We were lucky to catch up with A.J. Friederich recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, A.J. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I have taken so many acting classes. I’ve taken scene study, audition, on-camera, commercial, voice over, business of acting, improv, comedy, drama, and many variations of the previously listed. Getting feedback from so many different voices can be confusing. Some people say you’ve got a character look. Some say you look like a “leading man”. Some want you to smile more. Some want you to smile less. Some say you need to change your voice. Some say to keep your authentic voice. Some say drama is your thing. Some say “you were meant for comedy.” Ultimately you need to decide what you enjoy and what vibe you want to put off. Recently I have come more to the resolution that being as close to my authentic self is usually going to be the most interesting and different. Some actors need teaching and others don’t. I think all acting classes come down to one thing. They try to guide you towards being comfortable with making your own choices and presenting what you want. If you can do that and not dwell on the results, you are ahead of 90% of actors.

A.J., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My family has always been into movies & TV. I remember as a kid walking with my family to the movie theater or going to the community college to watch a musical. I knew from a young age that I wanted to act, but I didn’t know how to get started. After studying advertising in college I officially pursued acting and modeling as a career. I have always been a guy who’s in touch with his emotions. So in my art I like showing that softer, more open side that isn’t as commonly portrayed by guys. I have a unique perspective and all of my roles reflect that. I am most proud that I am myself and try to bring honesty and a realness to every part I play.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Acting in particular is not about the bookings. The average actor spends far more time auditioning every week than on set. Most actors can probably relate to the dreaded questions of “what have you done recently?” or “what can I see you in?” A lot of times people are either curious or excited to see if they’ve seen anything. But those questions often leave an actor feeling “less than” or not good enough. Last year alone I had over 10 callbacks for various big name projects, but since I didn’t book them it isn’t seen as an accomplishment. Talk to any casting director and they will say getting a callback is huge. A role can easily get 3,000 submissions and if you end up getting a final callback after the initial audition, where they’re only seeing 3-10 actors, that’s something to be proud of.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I don’t consider myself a social media influencer, but I did manage to gain 40,000 followers on TikTok. I tried everything. I posted trending dances, funny sketches, relatable audio, but I couldn’t figure it out. I so badly wanted to go viral, but nothing worked. In September 2020 I made it a goal to gain 30,000 followers in 30 days. I posted 3 videos each day (learning a new skill, a duet, and an original video). I was consistent, with varying degrees of success, but nothing huge. And I put in a ton of time and effort. Then on one of the last days I was watching the Presidential Debate and decided to record part of it with the baby face filter on. It. was a quick video with little effort. That video blew up. I gained over 20,000 followers in less than 24 hours. Social media can be worked on, but ultimately I think there’s a lot of luck. Post what you find interesting and you never know what might go viral.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajfriederich/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-j-friederich-41440a69/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajfriederich https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6420504/

Image Credits
Paper Airplanes Photo, Andrew Burns Photography, Chris Jon Photography