Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby Joy Ketchum

Hi Ruby Joy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

My name is Ruby Joy – a double first name to fit a Southern clichè – I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee into a family in the country music business. I grew up having an affinity for music, writing and playing. I was always so infatuated with pop culture: movies, music, books, etc. I pursued writing and recording folk music as a career after graduating high school, but as the pandemic hit I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied career wise. It dawned on me after binging movie after movie in quarantine, how much I loved learning about how films were made, all of the magic that went into it. So in a strange twist of fate, I was inspired to up and move my life; I came to New York City and enrolled in an acting conservatory program to give it my best shot. And now I’ve been here for three years… somehow making that magic work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It has not been a smooth road, but I’ve always had a knack to look at everything as a glass half full circumstance. Whether that be for better or for worse, I am quite the girl to romanticize my life. My father passed when I was 19, which in part really influenced me to move my life to New York and try something new. It was one of those “F it” moments. No more sitting around and waiting for the world to happen to me, it was time to give different things a shot, whether they worked out or not. I’m really grateful I’m able to take those kind of risks.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I’m an actress, musician and model. Even though I’ve made acting the forefront of what I do professionally, I also continue to write and play music. It’s my first love! I reiterate this often, but my entire life I’ve felt that my drive and determination comes from my imagination. I am a daydream believer through and through (very textbook Aquarius). I am more head in the clouds than being rooted on earth, but I feel like that informs my creative process so positively. It helps me take risks and give things a shot without overthinking. For instance, I hope to self release music in early 2025 as a personal project. I label myself as someone “pretending” to be an audio engineer, as I do all production, recording, and mastering by myself in my apartment. Is it perfect and considered done correctly? Who knows. All I know is I love that I dream things up and can bring them into reality all by myself.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?

I’m a big fake-it-till-I-make-it kind of gal. It feels so assuring to walk into every project and job with full confidence and a big smile on my face, but 99% of the time I am genuinely freaking out inside and pretending I know what I’m doing on the outside! And I feel that with that comes the best experiences! It keeps my energy up and out; it leaves room for me to learn something new from the environment and to help shape what is going on around me and be a part of the real thing happening in real time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rubyjoyketchum
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rubyjoyketchum?_t=8ruzTcwVUGk&_r=1

Image Credits

Elliot Lopes
Ben Williams
Jeremy Cowart