Mind Over Masculinity
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Mind Over Masculinity
The Art of Chasing Dreams - Matt Drago
Join us for an insightful episode featuring actor and producer Matt Drago, as he dives into the intricacies of storytelling, resilience, and the artistic journey. From his early creative ambitions in Virginia to the dynamic theater scene in New York and beyond to establishing his own production company in Los Angeles, Matt shares his powerful narrative that showcases the true essence of dreaming big.
This episode highlights the importance of passion and perseverance. Matt emphasizes that being an artist means embracing the struggle and sacrificing for your dreams, while also enjoying the process along the way. He discusses how storytelling transcends media, and why it’s essential to keep the art form alive despite the growing influence of technology.
Listeners will gain valuable insights into maintaining balance during their creative pursuits and learn how to build a supportive community that uplifts their passions. Matt's journey is not just about success; it's about relishing the experiences that shape who we are as artists. Don’t miss this enriching conversation full of wisdom and motivation!
If you find this episode inspiring, don’t forget to subscribe and share it with your friends!
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Hey everyone, welcome back to Mind Over Masculinity, the podcast where we dive deep into the mental game of life, success and everything in between. I'm your host, avik, and today we are stepping into the world of storytelling, performance and the receivings. Stepping into the world of storytelling, performance and the resilience. So you know, like being an artist isn't just about fame or the final product, it's all about the journey. So the sacrifices, the uncertainties, the moments of doubt and the relentless pursuit of something greater than yourself. And today we have a guest who embodies all of that. So he's an actor, producer, a fourth grade black belt and someone who understand what it means to chase a dream with everything that you have got.
Speaker 2:So welcome to the show, matt it is so nice to be here. Thank you so much for having me today.
Speaker 1:Lovely, lovely. So, matt, like before we start, I'll quickly love to introduce you to all of our listeners. Dear listeners, matt has been in the game for years, like starring in somewhere in Montana Disney's Counting Scars, what Would Jesus Do, the Journey Continues, ridley Scott's Prophets of Science Fiction and even the hit podcast Drama no Other Way. And not only that, but he also building his own production company, taking full control of his creativism. So why do we wait till it gets started? Welcome to the show again. Thank you, abhi, I appreciate it. Lovely, lovely. So, uh, you mentioned that knowing you wanted to be an actor since you could remember I, I really love that and but but let's be real, like, knowing and doing are are the two very different things. Like, so what was the moment when you went from dreaming about it to actually saying that, no, this is happening and I'm going for it?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. I think that it goes through a lot of different times in your life and and it's a constant reflection process you just kind of have to keep reinventing your mindset and looking at the greater picture. One of those kids growing up in humble beginnings in Virginia that only needed my creativity and my imagination, you know. And so you know, not a lot of toys, but I just really did focus on just telling stories, and then that really got me into the local theaters. I always tell young actors, you know, take advantage. While you're young, right, because you don't have to have a job, while you're young, right, because you don't have to have a job, the responsibilities of being an adult you can just literally be free to. You know, tell stories. And so I got into my local theater in Virginia and did a bunch of shows there. I mean a bunch of shows, probably, like you know, 15, 20 shows growing up, and that kind of brought me to the next part and I think this was a really that this dream was also going to be work and that I needed to continue to fight for my dream. You know, it wasn't just going to be handed to me, and so for me it was a really powerful moment.
Speaker 2:I was playing Little Patrick in Mame at the Riverside Dinner Theater and I came off stage one night and I think it was a table that I was serving and this woman, probably in about her 70s, came up to me and you know, the dynamic of the show is very centered on, you know, mother and son. And the woman came up to me and she said you know, matt, thank you so much. This role and this show meant a lot to me tonight. It made me realize that I really need to make a bigger effort to be closer to my son and that resonated with me even as a 14 or 15 year old, that this was a really powerful medium to be able to tell stories, to be able to move people. You know, in your practice of being an actor really had a power to it, an immense power to it, and that's what perpetuated me to take my next step, which was to go to New York City and be around my people. And that's what I enjoy so much about this journey of Eek is being around my people, being around people that you know are like-minded, that also love to tell stories.
