We were lucky to catch up with Rich Henkels recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rich , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Six years into what I tell my kids is “Rich Henkels 3.0”, the project I am working on now is by far the most meaningful! Workforce – The Pilot, represents the effort and inspiration put in by many people; I was just fortunate to be gifted the opportunity to lead this charge! Workforce – The Pilot, is a TV Episodic pilot filmed just a few miles from my home in Lansdale, PA. It was written by New Jersey native, Joe Fenico, who I met through a member of an actors group I run called Actors’ Think Tank (www.actorsthinktank.org) Joe spent 40 years in the HR world in a variety of industries and wrote a gripping script about the redemption of a lead character, dealing with a dysfunctional workforce, a disgruntled ownership team, not to mention his own personal demons, of which there are many!
Joe’s script fell on my desk, thanks to Actors’ Think Tank member Luca Cundo (his nephew), who asked, “what do you want to do with this?” Having just worked with Director Phil Kwarta on another award winning short-film, I responded, “… let me think about this.”
Loving the script, and trusting Phil, we cast it ourselves, working with Actors’ Think Tank members and other actors I knew, shot a Sizzle Reel and sought funding… Around that time, I visited my father in Utah, who was always interested in what I was up to… A very wise man, who believed in his children, and let faith guide his decisions, my father gave me the following advice, “… if you are going to invest in anything in this world, invest in yourself.”. Those words stuck, as six weeks later, my Dad passed away at the wonderful age of 98. From him, I got many gifts; one of those gifts was that great advice!
On January 1, I gave the “green light” to Workforce – The Pilot, pledging my own personal financial commitment if I couldn’t find investors willing to move us forward.
Fast forward, the dominoes started to fall. I found two additional investors. We found a site, developed a schedule, and pulled together a cast and crew. We shot the bulk of the project in two short weekends, in a wonderful environment, Village Handcrafted Cabinetry in Lansdale, PA, thanks to the kindness of one Joe Trave.
Director Phil Kwarta took off his Director’s hat and put on his Editor’s hat… and phase 3 was off and running. Phil artfully pasted Workforce – The Pilot together, while I signed composer Michael Bryan Stein to give us a soundtrack, coerced Stacey Marie Keba to build us a website and dug into the “next steps” associated with getting someone to watch our product.
Which brings us to where we are now with Workforce – The Pilot. Currently making the rounds in the film festival circuit, the production has been received exceptionally well; accepted at more than 80% of the film festivals to which it has been submitted, and garnered awards for Best TV/Web Series, Best Pilot, Best Actor, Best Score and Best Supporting Actor. The goal is production followed by distribution by a network or streaming service.
Workforce – The Pilot is the end result of my Father’s inspiration, but blood, sweat, and tears provided by myself, Phil, Joe, members of Actors’ Think Tank and so many others. In prior careers, I’ve been at the core of multi-million dollar IT deployments and Emmy Award winning TV specials, none of which compare to the experience I’ve enjoyed here, as Executive Producer of Workforce-The Pilot. Meaningful? That’s an understatement. Thank you Mom and Dad!
Rich , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Life isn’t about what you’ve done or accomplished, but rather about the people that got you there, are impacted by whatever it is you’ve done and are inspired or spurred on by your vision, energy or example. ALL of that last sentence may as well have been written by my parents, who were ever-present reminders of how important PEOPLE are in life, as opposed to anything else! Rich Henkels 3.0, as I like to tell my two sons, is the product of two parents who prodded me to believe in myself, trust in God and always lean on and use whatever gifts I have to move other people’s lives forward. Yes, that sounds grandiose, but it is actually a simple recipe for joy in life.
I spent fifteen successful years in TV news, before leaving the industry to raise my two sons. One of twelve kids, I didn’t have far to look for models to follow on that front.
Most of the next two decades were spent working for a family business. What that experienced delivered in terms of financial reward, it lacked in emotional, spiritual and philosophical deliverance. Creatively starved, I spent several years asking the question, “what do I do next?” After toying with a radio show for two years, I dove headlong into my third career as an a host/spokesperson/actor and model, using my past on-camera experience as a safety net, as that is the kind of work represented “low-lying fruit”, if there is such a thing.
