We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sam Dubin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I think one of the biggest risks I’ve taken is choosing to pursue being an artist, actor, and filmmaker professionally. When I took my first acting class at ten years old I was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been as an actor, but after that first class, I felt accepted in a way that I had never felt before. I instantly fell in love. I felt like I could truly be myself. It was something that I loved but I sincerely thought it was all that it ever would be. I would go to business school as I had always planned and acting would be a hobby on the side.

A week before applications for colleges closed I decided to pivot (for a variety of reasons) and exclusively apply to theatre schools. In one week I wrote fifteen college essays, and months later I found myself in the middle of a hotel in Chicago doing monologues for twenty-five different schools, and then eventually I landed in the theatre department at The University of Michigan. Slowly but surely the reality of my life as an artist became more real, but even acting school was a form of utopia. Opportunity is abundant in school and the often sad reality for most is when you graduate into the “real world” you could be scraping for even the worst of opportunities just to get by.

I try to carry around the high of my first acting class with me today in part so I don’t have to face the reality of the risk I’m taking, but as I grow older and have to rely on myself to survive that risk becomes more apparent. In a way, I think actors and filmmakers take risks every day by pursuing their craft. We take risks every time we step in front or behind the camera or step on stage. We’re risking more than our finances. Without sounding too alarmist we’re risking our entire beings. It’s a very vulnerable craft. There’s always some element of luck involved so essentially you’re betting against yourself as a creative, your talent, and your work ethic.

But I accept the risk and I have ever since I stepped foot into that first acting class. And in some ways it’s the risk itself that keeps me going.

Sam, 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?

My name is Sam Dubin. I am an actor, writer, and filmmaker from Atlanta and the son of two Russian Jewish immigrant parents who came to this country thirty years ago with nothing and inspire me to work hard every day.

I’ve been in love with acting since I was ten years old. After graduating highschool I decided to pursue acting as a career. I graduated from The University of Michigan with a BFA in Acting and a minor in creative writing. I also briefly studied with the Atlantic Theatre Company in NYC and the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia. As long as I’ve loved acting I’ve been mesmerized by the films that put actors to work. Amid the pandemic, I wrote, directed, and acted in my debut short film, “The Stream,” inspired by my relationship with my immigrant father and the financial crisis that led to the selling of our house. I started my own production company, Orchard Films, to produce this short. We crowdfunded over thirty thousand dollars for the film and I pulled together a creative team from across the country to help this dream come to life. After our festival run and sold out screenings in Atlanta and New York City we premiered The Stream on Omeleto, a YouTube short film platform with over four million subscribers.

As an actor I most recently I appeared as a recurring character Danny on BET+’s “Average Joe.” This past July I moved to New York City where I continue to purse my dreams as an actor, writer and filmmaker. I’m currently working on a full length play and short film. Every day I work is a journey to discover what kinds of stories I want to tell, but nothing is more important to me than translating the human experience whether that be through my own performance or the stories I write and produce with my company.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Without a doubt, the most rewarding aspect that I’ve experienced about being an artist is seeing and feeling in real time the effect that my art has on others. I believe the best artists — not necessarily the most successful — but the truest artists remove all ego from their work. So creating a story or creating a character and seeing it to fruition no longer becomes about you, but rather the effect it might have on the person experiencing that story or character,

After my short film, The Stream, which was inspired by my relationship with my father and his financial struggles many, many people from pre-production to the release shared with me how much this story meant to them. It could’ve been in the smallest details: “Oh I owned a house like that”. “My father went through financial struggles.” “I have arguments with parents just like that”. “This film reminds me of my father or my kid”. All of these moments could keep me going for a lifetime. And god knows the amount of effort and will necessary to take a film (even a short one) from an idea to the screen I survive off those little moments.

I can’t think of a better reason to be an artist.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think one of the toughest things about being a struggling artist is supporting yourself financially. I experience that myself every day and know so many others that do. The reality is that we have two or sometimes three or more full-time jobs — our art being one of them. And so often the one that is financially supporting us is also exhausting us. And for so many actors, writers, and filmmakers that sometimes eventually means letting go of our dreams because what’s the alternative? So I think more grants, more fellowships, and more opportunities to help artists thrive and survive. I am experiencing this every day and I hope one day to reach a place where I can help provide resources for artists like myself.

On top of that, I think from an artistic perspective I hope that society can continue to engage in new voices and new stories. That’s what brings new creatives into the fold. Whether it’s theatre or film I sometimes feel that we rely on the same formula to put butts in seats rather than taking the risk of something new. This causes a lot of artists to remain on the sidelines. Maybe it’s an unfortunate byproduct of our industry, but I believe it can change. I think it actually could be more beneficial for a thriving artistic ecosystem. I believe that society is craving new and risky work and so I want to see and be part of more of it!

Contact Info:

• Website: samuelgdubin.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sam_dubin
• Other: Link to my short film, The Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYxcPSiJeG4&ab_channel=Omeleto