Speaker 2:There's just nothing better in the world than that, so moved up to New York City, lived with my grandma I'm a grandma's boy on the Upper West Side in New York City and just really started to audition, audition, audition, started to get into any you know acting class that I could. And you know, while I was bartending right because the work continued, you know I would take whatever I needed to keep the dream alive. I got a half scholarship to Marymount Manhattan College. You know I worked in the library there to help pay for my college tuition. And you know, in my downtime I was just always at the Actors' Equity Building, which, for your listeners, is where all the Broadway performers come to sing their 16 or 22 or 32 bars of music and put themselves out there for productions that are casting in the area. And it really was.
Speaker 2:I just took full advantage every day, all day, of being creative and being an actor and that's what led me to 26th Street in Chelsea, terry Schreiber's studio T Schreiber Studios and I studied with Terry for about two and a half years.
Speaker 2:He just became a grandfather to me and he had gotten so many actors great starts, including Edward Norton, and I just really became close to him and such a lover of actors really taught me the craft of acting and finding your process.
Speaker 2:I think that's a big thing for actors is that mindset of letting go and finding different ways to build your character because it's a unique process to you, right? So that's kind of what perpetuated me to my next chapter, which was moving to LA, and that was through a conversation that I had with Terry where he said you know, maybe you should give LA a chance. I really feel like film could be a great medium for you and TV. And so I did that and moved out here with, actually, a girl that I met in that 12-person acting class was my girlfriend. Then now my wife Found out that we grew up three blocks away from each other in a small Virginia town and now we have a production company in LA. And so life just works itself out sometimes in ways that you can't even understand in the moment, but when I met her it all made sense and our dream continues now, together telling great stories and building a production company together.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, I have to say. Like so quick thing, like looking back, was there ever a point where you questioned that decision, like I mean, what kept you moving forward?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's that's. Um, that's a great question. I think there are always challenges in any career, right, and I feel like for me, I I had those challenges pretty much from the beginning and I think that's kind of what molded me into really being a dreamer. But I say that in the context that I really truly believe that dreamers are fighters and dreamers will fight for anything to keep the dream alive. So I think that kind of goes back to the work ethic that I knew would come along with it and the challenges that would come along with it.
Speaker 2:And rolling with the punches, and I think in my career, honestly, I've tried to do my best of never getting too high but never getting too low. I always tell this to young actors and I hope this will be valuable to your listeners is that you know you really have to enjoy the journey. The journey truly is the destination. The journey is the destination and I always tell people that because you have to enjoy every opportunity to act and whether that's an audition for, you know, a short film or a feature like somewhere in Montana, or a TV show, it's your opportunity to bring yourself uniquely to a story Right and only you can tell that character, the way that you uniquely can tell it, and so I always tell people really enjoy all parts of it.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'll, you know, open up personally to when, when Laura and I moved out here and we would sometimes shoot these auditions at one, two in the morning and we would just have so much fun, regardless of the outcome, we would just have so much fun shooting these auditions and that's what I always tell people is just really embrace, just being in the moment, because you don't have control of everything in life, right, so you have to enjoy what you do have control of. And what you do have control of is your mindset and your practice and your true love of the game. And that's what I found from an early on standpoint was just really enjoying being an actor and waking up every morning and doing what I love that's amazing.
Speaker 1:And so one more thing is like, which is very common. Uh, I see that so many artists get into the game because they love it, but eventually you realize that it's not just about the art, it's about the business. So how do you balance that, staying true to your creative passion while also navigating the business side of the industry?
Speaker 2:another great question. Um, it's all about balance, right, and you're right. A big part of what we do as creatives is is very business centric. Um, the best way that I can say it is you have to find your tribe, and that starts before you even get to the point where maybe you've built a resume, where you find like minded people, maybe people that have been in it longer than you have, that you can tap into and learn from their experiences. Right, and just like being on this podcast today, I hope people can learn from my experiences, so it's about paying it forward at the end of the day. So I think it really starts with finding your tribe, finding people that align with you creatively, but also people that really lift you up and never let you down and can really tell you the things that you need to hear and the moments that you need to hear them.
