Rising Stars: Meet Ryan James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan James.

Hi Ryan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hey there! Well to start.. I majored in Electronic Media production at Middle TN State University so my work in TV started behind the scenes actually. While in undergrad, I received an awards internship with BET and began working PR/production for the award shows such as the BET Awards, Hip Hop Awards, Soul Train Awards, etc. The people at BET would always ask, “Why aren’t you on the talent side? You have a unique look and the personality to be in front of the camera.” Little did they know, I actually had aspirations to be an actor but didn’t feel that it was a tangible career goal living in Tennessee at the time.

My senior year of college, I was sent an email about a commercial shooting in ATL and I self-submitted myself (using a cropped Facebook pic as a headshot) and ended up booking it and that’s when I realized that this dream could possibly become reality. After graduating, I went back to Memphis for two years and took acting classes, read books and really started learning the craft and eventually moved to Atlanta, where I went full steam ahead. With consistency and persistence, things started falling in place.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For me, I’ve definitely had my share of obstacles and challenges. To start, one challenge was moving to a completely new city. This is always difficult for most people in general and Atlanta was a new world for me, so it took some time to get acclimated and figure out how the industry worked here. As a new actor, you have to be willing to work a lot of non-paid gigs to build your resume and get that experience under your belt. Most of the time, your payment will be your “footage,” so you have to learn to balance that with working your day job to stay on your feet. I think all actors can say they had to get through this phase before the real money starting coming in. By far, the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was losing my mom in 2013. She was my biggest fan and I was truly a “momas boy”. As artist, we have to learn to channel our pain into our work and I use my mom as motivation to keep working hard to continue making her proud in heaven. I know she is smiling down on me and I dedicate all my wins to her!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a signed Actor and signed Print Model. I’ve done commercial work, film work and I’m making my network TV debut this year in May. I’m most proud of my upcoming show “The Underground Railroad” because it’s always been a dream of mine to work on a TV show. The show is directed by Academy Award Winner, Barry Jenkins and the cast is full of amazing actors from around the world. It will start airing on Amazon Prime video starting May 14th. I still sometimes pinch myself that a Barry recognized my talent and I’m so grateful got this opportunity!

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
In closing, I just always hope to inspire others to ALWAYS go after their dreams! Be Comfortable being uncomfortable for a little while if it helps you get one step closer to a goal you have. The most amazing things in life happen just on the other size of your comfort zone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Ryan.James

Image Credits
Travis Geter Marie Thomas Ira Carmichael