Meet Te Kruz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Te Kruz.

Te, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I originally started acting when I was about 5 years old. Growing up my mother put me into acting classes and I participated in a lot of theater and plays. She saw me as a very outgoing and outspoken child so she took the opportunity to see how well I would do in the industry. It was difficult growing up to keep the momentum going with acting because my mother was a single parent raising three children on her own. Throughout the years I didn’t understand the importance of what dreams were and that you should follow them. I was more so concerned with what other interest I had in a more corporate light. This is when I developed an interest in law during my final years of high school. I knew this profession was something that I was passionate about and my biggest concern was to support my family with the profession I chose.

The college I attended was Prairie View A&M University. I was proud to say I attended a HBSU (Historically Black University) Attending this college was a tradition in my family. This included my grandmother, my mother, both of my uncles and two of my cousins. Once I got accepted into college, I chose Criminal Justice as my major. Unfortunately, my school did not offer a pre-law program so Criminal Justice was my next best option. I could have chosen political science however I felt that Criminal Justice was the major that I could utilize more as I planned to become a criminal defense attorney. Mainly my ideal career was to represent the falsely accused at a prestigious law firm. Of course, things never go as you intend on them to go.

Later on, I felt that I had a calling for acting. I knew I didn’t want to feel forced to pursue it just because I was an outgoing child. I wanted to pursue it if and when I knew I had a true passion for it. I then realized that I wanted a career in television and film rather than theater. This was during my junior year of college. At that point I knew I wanted to pursue acting on a professional level. I began self-submitting myself to projects on various casting sites. I also made sure to get professional head shot photos. I funded all of my acting endeavors. I dropped everything and spent a week in Los Angeles for an acting intensive at TVI Studios located in Sherman Oaks California. This was a test to see if I was truly ready and had what it takes to be an actress on a professional level. Also, I questioned if it made me happy or not. Sure, enough it was everything I had hoped and dreamed for. We were even able to sit in as a live studio audience.

All I knew was that I wanted to display to the world my beautiful personality and be able to embody characters and bring them to life in whatever project I was working on. I knew I has to work hard and do whatever it takes to follow my dreams. I was so close to graduating from college so I did not change my major. I however did change my minor to communications. This has given me so much insight that I needed to understand the behind the scenes aspect of creating television shows and films. I took classes like basic tv and film production. I learned things like how to create a script, learn about equipment need to create a set. Who were the people needed to create a film and the importance of their roles. That experience and knowledge I was able to receive has helped me grow more as an actress and a creative. Outside of acting I now write as well.

When I completed college, I moved back home to Dallas. I was able to sign with my first agency. I was truly grateful to be a part of such a reputable agency and an involved and personable representative to have by my side. My first audition was for an AT&T commercial. My experience was invigorating and extremely fulfilling. I even got a callback for that very first audition. That was a big moment for me and confirmed to me that I was doing something right to be so new to the television and film industry. I took advantage of various opportunities like being a part of Solange Knowles’s music video plus many more projects. Although I was grateful for these opportunities, I wanted more exposure that Dallas Texas had to offer. That following year of 2019 in January I moved to Atlanta Georgia to chase my dreams. I am hear now following my dreams.

I am grateful to be signed to an agency in Atlanta Georgia and for my current agent to be so welcoming and personable with our relationship and needs. It is extremely important to trust your agent and for them to cater and be accommodating to their talents needs and for the talent to offer the same assets to the company. Unfortunately, the agency she was recently working for terminated her which she did share with me. My loyalty lies with her because she was one of the very few who believed in me and gave me the chance to represent me. After her departure from the agency she signed me to, all communication with the agency was almost nonexistent. I started receiving auditions less and less. I did not even have my knew agents cell phone number nor did I know what he looked like. He never even took the time out to discuss with me what my character type was or the roles to submit me for. I knew then because of the lack of involvement with the agency that it was time for my departure. Of course, my former agent and I kept in touch. She later began working with a reputable agency and asked if I would like to sign with them. Of course, I agreed due to my loyalty lying with her and I knew she has my best interest at heart. As my agent she is also able to submit me to big name projects, some which are a part of SAG as well. Things have been going great with her and our journey so far.