Speaker 2:And then the next part happens, when you do claim a little bit more success from your work as an artist. Then you build your team, and there's a joyous part in that. I've got my wonderful agent, tanya Kleckner, over at HRI. I've got my manager, richard John Martin, at Ignite Talent Management, and I also hired an incredible PR team headed by Mia Hansen over at Portrait PR. These are people that take on a lot of the heavy lifting in the business aspects of my career. That way I can focus on being creative, which is what they want me to do. Right, because if I can be more in my lane being creative, then they can. You know we can achieve together, right, because that's what they want. They handle the business part of it and I handle the creative part of it, and it just makes that kind of well-oiled machine work a lot better.
Speaker 2:So as you get further along, you find people that really believe in you and can align with you and will get you into doors that you couldn't get in yourself, and so that's all. Part of the journey, too, is maintaining building a team and collaborating with others. And then it goes into your own production company, which I have at Dragon Hunter Productions with my wife is building your team there too. Your cinematographer, your editor, the people that work in your lighting department, your sound department these are people that you align with and you want to work with over and over and over again. You find it happening all the time uh, creatively is that you build these relationships with people. These are people that are your friends, they're your family, and there's such a joy in that.
Speaker 2:When you have, um, you know, people that really are in alignment with you, that want to tell you know great stories with you, and it becomes everybody's story. Um, that's one thing that I always try to be clear of. When you know I'm making a film, like I look at my job, whether it be as an actor or a producer, is that I am one piece to the puzzle, but it's everybody's film. It's everybody's um, you know, uh, piece of art to be proud of and and to build together. So it really goes back to just being in love with the craft. And when you're in love with the craft, you attract people that align with you and then you can do something really, really special within that I do really.
Speaker 1:Yeah and um, I mean, is that why you started your own production company? I mean to have more control over the process.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just just a uh, just a thing came to my mind yeah, I think control is one aspect of it, um, but for me it's more than that. I think I realized, especially in recent years and even on the set of Somewhere in Montana I love acting it's my first love in life but I also really love collaborating. But I also really love collaborating, and I think that when you build a production company, you really put yourself in the mindset more of being a collaborator and hiring different people that are masters of their own craft. Because, again, I can't shoot a film like my brilliant cinematographer can. I can't gaff a shot with great lighting like my lightingographer can. I can't, you know, gaff a shot with great lighting like my lighting designer can. I can't do set design like my set designer said.
Speaker 2:So you have all of these different people that are masters of their own domain and you give them free reign to bring their creative mastery to your film, because it's their film too.
Speaker 2:And that's the way I look at it is that you're constantly working together and fighting for something together that is bigger than yourself, and there's just such beauty in that, and then the most rewarding part happens when you accomplish something together is that you give it back to everybody. I mean, I will say from somewhere in Montana. It's the first time that I know every single person's name on the credits, because it's an indie film and we were a tight knit group. There's such joy in that Avik, where you know these people and you have spent time with these people and you've gone on hikes with these people and you've gone to dinners with these people. They're your friends, they're your family, and so when you get that final project, it's a win for everybody. And so that's the way I look at it as a collaborator is that you're constantly building things that are bigger than yourself and enjoying just the pure relation that it brings you in the process.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I totally agree on this. That's a great, great perspective. I would say yeah, and like the pressure of being in the public eye. Like for a lot of actors, there's this constant pressure like not just to perform but to be seen as a certain way. So do you ever feel that pressure Like you have to maintain a certain image? And if so, then how do you deal with it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, another great question. I mean acting and the industry for actors. I think is very outward facing, meaning that a lot of people on social media or media, you know, see actors demonstrate their wins, they see the awards if you're lucky enough to receive one, if you are on a red carpet, if you're in an event. They see that as very outward facing. But I got to be honest, most actors that I've experienced in my life are some of the most selfless people that you'll ever meet. They hold so much emotional space for people and they're really just some of the most selfless people. Like I said, it's like they. They really do love storytelling. That's why they got into it and I'm no different than that.
