We were lucky to catch up with DEMETREUS MOORER-SAUNDERS recently and have shared our conversation below.
DEMETREUS, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I had first considered theatre and acting in college. I went to Adrian college in MI right after graduating in 2010. I first entered school to study architecture which shortly changed to interior design. But after having a friend of mine ask me to do a short play, I started to be intrigued by it more. I was still living in the stigma of being an athlete due to being recruited for football. After talking with my friend and doing a couple more plays I fell in love with acting. I still enjoyed interior design but the creativity seemed to be too mundane after awhile so I switched to Theatre and Business. Unfortunately I didn’t finish school but that never stopped me from the pursuit. And had my son in 2015 so I worked at about 5 different jobs while still trying to do acting on the side, I really didn’t know where to start. But around 2018 I really decided that I would do this full force along with being an independent contractor in entertainment and shopping. My career really started to climb more when I moved back to Columbus in 2019.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been in the entertainment industry for over 12 years currently beginning my training in 2010 and being a professional for the last 7 years.. If I didn’t choose acting as my career, I would feel like something was missing. I’ve had the opportunity to do all things that’s come with entertainment, from hosting and dancing to being featured in commercials and films. Which also lead to me cohosting my current Podcast named Smoothlies where we talk about mental health and celebrate people’s journies through life and the challenges they’ve overcome.
Before going to college, I always thought I would play football or become an architect but that all changed after I experienced finding myself through theatre. Being in a space where everyone was accepted really allowed me to figure out who I was and wanted to be. I would say picking entertainment as a career is definitely a risky choice but I’ve always been one to overcome obstacles. Once I started acting, I always felt it in my soul that this is what I was supposed to do.
Working multiple jobs and having people I’ve helped at kohl’s come in and think that I was a model or some man shopping only to find out I was the shoe associate, gave me the idea to just have faith and follow what I always wanted to do. I always had a hard time just choosing one place to work at and with acting I get to portray multiple life’s.
I also believe having those experiences in life whether it was homelessness or trying to coparent while still finding your way in a new city, gave me the lessons I needed to also become a successful actor. Life imitates art and vise versa. We love and like watching the characters we see in film or theatre because they make us feel something that’s already inside us or shows us a different pov of the world. I chose to become an actor because I wanted to see more people who looked like me on TV or even in theatre. That’s also the other reason I’ve been committed to keeping my locs in my hair. I wanted to show who I am and my capabilities regardless of looks. I love to bring the characters I play to life through my own life experiences and the many people I’ve had the pleasure to see or conversate with. Also with having anxiety and recently being considered to be on the autistic spectrum, I find a sense of relief following my passion to act. I always tell people it took a long time for me to get comfortable with compliments from others. I’ve always been the type of person that if I’m doing a good job that’s just the way it should be no need to praise me, or if I’ve helped someone I didn’t need to express it to everyone because that’s just how things should be. So with entertainment I am the same way, I just want to do my best and let you lose yourself in the moment while your imagination takes you to a world outside of yourself.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was shaped around the word help. After having my son in 2015 and going through a breakup along with being in a town where I didn’t know anyone in due to leaving college, I got into a habit of just figuring out things myself. Looking back I learned I was in a functional depression state. I didn’t really talk about my feelings, I had child that I felt was more important than worrying about myself, was working 3 different jobs, kohl’s, family video, and a tent renting service along with trying to have some form of social life with my acting dream still hovering over me like a plane I couldn’t catch. Slowly drowning financially I found myself on the verge of homelessness with losing an apartment. Somehow I met a person who needed a roommate so things worked out. During the next couple years I had been going through car troubles and relationship problems which also lead me to looking for a home again in which a friend helped me once again. But after that I came home from my families wishes, during that time I started to meet people who also became good friends that were so willing to help. After awhile I started to think about how stubborn I was and how many people I really had in my corner that wanted me to succeed that I finally started to reach out. I had to unlearn that I had to do it myself, I always had the thought that these were my responsibilities and that I didn’t want to burden others. That lead me down a path that if I didn’t have help things would be different. I had to unlearn the habits of the bad ideals of what it meant to be an adult and man. I had to unlearn that it’s that it’s not shameful to say that you need help or to ask friends and family in which I had to learn that I wasn’t alone.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think non-creatives will struggle to understand the mental pressure that creative can have. In a space where few can be successful while others gravitate towards creativity being more of a side gig or relief from life, I feel that some may not truly understand the will power of what it means to put yourself out there for the world to see. In my experience I lean more towards the creatives who aren’t looking for the gratification of being seen but accepting it through the love of creativity. It’s hard to show the world you due to comparisons, critiques, or even wondering if you’re good enough. For awhile I suffered from imposter syndrome, I never thought I was good enough even with people praising me. We compare ourselves to others success until I realized to celebrate all victories. While knowing that a lot of times for creatives there’s no residuals, usually just buyouts. I may work a job that I model for a photo and about time you seen the photo on TV or online, the check has already went to bills and its on to the next thing. To be creative takes passion, dedication, and tough skin at times. In my field of creativity, you may be up against hundreds to thousands of others that look like you or may not all going for the same role. You have to learn to accept not hearing no or yes. It can be difficult and discouraging but to be creative you have to continue to have faith in yourself even if others don’t see it. Every day can be a lesson in creativity and with that faith when the opportunity arises you will be in the best shape to take advantage of it. But with all this being said it can still take a toll on you mentally to wonder why not me, or am I wasting my time. Some make think it’s an easy pathway from what the internet portrays it to be but if you read most backstories you’ll hear about years of dedication to their craft before they hit that turning point.
Contact Info:
- Website: Demetreus Moorer-Saunders – Heyman Talent https://www.heymantalent.com/t/demetreus-moorer-saunders and https://www.backstage.com/u/Dmoorer-saunders/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dm.saunders?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SMOOTHLIES
- Other: https://instagram.com/smoothlies_?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Image Credits
Jay Monet John Fleischmann