Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Alison Whitney | Actress/Comedienne/Writer/Producer/Mom

The word risk gets me excited. Risk means to take a chance. To get out of your comfort zone. I am an artist. Risk is part of the game. Both on the creative side and on the business side. The unknown is what makes the work new, inspiring, and most of all vital in making a change. I have always found that when I get am willing to get uncomfortable, I discover what I am really capable of. I trained as an actress, but as I have continued on the marathon life of a working actor (note the difference between an AList actor/celebrity), I have found that writing and producing my own work has given me the most power. It’s given me a seat at the table. Read more>>

Juan Carlito” Mendoza | Musician & Educator”

I view risk as an inevitable and essential aspect of both life and career growth. Embracing calculated risks has been pivotal in my professional journey, allowing me to learn, adapt, and achieve meaningful milestones. It’s through taking risks that I’ve encountered valuable opportunities and expanded my capabilities, ultimately contributing to my overall development and success. In addition, with those risks, you will definitely fail, but failure will help you learn what to do and what not to do. Embracing the mantra “Failure leads to success” has empowered me to take risks and simply give things a shot. The unknown on the other side is a realm of possibilities that can only be unveiled through the courage to try. Read more>>

Cambree Doll | creative, dancer/performer, designer, entrepreneur

Taking risks has definitely played a major factor in where I am in my life and career. I’ve never been afraid to go outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself. I think risk and fear go hand in hand. Often times people dont take risks, because they are afraid of the unknown. I’ve always been someone who doesnt like to follow the rules and thinks outside the box. The creative process is the absence of fear, or at least the ability to work through the fear. If you want to pursue your passion of being a creative or an entrepreneur you cant let fear control you and it is absolutely crucial to take risks. I left my family at 13 years old and moved to a completely different state so I could attend a performing arts boarding school and further my training as a dancer, so risk is nothing new to me. Read more>>

Fernando Rocha | Cinematographer

It took me a long time to become comfortable taking risks. Risk is in the very nature of Freelance, I rarely know when my next project is going to be or where it will come from but therein lies a great deal of freedom. The biggest risks I feel I take are when I say no to a project, it requires a belief that other work will arise and even when I can tell a project is not a right fit for me, it’s never an easy choice to make. Creatively, as a Cinematographer I often have ideas I want to test and finding a right story and project to do so with can be tricky. At the moment, I’m co-developing a passion project about Day of the Dead celebrations in a Mexican-American enclave in Chicago. Read more>>

Andrea Dionisi | |Drummer, Composer

Risks play a big role every time I take decisions in my life or in music. I see risks as something new that I wanna explore, but at the same time worry me. I always consider negative and positive aspects, but if the risk is connected with something depends of my effort and my goals I always consider it in a positive way. As a musician, every time I play with new people, in different environments and situations could be a risk because these are new situations where I don’t know exactly how it should be. In my opinion, to evolve as a person and as a musician it is important to take risks and learn from mistakes while keeping an open mind and ready for any situation that can happen in life. Read more>>

Camille Kolo | Artist & Writer

Risk is a very good friend of mine, actually. Growing up in the US, I’ve watched as every sure-fire path to wealth, health and happiness crumbles to a fine dust and mixes into a boggy pit of “you’d better work harder” and “maybe one day”. For quite some time, I was under the impression that risk was something easily avoided or cannily bought into, and it has taken me years as an artist to realize the burden of risk has spread beyond the myth of my youth. We all —worker, creative, striver, slacker, whatever— have been asked to shoulder an immense amount of uncertainty and danger. Our living spaces are at risk, our grocery budgets, our retirements, our stability, our mobility, our prospects, all of it! Read more>>

Alex Saghatelian | Technology Executive, Innovation Growth Strategies

I choose to think about risk from the lens of opportunities and decisions. Risk is defined as a situation involving exposure to danger, whereas an opportunity is the possibility of something happening, a chance. As you make decisions throughout your life, it’s important to be calculated and thoughtful to ensure you are living the life you desire. When we recognize this, we are able to make decisions with more clarity because we are considering the purpose and impact behind the decision. How do you want to live your life, what impact will your decisions have, what kind of habits do you want to form? To support this, sometimes we make decisions that are perceived as “risky” but are actually very rewarding because they align with your north star. Read more>>

