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

Hi Austen, why did you pursue a creative career?
I think I was always going to have to pursue a creative career. Despite the fact I went to school for business (which has been helpful in it’s own way), creating art and/or performing (for me music, voiceover and film/tv) is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever been fortunate enough to experience

The ability to create something from nothing, take little kernels of ideas, and craft them it into a tangible final product that may connect with others, or act as a catharsis for yourself, is such a powerful, human experience. It can connect you with people, the world, and most importantly, with yourself. I’ve never felt more happy and alive than when I create, and so for me, there’s not really any other path I could satisfyingly take. This one is just the most enriching and gratifying.

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.
My creative path was a bit circuitous. I’ve been a late-bloomer in just about everything in my life, and my career was no exception. I knew I wanted to be a creative, but discovering how to practically do that in order to pay the bills was…tough, to say the least.

I started out moving to California in 2012 to be in a band with my cousin. He actually recognized before I did how important songwriting was to me. While he did ask me to leave the band, he did it because he knew I wasn’t going to be happy as just a cog in his machine. I had to go build my own. It hurt, but it was a wise move on his part and I love him for it. It set me down the path of becoming not only the leader of my own music projects, but a producer, studio owner, a voice actor, audio post engineer and filmmaker. It was the right kick in the pants I needed.

A big factor that’s aided me is the ability to pivot and self-teach. You really have no idea where a creative career will take you, but if you’re willing to be open to options and learn, it’ll allow you to work on parallel and related pursuits while developing the core of what you really love. In a perfect world, all I would be doing is writing songs and making movies, but as any working creative knows, that’s brutally hard. So I diversified. I kept writing songs, and kept producing bands, but I learned about the studio business. I opened one. When music wasn’t working out how I hoped, I dove head-first into voiceover, which utilized my knowledge of audio and engineering, coupled with my ability as a singer/performer. It was life changing. I started making enough to be able to leave bartending and driving for Uber behind and throw myself even deeper into the creative well. Today, my primary businesses are voiceover (as an actor, demo producer and coach), post audio production for film/tv and commercials, and of course, music.

If there’s any takeaway from what I’ve learned over the years, its to always invest in yourself and never wait for someone to give you a chance. Go make the opportunities. You have to prove to the world you can do it, then find the people who need that skill and at that intersection, is where you’ll start to find success.

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?
Oh man, this is tough! There’s so much awesomeness in LA. Well, the things I know for sure are we’d have to get great food and see awesome bands. Personally, I love the more mid-sized or even smaller-sized venues in town like The Troubador or The Fonda, so if there’s a great band playing there, it would make the itinerary. I love local venues too like Harvard & Stone (which my band has played at a ton), Madame Siam, No Vacancy, Black Rabbit Rose…the list goes on.

Food-wise, sushi is a MUST. My favorite spot is Midori in Sherman Oaks. Been going there for over a decade, and while there are places that are just as tasty, there’s a charm to it being a little hole in the wall, and it’s some of the best bang-for-the-buck you’ll find. It’s an All-You-Can-Eat spot and I adore it. Also a huge fan of brunch at Messhall in Los Feliz, Aroma Cafe in NoHo, and dinner at Home in Los Feliz or Bacari in Silverlake or Sherman Oaks. A late night would always have to end up with a burrito from a food truck. I like food. Can you tell?

If there’s a good show at Cinespia or a rooftop movie in Hollywood, that too would be on the list!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well I’d have to dedicate my shoutout to my wife, Erika. She’s the rock in my life, and the key ingredient in all my success. She works so hard herself, but somehow always has time to hear my crazy ideas and help inspire me to create and pursue the ridiculousness that comes pouring out of my head. Without her, I’d be utterly lost. She’s the love of my forever.

Website: https://www.austenmoret.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austenmoret/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austen-moret-3119a049/

Twitter: https://x.com/austenmoret

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/midnightdivide

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightdivide/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AustenMoret

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7gSZOcDKHDC8U1Hjo3o3qf

Image Credits
Erika Moret

Wes Langdon

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