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

Hi Arye, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe that risk taking is one of the biggest factors of my success. I think as humans we naturally want to stay safe and in our “bubble”, but 99% of the time our success happens outside of our comfort zone, and if allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and still push forward, that’s when the real magic can happens. When I moved to the US, we had no idea how we were going to live, we didn’t have a house, my mom didn’t have a job, I barely spoke English, but my mom still pushed thru and go us into a school, found us a home and go her self a job. I followed that same path when I decided to move to take the leap to move to Los Angeles after college. At the time, I had a really good job in FL, paid well, I had a nice apartment, everything was “good”. But I wasn’t really pursuing my dream. One day, while cleaning my bathroom, I made the decision to move to LA and within two weeks I booked a plane ticket, came out, found a temporary job, an apartment and made it happen. Now it wasn’t easy, financially I was scrapping by, after a month of being here I lost my job, and my boyfriend at the time that was going to come and help me financially… we broke up. Plus I couldn’t get an acting gig to save my life, nor did I know what the heck I was doing. So I was alone, with my dog, a very expensive apartment and no job. It took YEARS for me to get settled and find a good job, get into acting class and truly start working again. Fast forward 8-9 years later here I was making that same scary jump, but this time it was to go from my nice cushy Financial Advisor job, to become a full time actor. Scariest leap of my life. I had been acting here and there this whole time, but not consistently and always had this cushy job to help me financially when acting wasn’t working out. To make the decision to trust my self, my talent and depend fully on acting, which was the whole reason I was here in the first place, was terrifying. Isn’t that funny how the thing you want most, is usually the thing that also scares you the most?? I don’t regret any of these decisions because even though they were very challenging, they’ve got me to where I am today. I could list many more, but the point is, I truly believe that without risk there is no reward. And maybe not everything will workout quite as you think, but sometimes… it will be even better! 🙂

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When it comes to my career, I believe what sets me apart from others I believe is my grit. I love that word because it truly describes what you need in order to succeed. I got to where I am today by taking risks that most people would shy away from, by not letting myself settle into what’s comfortable and truly following my gut and my dreams even if that meant I could fail. It hasn’t been easy to say the least. As I mentioned above, first having to move to the US from Brazil without my father and my brothers and only getting to see them a few times a year. Then, having to learn English and getting picked on because I couldn’t speak it well. Years later moving to Los Angeles and losing my job (and boyfriend), having to figure out how I could financially afford to live here, all the while going through the loss of my father. And once I finally established myself financially, deciding to give it all up so that I can truly follow what I’m on this earth to do. I think everything happens for a reason, losing my father after my first year in LA taught me how strong I truly am on the inside and that I can get through anything. Being in finance for over 8 years allowed me the money to get out of debt, pay for acting classes, workshops, headshots, etc… But more importantly it taught me how to truly run a business, marketing, etc… and that has helped me tremendously in my acting career. After all, it is “show BUSINESS”. I guess you can say that my journey is what I am most proud of. It wasn’t a straight path, and it had looots of curves and major speed bumps along the way, but it got me to where I am and I wouldn’t change a thing. What I would love for the world to know about my brand and my story is that I am a hard working Latina that came from humble grounds, fought my way up the ladder, and is still fighting, so that I can do what I love: Touch people’s heart and soul thru story telling.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
One of my favorite things about LA is how many amazing places there are within driving distance. I love the vibe, the restaurants, the live music on the strip of Santa Monica, the shops and off course the beach. If you drive up the coast of Malibu you see some more amazing scenery. At some point have breakfast at Cafe Laurent in Culver City and lunch at Brazilian Plate in Redondo. Oh and Yougurtland is a must… I love that place. As cliche as it sounds, I do love Hollywood Blvd because I remember being 14 and seeing the walk of fame and that holds a special place in my heart. I love driving down to Laguna to visit the beautiful beach and scenery out there. Long Beach pier, maybe even San Diego?? And if it was winter time, nothing better than driving up the mountain to Big Bear for a fun weekend.

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?
There are so many people I would love to shoutout for my success. Starting out with my #1 person- mom who’s has taught me to never give up and always follow my dreams no matter what (yes, cheesy but so true). Plus she’s the prime example of why I live my life by taking risks. Also, Daron Hawkins who taught me to love the arts, the theater and story telling like no one else had. He showed me what true passion for the arts was. Last but not least my husband, who without him I wouldn’t be here. He believes in me more then I believe in my self and has given up SO much in order for me to pursue my dream.

Website: www.aryecampos.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aryecampos
Twitter: www.instagram.com/aryecampos
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aryecampos
Other: www.imdb.me/aryecampos

Image Credits
Mikel Healey Photography & David Wendefilm (CW Photography)