We had the good fortune of connecting with Bobby Leigh and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Bobby, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think I was born a creative and artistic person. I think that some people have that and some people are born with it and some people have other career traits. For example, I was not born to be a doctor or a banker.
My Mum was an artist and my father was a nuclear physicist. My father would not allow my Mum to be creative because he just didn’t understand creative or artistic people. It was foreign to him. Therefor she expressed her creativity in me. My Mum saw my creativity early on, and sort of lived her creative and artistic side thorough me. She gifted me a guitar at age 10. She would secretly encourage me to play and practice. My father hated the guitar, being Scottish, he thought the only real musical instament was the Bag Pipes, but I used to tell him “Dad Bag Pipers don’t get chicks”. LOL.
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.
The way I look at the film industry or acting is keep it simple. I don’t over think it at all. My acting coach for many years Lena Harris from Beverly Hills Academy of Actors, once to our class that the best actors in the world were children, because the have no inhibitions, consequences or ego. It’s just playing “Make Believe” to them. That is how I try to look at movies, either acting, producing or directing. Today I will be an Indian Chief and tomorrow a Police Detective and then maybe Pirate Skally Wag.
It’s the same thing in Music, I just have fun and don’t take anything seriously. I think that the fun overtakes the fear and the insecurities and allows your true passion to flow through.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is an interesting question, because I have a good friend visiting Los Angeles from Mumbai right now, but unfortunately I am on vacation in Brazil, however if I was in Hollywood, I would take her to:
We would start off the night with drinks at Harlow in West Hollywood, One of my favourite WeHo restaurant/bars because of the atmosphere.
We would the go to dinner at Vivoli’s Italian Resturant. This is my go-to place for meetings, dinners and I have many dinners there. I also done a couple of on-camera interviews there. Plus I know the owner Gepppetto. He always good to come to the table with a complimentary bottle wine and some awesome Italian hospitality.
No trip to Hollywood is complete without going to Hollywood Blvd and the Hollywood walk of fame. So we would go Hollywood and Highland fabulous outdoor entertainment complex. After exploring Hollywood and Highland for a few hours, I would suggest seeing a blockbuster film at the world famous Grauman’s Chinese theatre.
The next night we would start the night with drinks and dinner at Miceli’s Italian restaurant onHollywood Blvd I love this place because of the vibe and also that all the waiters and waitresses all go on stage and sing. I might be wanting another glass of wine but can’t find your waiter; but, wait there he is, he’s on stage singing.
The next night we would go the GRAMMY museum. Because I am a member of the Recording Academy and a Grammy voting member, I get special treatment and it quite impressive to most peeps. They also have a private bar where we could relax after a fairly busy few days.
The next day, we would go the the Academy of Motion Pictures museum. That is always entertaining, educational and enlightening.
The last day, we would visit a friend on a studio movie set, where we would give her a tour of a Hollywood film set, as well as discuss film set etiquette and of course end up at craft services and cast and crew commissary. There is nothing like knowing what we really eat on set and how horrible it can be.
We would end our week at La Boheme in West Hollywood for drinks and snacks, something to wash dow our commissary dinner down.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe my success in the music industry to my Mum. She is the first person ever to believe in me. She encouraged me to be creative and artistic. She told me that sometimes in life I will be led to the edge of the cliff and I will need to make the decision to have faith and believe in myself or to hold onto what is safe. I have been led to that cliff several times and each time I choose to believe and have faith in my craft and my talent and take that leap of faith and jump off the Cliff.
When I made the transition from a successful music career to the film industry as an Actor and Producer, mind you I had NO experience at all. A friend of mine introduced me to Jacques Thelemaque, and Diane Gaidry, they are the presidents of Filmmakers Alliance. A filmmakers collective in Los Angeles. They took a gamble on me and gave me a chance. Partly because of my experience producing three VMA’s for MTV; the asked me to produce the co-production with the Directors Guild of America award she and gala “VisionFest and Vision Awards”.
Diane, was an actress and she asked me to act in a directors workshop as an actor. I did and then she cast in a couple short films, even before I started my actor training. She encouraged me immensely.
I am truly grateful to these influential people, who believed in me and took that leap of faith and gambled on me and jumped off the cliff betting on me. I will never forget and I live my life to this day trying to repay them by helping other artists, actors and musicians by giving back.
Website: www.MokshaEntertainment.com, www.BobbyLeigh.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobby_leigh_official/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-leigh-6577533/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobbyleighOfficial
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGHMoc-oXqyO3YcJ7YExBA
Other: IMDb: (Internet Movie Data Base: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2437064/
Image Credits
Photo credit Marta Tomkiw Photo credit Krista Wagner Photo credit Dilly Brigs Photo credit Sanjay Yadav