general interest, as a photographer and photo editor. I moved to Los Angeles in 2015 in which I attended New York Film Academy located in Burbank, CA where I began studying acting.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My road has been challenging to say the least. Growing up without many friends or close relatives that were my age I had to find things to preoccupy my time and find ways to also not get caught up in the wrong things.
Working several sales jobs right out of high school, I had to make sure I didn’t just get stuck doing that and not pursuing what I was truly interested in. Also, the military life is a fairly simple life, but I had to keep focused on the fact that I was interested in film and so that’s what drove me to eventually end up in Los Angeles.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
When it comes to what I do I’d say its whatever makes me happy. I am currently an actor here in Los Angeles represented by the Daniel Hoff Agency and managed by Chris Giovani entertainment management.
I am a dancer, currently directing the New York Film Academy’s Dance Troupe. I am a photographer. I focus on fashion, but I also do headshots, product photography and also corporate photography. Also, my childhood hobby of collecting rocks has grown into fine mineral collecting/dealing as well.
I’m most proud of doing all the things that keep me happy and not sacrificing any of them. What sets me apart from others is the ability to focus on several interests at the same time and make things work out.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success is happiness. To me as long as you are doing the things that you love to do and you wake up everyday then I’d consider that pretty successful. Of course, there are certain goals I’d like to reach, for example, being cast in a major feature film one day, but that doesn’t dictate whether or not I feel successful personally, that’s more of professional success.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/andre_apd
- Facebook: Facebook.com/kyoungnomforrest
- Twitter: Twitter.com/theandreforrest
Image Credit:
Chevy Silverado, Ookay, Neha Kakkar, Mickey Singh
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