Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodney Damon Collins.
Hi Rodney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story goes back a number of years. There’s a lot to tell but I won’t tell it all right now. Got to keep you wanting more! I discovered a love for the arts and storytelling when I was a child. I wrote my first sketch comedy as a senior in high school. It was a spoof on the once popular “Arsenio Hall Show.” I realized during that time how much I enjoyed writing, directing, and acting.
After graduating from college, I stayed involved in the arts, but I was living in Cleveland, OH. It’s a great city, but not the market to have a full-time career in entertainment. During my time in Cleveland, I still found ways to work in various independent projects and plays. I believe that if you’re serious about working in entertainment, you make it happen wherever you live!
I continued to “Do the Work” even in a smaller market as I knew it was preparing me for my move to Los Angeles one day. When the time finally came for me to move to Los Angeles, I had received a job offer, and my wife and I relocated to LA! We came with very big dreams but very quickly realized the challenges in living in a large metropolitan area with a high cost of living. On top of that, the job that relocated me laid me off after just six months of moving here.
At that time, we could have decided that it wasn’t working and just move back to Cleveland or to another city. We knew that there was something calling us here and it was Hollywood. Since I didn’t know anyone here in entertainment who could help me get started, I decided to connect with Central Casting and spent some time doing background work. I used that opportunity to leverage my time on set and show a strong work ethic and make as many serious connections as I could. I only had one credit on my IMDB as a principal actor before moving here. I was a part of several Facebook pages for actors when one day I saw a posting for someone to come and work background for a restaurant scene at Castaways Burbank on a Sunday afternoon. The film was entitled “Emerson Heights.” I have to thank Wendy Foy Green for booking that day. It was unpaid also. I showed up like I was a principal actor dressed and ready before my call time. Another principle, if you want to walk in a certain position, you need to be doing it before the opportunity comes. As we were filming on that day, there was a cut on a scene. I was waiting for the scene to resume then Wendy came up to me and said are you an actor? We want the scene to be real so we wanted to give you some lines? My response was YES! Shortly after that I was signing a contract and received compensation for a day that I was showing up to work as unpaid background. That was the beginning of my work as a principal actor in Los Angeles. Another important principle is that I showed up to serve someone else’s vision and was rewarded unexpectantly. While working on another project I met someone, Neko Sparks who was producing a show that was going to be on Amazon Prime Video, “Chosen Kin Origins.” About six months after meeting Neko, he reached out to me to let me know that his show was going to be on Amazon Prime Video and that he wrote a character for me! My response was do you want me to audition? He said, yeah if you want to make it harder! This character is for you! The character’s name was Dr. Watson. That was one of the most memorable moments of my career.
Since then, over the past (7) years, I’ve added over (40) credits to my acting resume, winning (5) awards including my most recent award of “Best Male Actor in a Feature Film” at the San Diego Fantastic Horror Film Festival for my role as Bishop Buckz in the Comedy/Horror film “The Central Authority now streaming on Tubi. I have an upcoming Co-Star appearance on the CW’s All-American Homecoming as Tyson Pierce. I’m so grateful for this ride and there’s so much left to accomplish. I am now a published author “Shattered, A Journey Through the Pieces” available on Amazon. I am a podcast host and creator of “The Produce Your Own Life Show” available on all podcast platforms. My son and I currently run our own production company, J.R.C. Legacy Productions.
I believe that in order to achieve my dreams, I need to keep my faith in God, my wife, my son, my daughter, and son-in-law close to me as well as some very close friends who I know are rooting for me.
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?
Not at all! Just nine days after living in LA, I was sitting on the 10 Freeway when someone wasn’t paying attention and they plowed into the back of my car and totaled it! I was sleeping on the floor in a family member’s place. I had to make (3) cross-country drives in moving my family out here. I was laid off six months after moving here. That’s not even the most difficult things. This is just to name some of the struggles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional actor and member of SAG-AFTRA, I’m known for my work on several TV Shows and Films. I am a published author, Podcast Host, and Speaker.
What sets me apart from others is that my commitment to my family responsibilities required me to take a (20) year break from pursuing my career in entertainment, but I stayed ready and believed that my time would come.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite memories is during my senior year in high school and I learned to overcome stage fright because I had to give a speech in front of my entire student body (2,000) students, my family, and my friends, and I killed it!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rodneydamoncollins.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rodneydamoncollins
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodneydamoncollins25/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodneydamoncoll
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiQA8T8FgpSYAcy3koePKw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rodneydamoncollins?lang=en
Image Credits
Jeremy David Creative
