Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Lindsey
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I fell in love with acting in high school when I signed on to take Musical Theatre. I was taking it just as an easy elective not knowing that it would be the career I would want to do for the rest of my life. I went on to study it as my undergraduate in College at USF which is where I decided to make the transition over to TV/FIlm. During college I met my now wife, Samantha, who also was pursuing a place in the entertainment business. We both went on to study with former Los Angeles acting manager Micheal Cushman of Cushman Entertainment Group in Central Florida. During this time, we were introduced to Canyon Martinez who had started studying with Micheal a year before us. After studying with Micheal for the year, Samantha and I attended IMTA in Downtown Los Angeles in January 2019 with me winning Male Actor of the Year and Samantha, Female Actress of the Year for our divisions. After signing with talent agencies and managers, I went on to begin working my way up in the business. I was able to land some great projects. On the commercial side, I acted in a Boost Mobile spot, 2 Ring Doorbell spots, and 2 TUSHY Bidet spots. Some of my other works include a short film for American Film Institute and even an indie film available on Amazon, all while working a 9 to 5 as a Valet on the Warner Brothers Studio Lot. On the lot I met tons of TV and Film stars like Ellen, Phil Lamar, Mark Wahlberg, etc. and also where Canyon and I developed a closer relationship. This led us to collaborate on our first short film as a team, titled “Inevitable”. This short film gained us some recognition by some studio lot employees who granted us access to private editing sessions as well as special access to the different sound stages in charge of bringing Motion Pictures and Television to Life. In 2020 COVID took the world by storm in a devastating manner causing many people’s lives to change forever. Just as everything was beginning to gain traction on the lot, it all seemed to be lost. In 2021 our son Miles was born! After some time, I continued auditioning for roles amidst COVID and the growing writers/SAG strike. In 2023 we all moved back home to FL to be closer to family where I re-joined with Canyon to create a short film titled “The Captain’s Son” after some time apart. This ignited the spark that was once growing in California and after the film was complete, Canyon and I agreed it was time to reach new heights and create an image for ourselves. An image that can build our own futures and create films of our own visions without waiting for that one hopeful opportunity. With that idea, Surfin’ Squatch Studios was born. Not long after, Canyon and I wrote and filmed our first feature length film in Ellijay, GA as an official production company titled “Worlds Apart” starring myself, Samantha, and Canyon. We plan on having a big exclusive red carpet premier event set for late January. We are still working on distribution out to streaming services for those fans not able to make it to that event. which will be revealed soon. You can view the trailer and stay up to date on everything “Worlds Apart” on our IG & Tik Tok page @surfinsquatchstudios and my personal IG and Tik Tok page @theerealwill. This is only the first of many more films!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some challenges included having to work a 9 to 5 while having multiple in person auditions to go to. It didn’t always work out since I would have an 8 hour shift but an audition in downtown LA an hour and a half away. COVID did one thing right and allowed for a lot of auditions to now be self-taped which means I can record them on my phone and send them in via whatever casting website my agent or manger sent it to me from. Another challenge is trying to become SAG or apart of the Union. It’s like the old saying “I need experience to get the job, but I need the job to get the experience” There are a lot of casting offices that won’t even look your way if you’re not SAG, so that’s been a struggle for not just me but countless actors. A challenge that I always found funny is the mental challenge I would sometimes go through when I walk into the casting office for an audition and there are anywhere from 5 to 15 people that look just like me, depending on how big the casting office is. So, there’s a level of nervousness that makes me think if I’m dressed correctly, if I look right or sound right for the role over the other people, amongst other things.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor first and foremost. On top of that, I wear many hats for our production company. Some of which include, Writer, Executive Producer, Assistant Director, Marketing Manager, etc. I am proud of the work I did in the short time I was in LA, some people do more, and some people do less but for me, it was exactly what I needed. I received payment for those dates, but the experience was something that was the most valuable. It gave me an incredible amount of set experience, behind the scenes experience and just overall general experience about the business that is allowing me to assist my business partner run, what will soon be a successful production company. It is something that I am forever grateful for. Perserverance and adaptability is what I believe sets me apart, a lot of people give up after trying for a bit and not getting the results that they wanted. If something isn’t working for me one way, I approach it from a different angle and I make it work. I feel like there aren’t a lot of people that will keep pushing while adapting.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Outside of my up-and-coming career in the entertainment industry, I work as a Data Processor for Hillsborough County School District and run a DJ/Karaoke side gig called “SongBirdsTPA” for bars, private parties, and many other events and venues. With Samantha and I still pushing towards that acting goal, our son has taken on an interest in it as well. He can be seen in some on my viral videos on my Tik Tok titled “Baby Genius” as well as in the short film I mentioned earlier “The Captains Son”. My downtime when I’m not doing any of the things mentioned above is either finding some new experience to do with family or gaming, both of which are perfect ways for me to unwind. A big goal of our production company is to bring film to FL. When people think TV/Film, everyone’s mind goes to LA or more recently ATL, we aim to change that. There is so much untapped talent due to those actors not being seen because they’re not SAG or productions just wanting to hire the most popular actor to sell tickets. We plan to not just look for actors, but multiple other aspects needed for a production as well, that way we can have very successful projects with people who genuinely enjoy this work and are willing to put the work in.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theerealwill/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SurfinSquatchStudios
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/surfinsquatchstudios/
