We were lucky to catch up with Steve Spiro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Steve, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

My dad, who was my hero, encouraged me to follow my dreams. He said if I failed I can always try again until I find what I want to in life. The kindest thing he did was to encourage me and believe in my dreams. I am forever grateful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m originally from London, England where I attended college to study theatre and then got into boxing and martial arts. in 1993 I was accepted onto the British Stunt Register in the UK which took 3 years to obtain all the skills required. I was the youngest member at the time. That same year, I came for a visit my girlfriend in California and ended up staying as I got a sponsorship to box. I obtained by Green Card and ended up studying acting with the great Larry Moss. I did a bunch of theatre and commercials but my American accent sucked so I lost out on a lot of jobs. I joined a theatre company called Pacific Residents Theatre in Venice, CA and loved the experience. Lovely company with talented and kind people.

I had always dabbled with writing and about a decade ago decided this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Tell stories that are personal to me. I’ve written about 25 screenplays / TV shows and currently about to pitch a project that has gotten a nice amount of attention.

I optioned the book and wrote the screenplay to the Sam Langford story. Many believe Sam Langford (born in 1886) was the greatest boxer of all time, but never got to fight for the title because of his color and the fact that he was too good!

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

I created my own schedule and tell the stories I want to tell.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was very hung up on being an actor but realized it would be hard to book jobs in LA with limited British rolls and a bad American accent! I did not have an agent and was getting my own jobs. But when I committed to writing 100%, suddenly, out of the blue, low-and-behold, I had 2 agents wanting to represent me for acting due to this short film I made myself. I then found myself turning down auditions as it was taking time away from my writing and I knew I needed to give the writing 100% of my concentration and focus.