Bradley Stryker of Everly Entertainment On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career in TV and Film

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Bradley Stryker. Bradley Stryker is an American actor who portrayed Trey Atwood in the series The O.C. on Fox. He has a lead role in the feature film, Tillamook Treasure (2006), playing Tom, the sidekick of logger Jimmy Kimbell. Stryker also had a role in Bruce Almighty, as well as the homoerotic thrillers The Brotherhood and Wolves of Wall Street. He was in “Night, Mother”, a first-season episode of the television crime series CSI: NY. He also appears as lead actor in the 2004 Renault Clio and Nokia commercial directed by Carter & Blitz. In late 2010, he portrayed the DC Comics villain Deadshot in “Shield”, the second episode of Smallville’s final season.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I am a Pacific Northwest guy. I was born in Oregon and raised in Bothell, Washington — a suburb of Seattle. I loved sports growing up. Gravitating to Football and Basketball ultimately. I have always been an active child, but from day one there was always a thread of wanting to entertain those around me, which of course came to fruition much later in life. I am and always have been very much a family person.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

Senior year of university at San Diego State University (my 6th college/university post high school) — I found myself in a Drama 101 class, my last needed elective. For my final we had to do a monologue. During that monologue in front of my classmates, the writing somehow grabbed a hold of me on a very viscreral and emotional level. When I came out of the fog of that speech and took in my classmate’s reaction to what had just happened… I was literally hooked. I haven’t looked back since.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Way too many to count. But ultimately it would be the overall journey as an actor and the freedom and opportunities it brings you in your life. I have travelled to Rome and Verona, Italy; made a movie in Thailand; and have been fortunate to travel all the way from Vancouver to Halifax in Canada; and still regularly work in both LA and NYC. A true life of adventure would be my answer to this question. And I have loved every minute of it and look forward to much more as my career continues to unfold.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

This is a good one. I was 25 and in a commercial callback. It was a really playful scene in which myself and the other actors were in the backyard having a good time and the director calls out, “Someone do a handstand” — to which I did… but I can’t do a very good handstand… so I went upside down and then proceeded to fall backwards uncontrollably into the desk in front of the director/producers/ad agency — and demolished the whole thing and all their stuff went flying… I did not get the job ;)…

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I am having a great time with my own scripts. I have been a writer going on 15 years — I have 3 produced feature films to date. And I very much look forward to seeing the next ones come to life. Specifically — WOLF’S BANE; CROSS OF WOTAN; SILENT HERO; THE CONFESSION; and HIGH SCHOOL PTSD are in the works. All are either optioned; sold; or in various degrees of development. It’s an exciting time for sure.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

If you can’t stomach failure — this is definitely not the business for you. Your life will be rife full of auditions that never result in a job. BUT, if you truly do love acting; my advice is really simple. Do it incessantly. Act with reckless abandon. Do it as much as you can; as often as you can. The real secret sauce of making a career as an actor is to become so good at your job that they cannot say no. Because trust me, if they have any reason at all… if there is any doubt that you may or may not be the guy or gal — you’re not getting the job. You have to be unattainably good. Someone they cannot possible make their movie or TV show without. And that only lives in a ton of hard work. If you can do theater — do it! It’s the smartest and best path to becoming a wildly talented actor.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. Because stories from all walks of life can inform us and educate us as an audience of things we may otherwise never know anything about. This can help to create empathy and understanding, which is a gift to us all.
2. Because, like it or not, this world is a giant melting pot of cultures and the more we know about each other, the sooner we can embrace our differences as strengths and not scary things that create fear in us.
3. Because being a human being is a universal experience when done right. And the best version of this comes with us all gathering as much knowledge as possible about each other. And why not do that through the medium of TV and film. It makes all that much more fun to do ;)…

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . Yes, you’re learning and most likely tragically insecure — but ALWAYS be open and malleable to trying new things in your work. Lesson and power live in a broad spectrum of training.

2 . Find a way to enjoy the ride because if you choose to do this — it’s your life — and your life does not start when success comes. It’s happening all the way from day #1 as an artist through the realization that you will always be learning (if you’re lucky).

3 . Always be hungry for growth. The day you think you’ve got it figured out, is the day you should do something else.

4 . Be nice to yourself. A life in pain doesn’t make you a better artist.

5 . Travel as much as you can. The more you understand about the world and the people in it — the better your perspective in life will be. And the more believable you’ll be in playing people from all walks of life.

6. Let curiosity be your secret weapon. What’s going on in your head is often not the best world to be living in. But what’s going on around you is often the key to a ton of success and growth.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Keep pursuing growth as a person and artist. Never stop challenging yourself. And see as much of the world as you can while you’re fortunate to be walking around on planet Earth.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

It would be a restructuring around the North American beliefs on empathy. It would seem to me that it’s more often than not viewed as a weakness or not “masculine” to be empathetic. I couldn’t disagree more. I think it needs to be discussed as a strength and path to success. As a father to a young son, this is one of my main focuses in parenting. That being empathetic and kind is a superpower, not a weakness.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I have a two-fold answer:

1. My mom. She has unfortunately passed, but she pushed me to always keep going and keep believing even when it made absolutely no sense at all to do so. I remember when I was just starting out, I was living in my car in Venice Beach (which she didn’t know about) — and to help out the best she could, she sent a care package to a friend of mine’s house. It had food and a couple treats in it. I’m talking about canned foods and the like. It probably cost more to ship than it did to buy, but this was the only way she knew I’d get the food I needed (while I was off doing God knows what ;)…
2. It would be every acting teacher I’ve ever had. They have all been tremendous in helping me find my way and understand the craft of acting.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I love it because it’s true. I have been on both the good and bad sides of this quote, but what I really love about it, is that it puts the power in my hands always. Get to work… and get ready for that next opportunity.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I don’t know specific names — but I will say this. Film/TV both have the ability to affect change in their audience, to approach subjects that might be difficult to talk about. Which is a wonderful thing. But it is nearly impossible to find funding for movies that want to approach controversial social issues that need a platform. For instance, there is a very prevalent gun problem in the United States — but how many movies do you see about that? Almost none. That’s because the investors aren’t brave enough to take a chance at approaching an issue that might make some people uncomfortable… including all of the very powerful people who run America. Which is why we continue to avoid the subject in the arts and pretend it doesn’t exist. And ultimately, the real irony is — if you’re an educated filmmaker like myself, you can not only talk about the issue, but make money while doing it by simply wrapping the social issue in an exciting genre film. Yet.. for some reason, the money still continues to be too scared to take that risk. I’d love to talk to someone who wants to go down that road with me.

How can our readers follow you online?

1. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradleystryker/
2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradley.stryker.1
3. Stryke-ForceFilms.com & EverlyEnt.com (coming soon)

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.