Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Rhyder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I started acting when I was very young, I think I signed with my first agent when I was around 10. I was lucky because I’m a Los Angels native so the opportunities to professionally act were very real and felt tangible. I didn’t have to wait until I was older and move away from my home and family to pursue my dreams for which I’ve always been very grateful. The summer before I got signed, I would watch old reruns of the TV show “Alice” and the theme song just stuck with me. “There’s a new girl in town, and she’s looking good! A fresh freckled face (which I had a lot of) in the neighborhood.” I would sing it to myself in the bathroom mirror, the same way I would lip synch to the Go’s-Go’s “We got the Beat”. I was a painfully shy kid; however, I still had this overwhelming desire to perform. One day I couldn’t contain myself, and I remember this vividly, I ran down the hall into my parent’s room, I was probably 8 at the time, and I threw open their door and just busted out the entire Alice theme song. I remember them pausing with surprise, and my pop looked at my mom and asked, “Did you know he had it in him?”. That was it, I started campaigning for an agent and eventually they gave in. It goes to show you, no matter how shy or insecure or whatever, when the bug bites you it’s over! So that was essentially the beginning of this now lifelong creative journey.
Daniel, 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?
I felt the acting bug very early in life and although I was a very shy kid I was still called to perform. After much insistence, my parents caved, and I was signed to my first agent. I started out doing local community theater as a training ground and then got into background work for film and television. This was incredible on the job training. I learned about hitting your mark, understanding lighting, and many other technical aspects of film making without being the lead with all of the performance pressure on my shoulders. I still consider it such a blessing and valuable learning experience. Being on sets just felt right and I enjoyed watching people I had watched on TV working right next to me in a scene with me! I continued studying throughout high school and in my early 20’s I met my acting coach, Caren Adorni, who would change the entire trajectory of my creative process. She teaches the Stanislavsky method of acting, and her approach spoke to me in a way that no other coaches had. I was lucky enough to always have some form of representation and I booked my first recuring character on MTV’s scripted drama “Undressed”. It was a series that was groundbreaking in its story telling of the LGBTQ+ community which I not only support but am proud member. I have been fortunate enough to continue to work in the industry for more than two decades and am excited about the future. I am naturally creative, so when I’m inspired, I can’t shake the fire inside me to bring it to life. Out of those moments I started writing, producing and performing music video parodies which has been such a fun creative outlet. During the Pandemic things got very challenging for everyone, and our industry had to pivot like all others. At home self-tape auditions became common place, so I had the opportunity to learn new skills: lighting, camera angles, editing, etc. Having a production company has always been a dream and although the music videos have been a blast and (hopefully) have put smiles on people’s faces, I definitely want to expand my reach and create projects with social meaning and relevance with focus on mental health and LGBTQ+ stories as a personal passion. I am in pre-production on a short proof of concept film I wrote and will be starring in that we plan on filming at the first of the year. It is set in New Orleans, LA a place that my partner and I called home during much of the pandemic and where I came up with the idea for the story. “Eye of the Storm” is set mid pandemic and focuses on social isolation, mental health repercussions, the need for human contact and all the things that come from being alone (and horny…LOL!). My mission statement for my production company Heart Rock Entertainment is to tell LGBTQ+ stories in an uplifting, thought provoking, positive light showcasing talent of all ages and backgrounds from the community as well as our allies. I also enjoy writing literature, I’ve co-written and illustrated a comic strip style book called “You Know You’re In Love When…” which is available on Amazon and I’m currently pitching a children’s book about our rescue dog Dixie Rose…coming soon! When I’m not pursuing my creative endeavors, I love spending time with my partner Chris and Dixie, of course. We discovered on our first date that our birthdays are a day apart so for the better part of 20 years we have had a joint “Wig Out” birthday party, which is always a blast. He is originally from New Orleans and I’m from Los Angeles so during the pandemic we made the decision to spend three months there which turned into three years and now we are happy residents of both fine cities where we can work in our creative fields. Silver linings amidst the chaos for sure!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think that anyone who decides to or is called to a career in a creative field faces challenges and obstacles that maybe others won’t have. I always use the example that there isn’t really a formula for success as an actor/writer/singer /creator. Some paths have an A-B-C formula that potentially set you up for success, whereas being a creative you could train at the best schools, with the best of intentions and still take years to see the rewards of your hard work. To continue on that path knowing this and still do it I believe is super commendable and worthy of the utmost respect. I was lucky enough to have a random conversation with a successful A list actor when I was working at one of my many day jobs and he basically said that if you work hard, keep it up, eventually it will pay off. I have held that conversation with me in my times of struggle and share it with anyone who will listen that might be going through a rough time as well. Keep on keepin’ on!
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I like to fancy myself a reader and I’m always trying to improve my professional skills, relationships, personal development, etc. Lately I’ve been reading a book called Atomic Thoughts by James Clear and it’s basically about small changes having big impacts on your life over time. And of course, The Secret, anything by Esther Hicks and Wayne Dyer have been great motivators for my own self-improvement. “Save the Cat ” has been an amazing resource for my screenwriting and all of the books I can get my hands on by Constatine Stanislavsky help to refresh my acting craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danielrhyder.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielrhyder/
- Facebook: @danielrhyder
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OneOrientation
- Other: amazon.com : https://www.amazon.com/You-Know-Youre-Love-When/dp/1419687654/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17WS5MTYRSXWZ&keywords=daniel+rhyder&qid=1689965768&sprefix=daniel+rhyd%2Caps%2C285&sr=8-1
Image Credits
headshot : DEIDHRA FAHEY