I’ve been fortunate, booking commercials for familiar brands like Crown Royal. Rebath, and Tommie Copper, gracing the cover of Field and Stream Magazine, securing recurring work with regional and local companies and web-based clients like Konscious Keto, and using my experience, look and sound to become a consistent contributor for internal corporate training videos.
While those exploits kept me financially whole, acting classes and playing roles in short films, independent features and the occasional network exploit kept my “acting dreams” alive. While a one episode appearance on Andy Cohen’s Love Connection, didn’t move my acting career forward, it opened my eyes to the business. Little did I know, this business is ALL ABOUT working! And “working on your working”… Fully immersed in early 2020, I was ready, Alas, not for a pandemic. Ugh!
That’s when life changed again. Following my parents’ guidance, i.e. focusing on others, I formed Actors’ Think Tank, a collaboration of actors brought together to enable us all to stay vital, connected and thriving, when no one knew when life would return to “normal”. www.actorsthinktank.org tells that story. As for mine, doors started to open, through the people I met, the people I introduced others too and the opportunities that came to bear.
A Project Manager at heart, I found the role of Executive Producer of Workforce easy to fill, given I had routes to financing our project. Organizing and executing a project really get down to clarity of vision, management of expectations, and creating a path to execution. Having played the roles of talent, producer, financier, coach and casting director, I am fully comfortable with my ability to work with teams in a variety of capacities, to bring out the best in everyone involved and generate a final product or project that represents the best of everyone involved and exceeds expectations.
On a side note, while Actors’ Think Tank is truly a collaborative of its members, it is also a safe haven, where members are encouraged to engage, be vulnerable and trust in each other. I take great pride in bringing this group to life, while witnessing the steps forward each and every member takes forward in their careers.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My careers have always been about pivoting. I worked at five different network affiliates during a 15 year career in TV news. After that, there were two major pivots in my life. First, I left TV news, not because of failure but by choice. One of twelve kids, I not only always knew I wanted to be a father, but that I wanted to be a GREAT father. Less than fulfilled at a job when my first child was born, it was easy to decide to “move on to the next stage of my career”. That choice led me to work in my family business that was stable, if not emotionally satisfying or philosophically rewarding. Eventually raising two boys as a single father, I recognized the value of that choice, at that time.
Some fifteen to sixteen years later, when modeling to my sons became more of a priority, another pivot awaited, Nearly two decades of success with the family business (IT/Telecom) came to an end when it became clear that my sons had front row seats to an often-played tragedy called “career disillusion”, starring their father, Rich Henkels. Two years of introspection and soul-searching yielded the next pivot and my launching a career as an entrepreneur, actor, and spokesperson. If I was going to model anything in my life to those boys, it wasn’t going to be as a whining, complaining corporate America role-player!
While few things about this phase of my professional life have been easy, they’ve all been rewarding, as I know my two boys, now in their 20’s and starting new careers, recognize the importance of taking charge of their lives, being accountable for the results of their decisions, and continually seeking life’s greater rewards!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Since the pandemic began, I have learned to lean heavily on The Daily Stoic, by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors artfully pull wisdom provided by classical stoics Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, and provide 365 insights that can be applied to one’s life every day of the year. This day and age, it is popular to assume that “new” is better, when the reality of it is that people have always been people and knowing how they think, feel and act and understanding what motivates them is more important than anything else. The Daily Stoic offers me small nuggets of wisdom I can put to use each and every day. Most importantly, it seems to constantly reflect what I’ve already learned in life, which means… I am growing, I am learning, I am improving, which is more reassuring than anything else. If I was going to choose a hero from history, I’d probably choose Marcus Aurelius, as he demonstrated wisdom despite being challenged on many fronts at the same time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.richhenkels.actor
- Instagram: @richhenkels
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.henkels/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richhenkels/
- Twitter: @richhenkels
- Other: www.workforcepilot.com, www.actorsthinktank.org
Image Credits
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