My Journey

Enamored with the power of words and storytelling since childhood, my path towards becoming an actor was anything but traditional. However, an in-class assignment in the sixth grade to create a commercial; a yearning to become a polished public speaker; a 1988 appearance by Michael J. Fox on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; a fraternity brother’s bold move from NYC to LA back in the early 90’s to pursue a career as an actor; a divorce just before turning 40; and my growing disdain with corporate life all served as invitations that spoke to me subliminally along the way. Collectively, it all manifested at age 42 when I was blessed to film my first commercial.

A dearth of commercial bookings a few years later coupled with a burning desire to act led to an unintentional foray into community theatre. It was in that space, courtesy of demanding rehearsals, great scripts, talented casts, directors, stage managers, costume designers, and set designers, and encouragement from many that I really began to blossom as an actor. Supplemental training, a calling, and the formation of key relationships gave birth to more work in commercials, theatre, industrials, live events, and, as a print model and voice actor.

 

Following the untimely passing of my mother on Christmas Day 2014 and the loss of my last long-term corporate job about a month later, divine serendipity showed up in February 2015 when I was recast from a non-Union background selected to appear in an episode of the former ABC TV show Forever to the body double and stand-in for Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.. Now eligible to join SAG-AFTRA, I was blessed to become a member in January 2020 and booked my first network TV co-star role a few weeks later as ‘Dog’s Owner’ in the first episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, a prequel to the very popular show Power. In March 2021, I was blessed to book and film my first commercial since joining SAG-AFTRA, for industry-leading life insurance company Colonial Penn. In 2022, I was blessed to book another commercial for Colonial Penn that aired for a 13 week cycle in the first quarter of 2023 and co-star roles on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina is Nora from Queens and Law & Order: SVU. Most recently, I’ve booked additional co-star roles on the TV shows: ‘Principal Graham Hillen” on an episode of FBI: Most Wanted and as “Jackie Henderson” in an episode in the upcoming fourth season of the popular American crime drama series Godfather of Harlem. On the commercial side, I was cast in an informercial for home gym industry pioneer Total Gym in commemoration of their 50th anniversary scheduled for release in Summer 2024, and, as “Mr. Earl” in a :60 Nike commercial promoting the growth of the WNBA. As a print model, I’ll soon appear in campaigns for pharmaceutical companies Jakafi and Tolmar.