We recently connected with Drew Newman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Back in 2021 I was filming an award winning short film called “Blackout” while simultaneously going through a break up. So everything that comes with a break up was happening, having to move out with no where to go, the back and forth, all of that. So yes that means while I’m on set, these were things I was dealing with, where are me and my daughter going to go, can I make this acting thing work faster? So as the months go on I ended up staying with my auntie, it was there that I decided this is what I want to do! I prayed about it and a week later I got an email from Discovery Spotlight. It was at this time where the challenges picked up. I have my little girl, we on my auntie couch, my job does not pay well enough to get us off this couch no time soon, I’m still in the back and forth with my ex. I did my audition and my family was pretty supportive. I pasted my audition and was invited to Myrtle Beach, so then the question became how? Shoutout to my little brother Lee, if it was not for my brother, I wouldn’t have made it. On my end of things they ended over time at my job but God said I can go and I worked overtime from the time I was invited to the day before I left. The day before I left is when they told me I worked to much overtime, I worked it for 3 months. I worked ended overtime for 3 months, that was God! But while I’m that 3 months everyone wanted me to put down acting, not go, use my money to do practical things I’m not saying it wasn’t. They wanted me to focus on my job, get a hire position, do all these things that are nothing wrong with. It wasn’t for me! So the what if I fail I would have done it for nothing, it’s a 1 in a million chance I make I might as well stay at a job I’m good. They ain’t know God said I can go, and go I did. I made it, I was signed, I came back had to move to my grandmothers house and keep in pursuit of my dream. I lost a lot during that time but always made sure I was doing things to keep pursuit of my dreams. After I got fired from my job, that came with a lot! No one was calling me back, I didn’t have a car, and now we are at the threat of “If you don’t put down this acting and get a real job you gone have to find somewhere else to stay!” I actually doubled down on my commitment to my dream and that’s when Absence of Innocence came out on Tubi and has pretty much changed a lot of things for me. I got out of granny house, I have my own now, I’m currently doing 3 tv shows and I am the official 810 Fashion Show host and you can catch me hosting the 810 Day Fashion Show on 810 Day, this August 10 2023! Im also nominated for Best Actor 2023 at the 5th annual FliCity Awards. I’m available for hire to host events reach out to get pricing on Tik Tok on IG both handles are: TheAlphaDrew Throughout the course of a lot of things going wrong, I ran the risk of continuing to follow me goals when it looked like I should have done something else. I relied on God, and to get where I want to go I had to wait a little longer. I am humbled truly to be here. To experience the joys after the rain, but also having faith that the rain would stop. Once I let go and started to have faith the ran would stop, it was right on time for everything to fall in place. I encourage everyone, especially if it’s the thing that keeps you up at night, makes you shed a tear thinking about it, no matter what it looks like today for you, keep going anyway!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

It started for me in 2012 at Good Beans Cafe, open mic night. I stated to get good at poetry and started performing more and I eventually started getting invited to go places and go on tours and compete in poetry slams. That run last from 2012-2016 where I then started personal training. I did that from 2016 to 2018. The connections that I made during that time landed me a roll in a stage play called “Clique”. Which then got me a short roll in a short film called “The Conduit” which then lead to the award winning short film “Blackout” which lead to being told about a casting call for a movie called “Absence of Innocence” and that is how I got here!

I do provide services. I’m available for hire as an actor, host, director and writer. Personal training will becoming back soon, one of these has to get me out the 9-5 so I can lol. Contact me on Tik Tok or IG: TheAlphaDrew and let me know what service you are looking for and we will go over contract from there.

I’m most proud of being able to pursue this dream with my circle. It’s not just me it’s my team and I am just as much on their team as they are on mine. We are all working for greatness and it is a pleasure to work alongside/ be supported by them. S/O my princess Arie, Sunshiine, Brandon, Kelso, Lo, My Dad, Adriana Lanice, Lex, all my COUSIIIIIIIINSSSS! They know lol, we all shaking and moving and that’s what makes me proud!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing society can do is show up. Encourage all these artist and creatives to keep going, share post, show up. I believe with proper support and collaboration we could all help each other. It doesn’t always have to be monetary support but a simple free share on social media could put our work in front of the people who will monetarily support the arts. That allows creatives to get access to more equipment to perfect their craft. When we show up for our artist, when we make each other a big deal we become big deals! Flint MI has THE GREATEST artist on all fronts in the world! Quote me, we definitely been proving it! As long as we as artist continue to collaborate and support as Flint has been doing, bring more positivity to the city, the creative ecosystem will continue to thrive.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Absolutely! I just dove right in, I did very minimal research because I knew I could do it and then I did it and I had been on the sink or swim method for a time. I encourage any and everyone, I know this gone sound silly but literally, Goggle it! YouTube it! Write it down, create ideas, and you can look up how to structure things. For a long time I just didn’t and I don’t know why. There are also a lot of talent people who with no prior knowledge or training can just do things and are perfect at them, I see it all the time. YouTube and Google though are two resources I knew about that I underused, I feel a lot of us under use them but now I use them for everything and if you follow along the recipe, it will all start to come together.      

Contact Info:

• Instagram: TheAlphaDrew
• Facebook: Kal-El Drew Newman
• Twitter: AlphaDrew
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@alphadrewnewman9023
• TikTok: TheAlphaDrew

Image Credits
1st pic Bau-Hōuse