We were lucky to catch up with Akeem Mair recently and have shared our conversation below.
Akeem, appreciate you joining us today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?
Yes I’ve been blessed to have two incredible hardworking agents who have beautiful spirits that I love dearly. My commercial agent , Sarah Angeli, who I signed with on September 27, 2019 at Commercial Talent Agency. And my theatrical agent, Mariko Ballentine, who I signed with at Minc Talent on October 6, 2021.
These two amazing women have changed my life. How I met Sarah was a funny one. You see before I met her I was involved in a viral episode of “Speak the Lyrics” on the Ellen DeGeneres show. It happened by chance as I was shopping at Barnes and Nobles in Burbank when I was approached by one of Ellen’s writers, Lauren Pomerantz. She came up to me speaking in Taylor Swift’s lyrics to the song “Me.” I mistaken it as she was flirting with me and it turn into a very comical moment that was captured by various cameras set up in the store.
The episode had over 6 million views on Instagram and Sarah, who I submitted an email requesting a meeting with her a week ago, happen to see it and granted me an interview. When I walked into her office on September 25th she had the Ellen Show episode I was In already prompt up on her computer. She was like, “hi Akeem, is this you??”
Why she signed me? Because we bonded over 2pac haha. We both were fans of hip hop, our meeting had little to do with acting but getting to know each other and our backgrounds. She sent me in the hallway to practice a Buttersfinger commercial piece. I came back in her office and performed it, the rest was history.
How I met Mariko was being at the right place at the right time. I met her through Judy Kain. Judy has an acting school called, “Keep it Real Acting Studios,” and I took her class called the “Theatrical Process.” At the end of her 4 week class, every actor has a chance to audition in front of casting directors and agents in the industry. Mariko loved my raw energy and my personality.
After the class she emailed me and requested my actor’s access. Oh boy my resume was a mess haha. She took one look at it and was like this is unacceptable I’m gonna help you fix it. We both went through it and she helped me correct it and formatted so it look professional. She was really a guardian angel to me.
She gave me homework to do haha. New headshots and creating a better demo reel. After completing each task, she welcomed me with open arms. I am truly blessed to be signed by Mariko. She signed me because I was a go getter and completed tasks she assigned me very quickly without procrastination.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
To be honest with you, I’ve never envisioned myself being on the big screen. I’ve always dreamt about a financial banker. Where did that love come from? I blame Micheal Douglas haha. I remember watching this movie called “The Game,” and I was hooked! I wanted the 2000 BMW 740 i, the custom expensive suits, the excitement of the stock exchange office, and the personal maid that lives at my house and takes care of my personal needs. Plus math has always been my favorite subject and I was that kind of kid who carried a calculator like people carry smart phones so the job seem like it was my destiny. But one day that all changed while I was working at the Ralph’s grocery store in Pasadena on Lake and Walnut.
A loyal customer of the store end up changing my life forever. At the time I was a cashier when I caught the customer I knew quite well coming into my line with her head towards her shopping basket. I knew something was bothering her so I wanted to cheer up her with my positive energy. I said with excitement, “hi it’s so good to see you again, I hope you found everything you were looking for?” She said softly, “yes thank you!” I said, “usually I see you happy but whatever you’re going through I know God will guide you through it!” “ He’ll never give you more than you can handle!” After we finished I said, “have a bless day, I hope to see you again!!” She just froze for a few seconds and then looked up at me for the first time and i could see her eyes filled with tears.
She said, “Are you an actor?” I said, “No, why do you ask?” She said, “Because you have this big positive energy. You move people by it. You lifted my spirits after I just lost my home in a foreclosure. ” Her words stunned me. Through out my whole shift her words repeatedly kept playing in my head. After my shift, I went home and wondered, what would be like to be a successful Actor? I thought about how I’ll be able to help my family and how I can infect the whole world with my positive energy! That same night I searched ‘how to become an actor’ and it lead to me Central Casting. The next day I signed up and the rest is history.
what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.
The problems I solve for my clients is simple, give them exactly what they are looking for so they won’t waste any more time sitting through other auditions and they can go home to their families. That means being prepared by memorizing my lines, knowing the character, dressing the part, and being on time. I bring my energy and improvisational skills to all the characters I play. I do my best to make it so hard to say no to. I am organized, you can’t google me and not find my work or resume. Make everything simple and easy.
What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
I am most proud of all the accomplishments I’ve been able to do with my brother Wesley Mair. He has truly helped me secure roles that required a partner. We have so much fun together and our chemistry is amazing! It’s a reason why we’ve be able to book so much which is truly a blessing. Check out our Ad Council commercial and you can get a feel for the bond we have.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Started out years ago, I wish I was able to let go of my ego and really took acting classes and finding mentors more seriously. What helped me the most is picking a mentor and taking all the lessons he or she has to offer from their school. I made a great shift in my acting career by going back to coach I started with when I wanted to get out of his classroom so bad, Mike Pointer. I hit a brick wall in my career and felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. I came crawling back to his school, “Hey I Saw Your Commercial!”
I felt like the heavens was opening up because out of 20 potential students who were suppose to show up to his free class, I was the only one. He was just about to close his doors when I stopped him. He was able to give me a free private lesson for a full hour. If other people had been there then I probably would had like 10 minutes or less. I said, “coach Mike I don’t know what I should do I’m so lost in my career and it’s headed for a dead end.” He said, “don’t worry about nothing, empty your mind and take my class June 3rd. That’s all you need to do.” I felt the shift there, stop trying to do this on your own and get help.
Coach Mike helped me fix up my resume, guide me away from pitfalls in the entertainment industry, provided professional headshots, you name it he had it. From there I went to LA Acting Studios with David Rountree. These guys are excellent mentors you need to know and go see
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Every actor or actress who wants to win in this industry must learn to be resilient! You are going to be told no more than you get the job. You’re going to hear, “wow you did a great job we’ll call you.” And you never hear anything back from them. You’re going to submit to a lot of projects you would love to do but then you don’t get any auditions from them. You’re going to feel like you’ve been doing this for years and feel like you’ve gone no where. In the beginning, you might get scammed out of your money because you trusted a con business that sells you a dream of helping you get the careers like the actors you admire only for them to take your money.
Yup it happened to me when they have you waiting in a big white room with so many people and then call you up one by one to see how serious you are about being an actor. Those who seem uninterested they kick them out and con the rest. You’re going to feel like no agents want you because they keep denying your submissions that lack legit credits. You’re going to spend so much money trying to make it then how much you make from the projects you’ve booked. You’re going to hear from family and friends how this might not be the career for you because I see nothing. If you can beat all of that, you’re going to make it. You just have to be resilient!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5866599/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akeemmair/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Akeem.Mair.Actor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akeemmair
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/akeemmair?lang=en
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/AkeemMair
- Other: My Actor Accounts: https://cni.lacasting.com/talent/profile/832319 https://www.backstage.com/u/Akeemmair/ https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/Akeemmair https://talent.castingfrontier.com/akeem-mair https://www.castittalent.com/AKEEMMAIR https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/383dc2ca-ceeb-11eb-b081-335789d7d844 https://wikitia.com/wiki/Akeem_Mair
Image Credits
Greg Doherty