We recently connected with David Sasik and have shared our conversation below.

David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I’ve ever worked on is Miscellanea, an indie TV show created and produced by Katrina Cebreiro. Specifically, the episode, “Ghost Boyfriend.” This episode was the first time in my adult career that I played the lead in a project. My character got to experience a wide range of emotions, I spoke with a British accent, and I even got to mess around with some green screen work! We would film a scene regularly and then, we would film the exact same thing with me wearing a full-body green screen suit so that I could be CGI-ed out of the scene when necessary. I was a ghost after all! I have fond memories of this shoot and the repercussions of this project are still felt in my life today.

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.

I got into the entertainment business in a way that many people probably have: my mom and I were approached by a talent scout at a grocery store and I was invited to an audition. I remember sitting in the green room, waiting to audition for a panel of agents, and I could not wait until I could be on set. I wanted to skip the whole audition process and go right to set. Little did I know at the ripe old age of 12 that my life had already changed forever.

Fast forward 15+ years or so, I have not only been on some really cool sets, but I have also hosted actors and crew on my own sets! About 4 years ago, I started writing, directing, and producing my own short films under the name, First Generation Productions. I have always loved genre films so I decided to focus on creating just that. To date, I have produced 3 short films, Game Night (a horror short), Anza-Borrego (a post-apocalyptic, dystopian flick), and Amadeus (a sci-fi film). Currently, I am submitting Amadeus to film festivals and also writing 2 new films, a sequel to Anza-Borrego and another sci-fi film that is still taking shape.

I am really proud of my work ethic and my reliability. In this industry, this is what sets me apart from many others. You always hear the same ol’ sayings like, “actors are unreliable,” “actors are flaky,” or “actors are always late.” Not me. If my call time is 8am, you can bet your ass I’ll be there at 7am because I don’t want to take the chance that I’ll be late. I’ve always believed that there are many things an actor can be forgiven for, but being late is not one of them. Also, there are so many talented people in Los Angeles, but talent is nothing without hard work. I also believe that hard work beats talent every time. This is why I have made myself into such a hard worker because that is the only way that things get done. While filming Amadeus, my production was hit with 3 separate cases of Covid. This necessitated us to reschedule our filming days twice and even add an extra day of filming that was not originally planned. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun, but because my team and I worked hard to overcome these obstacles, we were able to finish the film and be proud of the end result.

The core of my brand as an actor and creative is authenticity and kindness. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I pride myself on being able to make people feel welcome and included. I am a firm believer that when I have success, my whole tribe and I succeed together. The people who I love and trust are always going to be the first people I call if there is a good opportunity and they are also the first people I would recommend if a fellow creative is looking for talent. No one can create alone. It takes a community to make it happen and I believe one’s community of fellow creatives should be rewarded for supporting your dreams. Another ideal I hold dear is treating everyone with respect and I mean, everyone. Kurt Russell has his 3 rules of How to Make It As A Working Actor in Hollywood: 1) Don’t be late, 2) Know your lines, and 3) Don’t be an asshole. That last one is soooooooo important! Showing respect and common courtesy to everyone you work with goes a long way. In LA, everyone works with everyone and you never know where your next job will come from. Be kind to everyone you work with and BE YOURSELF. Trying to be someone else is exhausting.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Whenever I tell people that I am an actor, they almost invariably ask me, “what have you been in?” Often when I tell them that I have performed in many indie films and an indie TV show, people will respond with, “oh, so you’re trying to be an actor.” Mmm no. It doesn’t work that way. A person becomes an actor the moment they step into an acting class, the moment they get on set, the moment they get their headshots done, etc. A lawyer does not cease to be a lawyer just because they are not currently in a courtroom. A firefighter does not cease to be a firefighter just because they are off-duty. The people who think someone is just “trying” to be an actor are the same people who go home and watch movies and TV shows starring their favorite actors. It’s ironic. I think non-creatives would benefit from understanding that financial success and exposure are not the determining factors of being an actor, creative, etc.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Pursuing acting training in college can be tricky. The setting is “academic” instead of natural and there is always the threat of receiving a “bad letter grade” if you do not perform the way your professors want you to. I fell into this trap. In college, I performed what my professors wanted me to and what I knew would get me the A+ that I wanted. Upon leaving college, I tried really hard to fit the mold of characters I was auditioning for and all I did was try to give casting directors what I thought they wanted. Big mistake. I had lost all semblance of freedom in my performances and I was not even trying to implement my own interpretation of the material I was given. It took years of auditioning and going back to my old private acting studio to unlearn this desire to please. The fact is actors should be themselves. Easier said than done, I know! However, if you’re just performing what you think casting or the director wants to see, then you are not injecting yourself, your perspective, and your interpretation into your performance. If you want to play the scene like you just came back from a break-up, great! If you want to play the scene like there is a mouse crawling around inside your pants and you don’t want your scene partner to know, amazing! There are no “wrong answers,” only more specific choices. So the lesson here is be yourself. You cannot be everything to everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/davidsasik
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_sasik/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtpcAV13sVAgcg0nwtwH8Q
• Other: First Generation Productions: https://www.instagram.com/firstgenerationprod/