Today we’d like to introduce you to Hans Hernke.
Hi Hans, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey in the film industry all started out in 2002 in Winter Park, Florida selling movie tickets at a small movie theater chain, Carmike Cinemas. After a while I thought to myself, I don’t want to sell tickets to movies, I want to make movies. So I packed up my bags and moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to study at The New York Film Academy.
Shortly after that, I started gaining more experience being on set as a background artist and stand-in, auditioning for student films and independent films. I decided I not only wanted to be an actor, I wanted to be a producer as well. So I branched myself out into producing and getting my roles that way by helping others create their film projects. That’s a little secret of how I get a lot of my roles and how I stay connected with these people as I keep working with them and producing their projects. I do enjoy standing in on TV shows and movies because it’s a nice balance to have a regular gig and then have some time off to focus on other film projects that you want to do
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As much as I would like to think it was a smooth road, it absolutely was not. In a perfect world, we would all love it to be a smooth road to get to where we are today. In this industry, there is a lot of rejection being casted based on your looks, skill level, your social media following and influence, and things like that. You learn to deal with it though as it comes and just know that there are more doors will come and open for you soon. I also struggled with a lot of depression when I moved out here, the place I was living in Burbank was not good for me, my only saving grace was the rent was very cheap and I was in a prime location near all the studios, but other than that I was not happy where I was living and I had a very, very odd roommate who made the living situation difficult and stressful. Once I met my future wife, I moved out into a better place, and my life started to change. Things got a lot better and I felt like I was pulled out of a dark hole that I was in. That was probably the most difficult time being out here the first eight years. While I’m making film projects, I come across a lot of challenges and different personalities that are thrown at you at the last minute, I learned from those challenges to be better on the next one. I wish I could say it was a smooth road but I am blessed and fortunate enough to have it pretty well out here. The struggle is real, but take it one day at a time and surround yourself with friends and co-workers that are going to uplift you, and support your work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, I wear many hats in this business. I am an Actor, Producer, Stand-In, Background Artist, Catering Staff, Production Assistant, etc. I enjoy producing independent feature films and having a chance to play a supporting or lead role in them where they see fit. I’ve been blessed to be a part of many film projects that filmed in the United Kingdom and over here in the States. I mainly do a lot of stand-In, background artist, catering staff work as a steady income while I’m focused on producing other film projects throughout the year. It’s a nice balance between the gigs. The best show I have ever been a stand-in by far was TNT’s “Animal Kingdom” for 6 Seasons standing-in for the lead actor, Finn Cole.
Some of the films I’m very proud of to this day that I played a role in and help produce is, “Todd”, “Another Plan From Outer Space”, “The Haunted Studio”, “Nest of Vampires”, “Red Army Hooligans”, the “Haunted” film series, “Amber Road”, “Wolf Hollow”, and many more. A lot of these roles I’ve recently played have been dreams come true like playing a knight named Elijah in the upcoming medieval film called “Devil’s Knight” that filmed in a castle in Texas, then playing the role of Mayor Haversham in a western film called “Night of the Tommyknockers”, I’ve always wanted to do a medieval flick and a western film. If you set your eyes on the roles that you want to play and keep envisioning yourself that you’re going to play them one day, it eventually will happen at the right time. A lot of the projects I have done are now available on streaming VOD platforms and on DVD/Blu-Ray and that’s where you can find a lot of my work now. We’ve had some really cool theatrical releases in the past.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy staying busy in this film industry definitely makes me happy. Creative people constantly want to stay active and busy in their craft. Spending time with my wife and her family, going to Disneyland, and Universal Studios, going to Wisconsin to the Northwoods and staying at the Hernke cottage definitely makes me very happy. I like going to the Northwoods every year as a way of refreshing and recharging my soul and my spirit after a productive year, nothing beats sitting out on the pontoon boat, on the lake fishing and enjoying the great outdoors for a week. I also like to take trips with my wife and random adventures we go on for fun or a small getaway. I also like to see other people’s dreams and manifestations come true. Also to note the Holidays make me very happy, especially Christmas time, I love spreading the magic of Christmas to everyone around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/site/hanshernke/home/links
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hans_hernke/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActorProducerHansHernke
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HansHernke
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0379782/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credits
Cheryl Anderson Hans Hernke Black Coppice Films Greenway Entertainment Bad Amigo Pictures Mahal Empire Productions