Apart from acting, I have taken an interest into starting a YouTube channel. In less than a year I was able to get monetize on YouTube. This has been quite the journey as well that I have been completely enjoying. I have been able to express myself that sometimes you are limited to in the tv and film world. I can produce content that is limitless not caring about what others think about it. I know that I am being true to myself. I am truly grateful even for the following that I have gained so far with my YouTube journey.

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?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. I have faced many obstacles which mainly consist of growing to become a strong actress. the toughest thing to handle in the industry is auditioning for a project and giving it your best and still don’t get booked or still receive a no. One thing I’ve learned is to have tough skin in this industry. Take your No’s as a lesson and understand that it may have nothing to do with you. It could have been your height or the fact that you are “too pretty” they may have wanted someone with a more subtle look. Don’t ever beat yourself up about it, more so just continue to do your best and every “no’ makes you that much closer to your “yes”. I would like to thank the ones who’ve supported me through this journey. My mother Nikki Kruz, My sister Ty Kruz, My brother Tanner, My Grangran, my Bestfriend Tyneshia, My God Parents Tiffany and Mike, My agent Chanda Lightsey, My dearest friends Taylor, Kristen, Ashley, Christine, Teejay, Alteron, Coffee and Shea Jenee, Kalila Shakira and Kiyanni. Most importantly I wake up and strive to be the best woman I can be because I know my grandfather Calvin Lewis Wallace is looking down from heaven on me. The best man I’ve ever known gone too soon. I look for my future husband to be the man my grandfather was to us. I look for my future son to be raised by a man like Calvin. Rest In Peace Papa❤️

Tell us about your work – what should we know?
Outside of acting, I am extremely proud of my you tube channel. I’ve worked hard and had to figure out the type of content to post to get more subscribers and views. This is what helps you get closer to getting monetized. The requirements are 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch time hours. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot however it is not an easy task. There is also the momentum you have to keep up with annually. You don’t just meet those requirements and that’s all. You must upkeep these statistics every year or more. It was extremely difficult to get my start on YouTube but I met Kalila Shakira through my friend Shea and we instantly connected. We got extremely close in a short period of time and she has been my rock through my YouTube journey. We were both pursuing the same thing so we shared those passions together. Even now outside of YouTube, we hang out together and go have brunch together. I can say she has become a true friend to me throughout this process. I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished through YouTube. I have also been told by other friends that because of my determination and consistency, I have inspired them to create you tube channels and start filming content for their channel as well.

What sets me apart from others is that a lot of people are not open to sharing their success with others. For me and what sets me as a leader is because I feel as though no man should be left behind. If you have an interest in something that I am pursing and would like to be a part of it as well, I would never withhold information from those people. Anything I can do to help someone grow and become a better version of themselves, I am happy to be a part of that. I don’t want to block my blessings by not being helping my neighbor due to greed. There is enough money and enough dreams out here for everyone to share.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
In the particular industry that I’m in, what contributed most to my success was being myself and being true to myself. If I know there are certain areas that I am lacking in, that is not something that I’m going to be in denial about. I have to be real with myself and admit that. This is the only way to grow. For example, in in person auditions, I struggled with “cold reading”. Lacking skill in this method may have affected if I booked a role or not. In acting it’s not always about memorizing lines, it’s about embodying the character and being in the moment even if you did receive the lines 15 minutes ago. Due to my dyslexia it is 10 times harder for me to read a script and analyze it. Most people it may take them 3 times to read and get it down. For me it’s going to take good 9 times and I read a lot slower than the average person and I have to work harder to accomplish this.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youtube.com/tadoallday
• Instagram: @tekruz

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