Meet Curtis McGann | Actor and Filmmaker

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

Hi Curtis, how do you think about risk?
I think that risk taking is life giving. It may seem easy to sit in “comfortable” but in that comfortability, are we really living? Are we really doing what we were designed to do? I’ve looked at the faces of so many adults and in their eyes…the spark is gone. Life took its toll and so many people are just shuffling through each day, trying to make it to the weekend.
But what if there was something better? What if this isn’t the way we were meant to live?
For me, that is what risk taking brings. It brings life, it is the unknown that is driven by the passion that God put on your heart. If you think the risk is too much…what if you fail…what if it doesn’t work…but what if it does work. What if you reimagine risk? Think about it. Staying at the job that sucks your soul…that’s also a risk, but not one that gives life. Take the leap, because what if everything you are searching for is on the other side of that fear?
And if it doesn’t work, you tried, you learned, and you grew. So now next time the opportunity comes to jump off that cliff and into the unknown, it won’t be so hard.

All of that to say, I think that those are many of the reasons why I decided to take the risk and go into a full time career as an actor and filmmaker. I feel strongly that God put it on my heart and in my passions to walk this line. There have been many times where I question myself…what am I doing? Will this work? How will this work? But every single time, I’m lead back to it. So here I am, walking out that risk taking, loving the life that it has provided and thankful for each and every moment I get to create, for all of the people that the risk has allowed me to meet and collaborate with, for all of the incredible lessons that I’ve learned from a life lived outside of the box that they tell us to be in.
Take the risk. It’s worth every moment…even the hard ones.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is film, mainly as an actor. I love all aspects of filmmaking and have been blessed to be able to act alongside some amazing actors including Vanessa Kirby.
I think one thing that sets me apart from other people is that I really do believe that we can do anything. I also have an amazing support group, people who care about my family and me, and really want us to succeed. Their belief and continued support is always a stronghold when clinging to the mountain.
Another thing is faith. I believe that God has put me on this path, and that what God has for me, no person can take from me.

Professionally, I’ve been able to work full time as an actor for over a decade. And although I may not be in huge A-list movies or tv shows, I feel like that is success and I am thankful to be where I am. Not saying that I’m not continually working to get into bigger productions, because I am…but I am truly grateful as I am now.

Was it easy to get to this spot? At the beginning I worked multiple jobs, a full time and a part time, I acted in as many things as I could. Student films, 48 hour films, no budget, low budget..anything and everything. Taking classes, networking, learning, growing, training, observing. Would I say it was hard? No…because I loved every minute of it, and I still do. But it has taken a lot of work.
I still act in as many things as I can because I believe it keeps the tools sharp. I am continually learning about more and more aspects of film. From producing, to lighting, sound, editing, pitching and selling, distribution. I feel that the more I know and the more experience I have in each part, can only help.

Some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way…to just do it. If you want to play a role, but nobody is casting you for that role, make something. Whatever it is, there is always a way to do it, you just have to take that risk, that moment and go for it. I think one of the other huge things is gratefulness. It’s easy to look at where someone else is in their career, the projects that they get to work on or be a part of and compare yourself to them. But gratefulness for where you are…that changes things. It allows you to enjoy every piece of the beautiful process.

I think if I could have one thing that the world knows about my brand…about myself, is that I truly believe God has me on this journey and I’m loving it. I never imagined that I would get to create and be an artist for a living, but Wow! I am thankful for this beautiful life as an artist.

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 know there are many tourist things that people love to do in the city…but I am not a person who wants to go around and buy a bunch of little things I don’t need, or look at shops of things and then convince myself I need them for some reason or another.
If a friend came into town, I would want to take them into the beautiful nature that the Pacific Northwest provides. We would go hiking and camping, go cold plunge in the river of mountain runoff water.
Hit up some local breweries and try the ciders. Go fishing and crabbing. And also spend some time just kicking back and playing board games with a group of friends. Watching some movies together and talking about the films, how they made it, our thoughts on the story…the characters, their choices, etc.
I am a flexible person, so I would suggest all of these things but would also be more than happy to go and walk through the city and see the sights, explore the places that as a local you typically just walk by. Go to small towns in the area and eat local foods.
For me, it’s the people I’m with, over the places we are.

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?
First and foremost I wouldn’t be in this career or even on this journey without the mind, opportunity and community that God has blessed me with.

My wife, Kelsi Umeko, is my partner in all things. We act together, we create together, and we grow and love together. Together we have made two feature films, the most recent is a romantic drama that she wrote, we produced and both starred in. It recently released on Apple TV and Amazon as well as a few other spots. The movie is called Second Chance.

Also want to shoutout the amazing film community both in Seattle and LA. Living in LA was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it. I’m so thankful for the team that we have built there as we continue to create together. Recently did a short film that was a semi-finalist at LA Shorts, called Runaway, with Cameron Fuller and Eric Zaragoza. We are planning to make more in that same world we created, and will be entering production soon.

I also want to shoutout an amazing director, Olexsandr Berezan, who came to the US from Ukraine because of the war. He was one of the top filmmakers in Ukraine and came to the US and had to start over. He gave me the chance to be the lead in his first US made film. An action movie, called My Face. They’re still looking to sell the film, but it is definitely worthy of the views. I am thankful because he gave me not only the opportunity to star in the film, but also to do my own stunts…which I LOVE doing.

Website: https://www.curtismcgann.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/curtis.mcgann

Image Credits
Jeff Spencer
Rion Smith
Issac O’Farrell
Dan Lao