We recently connected with Eric Goins and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Eric thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
After many years of working in the corporate world, my friends took me to an improv theatre on my birthday in 1998. I was amazed by the players on stage, so I signed up to audition for improv classes. That’s right, I had to audition to take a beginner’s improv class. Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try, even though I had never auditioned for anything in my life. From the auditions, the theatre selected 60 people from a total of 120 auditions to take classes, and I counted myself as one of the lucky ones. At my first improv class, I realized that I was one of the few students who had no plans whatsoever in pursuing a career in acting. Everyone else seemed to have a pedigree of training and aspirations of becoming a star. My father was a plumber and I had never acted a day in my life. However, I quickly fell in love with the principles of improv, such as “Yes, And”, Be Present, Listen, Trust Your Partner, and “No Judgment” (of both others and, most importantly, myself). I looked forward to every class, and it provided a much-needed escape from my corporate job. The theatre posted a list of students on the back door to the building every Monday who were invited to contune classes (yep…..students were cut from the class every week), and I was thrilled to discover that my name was never removed from the list. This continued for a year until the list was reduced to approximately seven people. Unbenownst to the students, the theatre was creating a new cast and I spent the next three years performing in 3-5 shows a week in front of a live audience. This was the beginning of my journey to become a storyteller, and I developed a passion for improv that led to 25 years of performing and teaching improvisation.
However, the demands of the improv troupe eventually began to interfere with my corporate job, so I decided to leave the theatre and focus on my corporate career. I was successful in my career for a year, but I was fundamentally unhappy as a person. A chance event brought me back to the theatre, and I agreed to return to improv, with the promise that I would choose improv over my corporate job if I had to make a choice. Shortly after, I was laid off from my corporate job, and I saw it as a sign that I should pursue storytelling. But the universe wasn’t gonna make it that easy for me. Soon after my layoff, I was offerred a really cool job making more money than I had previously so I had to put my money where my mouth was. I declined the new job offer and took the risk of becoming a storyteller. Although it was not as comfortable as my corporate job, I knew it would make me happy and fulfilled. And as soon as I took the risk to follow my heart, everything began to fall in place. A friend offered me a job bartending at night, the theatre asked me to start a kids summer camp, and the road to making life as a storyteller began to present itself.
Today, after over 20 years as an actor, storytelling is a way for me to better understand who I am and who I can be. My television credits include The Originals, Army Wives, Meet The Browns, One Tree Hill, Drop Dead Diva, and Insatiable and Black Lightning. I also played LARRY on AMC’s Halt & Catch Fire (Season 1 & 2) and The Gambler/Steven Sharpe on DC’s STARGIRL for DC Entertainment and The CW. My film credits include Ride Along and Ride Along 2, The Watch, The Family That Preys, The Accountant, Dirty Grandpa and Boss Level.
My wife (who I met at the improv theatre and performed with for over 10 years) started Compass Actor Services in 2015 to share our philsophies of storytelling and to support the local acting community in a safe, nurturing environment; allowing clients to focus on presenting their best work and booking the job. Our team is friendly and understands the industry so we know the importance of making actors feel comfortable. To fully serve the acting community, we have leveraged our combined 20+ years in the industry and 26+ years of improvisation experience to offer top-notch, comprehensive acting & improvisation workshops, demo reels and actor coaching. We hope to work with you soon.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Compass Actor Services provides professional audition taping in a relaxed, nurturing environment allowing you to focus on presenting your best work and booking the job. Our team is friendly and understands the industry so we know the importance of making actors feel comfortable. To fully serve the acting community, we have leveraged our combined 20+ years in the industry and 26+ years of improvisation experience to offer top-notch, comprehensive acting & improvisation workshops, demo reels and actor coaching.
our Goal is to set a standard for flexibility and ease of business by focusing on exceeding expectations and providing added value through our experience, resources and services.
About our Audition Taping
– Conveniently Located in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
– Relaxed, Nurturing Environment
– Free Parking
– HD Camera, Great Lighting & Sound
– Professional Backdrop
– Experienced Reader Provided
– View Your Performance and Make Adjustments
– Affordable Pricing
– Discounts Available for Current SAG-AFTRA Members
– Teleprompter Available Upon Request
All classes and workshops are led by industry professionals who help actors develop their skills and reach their full potential. Our goal is to help actors, at any level, who want to improve their audition skills, develop their ability to create characters and bring a sense of “play” to their work.
And whether you want audition coaching or professional guidance to assist in the pursuit of your career goals, Compass Actor Services is available when you need us. Eric has over 25 years in the industry and the local Atlanta market and the insight and experience to provide accurate, useful and comprehensive solutions for our clients.
Compass can also help actors stand out with a quality demo reel of their work! As professional actors, we have the insights and know-how to create impactful reels that highlight your authentic brand.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of living life as an artist is the ability to express myself creatively and authentically, to connect with others through my work, and to have a positive impact on the world by sharing my unique perspective on the human condition. For me, being an actor is a journey to becoming my best self.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
For me, being an actor is a journey to evolve into the most comprehensive version of myself. At every performance, audition or presentation of my creativity, I evaluate the experience by whether or not I presented my “best self” in the moment. Being my best self means being authentic, confident, and in control of myself in the moment.
Outside of auditions and performances, presenting my best self requires a commitment to personal growth and self-improvement, as well as a willingness to take risks, step out of my comfort zone, and be willing to learn and grow. By presenting my best self, I not only feel more confident and fulfilled, but I hope to inspire and empower others to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.compassactorservices.com www.ericgoins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassactorservices https://www.instagram.com/the_eric_goins
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compassactorservices https://www.facebook.com/eric.goins.54/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ericgoins42
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/compasstapings. https://twitter.com/EricLGoins
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@compassactorservices
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/compass-actor-services-atlanta
- Other: IMDb: imdb.me/ericgoins
Image Credits
Kurt Yue Photography