We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joey Thurmond. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joey below.

Hi Joey , thanks for joining 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.

Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity to be interviewed by Canvas Rebel! I’ve been super excited about this.
I think all artists take risks each time they release their creative style to anyone else or even themselves. The risk that a entertainer especially takes each time they step onto the stage, in front of the camera, audience, etc. is unlike any other risk we take. When a performer walks into the spotlight they are sincerely hopeful that the audience will appreciate and accept their offering. I use the word “hopeful” because each audience is completely different. They have been influenced by so many different things at multiple levels. For instance, one might think that when a singer has a hit that it would “hit” each night in live shows but, that can change daily. Even if the same audience were to come to back to back shows only a day apart that same audience has now been influenced by so many variables, the news of the day, public opinion on a subject may have changed due to recent events, etc. So, I use the word “hopeful” in that sense that we are hopeful that each night’s new audience will enjoy and “accept” the artist’s offering. In reality what the artist brings is just that and offering to the audience to say “here is what I have created. Will you accept it?” With that in mind, each performance is a risk in itself. The artist is amazingly vulnerable in exposing their inward self and feelings in a public theater in hopes that the audience will accept their offering. As such it is a very raw and at times terrifying experience as a person to perform and or create.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

From a small child I knew that I wanted to be a performer, an entertainer. I wanted to make people happy and see them enjoy their lives with something that I may have done or said. After a brief career as a professional wrestler for WCW I had a great career in Law Enforcement. During a security assignment for a movie production while policing, I was approached by a producer and asked if I would like to “play ball” for the film. Not knowing anything about the production or who was working on it I declined. The producer returned shortly and asked again if I would like to be a part of the film and “play ball”. I asked what he meant by “play ball” and he said “it’s a movie about football and we need extra players. We’ll pay you for your assignment here and we’ll pay you for playing too”. I accepted the offer and ended up working on the film for several more days. Little did I know then that the film would become the award winning, multi-generational film, Remember the Titans. During that time I realized how much I truly missed “creating entertainment” which is what I had done as a pro wrestler. From that production, other productions made themselves available to me through the years and my roles have progressed from background to cameo, to lead, starring roles, and recently into directing and executive producing. So far in my career I have been honored to have been a part of over 50 television series and movies.

Some of the projects that I have been blessed to star in that have recently released are the television series Annihilation of Man, the hit audio drama podcast The Occurrence in River Oaks, the short film I Remember, and the movies Frienemy for Life, Fattenin’ Frogs for Snakes, and the re-release of Mistakes and Monsters. Completed projects soon to be released include the movies Men of Law, Perpetrators in Government Systems, The Marks, and others. I just wrapped on the new television series Black Vinyl and am currently filming the movie Turkey Creek.

I am currently recording my first solo album which will feature eleven singles. I have always enjoyed singing but not until recently have I pursued it as a medium to entertain. Through the encouragement of my wife Meghan and family I have released my first single and music video and the response has been simply overwhelming. I am honored and thrilled to have this “new” outlet in my artist’s life. We are currently in negotiations to produce a live tour that will allow me to perform my music live. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to interact with a live audience and employ singing, playing, dancing, telling jokes, and sharing life with an audience in a one on one setting.

I guess the one major thing that sets me apart from others in my industry is work ethic and the catalog that I bring. Work doesn’t scare me. In fact, it lures me. I enjoy the work of the business. I have been performing since I was sixteen and hearing the word no doesn’t impact me like it once did. I have learned that no doesn’t mean no for everyone. It basically just means no for whomever has said it. I simply keep going until I hear the yes from the right person, persons, or audience.

Reliability. If there is only one thing that I would like someone to know about what I deliver it’s that what I bring is reliable and it’s simply going to be the absolute best I have to offer every single time.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Once, for me it was about creating as much as possible and working to get noticed and or exposure. Now for me the true driving force behind what I create is making quality. I am satisfied knowing that striving to make the absolute best content and projects that I possibly can are what drive my creativity.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

That’s a great question! It’s also a question that I think more artists wish was asked more frequently. The answer for me is consume what we create with an open heart and mind. Enjoy it for what you find in it. If we walk into a theater or concert, or other performance, etc. with an open mind and heart expecting to be entertained and or enlightened we find that we usually find it. It may or may not be an experience that we hope to have again but, whether it is or not it’s an enriching and an opportunity. Consume it with a mindset of respect and love. Give the performer the full attention that they deserve and that an audience has asked of them to give. I’ve never understood the idea of buying a ticket and asking entertainers to entertain to only not give them the opportunity to do what is asked of them.

The future is a bright one. I wish and pray God’s love on each and everyone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joey_thurmond_actor/?hl=en#:~:text=Joey%20Thurmond%20(%40joey_thurmond_actor)%20%E2%80%A2%20Instagram%20photos%20and%20videos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeythurmondactor/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsosI1nDn8UbjBr50laiu_g
• Other: IMDB
  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5731672/

Image Credits

Meghan Thurmond