Meet Omar Bustamante

We had the good fortune of connecting with Omar Bustamante and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Omar, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I was younger I had ALL the time in the world. I would take classes all the time and do plays, staged readings all over NYC. Now, with a family things have definitely changed as far as scheduling and time management. Being picky about what projects I involve myself in. But I’ve also found myself with a fuller life and not hinging everything whether I get every job or not. It’s allowed me to get tighter with my schedule as well. I know that I need to get this audition in or work on this character within this time I’ve given myself. The years of training and experience has also given me the confidence that I don’t need a lot of time if I just trust myself and lean on my experience.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As an actor I think the best thing to set yourself apart is being yourself. Finding all that encompasses you as a person good and bad and try to share that with the audience. I did this movie Groundswell that resonated with people and get messages on social media with people who really enjoyed my performance. Someone had recognized me at my day job and said they put that movie on when they are feeling down to cheer up. Those interactions mean a lot to me. I got to where I am professionally through a lot of failures. A lot of no’s. Last year I read for a ton of great shows and movies and didn’t get any. But the opportunities were great. The funny thing is the only thing I booked last year was Playfest Indy done by the New Harmony Project. That turned out to be an incredible experience with extremely talented playwrights and actors from all over the country. Someone had seen me in a play in NYC in 2011 and recommended me to the producers so that was really cool. To overcome challenges I put things into perspective about all the gifts I have in my life today. Health, time with my family and my complete journey as an actor. Being an artist is a vocation. Most of us only get to do it some of the time but when I get to I put my all in it. I guess that’s the lesson. The work I hope to make is art that can shift perspective. Change you in some way after you have left the theatre or finished seeing the film. Make em laugh! That’s it! That’s it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m from Glendale so definitely the Americana for shopping and hanging out. Get some Smashburgers at For the Win or at Burger She Wrote. Larchmont Village has a great bakery Levain with amazing cookies. Maybe go on a hike at Griffith Park. Gotta burn some of those calories. Get some coffee from Civil in Studio city. Bourbon Steak for some excellent dinner and drinks! I’ve always been a sucker for the Santa Monica Pier as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The people I want to shout out is my wife Erin, and my two kids Kainoa and Gabriel. They get to go on this crazy journey with me and are loving and supportive. Couldn’t be here without them.

Website: Omarbustamante.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/0bustamante/?hl=en