Meet Derek Andrew Ramsay of Shift Studios in North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Andrew Ramsay.

Derek, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As any young kid would feel, I had trouble with understanding who I was. I was a very awkward, unconfident, overweight kid, and I’d always be nervous to talk to anyone I didn’t know. This introversion went on until I was 16 years old but later that year was the first time I performed on stage in front of an audience, and it changed my life forever. I sang ‘Lovebug’ by the Jonas Brothers for a talent show in high school in the Philippines, and it was the most nerve-racking but also eye-opening experience I have ever had.

Because, I discovered one of my passions that made me comfortable, carefree, and courageous. So, I continued singing Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, The Who, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and so on and so forth. My father would drop me off to school everyday, he’d always play the classics on the radio, and he’d be the culprit as to why I love the era of the great legends. As I continued singing, I soon discovered dancing. I grew up in a small town called Tagaytay which was an hour away from Manila, and everybody knew everybody.

That’s where I met a good friend of mine who introduced me to the streets of hip-hop dance culture. He taught me the basics from waving, footwork, krumping, breaking, and free-styling. Every night he’d sneak me out of my house, and we’d go to underground clubs where we’d battle other dancers on the spot without any previous rehearsals, hence, the art of freestyling. It was like a dance version of ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway’ with a betting system, but the winner takes the pot of gold. Throughout my 8th grade to sophomore year of high school, I’d attend school, serenade girls with my singing and at night I’d dance the night away. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Now, the year of 2011-2012 were the years of my junior and senior year. The decision of knowing what to take for university scared the life out of me because my family, especially my parents are very business minded and dancing or singing didn’t correlate with that strict mindset. They loved that I had the passion to perform, but they didn’t see me having a sustainable career out of it. In those two years, my parents made me undergo an education system in my high school called International Baccalaureate (I.B.)

It was a two-year course which included classes that would prepare a student for the real world, and if done successfully, I’d have an advantage of entering any university in the world. In order to complete the I.B. course, you had to take two principal classes which were more advanced, and the other courses were minor, but you had to pass all of them. The principal classes I took were English Literature and Theatre Arts, and I chose the classes without prior discussion with my parents. They were very mad, “Theatre Arts?! Where will that take you? How will this pay your bills?”

The Theatre Arts curriculum was mainly the education, performing, and theory of Theatre Acting, I had no interest in acting nor did I have any experience in it. I took the course because the teacher who taught the class promised me I’d still use my singing and dancing aspect into the course, and at that time, I didn’t want to let go of my performing because it completed me.

During these two years, our mentor taught me all sorts of theatre genres and forms from all of over the world such as Kabuki from Japan, Kathakali from India, Shakespeare, Greek Theatre, creative writing, and we’d perform every week to the school. I fell in love with another art form, and I knew exactly what I wanted to study for university, acting. Being the youngest child of 4 siblings can be tough, especially when you have an older brother who happens to be a famous actor and who has the exact same name. I don’t want to bank on his popularity; I want to earn my recognition on my own.

A month before my high school graduation, I got university acceptances from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) and Cambridge School of the Arts both in England. I chose LIPA. Migrating to Liverpool was a cultural shock for me because it was the first time I’d be living independently, and the locals had such thick accents, it was as if they were spoke a foreign language. But as time moved on, I eventually got accustomed by the Liverpudlian way of life. I mainly studied Musical Theatre, Shakespeare, Stanislavski, Dance Theory, Contemporary Theatre and it was the most intense and hands-on course I’ve ever taken.

After completing this 2-year course, I wanted to study more. So, I moved to Los Angeles and studied Acting for Film in the New York Film Academy (NYFA). I studied Acting For Film and also the disciplines behind the camera such as screenwriting, production design, assistant directing, directing, editing and even filmmaking. It’s been eight months since I’ve been living the life of an established actor in Los Angeles and it’s FREAKING TOUGH! HAHA. But it’s the journey that you have to embrace and also enjoy because if you don’t then, you’ll drown in the water and be eaten by the sharks.

I’m very thankful with what I have accomplished so far in my career. I have performed in a production of Macbeth, playing the role of Malcolm, produced by the Shakespeare Centre of Los Angeles with Ben Donenberg and direction by Kenn Sabberton. I’m greatly honoured to have been a part of this because it was my first ever professional gig where I was paid weekly to perform Shakespeare with the most talented and passionate artists in the industry. The show ran from August to September 2018, and when the show ended, it was really hard to let it go because every time I end any show whether it may be in film or theatre, I feel like I lost a part of me.