Speaker 2:So when I think about image, a lot of times it's it's by being on shows like yours today. You know it's. It's it's by, you know, showing a little bit more about my character as Matt, you know, and being a real person, because it's no different than any other profession, right, you know there's an outward facing part of it and there's, you know, an inward facing part. But actors are asked to, you know, be a little bit more able to put themselves out there in ways that many professions aren't, and we're okay with that. We accept that challenge. You know we love to broadcast our wins because we know how much work goes into them. We know how much sacrifice goes into them. I think all the times, on all the odds and ends, jobs that I've had to take just to get myself to this moment right now where I'm talking to you, and so there is just this innate sense of just real, just love, when you feel that you've sacrificed and you've fought really hard to achieve something.
Speaker 2:And I think that that's how I look at it is that, regardless of how people may view actors from the outside, in I'll be the first to tell you that actors really are just really wonderful people.
Speaker 2:And it's because they are, they're in tuned with their emotions and they give you so much space. And when you work with great actors that have been pros for a long time, you find that I'll speak to my friends Graham McTavish and Michelle Hurd so many wonderful conversations that I had with them off screen in building these characters and how much just emotional space they gave me to build these relationships. And you know they're exceptional actors, but now I know them as exceptional people and that's really special to me. You know just the really, really deep conversations that I've had on set with them and I think that you see that when you see the final project, um, and, and the final cut of the film is these relationships and and that's the joy of it for me is, um, not necessarily the outward facing stuff, but going back to that kid and, and just being that kid that just loves to tell great stories and live in a world of imagination and creativity, um, in my time on this planet, that's amazing.
Speaker 1:I have to say yeah and like have you ever had to intentionally step away from that pressure to focus on yourself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think there are times where you know you again. You need your taxing on your emotional being. I think sometimes you do need to find your escape. For me, I grew up in a dojo, like you had talked about. I'm a fourth degree black belt, my father's my sensei, so sometimes I'll, you know, go to, I'll go outside and do some katas, you know, just to do something different, I'll get on a bike and I'll ride for 25 miles around. You know my little area of the world. I'll escape to sports. I love sports. You know football, baseball, basketball, hockey.
Speaker 2:I find my escapes and what that gives me is it gives me balance because I love what I do so much. But you know there are times where you need to take a time out from what you, what you love, you know, just so you can take a little bit of a mental and an emotional breather, because again is all about mindset and it is all about, you know, whatever your practice is in keeping your instrument as clear and fine tuned as possible and I think you do that when you give yourself timeouts and you give yourself breaks and you learn how to enjoy other things outside of just the thing that you love, and you can love a lot of things. Right, that's the joy of life, right? Is that you don't have to just love one thing. I mean, my first and main love in my life is storytelling and creating stories and leaving those behind in my time on this earth, but I also love other things too. So finding that balance, finding that escape to other things that you love, is incredibly important, especially for an artist.
Speaker 1:Exactly, yeah, and like. At the core of it acting is storytelling and it's shaping emotions, perspectives and the experiences. So why do you think that storytelling is so important, especially today?
Speaker 2:Human stories matter, avik, I mean, I say it to a lot of people, especially with what we're dealing with right now in technology. Ai obviously is a big hot-button topic. Especially in art. Human stories matter and we cannot give away human stories to a machine, because if we do that, we'll be giving away so much. And so you know, I think, when I think about my practice in storytelling, I think that it matters more now than it ever has, because I think, at large, there are a lot of people that take a lot of their quote, unquote knowledge or information from the media or social media.
Speaker 2:But even before we had social media, even before we had the news, even before we had newspapers, what did we have?
Speaker 2:We had art, we had the hieroglyphics, we had the Mayans, we had people trying to demonstrate their art and their creativity in storytelling.
