Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eddie Martinez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Eddie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.
For many years, I had this inner voice within talking to me. Me thinking about my purpose, and my reason for being on this earth. A feeling that there are more people and organizations out there for me to have a positive impact on and to share wonderful stories and experiences with. More than just the everyday norm of go to school, study hard, and work in the field you studied. Sure, that is what many consider to be succesful, and that’s to be celebrated for sure. But, there’s 24 hours in a day, and I’m trying to leave it all out ‘on the field’. There’s no ‘do-overs ‘ in life, so why not try do as much as we can to leave a mark. That also comes with taking risks at times, and seizing opportunities when they arise. Always evaluate and calculate the risk for the pros and cons, and the rewards it can possibly bring in the short or long term. There are no quick wins. And there also will be losses to learn from. The faster you learn from those losses, the more wins you can be sure to achieve. Brush yourself off when you take those L’s, and fail forward to success.
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.
As kids growing up in a diverse neighborhood in South Queens NY, me and my best friends used to pretend to be professional wrestlers. Pretending, riding our BMX bikes, and playing video games kept us out of trouble. We didn’t need much to have fun and keep us busy. Then as teens we DJ’d house parties in our neighborhood. But it wasn’t until later in my life that becoming a voiceover talent and actor was remotely something possible. I didn’t know anything about the industry. I loved public speaking and volunteered at a local radio program. But where would I even start learning about professional voiceover and acting? The fear was not of failure, it was of the unknown. But when you have a big enough dream, you must trust yourself and go all-in, and then seek out coaches, mentors, and your fellow tribe, who will support, teach, and advocate for you. Most are not family members and will be complete strangers that you meet along the journey. My mentors and tribe is what helped me lean further into the craft. I had early success booking voiceover gigs, but after speaking with several OG’s and fellow artists in the TV/ film production industry, it helped me realize there was more to my artistic passions and set me on my journey into acting. With the help of my tribe and mentors, I was able to train, learn about the industry, and had early success booking roles in several indies, which eventually led to signing with agents and also landing a role in my first SAG feature film.
One key aspect throughout the journey, and something that I believe is most important for someone to attain their dreams, is having an unrelenting tenacity to work hard and never give up. I truly feel if you have a passion and purpose, then there is no limit to the number of hours you should invest into becoming your best self. Don’t do it for fame or to try to measure up to someone else’s success. That will certainly create resentment and frustrate anyone during the ups and downs of the craft. I surely remind myself constantly that I belong, I am enough, and that anything that is meant for me in life will not pass me by. It’s truly me versus me. Manifesting your dreams comes with experiencing all the journey has to offer, which comes with good and bad times, wins and losses. Celebrate the good experiences and learn from the bad ones. Just know your purpose awaits and the path is full of new relationships and collaborations. Embrace it and always be your authentic self.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Sharing a story of resilience is a reflective process for me, yet also a bit numbing. The journey for many of us started with parents or grandparents who migrated to the United States, with little or lack of resources to survive. They were forced to work blue collar and low wage jobs to pay the bills, and my generation were known as ‘latch-key kids’, with little or no opportunities to express ourselves and engage in other extracurricular activities that were not related to church. My generation was constantly told to ‘study and work hard’. And that is what I did, as I found it to be the only ‘way out’ and a means to provide for my future. I also saw others go to jail or die at a young age, so what other options were there besides entering the military. However, it was not without the many challenges and experiences of growing up in the ‘hood’. While growing up in a diverse NYC neighborhood was a great experience to learn how to live around others unlike you and appreciate their differences, it did come with bumps and bruises along the way. Yes, I’ve been robbed at gun point for not being more careful and ‘street smart’. Yes, my car was broken into and robbed. Yes, I was jumped by a group of boys for being in the wrong neighborhood. Yes, I experienced and survived domestic abuse. Yes, I’ve been profiled by police officers. And all through these experiences, I ‘bounced back’. I was ‘resilient’. But something was still lacking. I was not ‘okay’. There was also a lack of mentors and leaders to go to that look like me, which made it difficult to learn about, understand, and cope with these everyday challenges and life experiences. Therapy? What was that? Mental health advocacy was not a ‘thing’ to talk about openly. Going to church was our therapy. Even after experiencing some very traumatic and painful events, you prayed on it, not talked to a psychological professional about it. I call this the collateral damage we were forced to push way back in our memory bank after time elapsed, which then starts to reveal itself in other ways and through our relationships with others. You unfortunately must hit a wall in life that you feel is so difficult to cope with that hopefully it is then that you realize that you should seek professional help, or tailspin into self-destructive behavior, and possibly depression and anxiety. My first instance of awareness that something was wrong was a panic attack, after which came the flight reaction. Flight was a temporary fix. It did not solve the underlying issues, and then more of the same patterns followed down the road. Until a death in the family, that finally forced me to reflect on the impact it had in my life and on my persona. This required a total commitment to finding myself, WITH professional help, and moving forward with a renewed purpose, and a renewed passion and tenacity, to live a better, happier, and healthier life, both physically and mentally, for me and for those around me that I could positively impact while on this earth. And I couldn’t do this without a constant belief that my God and Lord Jesus will carry me and those I care about through anything. Life has since been one adventure after another that I approach with more positivity, more patience, and more emotional intelligence of what others may be dealing with, and know in the end that all outcomes are God’s timing. I’m totally good with that.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My purpose and mission is to inspire and help others achieve their best self, and to help attain their dreams if it is possible. Whether creative, professional, or personal, I am proof that it is never too late to go after your dreams. As long as you believe in God’s will, invest in yourself, respect others, and work hard, then you will get to your goals in life. There are no limits to what can be achieved. Believe it, work hard at it, and then watch it manifest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.voiceofeddie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatvoiceofeddie/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/voiceofeddie/