Karola Raimond | Storyteller & Creatrix

What’s the saying again- No Risk No Fun!? But seriously I don’t believe anything ever happens when we play it safe. Life is not meant to be safe. There is no build in security net. We are meant to explore, push boundaries, fall, fail, get back up and try again. Life is an adventure. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns. We wouldn’t have the incredible highs, if we didn’t also experience the moments of doubt and fear. The truth is we can’t control anything. We might think we can, but that is only an illusion. I always knew I was an artist. But I had to first overcome the fear of what it truly meant to be an artist. And as every artist can attest, committing to being an artist comes with a lot of hardship, unpredictability and judgement. Read more>>

JOHN DUBIN | Artist

Try new things…. always. Get out of your comfort zone. Once you’ve mastered something it’s easy to stay in that circle. It’s easy to stay there because you found something you are good at. However, to grow as an artist and increase your skills you have to leave those comfort zones behind. Attempting to do things you might not consider yourself good at are the best things to take on. Read more>>

Louise Hazel | Olympian & CEO of Slay

I am a big risk taker. Sometimes, I think my attitude to risk is that abnormal compared to the average person. Some of the decisions I make probably make no sense whatsoever to those around me, but if you’re a person with big vision or an entrepreneur, then risks are just part of the game. You can’t shy away from them, and as an Olympian I was never one to back down from a challenge, so why would I stop now? The difference now is that I’m much more particular about the fights that I take on. My husband Eric thinks I’m impulsive in my decision making, but what looks like impulsivity on the surface is actually strategic underneath. Read more>>

Tyler Seller | Founder of Masshole Media

I am personally a very big risk taker, but in a conservative way. I love action and tend to gravitate to wherever stuff is going on and that is how I meet a lot of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with. For me its not necessarily FOMO, but the fear of losing an opportunity or regretting it. Whether it was dropping out of school, camping out of a venue to talk to a representative from the artists team to show them my work for an opportunity or sneaking into shows I wasn’t cleared to be at, it all led to my thinking process, style and way of helping others who might not know where to start. Read more>>

Celeste gonzalez | Bridal Hairstylist & educator

I wouldn’t be here without so many risk taking decisions that not only transformed my business but my life. At the age of 30 left the corporate side of the 9-5 Monday to Friday job to start all over. I had no idea about social media, marketing, running a business. Looking back today having worked as a paid brand educator for hair brands to last year having worked directly with the Pinterest tv team for my monthly episodes it’s surreal sometimes to thing I started literally with nothing. Just a school loan and 12k to sustain me for a year while I attended school full time. At the time I had 2 kids and my husband who although he wasn’t sure about this was supportive to allow me to become the business owner and individual I am today. Read more>>

Daniel Lomba | NFL Agent and Lawyer

In my opinion, taking risks is directly correlated to personal growth. While I was enrolled in Law School I took a risk to start my own sports agency which led to multiple nights of joy and stress. I continue to take risks today as I invest both my time and resources relentlessly into EAMG Sports with no guaranteed return. However, one thing I can guarantee is that I would not be as close to reaching my goals, nor come so far, if I didn’t take risks everyday. Read more>>

Mike Giegerich | Director of Communications

I think calculated risks are essential to avoiding or prolonging burnout. I was a music publicist for seven years, but I intuitively knew that I needed to make a change and get outside of my comfort zone. Subsequently joining End Overdose was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Since becoming part of the team, I’ve learned how to be a leader; I’ve learned how to tell stories in fields like public health; and I’m now able to apply my music industry expertise to fostering collaborations with artists that support End Overdose’s mission. I wouldn’t be at my dream job if I didn’t take a risk and dive into the unknown! Read more>>

Chickabass | Producer, Artist

Risk is interesting because it’s almost needed to achieve those seemingly “unattainable” goals. Shoot- I’d even say it’s needed for anything in life. I’ve taken countless risks to be where I’m at today; not continuing school, using all my savings to move to LA, leaving a comfortable job. It’s important to take risks because just like in video games, when you’ve run into challenges you know you’re leveling up. Read more>>