Speaker 2:And really I think that that's why art is so powerful whether it's musical, whether it's visual, whether it's in film, tv, theater, it's all great because it's showing humanity in its truest form. So, in answer to your question, yes, I do fear for how technology can impact art, because you know, I say this and it's true, if we give away our human stories to a machine, we will lose everything, in my opinion, because we need to see human stories be told exclusively by humans, and if we give away that ability to do so and we cater to, we'll say, the complacency of letting AI tell our stories, I mean, what happens 10, 20, 30, 50 years down the road when children are like, hey, mom, dad, there's this weird movie that came out. There's actually human beings in it. You know, you need to see real tears, you need to see real emotions many ways, as you kind of already see that it is in social media. So the practice of storytelling needs to be sacred to humans, and humans only.
Speaker 1:Got it, yeah. So I mean, what kind of stories do you feel called to tell through your work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love telling big stories. I mean, I love telling stories that I feel like can resonate, especially in the times that we're in. You know I'll speak to somewhere in Montana. It's a story of the times. It's.
Speaker 2:You know, I play Fabian Verdugo. He's an LA-based director and a filmmaker and a lover of telling big stories. As you can tell very close to home to who I am, he's the first character I ever fell in love with because there is so much correlation between him and I and that's what made it such a joy to present him in this film. He clashes right away with, you know, john Alexander, who's a Montana rancher, played by Graham McTavish.
Speaker 2:And you know, I think it's a big story because I think it delves into legacy and what legacy means to people and honoring each other's legacy and respecting each other, because I always say this, but I think respect is the highest form of love that you can give another person.
Speaker 2:And you know, we are two different people from two different worlds and we learn through this story that Brandon Smith just absolutely wrote a masterpiece of is that you don't have to agree with everything and there is more that can connect us than could ever divide us. And when you let people in and start to see them as people, then you realize that and you realize that you don't have to see eye to eye on everything because you never really will, and that's okay. But if you can let another person in and you can start to find mutual respect and common ground, then it feels like a path forward. And these are the stories, avik, that I've always dreamed of telling, even as a young kid. Right when I thought about storytelling I thought, wow, I really believe that big stories can change the world and you know, I feel like Somewhere in Montana is one of those stories that just really paints a picture of a path forward that we can all forge together to hopefully come together for a brighter future.
Speaker 1:Lovely, awesome, I have to say, are awesome, I have to say. And and, like so many aspiring actors and the artists, hit a wall, uh. So, whether it's a creative burnout, self-doubt, or maybe just feeling stuck. So what's one piece of advice you'd give to someone who's kind of um, questioning whether they should keep going or not. So what is it?
Speaker 2:I have a really um awesome young family friend, jolie Canava. She's an up and coming actress. Her dad, tiffany and DJ, are incredibly supportive and my wife and I just had lunch with her and we just saw the fire in her eyes and we really, we really just gave her this message, which I'll give you right now, is just to really, really again enjoy it and remain joyful in it. Telling stories is a joyful practice. I'm very lucky to work and sacrifice for what I do, but to really love what I do too. For what I do, but to really love what I do too, because I do think that there are a lot of people in life that, you know, maybe decide to get a job that maybe they're not as passionate about, and that's okay, because they're providing for their family. You know, dreaming is about sacrifice, but the only way that you can really do it and sustain it long term is to just really be joyful in it every day. And again, there are going to be highs and lows. Like I said, you try never to get too high or too low, but I look at the audition and I look at the audition as the win right. It's your opportunity to put yourself on tape and put your stamp on a character in the way that you only uniquely can, and you hear so many successful actors say it in their own way.
Speaker 2:Michelle Heard, she's fiery, you know. She gets super fiery when she talks about it. Oh, every time I get an audition, you know, it's my opportunity to do something really, really unique and I just love like bringing myself to characters. Like it's so fun for her and she's been doing it for such a long time. It's no surprise to me why she's so successful and same with her husband, garrett Dillahunt, and they're just a just a beautiful couple. That's in my life that I'm so grateful for. But I think that's the practice that I always say so when I go back to that conversation.
