Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Ward
Hi Jeremy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey there! My name is Jeremy Ward, and I am a professional performing artist residing here in Hollywood. I come from a musical theatre background mostly- having trained for it in college- so my expertises lie in singing, dancing, and acting. From an early age, I always had a natural ability for dance, which flourished especially as I attended college and was finally able to take classes and train, so since I’ve become a professional performer, the bulk of my jobs have centered around my dance ability. Because of my dance ability, I began to find myself really attracted to the commercial dance world in addition to musical theatre.
Once I graduated college, after a brief stint working for a foreign cruise company, I found myself finally in New York City. It was here that I really began to find myself and grind myself into the person I am today. For the 8 years that I lived in NYC, I had some mild success in theatre, working some regional theatre jobs and making my Off-Broadway debut, but I really found a passion and calling in the dance space. My dance fortune all began as a gogo dancer.
Through gogo dancing, I caught the eye of my now-best friend, Julius Anthony Rubio, who is a Broadway veteran, acclaimed film actor, and extremely respected dance artist across the country. He brought me into his world of commercial dance that was birthed out of nightlife, but quickly grew into performing at major national & international festivals, for major corporations, in music videos, and for major recording artists like Loren Allred, Aluna, and Kesha, to name a few. Despite rising to such a reputable level of work, his pillars he always made sure we were abiding by were professionalism, gratitude, and family. He instilled in me a trust in and respect for myself when no one else seemed to be recognizing my talents and drive, and is always who I can turn to- as well as my other bestie AJ Blankenship- when I’m needing a kind, yet firm reminder.
After 8-ish long, glorious years in NYC, I was beginning to feel a bit too comfortable. The pandemic, through which I stayed in the city, seemingly zapped years from everyone’s lives in the blink of an eye, and by the return to “normalcy” I had created a lifestyle that was working really well for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t build much room into that lifestyle for my career in the sense of actively pursuing performing. I wasn’t taking any classes, I was barely auditioning, and I wasn’t fostering a positive mental-space whenever I would think about where I was, or rather wasn’t, in my career thus far. The hardest part about being self-aware of my shortcomings was even though I would make varied veiled attempts to jolt some drive back into my career, nothing was lasting. My comfortable lifestyle was winning every battle I put it through, so I decided the only thing that could truly force me to wake up was to shake up everything. By shake up everything, I mean jerk the rug out from under myself, leave my cushy NYC life behind, and move across the country to sunny Los Angeles. So that’s what I did.
Around the time of this realization, I came across an audition notice for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical on board the newest Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, the Prima. Having worked on cruise ships before, nearly a decade prior, I knew that a cruise gig would be the perfect/only way I could bank the money I needed to comfortably fund a sudden cross-country move. The plan was this: Audition for the gig; Book the gig; Finish the gig; Move to LA straight from the gig. Once I booked the gig, it was like, “Ok, I guess we’re really doing this,” and knowing that this was all in service to myself and the pursuit of my dreams allowed me to staunchly proceed. By January 3rd, 2023, I was completely moved out of my apartment I’d lived in the entire time I was in NYC, and heading out on the first leg of this newest chapter of my life. The emotions that final week were too intense to describe as I was leaving my home, my life, and hardest of all my chosen family. I was absolutely terrified, but honestly, that’s exactly what I needed.
I never grow more as a person than when I’m forced to survive- the fear of survival is the strongest motivator of human nature- and I am a survivor. I made my way in NYC from the bottom up, and I plan to do the very same here in LA. The difference in that Jeremy and me now though is that Jeremy was a naive, unpolished boy who needed to be slowly, roughly buffed into the self-aware, grounded man I am today. I started this new chapter with a completely different perspective and vastly more knowledge than I had at the start of the last, and while there will still be hiccups and hard times, I can power through them more assuredly as my true self because I believe trusting your true self will never lead you astray.
So here I am, one year into my new LA life, and still feeling like it was the right decision. I’ve been in acting and dance classes and am making great connections from those, I have a Commercial agent (and am actively seeking a Theatrical agent *cough cough*), I’ve shot music videos and TV shows, and I’m auditioning as much as possible. Am I comfortable yet? Not even close. Am I still scared? You better believe it. But am I proud of myself? Without question. I’m going to keep surviving and striving to achieve my wildest dreams because that’s all I’ve ever known to do.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been parts that have been smooth, but there have also been plenty of obstacles along the way.
-There have been periods of unemployment when my financial situation seemed to become more dire by the day. In my early years in NYC, I did things for a paycheck that I likely wouldn’t do today.
-I’ve experienced so many of the lows of performing, including booking big jobs that never came to fruition, losing out on jobs I was sure I’d book, completely bombing auditions, having to work mindless jobs for little to no pay, and dealing with the mental hell of feeling adequate and good enough.
-I lived through the pandemic in NYC, which as we all know, was a new level of mental and emotional stress I’d not dealt with before. People I knew, had worked with, and even one guy I had been in love with died before there was any hope to save them.
-I’m even struggling now, full transparency. I’ve been looking for part-time employment as a bartender for a few months now, and being in this unemployed situation has become quite stressful. Most performers on Earth know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, and many of us rely on part-time employment because we aren’t booking enough work as a performer to string together a livable wage. Because I’m still in the early-stages of building my reputation here in LA, it’d be a miracle if I was already booking the big-money jobs or just enough work in general to live on, so bartending is what I need to supplement all that.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a professionally trained singer, dancer, and actor. My specialties lie in musical theatre and commercial dance, and since I’m now in LA, I’ve transitioned my musical theatre focus to TV/Film.
In my time in NYC, I became most known as one of the cities most recognized and acclaimed gogo dancers in queer nightlife. I was nominated twice for Gogo Dancer of the Year at the NYC queer nightlife awards- the GLAM Awards. I also became synonymous with performing at most major queer dance festivals in the city; my chosen family and I were the official dance company hired to create massive, memorable experiences as a form of entertainment at these events. We called ourselves The Upgrades because if we were being hired to perform, we were undoubtedly upgrading the experience of the event.
I’m most proud of my tenacity and perseverance as opposed to a singular accolade. I’ve performed Off-Broadway and I’ve danced with Kesha, but the most impressive thing to me about a performer is not what job they’ve worked with the most “wow-factor,” but how dedicated they’ve been to their career and it’s longevity. Everyone has low points in their pursuit of their Art, trust me, but not everyone can find their way out of the darkness. THAT is f*cking hard to do and WAY more impressive than any one job.
What sets me apart from other performers who do what I do or similar is the fact that I came up through nightlife. There is such a unique perspective and set of tools you develop when you’re performing in and amongst everyday people while simultaneously doing the kind of performing that is “above” them, meaning up on a big stage or through a screen; Performing that is in many ways much less intimate than the performing that happens in a club or bar, at a party, underground, etc. I have a humanity to my performing you can only develop from my unique professional upbringing.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My personal definition is quite simple. For me to feel successful, I would like to comfortably provide for myself and the lifestyle I desire solely from being an artist. No bartending, no part-timing, no non-artistic work.
Success is completely providing for yourself doing solely what you love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeremytward.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremytward
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jeremyward3149
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@newgayinla
Image Credits
Pic 1- Chris Fore
Pic 2- Myself
Pic 3- WE Party
Pic 4- Utopia Festival
Pic 5- Jeff Eason
Pic 6- The Players Theatre
Pic 7- PEG
Pic 8- Planet Pride
