We recently connected with Rodney Davis and have shared our conversation below.
Rodney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I have always had this vivid imagination for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if there is one time or specific moment I can point to where I decided to pursue this path professionally but I do have two key members of my family who perhaps help light the fuse to lead me down the path. In fact to this day, I lean on the examples they have provided for me heavily whether auditioning for a performance, attempting to accomplish a task or goal in life or simply for inspiration. Those examples are my maternal Grandfather who was a singer once upon a time and his sister, my Great Aunt. My fondness and love of music from various genres and from generations before me, comes from my Grandfather. I was always told I had an old soul and he is part of the reason why. As for my great aunt, when I was a child, she was acting whether on TV shows or by starring in commercials including for Blue Cross Blue Shield. When I was seven years old, I had my first stage production in a school play. Needless to say, I caught the acting bug. The desire to entertain and inspire through performance has been with me all of my life and I owe a great deal of gratitude to both my great Aunt and Grandfather for bringing that passion and dedication out of me.
Rodney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Being from St. Louis, it is a smaller market compare to talent hotspots such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. That makes you want to focus a little more, dig a little deeper and work a little bit harder to make it in your profession. I had some brief acting work as a child but moved way from it to play sports throughout high school. Once I reached adulthood and specifically my early 20s and after the passing of one of my hero’s my grandfather Lawrence aka Duck, I made the ultimate decision to give acting another try. Around 2007, I had a minor part in an Independent Film titled Startide Rising. In 2009, I had an opportunity to work on Up In the Air which starred George Clooney, Jason Bateman and Anna Kendrick amongst others. in 2010 I was scouted by Pro Scout. From there things only got better as in 2011, I signed with Images Agency. One of the bigger opportunities to come from that were filming a Super Bowl Print Ad for Bud Light. I am currently refining my technique and working with instructors for future auditions as that is the best way to improve to ultimately win roles. If there is anything I am most proud of it is remaining steadfast in the belief of myself after doing this professionally for 18 years because I have come to find out rejection comes a lot in this industry. Knowing that, one must accept that as a part of their journey and to learn from as every experience is a teacher. With that being said what I would want potential followers or partners to know about me is I have a great deal of humility, am self motivated and have a strong desire to exceed no matter the opposition, and find a way to succeed in spite of it.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect I have gained from being an artist or creative would be the connection I have made with numerous talented individuals. When you have something you are so passionate about and committed to, you wont always have people near or around you that truly understand it. But when you do make those connections it can lead to something really special. Having worked on various Film and Television sets, I have been rather fortunate to connect with many people who see things in a similar light that I do which makes for pretty amazing outcomes. Regardless of whether or not you see eye to eye with people or not, there is always common ground to be had which is needed in every workplace.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I am around non-creatives daily and what I have observed is that they have a hard time stepping outside of their bubble. Not that there is anything wrong with it but monotony is an essential element of choice. Because of this they can tend to be afraid to try new things, take risks, to accept perspectives that are opposite of their own or to embrace ambiguity. Great creatives have lull periods and experience writer’s block on occasion to. The difference is creatives experiment and throw things at the wall until they stick. Routine and consistency is great but the more layered and versatile you are the better you can adapt to things on the fly which for example I have had to do when auditioning for roles including when I auditioned for the role of Lucien in Independent Film Casualties of the State. I prepared for that role but ultimately was asked to read for the role of a Journalist which is what I ended up being in the film. Sometimes there are opportunities that you feel are tailor made for you only for something else to present itself along the way. It’s what you do in those moments that will propel you if willing to step outside of your comfort zone.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rjdavis85_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rjdavis385
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-davis-4b70053a
- Twitter: @rddavisjr
