We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rodney Damon Collins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rodney Damon below.
Rodney Damon, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
When I think of the word “risk” I have learned that there’s an element of risk in everything we do. When you graduate from college (if you decide to go) there’s the risk that you will not receive work in your chosen field. When a couple decides to marry, there’s the risk that things won’t work out. An athlete assumes a level of risk every time they step on the playing field or court. Even with the so-called stable jobs are showing this generation that there’s a level of risk when the company has received what they need from you, they no longer need you. I am a witness to being a casualty of corporate america deciding it no longer has need of you. As an actor, writer, director, and producer, risk is a part of everything I do. There’s always the risk that when auditioning, I won’t be selected for whatever reason I’m not right for the role. As a creative, there’s the risk that I can’t get financing for projects that I create. I embrace risk. It’s empowering to me because I know the power of taking ownership of my life and not leaving things up to someone else to dictate my path. My faith in God gives me the confidence in knowing that no matter what in the end I win.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My story sets me apart because I’m non-traditional. I initially started to venture out into the world of arts and entertainment in my early twenties, but do to prior commitments that I deemed more important than my dream, I decided to table that dream. I remember during that time I asked God that if it’s meant for me to work in the entertainment industry and become an actor that it would come back to me later in life. Yes, becoming an actor was my dream but I also had received another dream of having a family.
It’s very interesting how I entered the industry. Eight years ago, I was working for a youth development organization in Cleveland, OH. My son and daughter were finishing high school and were preparing to go to college. I saw a breakdown on Backstage to submit for an independent film. It was entitled “Equal Chances.” I submitted and I booked it. There was an issue though. The film was not paying and it was filming in Columbus, OH for back to back weekends. So I had to decide if I was willing to step out and get back into a dream that I thought was dead. I made the decision that I was going to take it. It wound up being an incredible experience and confirmed my desire to continue to pursue this dream. Later that year, I served as an understudy for a play entitled “Soulmate” by a director named Philly Weeden. About a week before the play the person who was playing Doctor Armstrong had to drop out. They approached me about taking on the role. Although, once again I wasn’t paid, it did build more confidence in my acting ability.
Then I received a job offer from a company looking to launch a west coast branch of their youth development program. I decided to take the job after consulting with my wife and family. That’s when the fun began. Upon my arrival to LA, on January 25th, 2016, I reported to the office that I was told to go for work. The company wasn’t expecting me and acted as if they didn’t know what I was talking about. So now, I’m getting very upset to start to feel like I had been played. Then after living in LA for nine days, I’m sitting on the 10 freeway in stop and go traffic when someone smashes into the back of my car totalling it. Let’s just say I was hating the move I made. Not only was my wife and family still in Cleveland because we had to sell our house and she had to pass the state exam to relocate to Los Angeles, but I was also sleeping in the corner of the living room floor of a space I rented. The dream started to look more like Freddy Krueger had designed it. Little did I know it was building my character and testing my resolve. I began to write to help me process what was taking place in my life. I was determined to not be a victim. That’s when I decided since things were going south with my job, maybe I should take a look into the entertainment industry. My thought was “I’m in LA, I might else well test the waters.” I had zero connections in the industry. I started by registering with Central Casting because I needed to learn the LA scene. In addition, I was a part of several Facebook pages for actors and I saw on one of the pages that there was a breakdown for film “Emerson Heights” shooting at a restaurant named Castaways in Burbank. It was no pay and I would be the only background person for the day. I decided I need to meet people so I took the role. I showed up ready to work as if I was a principal actor on the film. I ended up being bumped to a principal, paid, and credited for that day. It was an amazing feeling because that’s not what I was there for. It taught me that if I stay focused on serving the story, the crew, the director, the production, that amazing things can happen and it gave me a sense of expectancy whenever I showed up to set.
Another important instance that I can never forget is I was working background one day and I saw someone working background but they were different. They were writing every second they got. I decided to check in with him. His name was Neko Sparks. He was preparing to pitch a show called Chosen Kin. We ended up building a relationship as colleagues. One day Neko calls me to share that his show had been picked up by Amazon. I told him congrats. He said “I want to offer you a role on the show!” I was like what! In my mind, nobody does this type of stuff. I asked him if he wanted me to audition for the show. He replied “yea if you want to make it harder!” My character ended up being Dr. Watson on a show that’s still streaming on Amazon to this day. These two instances were the start of my career in LA being to take flight. To date I have over (40) TV Film credits, I’ve won (5) awards and I have a production company with my son. I’ve learned that I am capable of so much more when I operate in who I am and how God has made me. No matter what happens I am fully responsible for my response to circumstances. I am not a victim! I know that I’m able to stay in this industry because I am grounded and rooted. Continue to show up at all times, your time will come.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
An important lesson I’ve had to learn throughout my life is to understand the power of my tongue and how what I say impacts my mindset more than anything else. Over (10) years ago, I was involved in a business pursuit that eventually failed. It was devastating as I lost a significant amount of money and it had an effect on my household finances. I couldn’t get past the failure and began to have negative self talk. Slowly that conversation was chipping away at my psyche and my soul. I’m telling you the cliff notes version because there’s a lot to it. One day I was sitting on my couch at home and the negative self talk I was having had lead to thoughts that I was no longer needed in this life. Before I knew it, I was holding the key to my car and standing by the door preparing to get in and turn it on in my garage. I was stopped with thoughts of what would happen when my wife, son or daughter found me? What was I teaching them about enduring difficult situations? Some may have another name for my experience but I believe that God spoke to me during that time and let me know how much I mattered. I knew that I was broken and that I needed to do some internal work. I decided to go through therapy and process my thoughts and my life. Therapy has given me tools that I apply each day.
How did you build your audience on social media?
What I love about social media is that you can connect with so many people that you would never have access to. It’s the best form of marketing that I’ve ever seen. My mindset on social media is that it’s a part of my brand. I don’t want to paint a perfect picture because life is far from perfect. I want content to be uplifting and empowering. In essence, I want it to represent who I am. My life is content but I’m still very careful about what I put out for public consumption. There is no competition with others, I’m focused on myself only. I tell people to consistently post and don’t worry about putting out a perfect picture. Be honest with who you are your village will find you. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linkfro.de/rodneydamoncollins
- Instagram: @rodneydamoncollins
- Facebook: @rodneydamoncollins
- Linkedin: @rodneydamoncollins
- Twitter: @rodneydamoncoll
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiQA8T8FgpSYAcy3koePKw
- Podcast: The Produce Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-produce-podcast/id1503920467
- Book link: Shattered A Journey Through the Pieces: https://amzn.to/3VFaYME
Image Credits
David Ford Jeremy David Creative