Speaker 2:It meant a lot to me too, because it reminded me telling her that that I also need to do that right, because it's a self-practice, and even though I might be further along than Jolie, I looked in her eyes, I saw how much she loved it and I wanted her to start off on the right track of just enjoying it.
Speaker 2:Now that I see her, you know, putting herself on tape on Instagram, it just makes me so happy because I can tell that she's already in love with what she does and she's going to attract so many great people into her life and into her world that are going to want to work with her. Um, that really, really gives you that sustainability in your career because it builds such a foundation in the relationships that you gain along the way. And so, um, you know again, everything in life is is built on mindset, it's built on your spiritual practice, um, and so I, I, I really spiritual practice, and so I really just had such a great conversation with her because, again, it reminded me of that same thing of remain joyful and continue to give back to people, find your tribe and good things will come your way.
Speaker 1:Exactly, that's perfect, lovely. And one more thing, thing like what's a mindset shift that helped you push through your toughest moments?
Speaker 2:relying on people that love me and and and and have loved me my entire life. I mean, you know, I think about my close friends growing up Alyssa Diaria, dwayne Jackson, tyler Ross, joey Weber, katie Nebel these are my family members. I mean, they're my friends, but like I don't see them as friends, they're my family. They're people that, no matter how high or low I will ever get in my life, I know that they're a phone call away. I know that they got me.
Speaker 2:I know that, um, that we have just this tremendous backstory together.
Speaker 2:I know that they always and forever will see me as, as as that kid that they grew up with, right, and so really make sure that you have a core of people that really know you and feel you and understand you and will be there with you, especially in the times where you're feeling low.
Speaker 2:Because I, you know, and I'll do it right now on your show it's like I thank them all the time because I think about not having them in my life, and I'm probably not on your show right now, I'm probably not in this film without their love and support because of all the times that they've picked me up and I'm talking about you know, all the way back to elementary. I mean, I've known Tyler Ross my whole entire life. I've had such deep, rich conversations with Joey Weber, who I've known since elementary school, dwayne Jackson since middle school, katie Nebel and Alyssa middle school, and so these people for me, like, are such a firm foundation that I know I have this safety net if I ever fall, they'll catch me and they'll lift me back up, they'll dust me off and I'll be as good as new to continue my journey with fervor and joy that's really lovely.
Speaker 1:So a mad like this is really incredible, and, from your early days in virginia to the grind of nyc to carving your own path in the la, your story is definitely the testament to staying the course even when the road gets tough. So, for everyone who is listening whether you are an artist, an, an entrepreneur or just someone who is trying to figure out your thing and this is what it takes it's not just about the destination, but it's all about loving the process, embracing the struggle and trusting that every step, even the hard ones, are leading you somewhere. Great. So, matt, where can people connect with you and stay updated on all your projects?
Speaker 2:Absolutely Well. Thank you so much, first and foremost, for having me on your show today. This has been an incredibly insightful conversation that is also part of my journey, right. This brings me joy as well, so thank you again. To connect with me, find me on Instagram Primarily. That's where I live. Right is at Matt Drago M-A-T-T-D-R-A-G-O at Matt Drago. From there you'll have my link tree. It's got my websites both for my acting and my production company mattdragocom for my acting. Dragonhunterproductionscom for my production company. You'll also find my IMDb there. That has my past and future projects and all my other links to all my other social media channels, so give me a follow there. You'll be in the know for happenings in my career and my life because they're one in the same to me, and so follow me there for the journey and I'll keep you posted with all the things that are happening in my life.
Speaker 1:That's really awesome, I have to say, and so everyone tuning in what I'll do I'll put all the links into the show notes and if this episode has inspired you, share it, leave a review and, most importantly, take action on your dreams. So this is your host Avik, reminding you this is Mind Over Masculinity, and until next time, keep pushing forward. So thank you so much.
