We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adam Sartain. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adam below.
Adam, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
My first gig was a national non-union commercial that I booked within 3 months of moving to LA. I had just signed with a commercial agent a few weeks prior and this was the second audition they sent me on. The role was for a Cupid for an eHarmony commercial. I felt good in the initial audition, but was skeptical as I was so new, I thought I couldn’t possibly book anything so soon. But then I got a callback. I couldn’t find decent parking and even ended up getting a parking ticket for the callback, but I really clicked with my scene partner and at that point thought, “well I’d better book it now to pay off the parking ticket”. And sure enough, I was put on avail and booked the gig. As it was non-union, the pay wasn’t that much and my agent basically double dipped, taking 20% from the client and 20% out of my share. But that didn’t matter to me. It was proof that I had made the right decision and I was in the right place. Being on set for the shoot, I was just so grateful to be there and that carries over every single time I get to be on set.
Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I absolutely love to act and “do voices”. I’ve been mimicking voices I’ve heard on both the little and big screens since I was very little and all my life people have told me I do voices well and should be a voice actor. I’ve had quite the varied career, working for an orchestra, an Indian Casino, the State Treasurer’s Office for the State of California, and various odd jobs. In 2016, I quit my well paying State job, sold my house, relinquished my seats on 3 non-profit boards, and moved to LA to pursue my dream. I’ve sacrificed quite a lot to get here, but I know I’ve got a long way to go. I can do over 85 different voices/accents/impressions and have been told I have a rather pleasant laugh, which I combined to create a challenge for my self last year in which I posted “100 Ways to Laugh” to my social media within 100 days. I am quite proud of that accomplishment. I also portray Santa Claus during the holiday season and have been told I’m “The best Santa” as I put effort both into my appearance as well as my voice and staying in character. I put a lot of work/research into developing characters and voices.
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.
I’ve found many who aren’t in a creative line of work, especially family members, don’t understand what sporadic income is or why we choose this over a regular 9 to 5 job. My brother constantly brags about how much he makes and having come from a job with a steady paycheck, I know what it was like. But I also know that it was not fulfilling me intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually. I was constantly drained and hated being there. While this industry tends to be periods of feast of famine, you learn to pace yourself, saving up as much as you can during the feast period so that the famine isn’t so bad. That said, sometimes the feast periods aren’t enough to cover the famine periods and sometimes you need to ask for help. That’s not very fun, and people outside the industry frown upon it because they don’t understand. There’s also those who ask “why can’t you just get a normal 9 to 5 job and do your creative thing on the side?” And they ask that because they don’t understand that this isn’t a hobby, it isn’t a side gig. Having any other job will take time away from auditions, classes, networking, etc. and make one less available to do what we love. This is our chosen career. It may not pay off right away, it may not pay off at all, but just being here, and doing it little by little, I wouldn’t give it up for all the money but none of the satisfaction.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Simply put, pay people, and pay them well. If creatives have to take side jobs to pay the bills, that’s less time they have to create and the less art that is in the world. Too many people under pay or don’t pay at all for creative endeavors. That’s why whenever some one asks me to put in some creative work, whether it’s a custom answering machine message or a visit from Santa, I always give them my rate. Exposure, copy, credit, meals, and gratefulness are all things that do not pay bills. We as a society need to shift from the line of thinking that creative pursuits aren’t real jobs. No one asks a plumber to fix their sink for “exposure”. No one quotes a super low ball amount to their accountant. They pay what those professionals charge. Artists and creatives need to charge what they are worth and society needs to expect to pay for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://adamrsartain.wix.com/adamsartain
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sooperadam
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/adamrsartain
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-sartain-a7387a28/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sooperadam
- Other: Linktree – https://linktr.ee/sooperadam TikTok – @sooperadam