Today we’d like to introduce you to Hollywood Bob.
Hi Hollywood, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I always said I needed to be successful in life. So this business is just the vehicle I am using to get to that destination.
Growing up I was an athlete; so I used to play basketball and I ran track. Nonetheless, I’ve always had a desire for the arts.
Once I realized that becoming a professional athlete may not be in my near future when I graduated high school, I went to college to study IBA (international business administration) and I minored in theater.
I immediately fell in love with the craft of acting & the work that came with it, so I began to focus on my development as an actor & my gift for comedy.
In 2018, I was granted an opportunity to attend the BET awards and that’s where everything pertaining to the brand of ‘Hollywood Bob’ began. That weekend I met so many influencers, actors, artists, comedians, producers, etc. I knew then that this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
I then started branding myself as not just an actor but as an influencer as well. At the time, Tiktok had just came out or was in the process of re-branding itself from its previously known name. So I started a TikTok account and began making comedic skits. By the time summer of 2019 came around I had already built a platform larger than I could’ve ever imagined within that short amount of time. I had gained over 100,000 followers on TikTok, millions of views across multiple social media platforms, & other popular influencers started to notice me. It honestly felt like I had some of the biggest comedy skits on social media.
So since then, it’s been hard work & less sleep. Truthfully. It’s definitely humbling & motivating just to continue to work at building something that’s always been bigger than me. I trust God & I practice keeping the faith every single day; in believing that ‘Hollywood Bob’ can become one of the greatest actors, comedians, and entrepreneurs to ever walk the face of this earth.
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?
Nothing worth having comes easy; so realistically, no it hasn’t been easy getting up to this point in my career.
From the start, it’s really been a tough journey. Often I laugh because I’ve been through so much & it hasn’t even been a decade since I graduated high school. At times I imagine what the future will actually be.
I don’t believe I’ve gone through anything that nobody else hasn’t been through or will have to go through, nevertheless Jesus is real & God is a sovereign graceful God.
I think the biggest struggle that I’ve been through within the past few years was burying my loved ones. At one point in 2020, I had lost one of my best friends & my little cousin all within a three-week span. I can only think about that situation because if I didn’t make it through that specifically, I real life would not be here talking about it today.
So when people talk to me about struggle, trust me I come from that & I understand the language very well. I’ve endured more pain than many could imagine, I’ve been financially broke, mentally broken, spiritually broken, I’ve been hurt many times, I’ve been let down, etc. you name it I probably went through it or I’m still going through it. Honestly, the best part about any life story is that we are all here to tell it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a full-time actor, social media influencer, and entrepreneur; this is what I do. As far as my acting career is concerned that’s probably what’s been keeping me up at night. This summer was really big for me and I want to ensure that I stay focused on the main goal as supposed to the right now.
There’s really so much that I haven’t achieved yet that I can’t really sit & pretend I’m already this person that I am in real life still becoming. It is truly a blessing for sure to have a platform and to be able to get recognition within a community nonetheless ideally there’s still a lot for us to do.
I pride myself in not having an ego and showing true humility and exemplifying myself as a leader within the arts industry. My brand name is ‘Hollywood Bob’ so truthfully, I believe I have more to prove to myself than anybody else does right now.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If I was to give advice to anybody that’s just starting out anything, I would say identify ‘why’ they’re doing it.
A lot of us think if we get a good job or land an amazing project for instance; all of a sudden our life problems go away. When that is truly not the case. We still have to pray, keep the faith, & hustle our way through; which means sometimes we can’t do what everybody else does & sometimes we may have to sit out to allow what God has for us to actually happen for us.
In this world a lot of people are winners. What makes anybody great at what they do is they identified ‘Why’. Most importantly, they kept the faith because quitters will never know the outcome. Only you know your dreams; so we can’t allow someone that’s not you to tell you what your dream is supposed to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm14074709?s=06c2080f-bb4c-19eb-0e7b-62c17c9e6871&site_preference=normal
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialhollywoodbob?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Twitter: _hollywoodbob
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCVTnsRlVVWtdT3oB0Yxq1Dw
