Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Racho
Hi Andrew, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I remember when I was in high school, we had a TV productions class. I used to love watching the behind-the-scenes featurettes growing up and thought, “this could be cool.” I wasn’t really ambitious toward much else. Being an astronaut sounded cool, but I’m kind of a wimp and wasn’t great at science. So, I went to school at Syracuse University to study Television, Radio, and Film. This was back in the days before we all had everything accessible to us, so I’d spend long nights learning to edit on my own in the edit bays and rent out cameras. I wasn’t really driven then, or really good. But I was more just persistent to do the work. And I credit that time with allowing me to fail hard and make mistakes repeatedly, eventually hone my skills, and just develop.
Then when I first moved out to Los Angeles, I got my start working as a production assistant for a company producing a music video for the band Counting Crows. I was mostly cleaning up after the owner’s chickens and doing small errands while the team inside animated a rabbit version of Adam Duritz. And while I thought I made it ahead of my fellow Syracuse University graduates that year, I found myself unable to find my next gig for quite a while. Friends made it on big shows and I was rejected from working at CompUSA.
I was video game testing for a few months to pay the bills. I got laid off after our project was done and found myself jobless and quickly running out of money. I sent in a fax (yep, those days) with my resume to intern for some untitled stop motion project. I plopped on my bed, looked at the ceiling, and contemplated, “what now?” A minute later I got a call from that production to come in for an interview. That show became Robot Chicken and I was there for five seasons and with that company for the run of Moral Orel.
It was certainly cool and working for the stop motion community is so great. They’re so kind and talented and nice, But I found myself looking for a way for me to creatively sink my teeth into this world. So, I took a voice over class. I thought, “acting in games could be fun or something.” Again, lofty goals.
I had no ambitions of acting. I had taken acting classes in the past and I just basically learned to do the thing and get judged. It seemed exhausting. But this class taught me there is actually a way to creatively prepare for roles and bring my own voice and creativity to scripts. And at that point I was hooked.
I studied improv, Meisner, voice over. The place I first studied eventually hired me to engineer their classes, then eventually teach them. Listening to the directors in every class, I started getting an ear for how to direct efficiently until it became second nature for me.
That was put to good use as I ended up directing actors and my own sketches on a number of projects over the years, including for sketches for the animated show TripTank on Comedy Central.
And since then, my career has been a mix of balancing my income with acting, visual effects, directing, editing, graphic design, and making books.
Recently, I finished writing 18 books of the children’s book parody series This Is Not A Kid’s Book. I created multiple animated shorts, live action shorts, and multiple comedy books in my series Irrational Thoughts. I’m currently a working actor and director, which is awesome and terrifying. And it’s hot outside, so I’m sitting in an air conditioning and I’m grateful for that.
“Irrational Thoughts: Things I Think About While Avoiding Responsibility” is now available on Amazon.. I’m just saying. That it’s on Amazon. And you can buy it. Paperback. Hardcover. E-book. Something to do, just saying.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think I’m certainly fortunate that a lot of things worked out in my favor in life and I’m grateful for those. Good family. Good friends. Good health. A lot of luck. And even with all that, it’s never smooth and you never fully get what you want.
I’m an actor, and anyone who knows that life knows there’s not a direct path toward anything. Some actors get discovered in a mall and a decade later are the biggest actors in the world. Others do Hamlet between shifts at TGI Fridays. Some people get the chance to hone their skills on stage/film/camera, others are grinding self-funded shorts and classes constantly. It’s really a gamble how your story turns out. And that’s hard to sit with.
In the creative world, we’re either flooded with work or begging for work. It’s rarely consistent or objective, which makes life tough. These past few years have definitely been hard for the industry, too. It’s definitely left a lot of us, myself included, in an existential crisis of “what’s next?”
Before work-from-home was an option, balancing acting and work life was way more hectic.
