Meet Josiah Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josiah Collins.

Hi Josiah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH and my family moved out here to LA in 2016. While they transitioned here I was focused on college. In between semesters I would work on sets as an extra and it sparked a passion for acting/modeling that I never really knew existed. I attended Miami (OH) University and in 2020 I graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and a B.S. in Sports Leadership and Management. My last semester of college took place at the emergence of Covid so I had to move off campus and back home to LA. When I moved back at first it was a bit of a waiting game when looking for work since many places weren’t hiring. Eventually my resume landed on the desk of Terry Edwards at Total Traffic and Weather Network for iHeart Radio and he gave me a chance. I began working there in April 2021 as an in-studio anchor. Then at the end of the year a connection with Charlie Yook I kept from college thanks to my advisor reached out and helped me land an interview with NFL Network. I began work at NFL in December 2021 as a Production Assistant. I continue to work both of these jobs to this day as well as acting/modeling and writing.

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?
This certainly hasn’t been a smooth road. Obviously with Covid disrupting many of my post-college plans I had to adapt to the times we were in. Luckily I had my dad Rodney Damon Collins help me along the way to get my footing with acting. He introduced me to his manager Michelle Brown who took the chance on me and signed me to her management company. For work with iHeart Radio I had to wait for that opportunity to come almost a full year after graduating college, and for NFL finally starting work in December 2021 was the end of a 2 year waiting period of trying to get my foot in the door due to the hiring freeze. Not to mention starting acting and modeling with little to no experience auditions were hard to come by and it was a scramble to get footage out to agencies. Many modeling agencies operated the same as office jobs and they were offering little to no space on their roster so I have submitted to agencies numerous times, and still have yet to be signed with any modeling agency, and now even though I have more work for acting to show to casting offices and more auditions have been coming in this is a business where you hear a lot more yes than no, but a fellow actor recently reminded me it’s ok to be frustrated but never get discouraged and that is something I’ve been holding on to.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Acting, modeling, and writing are all things that have really come to me as an adult. Growing up in Ohio these fields aren’t really seen as true options for a career, but after my family moved out here it opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Acting was something that I have always loved and now being in a city where the opportunities to participate in it are vast I finally can dive in fully and immerse myself in it. Modeling came to me after my mom actually told me to start. I couldn’t be more happy that she did because it has become my favorite creative outlet. So much can be conveyed with just a picture, and the confidence it gives me is truly unmatched. My writing has taken off over the last year I’ve written multiple scripts over that span all with ideas that have been in my head for years. My imagination has been freed and it’s also opened things up for me to get new ideas for other areas of my creative work. All of my passions bleed together and they feed off of each other and it motivates me when I’m low. If I’m struggling in one area then one of the others can pick me up.

What’s next?
I plan on being a full-time writer actor and model in the future. I own a production company with my dad called JRCLegacy Productions and I want to produce films that I’ve written and create opportunities for myself and others. I want to continue to grow myself and become the best creative I can be. My jobs at NFL and iHeart have also afforded me different avenues that I see for myself. I’m open to where life is taking me and I’m going to focus on enjoying the journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_josiahcollins_/

Image Credits
@maegan_alys_photography for model photos (horse/red light/shirtless)