We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathan Waire and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nathan, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When living in the Midwest, I actually rejected a creative career because I feared being a “starving artist” BUT when I moved out East, I found that it was easier to pursue and actually thrive as a creative energy. It was sad because in the Midwest I had won many awards for my 2D mix media artwork and if I had looked pass the pitfalls that presented themselves, I may have become a more recognized artist in that field of expertise.
On the east coast, I noticed that a had more of a range than just 2D art and literally got my first taste as an actor. I had been working 9 to 5 hard labor jobs but my sister who moved with us (who also had her master’s degree) was making more money doing one day extra work on sets in NYC than I was making over a week’s worth of work. So, I got my headshot and set out for gigs. Within a week’s time I had landed my first gig even though it didn’t go well a week after that I got an audition with HBO… And got (after a series of callbacks) the job as a principal character in HBO’s promo “Films You Won’t See On HBO”. It paid well so for the next 10 years I worked as an actor getting commercials and indie films. Just when I landed a manager, I also took a Learning Annex course by Dov “S-S” Simens that taught in an incredibly short time preproduction through post-production. I tried it and made a short film with my camcorder. I entered it into an online competition, and it WON!!! I made more money and more exposure than I had made/received for that entire year up to that point. So, the next chapter of my career took shape with me behind the camera… AND THE REST IS HISTORY!!!
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a filmmaker, I have always tried to use diversity and inclusion in my films and the screenplays that proceeded them. YES!!! Most of my short films are based on either books or scripts that I have written. I, truly, like to show different aspects of American culture so my characters and films show many different people interacting and I often leave roles that can be played by anyone who’s appropriate whether they’re male or female or ethnically similar to me or not.
To get an idea of the variety I use just google my stage name NATHAN ZEN-SAPIEN and seeing the films that I have posted online and the books that are also available online. There’s a wide range of characters and stories vary from Sci-fi & Comedy to Psychological Thrillers & Theological Parodies. I even have a children’s book called THE KAFUNKULITUS OF THE FUNKULUS which teaches about the importance of good hygiene. My books which are located on Amazon also almost always include a person of African descent seeing that I am Black and don’t see a variety of intelligent roles for African Americans.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve worked with many caring and influential people, but I must say if it weren’t for my sister, Robin, buying the Learning Annex class and pursuing an acting career even though she had a master’s degree in healthcare I wouldn’t have been here today!!
Website: www.nathanzensapien.blogspot.com
Instagram: @SAPIENFILMS
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-waire-405176b/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nathan099/featured
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