I remember one day I had two voice over gigs across town from my day job, one in the morning and one just before rush hour. And I had to be at work that day. The whole time I was just hoping I wouldn’t get fired for missing an epic amount of work. The insecurity and pressure of those moments can be overwhelming. And then I didn’t book much for like a month afterward. It’s how it goes. And you have to come to terms with the inconsistency.
And that’s life. Scratching my Hollywood lottery ticket until I finally win, then doing the same all over again the next week. All of that can be draining emotionally, physically, financially. It’s exhausting. But also rewarding. I couldn’t really see myself doing much else.
With that too, you have to really learn to not live in comparison. I’ve met a few creatives early on who became household names and it’s work to learn to be happy for your own successes so you can be happy for theirs. I remember once chatting with another actor how we were both jealous of each other’s wins. And he brilliantly reminded me that we could sit here and covet what the other has but we’d drive ourselves crazy doing so.
And on top of that, there’s balancing your personal life. For an actor, you’re on call all the time like a doctor. But instead of emergency surgery, there’s a serious life or death rush for you to get that foot fungus audition in on time.
But it’s also incredibly rewarding when things happen. So, like most successful creatives will tell you, you can’t live in the misery of it all. You gotta be grateful for what you do get when it comes. It requires humility. I always have to remind myself that wherever I am in life, Celebrate my wins, love the process, and I’m never above cleaning toilets.
Also, you know what’s challenging? Finding a good read in the bathroom. That’s why I suggest reading “Irrational Thoughts: Things I Think About While Avoiding Responsibility” on Amazon.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actor, director, writer, and artist. I’m probably most known for working as an artist on Robot Chicken and Moral Orel back in the day or as the voice of Key Man: the world’s greatest key-based superhero.
I pretty much specialize in voice over. Acting. Directing. People usually hire me to voice their commercials, games, or cartoons. I’m usually known as a Ryan Reynolds type without those glorious abs. I can’t even tell you how many jobs I’ve gotten because someone wants a Deadpool type. At least one.
Professionally I’m probably most proud of the projects where I felt I got to share my voice and best talents. Those Final Fantasy games I was in. My books, “This Is Not A Kid’s Book,” “Irrational Thoughts,” and “The Paranormal Adventures of Mark And His Asshole Friend Doug Who Also Happens To Be A Ghost.” TripTank on Comedy Central. TripTank was one of those moments in my career where I felt what I was doing was lining up with what was making me money, what I was passionate about, and what the audiences genuinely enjoyed. I grew up on Comedy Central and then I got to write and perform for them? That was pretty sweet. More plz.
What usually sets me apart from others in my field is my ability to write and think like a comedian, my drive, my ability to take on leadership roles and work collaboratively, persistence, and my glorious triceps. I tend to follow through and make my own opportunities happen, which is cool. But then again, these triceps…
I also love gallows humor. And if you do too, currently you can find my books “This Is Not A Kid’s Book” and “Irrational Thoughts: Things I Think About While Avoiding Responsibility” on Amazon. Please buy a copy for yourself and then regift it to a friend and pretend you never read it.
Any big plans?
Right now, I’m prepping for three live shows for LA Comic Con in October. There’s “Let’s Watch Messed Up Cartoons,” “Let’s Watch The Internet Live,” and “Voice Actors Improvise An Untitled Super Hero Project Hush Hush Shhhhh.””
I’ve got my manga, “The Paranormal Adventures Of Mark And His Asshole Friend Doug Who Also Happens To Be A Ghost” in production. I’ll likely be writing a third Irrational Thoughts book and filming new sketches for that series as well. I’m directing on a new project.
Who knows if any of this will pan out into something bigger. But either way, I’m going to try and enjoy the ride while I can.
And you can find my book “Irrational Thoughts: Things I Think About While Avoiding Responsibility” on Amazon. If I sell a few more of those, my future plans will be pizza.
Pricing:
- Irrational Thoughts: Things I Think About While Avoiding Responsibility is now available on Amazon for $10. Please rate 5 stars if you like it lolololol.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.andrewracho.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewracho/
- Twitter: @andrewracho
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@conveniencestorediet
