Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ransford Doherty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ransford, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Have I been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work? Yes.

However, the question is, what is the creative work that keeps the roof over my head, food on the table, and bills paid?
For starters, it’s works, not work, that takes care of my necessities. What I mean by works is, I am an actor, a high school Special Education teacher, a motivational speaker, an author, a director, and a producer.

Secondly, just trying to get each of these creative works, dealing with the ebb and flow of consistency, and maintaining them has always been a challenge despite my success, but you need to have a purpose that keeps you going on this very long journey.

On the set of The Closer, Phillip P. Keene, a mentor, and series regular, who played the role of Buzz Watson on the show, told me, “When it comes to this business, if you sit at the table long enough, they’re going to have to feed you!” Unfortunately, when artists come to Hollywood to pursue a career in film and television, which is ‘the table’, they arrive with a huge appetite, at least that was the case for me. In May of 1998, when I arrived in Tinseltown from the East Coast, I was starving for fame and fortune and soon learned that mindset is not only not healthy and not sustainable, but it also made me wreak of desperation which I couldn’t hide, especially in auditions. Not to mention, it either pushed people away or attracted a host of people who were willing and had no problem taking my money and wasting my time. As cliché as it may sound, if you are going to pursue a career in this field, you must do it for the love of the craft and not the money. That was one of the first of many tiny, yet nutritious morsels that continues to keep my hunger at bay! It also led me to ask myself a game-changing question that I ask many beginning actors and wish someone asked me before I started the acting business: “Would you rather have a great life or a great acting career?” And you can’t pick both!
That question and my answer was the major milestone that impacted the necessary steps I would take for the next 25 years because as soon as I made the choice (my answer) to have a great life over a great career, I was then able to make my acting career a complement to my life, not the focus of it which opened a host of opportunities like teaching, motivational speaking, writing, directing and producing. Now it didn’t necessarily speed things up, but it did take the pressure off, made me relax and my time “at the table” a lot more manageable. Life became fun again, not glamorous, but fun. It also removed the end date on when I had to ‘make it’ on TV or in a film. If I had to wait 20 years to get on TV, so be it. It just so happened to take 2 years and it hasn’t stopped, but again, I whole-heartedly was willing to wait 20 years.
So, what does a great life consist of? I’m not fit enough to answer that, only you because you are the one who must live this great life you desire, and no one can do that for you. For me, a great life consists of sticking to the deal I made with myself by giving my all to achieve everything that I wrote down on my goal list before moving out to Hollywood. What does that mean? If I wrote on my goal list, ‘stay fit’, I went to the gym and worked out. I didn’t do it to be discovered. I did it because staying fit and healthy is important to me. If I wrote down ‘take acting classes’, then I literally took as many acting classes as I could and took them seriously. I went in with an open mind, took risks, and tried to learn everything I could from the teacher and my peers. I wasn’t in class to get an agent or be seen, I was focused on learning the craft. It did not matter that I already had a BFA in Theatre Performance from Longwood University, I still had more to learn. Hollywood was my Master’s and PhD program all rolled into one.
Remember, you picked this business, it didn’t pick you, so the business doesn’t owe you anything and neither does this life. Your job is to make the most out of your time here on earth by making your dreams a reality. Now in no shape or form is it guaranteed that the dreams you make a reality will last forever, but at least you when for it. Also, think of the things you sacrificed to come to Hollywood. You’re here to do the things that you can’t or couldn’t do in the place you left.
What is on your goal list, and have you completed it or come close to completing everything you wrote on it? If you haven’t, then that lets you know that you have some work to do.

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?

Who am I? A driven, charismatic, opportunity creator who spends his days making the dreams in his mind, a reality.

My claim to fame? With only $1500 and a duffle bag, I moved out to Los Angeles and found a way to thrive as a working actor. I have appeared in several modeling ads and commercials and currently have over 40 television and film credits, including nine seasons, starring as C.I. Kendall on TNT’s top-rated series, The Closer and Major Crimes. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0230611/

So you want to know how I got into this industry? Well, you’re going to have to purchase my memoir, Dear Starving Artist, Get Something To Eat, https://ransford.me/dsa which I co-wrote with the phenomenally talented Angie J. Sanders https://angiejsanders.com/

Looking for an acting coach? Hit me up https://ransford.me/virtual-online-class

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

N/A

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?

Why the arts? It’s a love that can’t be explained, nor should I be ashamed of loving. So instead of focusing on why I love the arts, I focus on what am I going to do about this love I have for it. We all have these awesome ideas in our head, and yes non-creatives, that means you too, and to have those ideas just rolling in your head and not do something about it? Who knows what positive impact your idea might have if you were to take action to make it come to fruition?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ransford.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ransforddohertyactorpage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ransforddohertyofficial/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ransford-doherty-m-speced-6863a811a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RansfordDoherty

Image Credits
Photo Credit: TNT (Major Crimes) Photo Credit: Miramax (Hostage) Photo Credit: Mikel Healey Photo Credit (Banner): Ransford Doherty