Meet Gary LaVard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary LaVard.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career as an actor many moons ago on a show called ‘The Walking Dead’. From working as a Zombie on Season 3 of the show; it was there I discovered my love and passion for acting. I went on to study my craft and book several crime documentary television series: Murder Chose Me, Snapped, Nightmare Next Door, Homicide Hunter on the ID Network. However, it was 2016, when I cast the role of ‘Vincent’ on the highly popular digital series, About Him. The series showed the world my acting ability and also grew my popularity, specifically in the LBGT community. It was then, I began to speak on panels across the country on topics such as HIV awareness, prevention, and mental health. This further grew into me creating the “BLOW Campaign”; Because.Love.Outweighs.War, a campaign where supporters were able to purchase a custom ‘Gary LaVard’ t-shirt, in which I donated proceeds from each sale to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

With acting still being on the forefront, I continued to audition which resulted in me booking roles and appearances on Oprahs Greenleaf, Will Packer’s LITTLE, Scream Queens on FOX and a lot more. Today, acting is still a focus; Im currently filming a new digital series titled, Dead Men Don’t Sing premiering this Fall! but, another main focus of Im happy to mention is my latest venture; the launch of my production company, GLO Media Network. GLO produces original video content ranging from unscripted, scripted series to music and behind the scene videos. This is still only the beginning for me. Im excited about my future, in film, in life.

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?
Definitely not a smooth road. I feel like, when you’re practicing any craft or working towards any goal, there’s always some sort of roadblock and/or challenge. A lot of struggles, in the beginning, we’re trying to pursue acting while working a 9-5 and having to manage auditioning, bookings, studying, rehearsal, fittings, etc. Through it, I learned time management. Another struggle I faced and maybe still facing is networking. I’m pretty much an ambivert; I can be the most extrovert person when it’s time; but at my core, I feel very much introverted. So attending events and networking and “playing the game” causes a lot of social anxiety for me.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I like to say one of the things I’m most proud of in my career thus far was having the opportunity to be the body cast for the world’s famous John Carlos Black Power Salute currently on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is my days of wanting to be a singer (lol). I performed at school and all the local talent shows. People called me little Tevin Campbell.

Contact Info:

• Email: bookgarylavard@gmail.com
• Instagram: @garylavard
• Facebook: facebook.com/garylavard
• Twitter: twitter.com/garylavard
• Other: youtube.com/garylavard

Image Credit:
Ja’Me Almonte, ArtHouse Digital, Dash

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