Meet Johnny La | Actor & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Johnny, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Hello Shoutout LA, I appreciate the invite for this wonderful press interview. My name is Johnny La, and I am an Actor and Entrepreneur. I was born and raised in San Jose, California. I was fortunate to have been raised by hard-working parents and grew up with wonderful siblings. My parents have always inspired me to work hard and allowed me to pursue my dreams today. I went to San Jose State University and graduated in 2008. During that time, I spent most of my early and mid 20’s living the 9 to 5 life. But I have always had a passion for acting, so I started my own production company at the time and wrote, produced, and acted in my own film series called “Gunn”. During that time, Asian roles were a bit rare, so I knew that I had to create my own film at the time if I wanted to tell a story. This became a domino effect because we began casting many other Asian-Americans in the film(s) and we’ve opened up doors for many talents that wouldn’t have had the opportunity at the time.

I knew that my dream was to move to Los Angeles, where I can begin my craft and work in the industry. I quit my 9-5 job in San Jose, packed up, and made the move to Los Angeles. It was scary because I came on my own, with no friends and family. But I had their support in San Jose, and it allowed me to keep pushing forward and finally achieved my own success here in the industry.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am extremely proud to be representing Asian Americans in film, TV, and commercials. Back in the early 2000s when I decided to be an actor, it was difficult justifying it at the time to my friends and family because Asians weren’t really represented on screen much. Often, when we saw an Asian actor on screen, they were either portrayed as nerds or losers who didn’t get the girl. But I’m extremely proud to have continued pursuing my passion and stayed the course, because Hollywood has shifted and we are now seeing more Asians on screen, especially in leading roles. It was certainly not easy when I started for sure, and I hope that my audience sees that I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today. A lot of times, when people see me on screen, they think I got lucky and landed the role. But, they don’t realize that I poured sweat and tears into this for almost 2 decades now, to finally be able to say that I’ve appeared on TV, in film, and in commercials.

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?
KTown! There hasn’t been a time when my friends or family came to visit me and did not enjoy the food in KTown. Afterward, I love taking them to the many available beaches here in Los Angeles. It’s wild when they find out that we can get to a beach easily in just about 30 minutes from where I live. When we want a chill day, I like taking them to The Grove mall and then grabbing some more food in Sawtell. When we’re ready to explore museums, I take them to the famous Griffith Observatory, where they can also get a beautiful view of Los Angeles.

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?
This is such a great question! I have to start off by first thanking my parents, Nam La and My Lam. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My siblings, Steven La, and Cindy La continue to provide love and support for me. Without family, I wouldn’t have the support system that I have today. And of course, my dog Robo, who loved me from day 1 when I found him on the streets. Without him, life here in Los Angeles would be so much tougher.

One of the books that I have to give credit to that shaped my mind differently when I was younger is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. It is one of the books that I’ve read that has inspired me to gain wealth through entrepreneurship, as opposed to working hard and still struggling financially by the time you retire. Moving to Los Angeles was a gamble because I knew that to be an actor, I would have to shy away from the typical 9 to 5, and will have to build businesses to survive. Fast forward to today, I started my real estate business and also my digital marketing agency. I credit this book for shaping my mind and escaping the rat race.

Website: http://www.johnnyla.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thejohnnyla

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lajohnny/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@The.JohnnyLa

Other: http://www.homeswithjohnny.com – My Real Estate Page  mrla-media.com – My Digital Marketing Page