Meet Marco Martinez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marco Martinez.

Marco, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started acting as a child. I was discovered performing at a Cuban festival in New York by the producer of the bilingual PBS kids show “Villa Alegre” who convinced my parents to move to LA. I continued studying as a child with coaches such as Uta Hagen and as a teen I was involved with the Ebony Showcase Theater in Los Angeles and performed in various musicals and plays, including August Wilson’s, “Jitney” and Lorraine Hansberry’s, “A Raisin in the Sun” as Travis Younger.

While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany, I joined the Roadside Theater in Heidelberg, Germany and performed in various productions. Upon my honorable discharge from the Army, I enrolled in an intensive acting course at the Rose Bruford College of Performing Arts. Afterwards, I returned stateside and continued studying with various well-known acting coaches and studios in NYC and Los Angeles, while continuing to work in the theater.

While pursuing my graduate studies at the University of Southern California (USC), I was cast as the lead in various student films at the acclaimed USC School of Cinematic Arts, and later earned my Masters in Public Administration & Policy in 2000. Since 2005, I have appeared in over 30 popular television shows including: The West Wing, House, Bosch, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Bold and the Beautiful.

In 2011, I was hired by Academy Award-winning actor, Forest Whitaker, to serve as Mr. Whitaker’s personal dialect coach on the feature film Catch .44. I’ve also performed in sketch shows at the Celebration Theater and starred opposite Billy Dee Williams as a younger, mysterious and daring Billy Dee in the hilarious FunnyorDie.com featured hit, “The Most Interesting BLACK Man in the World.

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not. But what artist has had a smooth road? There have been some rough patches to be expected in a career in the arts, but there has also been great moments, experiences and friendships that make it all worthwhile. Like most artists I have had moments where there have been rough patches with my representation, times with no representation, moments of self-doubt and stagnation, and years in which there just weren’t any roles available for my “type” or look. But I’ve been persistent and tried to learn from these experiences. This is not a career for the faint of heart. It will test you, challenge your faith, your character and you will hear no more than you hear yes, regardless of how successful you are. But if you look at every moment as a valuable lesson on your way to your goals, you’ll persevere. 

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an actor. I was on the first season of the Netflix show, “Gente-fied” and we’re looking forward to the new season. I also coach and support actors, including mentoring for those starting out in the business. I write and just completed a script that is loosely based on my family when we first arrived in Los Angeles. That is currently being shopped around. Additionally, I was an associate producer on the John Leguizamo and Tyrese Gibson movie, “The Take,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. I’m proud of a lot of the successes that I’ve had and the relationships that I’ve built in this business through the years. I have a really good team of representatives in Brittany Stone at the LoveStone Agency, my manager, Van Johnson at the Van Johnson Company, and my publicist, Noemi Martinez at Millennium Public Relations. We have some great things coming up that I’m not at liberty to discuss at the moment but I’m definitely blessed and looking forward to the opportunity to share them with people. 

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Most definitely. Perhaps the greatest, if not one of the greatest, in the world. If you are interested in the craft of acting, there are traditionally two places in the United States to live…Los Angeles and New York City. LA is known for film and television, and New York is known for theater (Broadway) and films. Chicago also has theater and a some television production, as does Atlanta and Louisiana. But if you want to be in the mecca for television and film, LA is the place. Much like Jay-Z says in his song about New York: “If you can make it here [LA], you can make it anywhere.”

Pricing:

• I charge $100/hr or $50 for 30 minutes of coaching (currently Zoom only)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2037888
• Email: mtnez69@gmail.com
• Instagram: MarcoMartinezActor
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcoMartinezActor

Image Credit:
David Muller Photography, Bradford Rogne Photography

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