Leon

28 years old, Johannesburg, South Africa

Ever since I was 5 years old, I've always wanted to become an actor. I started doing drama classes at the age of 8, doing all kinds of competitions and performing exceptionally well in all of them. In high school, I entered the National Drama Exam each year and never achieved a mark below 80%. In matric, I took drama as an extra subject.

After school, I left the industry and studied BCom Human Resource Management and obtained my degree, and then further pursued an honours Degree in Industrial Psychology. Halfway through my honours year, I realized that this is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. I remembered my passion for acting, and decided to pursue a career in front of the camera after obtaining my last degree.

I moved from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg in March 2018, got a part-time job as a waiter at a reputable restaurant working night shifts, and started searching for anything I could find. I called in all favours from my networks in Bloemfontein, and within 2 weeks of moving here I was able to land a job at Getroud Met Rugby, a local TV soapie airing on KykNet. This was a major blessing and a big breakthrough.

I then proceeded to get headshots done which one of my contacts arranged for me, and then found an agent by submitting my professional shots. The agency offered acting classes led by a very talented gentleman who has been in the industry for more than 25 years. He wrote and directed his own play, and he has been involved in the film industry in the UK for some time before moving back to South Africa. These classes were a tremendous help in terms of clarifying what the film industry is about, and also how to approach and prepare any script you're given. The agency, however, is very much focused on commercial work, which is a good way to earn extra money and get some exposure, but it is also very difficult to land a commercial job. I am considering moving agencies to an agency that is focused more on acting.

I am currently busy writing my own short film, and it should be finished and ready for the public by the end of this year. I intend to submit it to various festivals to see what comes back. This will be my first ever short film.

Other than acting, I enjoy going to the gym and keeping fit, as well as socializing and networking. Meeting new people is always fun, and is also how I was able to progress through the industry so quickly.