Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Herbert Morales. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Herbert thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I always loved watching movies at home or going to the movie theatre & then coming home going on Youtube watching BTS of how that movie was made (I still do that till this day). I grew up watching movies like Zorro, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective & Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Happy Gilmore & Batman with Michael Keaton Jack Nicholson. I was always intrigued by the filmmaking process but never in a million years thought I would be an actor. I went to college & instantly knew that was not the route for me. Aside from the great people I met there, which I still keep in touch with, I felt trapped in there because even though I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there. People typically say, “You find yourself in college & lose yourself in the real world” but for me it was the complete opposite. I lost myself in the school system & found who I was & what I wanted to do in the real world. After leaving school, I got an internship in Hollywood working for a clothing company where I got to meet/ network with a lot of really cool people, celebrities, influencers etc. After that I started working a Tillys, at an airport, & countless warehouse jobs. I realized that the fastest way to find what I wanted to do in life was to work jobs I hated because those experiences forced me to think more creatively of what it was I actually wanted to do with my life. I’ve always been good at imitating people/family members. So I started making comedy videos on snapchat where I would impersonate celebrities like Manny Pacquiao, 50 Cent, Shrek, Daddy Yankee & the list goes on. I would send those videos to me dad & he always laughed & said I had some talent but I never really thought anything of it, I just made those videos for fun. One day, my dad I where watching the movie “Transformers” & he just looked at me & said, “Why don’t you started acting?” I sort looked at him confused like, “What do you mean?” Because I always assumed to be an actor, only people who had family members or friends in the industry could be actors so it seemed far fetched to me. My dad looked at me & said, “Open up your laptop & look up acting classes.” Before I did that, I went on Youtube & typed in “audition tapes” & the first one that popped up was the little boy from the movie E.T’s audition tape. Watching his performance made me cry & when the director yelled, “CUT……. Alright kid you got the job” & the little boy switched from crying to all of a sudden smiling at the camera, it amazed me how somebody can do that & that’s when I instantly knew, if he made me feel this way, I want to make people feel a certain way by watching my performance.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started taking acting classes & slowly worked my way up. I started as a PA on set (Production Assistant) running around getting breakfast for the cast, getting people’s coffee, orange juice etc. I worked as a key grip in charge of the camera equipment & worked on lighting the sets. Finally I worked my way up working as an BACKGROUND WORK known as being an EXTRA on numerous jobs doing student films, short films, web series, music videos, & commercials. Then I booked a few web series roles, student films where I had a character to play in which I had speaking roles. Then I booked my first big commercial which aired on TV but what I realized when it was my turn to be in front of the camera was that all those jobs I had worked behind the camera prepared me to be in front of the camera. When I was in front of the camera, I knew what everyone behind the camera was doing because I already worked behind the camera, it made me much more comfortable in front of the camera. Mind you, I was driving from Victorville, CA to Los Angeles which sometimes took me 2.5 hours with traffic most of the times getting paid NOTHING but I wasn’t doing it for the money, I was going there to LEARN & to meet people because I knew that if I kept my focus, discipline, persistence, consistency & faith, I knew sooner or later my time would come….. And that’s exactly what’s happening. I’ve been blessed to have BOOKED big commercials for the NFL, USPS, T-Mobile Super Bowl, KFC, Oakley, Redbox. I have also been blessed to work with Ben Affleck & an amazing cast & crew on a movie called, “The Way Back” & now doing television shows. My first show I ever did was a show called “VIDA” on Starz Network. I was on a NETFLIX show called, “On My Block” for two season & most recently, I on was on the last season of the hit tv show called “Mayans M.C” & I have a new procedural tv show I just filmed coming out soon for Amazon Prime called, “On Call”.
With everything I’ve accomplished so far, I’m proud but never satisfied & will continue pushing forward to achieve my dreams on a high level. I’ve also have my hand in real estate where I have created my on Film & Photo Ranch Studio on 10 acres called, “Dreamers Ranch” along with my parents where we have a real life airplane cockpit, 2 airplane wings, turbines, vintage car, boat, chapel area, shipping containers, porch area & other props we’re working on getting on the property where rent out our property to filmmakers so they can film their movies, shows, commercials, music videos, etc. I love acting but it’s not the only thing I want to do with my life. Aside from acting, I love investing in real estate & will continue to do that as well as working on my clothing brand I have called “Not From This World” & will continue to seek out whatever else the universe may bring my way.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Yes, my “WHY” is to always live my life to my highest potential so when it’s all said and done, I can say I gave it my all, inspired young adults & adults to go for their dreams, make my family proud & ultimately prepare myself now in my 20’s in every aspect of my life, mentally, physically, financially, spiritually & emotionally so when I have kids, they can be proud of their dad while I guide them through life. My biggest goal in my career is to be a well rounded individual/actor being able to do drama, comedy, action, voice over etc. One of my biggest dreams is to be the voice/voices of characters for Disney, DreamWorks or Pixar. I’ve already auditioned for those type of roles numerous times so I know it’s only a matter a time before my dream comes true. I’ve always been infatuated with voice over work since a little kid. I remember the first movie I ever saw in theaters was “Tarzan” so that may be the reason why I love going to Disneyland so much Haha
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I’ve read countless of books that have helped me on my acting journey but what I’ve found that has helped me the most is working on my personal development & having excellent habits. Keeping my word to myself. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it regardless of how I feel. If I feel great, I get it done, If I don’t feel like doing something, I get it done anyways & that’s discipline over motivation. You’re not going to always feel motivated to do the tasks you need to do but your disciple & keeping your word to yourself is what creates the confidence in yourself over time. I’m big on the power of the mind, manifesting & visualization. My day basically starts with my night time routing. I read over all my goals in the present tense as if I’ve already accomplished them, then I’ll go to my vision board where I have pictures printed out of what I desire (because I’m a visual learner), then I’ll go into my breathing exercises for 1o minutes & coming out of that, my eyes remain closed & I’ll get into the FEELING of already accomplishing my goals where I experience those feelings which helps me to not chase what I desire but ATTRACT what I desire into my life much quicker. That always me to put that ACTION needed everyday to achieve all my dreams. Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity so you always have to be ready so when your time comes, you’ll already be ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://giggster.com/listing/10-acre-film-photo-ranch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbertmorales_/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxo9lE2RVDbH64U5ELCPCg
Image Credits
Image Credits: Matt Kallish