Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Roth.
Ethan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in Indiana, I have always had a passion for entertainment (more specifically movies and music at the time) but never saw it as an attainable or realistic goal, and was ultimately terrified that I might be made fun of or simply told no if I seriously pursued it.
When I was 19, I came to a point in my life where a decision had to be made, either I continue college at the local college in Indiana, or drop out and pursue alternative routes on my own. I ultimately made the decision to drop out after attending one semester of college, and still, with very little direction, I decided to try to work my way up to a corporate ladder. I worked at places ranging from a lifeguard to Wendys to construction. At the end of all of these work experiences I didn’t leave any happier and still found myself in a place where I was lost and had no direction… little did I know that the answer was right in front of me all along.
After my days at work, I would come home and spend most of my time by myself watching films, music videos, listening to music, and generally expanding my knowledge of the art world as a whole, just as I had done as a child. Once again, the thought of pursuing it as a career option crossed my mind. There was one day in particular when I was working construction, and a 50 lb wood beam fell from the roof of the house we were working on, and barely missed my head. It was at this point that I really took a hard look at what I was doing, and decided to pursue art seriously as a career regardless of the potential consequences, specifically in the field of acting.
I already knew what I wanted to pursue, who I wanted to work with, and the route I wanted to take. It took a year of preparation and working more (less dangerous, more fulfilling) jobs to save up enough money and get an education on films, acting, and a general game plan together. After that year, I set off to California with $3000 and a dream. I first drove from Indiana to Utah, where I stayed with my older brother for a few days, and then I set off to California. Upon arriving, it was an instant culture shock. I immediately went to a motel in Burbank that turned out to be pretty run down, but regardless, I was happy to just to rest. It turned out that night. The Oscars were on, which I happily watched. However, just as I did, all the power went out. With complete black and no fixed time available, I decided to go to bed. Upon waking, I promptly checked out and headed out for the day to contact some people that had previously said they would try to help me with housing. Upon contacting these people, there was no reply, and no reply ever came (until weeks later where it was due to matters or emergency). So I had to make yet another decision, to risk it all with no resources and little money or retreat to Utah and get my start in the film community there. I chose Utah.
Upon arriving in Utah, everything seemed to be clicking as far as housing (huge thank you to my family), finding a job to save up even more money, and even landing roles in films. My first audition I surprisingly got, thanks to Skippy Jessop and director Cameron Sawyer, a speaking role in the feature film ‘Tim Timmerman, Hope of America” which earned me SAG eligibility. This paved the way for me and was a huge help in catapulting me into the Utah film scene. Sometime later, my career began to get stagnant, and I went back to studying and watching movies.
One day I was watching James Dean, the biopic starring James Franco, one artist that originally inspired me to pursue acting, and I remembered that he has an acting school in Los Angeles, Studio 4. Once I realized all of this, I went on the Studio 4 website and noticed he was taking student submissions for his acting masterclass that he was personally teaching. I immediately sent my headshot and resume in hopes that I would at least get a chance to make it to step two, the video audition. Luckily, I got a request to send in a video audition. Once the video audition was sent, we received emails stating that it would take a week or so to review all the tapes to see who will go out to LA and audition in front of Franco and the entire Studio 4 staff in person. After, what seemed like weeks, I finally got a reply. I was invited to go and audition in person in two days. I immediately packed my bags for California and left, in hopes that this might be my route back to California for good.
The day of the audition, I went to Studio 4, and it turned out I was the only non-California resident there. We were told to wait in line, and our names would be called. We were told to go in, deliver our lines, and then come straight out after we were done with the scene. My name was finally called, and time seemed to stop. I walked in slowly to see a huge black room with a chair and one spotlight shining down on it. As I approached the seat, I could hear my own heartbeat growing louder and faster. Then I sat, looked down, took a deep breath, and the moment I exhaled it all went away, and the character emerged. The moment I exited the room, I was myself again, happy, scared, nervous, and shaking. Whether I was to be invited or not beyond that didn’t really make a difference, the experience alone was everything I needed to move forward positively.
Returning to Utah, I received word that I had been accepted to the masterclass. Unfortunately, at the time it was not possible for me to go to the school, as a means of living and money were simply not there, but what arose from it was much greater. I recommitted myself to the arts, and like Franco, decided not to bound myself to the constraints of a singular focus, but rather focus on the arts as a whole. This led me to discover photography.
Once I got into photography, I realized the potential that it not only had as a more personal artistic outlet for myself, but also the versatility, and the foundation it brings for almost any form of artistic expression. Needless to say, I dove in headfirst. 100% of my time then was focused on photography; identifying my style and identifying the ways I could use this in a practical sense, not only to succeed in the arts community, but also in hopes that I might one day be able to assist the same artists whose work I had been looking up to since before leaving Indiana. Once I figured that out, I didn’t see much opportunity to take photography to the level I wanted to in Utah and decided it was time to give California another try.
Upon moving to California, I immediately started reaching out to people who’s work I have enjoyed for a long time and grew up with, artists who I consider, and their work, to be genius. The first reply was from a friend I had made back while I was living in Utah, Mason Musso from the bands Rockwall and Metro Station. The second reply was from Paul Rust, and Michael Cassidy from the band Don’t Stop, or We’ll Die. Without their initial and continued support to this day, the rest of my story here isn’t possible.
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?
No, it certainly has not, nor has it for anyone that I know. I believe we all go through difficulties in life and our pursuits but what matters is how we look at the difficulties and handle them; whether it be money, artistic ability/growth, or getting opportunities to work with great people. All of these things I have struggled with, and I believe most people struggle with when pursuing art. However, at the end of the day that’s what art is, a constant battle with the self to create something extraordinary, regardless of how people might interpret it at the given time, no matter what the cost. That’s what makes what we as artists do so special, regardless of fame, money, or circumstance. It is my belief that if there weren’t any of these struggles, art would cease to grow and evolve, and we as humans would also cease to develop as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Don’t Stop or We’ll Die
The Sloppy Boys
Rockwall
Emo Night Brooklyn
Kate Berlant
Moses Storm
Josh Douglas
Paul Rust
Michael Cassady
Mike Hanford
Jefferson Dutton
Tim Kalpakis
Mason Musso
Rob Bressier
Isaiah Vest
Matthew Mowgli
Vanda Korsang
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