I’m currently working on short films such as Zandr direction by Kennedy Green which is a post-apocalyptic themed concept where Mad Max meets The Book of Eli, Halo-Halo direction by Ivan Bernal which focuses on an American male who visits his Filipino girlfriend’s family for the first time and learns her traditional yet unorthodox culture. I’m also writing a web series called “You and Me Both” that is under development with Matthew Godbey, President of CineFocus Productions.

As any working actor in Los Angeles, I continue to submit myself on LA Casting, and Actors Access along with the help of my awesome manager, Oliver Carnay and to continue moving forward.

Great, 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?
It will never ever be a smooth road. Whatever profession you’re in, you will encounter obstacles. Without obstacles, then everybody would be successful. It takes determination, focus, and patience to get where you want to be.

When I was working for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, I felt like I was a completed actor because I was only three months out of college and I booked this. I was being paid, but when the show ended, I experienced a dry run with commercial, pilot opportunities and especially a financial drought.

But that’s just how life works, you get knocked down, but you just have to find that motivation to get yourself right back up, just keep moving forward and not let anything get in your way from achieving your dreams.

Shift Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am an actor/singer/dancer/writer. From the four disciplines, I’d have to say my specialty would be acting and singing. Whenever I sing, act or even both, I’m in my own world. I love getting lost in such a surreal and sometimes nostalgic state because I can express my emotions in an imaginative and personal way. I’m very proud I can live everyday as an opportunity to share my abilities with others whoever you may be.

What sets me apart from others is that I am the most hardworking person you’ll ever meet. This may be the most cliche phrase everybody says, but I don’t believe in “taking a break,” I work as hard as I can until I know I’ve reached a point of accomplishment no matter what I do. You’ve got to give it your all or nothing at all. Back home in the Philippines, my best friend and I, Warren Allen Carman have put up a production company called Shift Studio’s along with our head writer, Blasgil Tanquilut.

Our first ever film we produced was my thesis film called “Pangako” (Promise), which focuses on Andrew, a 23-year-old boxer who recently finds out he’s adopted, prepares for his upcoming fight while struggling with the fact his biological mother is in a coma fighting for her life. Right now, Shift has been doing various commercial work for Uratex, Cloudfone, Guess, HMR, Artdrive, and currently in the works on a feature film that Blasgil Tanquilut wrote.

We’re in talks with a big production company in Manila, Philippines to produce the film. Shift separates us from everyone else because we’re not just a company, we are a family of talented artists who believe in sharing honest and organic storytelling across the globe.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of my proudest moments would have to be booking the role of Malcolm in the production of Macbeth with the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA). I’ve actually mentioned them a lot already.

Just being in the presence of Ben Donenberg (Founder & Artistic Director of SCLA) who has been affiliated with Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Will Smith, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Paul Mccartney, and the list goes on. Also, being directed by Kenn Sabberton who has worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company and has collaborated with Kenneth Branagh, Michael Maloney, Sir Peter Hall. I’m very proud to have worked and be guided by these professionals, and hopefully, I get to collaborate with them in the near future.

The second moment is when I created my first ever film, Pangako (Promise) with my best friend, Warren Allen Carman. The story of the film came from a personal aspect of my life and do it with my best friend was a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. The film has been accepted to Los Angeles International Film Festival, Asian World Film Festival, 9 Film Festival, and still going around the Film Festival circuit.

My third and final proudest moment would have to be working on the set of “Can’t Take My Eye’s Off You” directed by Gabrielle Fabbro. It’s a music video based on the song called ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by the Four Seasons. The story revolves around two young lovers, how they meet, fall in love but part ways because of another girl.

Eventually, the male protagonist comes to his senses and returns to the woman he truly loves. Gabrielle Fabbro is the most hardworking and talented filmmaker I know, and I can’t wait to collaborate with him again. This project has given me a great platform and visibility in Hollywood as it has been screened and was able to compete in different film festivals as well.

Contact Info:

• Email: oliver@iatalent.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/da.ramsay
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derek.a.ramsay.9

Image Credit:
Marc Victor

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