Luke Charles Stafford | Actor, Singer/Songwriter, Musician, & Entrepreneur

This is a great question! At the heart of it, I think many of us may painfully go through life never fully throwing our ‘whole weight’ at anything. I believe one can never truly know what they can do, become, or the difference they can make, unless they give something all that they possess. And at that point, I think risk becomes necessary. It becomes worthwhile. In my own life, I have only found myself either improving in failure, or, stumbling into success with more humility, and a deeper desire to be truly great at what I practice. Taking risk has also forced me in my hardest moments to rely on God, focus on my craft, and fall deeper in love with why I chose this path. Read more>>

Aimee Graham | Writer/Director

At this point in my life I enjoy taking risks. There is something thrilling about tempting fate… maybe it’s the gambler in me… but you can’t move forward without risk. And I’ve picked myself up enough times to know that if it doesn’t work out- I will still land on my feet. You must take a leap of faith in any creative field… and hope that someone is out there (an audience or any other human being) who will respond to your work. Creating and honing your craft could involve an excessive amount of: time, homework, study and preparation; hours, days, years… and financial investments… time and money you may never get back. Can this be daunting? …Of course. That is why your passion must burn so bright that you have no other choice but to move forward. Read more>>

Alex Henry | Actor, Producer & Entertainer

Think of risk like the spice in a recipe, a little necessary kick to make the dish exciting. Now, let me tell you about my wild ride. Picture this: I’m chilling in Serbia, living the good life thanks to my awesome parents. Everything’s stable, but deep down, I’ve got this itch for something more. Call it a dream or a crazy vision, but I wanted a life in California’s entertainment scene. So, what do I do? I throw stability out the window, pack my bags, and dive into the unknown. I’m talking about leaving everything behind and landing in the land of Hollywood dreams. Why? Because that’s where the action is, and I had a gut feeling that it was my ticket to the life I craved. Now, California wasn’t just a walk in the park. It’s more like a rollercoaster, with ups, downs, and unexpected loops. Read more>>

Jenn Drakes | Author, Life Strategist and Accelerator

This question is interesting since I not too long did a podcast episode about risk tolerance that aligned risk to change. Essentially, in life we hear the terms “risk tolerance” or “risk aversion”, usually related to financial and investment matters. However, the reality is that risk is with us every single minute, hour, and day. When we send a loved one off or hang up the phone from them, we never know if that is for the last time or not. When we wake up each day, we never know if that is our last day or not. In those situations we walk in complete faith without ever thinking about the concept of risk. So, I accept living life is in of itself a risk, and I’ve seen that play out as such. Read more>>

Xingyu Harry” Chen | Film Director/Colorist/Photographer”

For me, embracing a certain level of risk has always been an inherent aspect, almost a “necessary evil,” for creatives, especially in the film industry where I carve my path. As a film and creative director, meticulous preparation doesn’t shield you from the unforeseen production challenges that can surface on set. These challenges, big or small, directly impact decisions, forcing adaptations to the original game plan. Take, for instance, a critical prop not being ready or discovered broken on set, but we have to film it now to be on schedule for another blue-hour shot later. The problem leads to me asking a series of questions to myself: Can we proceed without the prop? Will the story resonate with the audience without it? Will the edit work without it? Read more>>

Cerissa Aguirre | Actress, Model, YouTuber, Podcast Host, Certified Sound Facilitator, and UGC content creator

I am someone who believes that if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing in life, then you have to take inspired action to change things even if it means taking a risk. No matter what your dreams are, or how old you are, you have to take risks. It’s never too late to change your outcome. If you don’t, you will wake up at 80 years old living in regret. No risk, no story. This is how I live my life now. If you’re just starting out, it’s ok to have a regular job while you pursue your dreams, but you have to still put in work towards your goals. In the long road I try to make money in ways that are in alignment with my purpose and make me happy, because that’s what life is all about. It’s a balance of living and enjoyment, and also dedication and hard work. Read more>>

Federica Intelisano | video and film editor, video artist and owner of a post production company

In my perspective, embarking on a career as a freelance professional in the fields of cinema, TV commercials (TVC) and video art demands a unique set of skills and a willingness to embrace risks. In this dynamic industry, where creativity knows no bounds, the integration of professional and personal life becomes inevitable. As a freelancer, you are not just an individual delivering a service; you are your own business, and taking risks is an inherent part of this entrepreneurial journey. One of the key aspects of freelancing in the world of cinema, TVC, and video art is the fusion of the artist within with the professional you present to the world. Your work is not just a job; it’s an expression of your creativity and a manifestation of your artistic identity. Read more>>