by Sherif Awad
Hello www.MeetingVenus.com,
I grew up in Toledo, Ohio USA where my parents migrated to from Alabama, USA. I have a large extended family with whom I’m very close to. Christianity is deeply rooted in my heritage, and I’m very close with my siblings as well.
I’ve been interested in the arts since I was 3 years old. Singing is a family pastime, and we have musically gifted individuals on both sides of my family. I always loved dancing, singing, acting, writing, and composing. I wrote my first song when I was 7 years old. My love for writing scripts has evolved within the last seven years.
The list is extremely long of my favorites. But mostly musicians and singers from the 80s and 90s from an array of genre’s. My dad listened to Rock and Roll and Blues; my mom listened to Gospel, R&B, and Soul; my siblings listened to Pop, R&B, and Contemporary Gospel, and I gravitated towards Hip Hop and Rap. I was surrounded by the arts. Our family reunions required a talent show every year. We’d practice for months before to make sure that we were on our A game for the show.
-Routinely working at your craft is key. Slowly making practice your habit is very important. Small intervals of work is better than cramming it in all at once. Get a mentor. It saves time and allows you to not just learn the how’s but also the why’s of your craft.
I do like the path that I’m on. Worldwide stardom is not important to me. That can be very stressful. I do however want to have worldwide impact. I can impact the world without having to be famous by silently doing what I feel is needed.
-Yes, there challenges. Most people don’t realize all the work that I do to complete a project and they assume that someone other than myself is behind the scenes
-I feel like we’re in a Renaissance. Many people are starting their own businesses and being very expressive and outside the box with many forms of artistic expressions. Also, many people are learning how to move forward without record labels or production companies. I’ve seen a lot of self production lately.
-The casting business is becoming more diverse because the writing is becoming more diverse. It’s a great time to get discovered for ANYONE who is interested in entertainment.
-For new works offered, I review my current goals and analyze if this opportunity is in alignment with the direction that I’d like to take my career. And if so do I have time to add it to my plate.
-I’m so grateful for everything that I’ve achieved. I’d say it’s a toss up between my web series “Mate in Waiting”, and my educational series about Diabetes. I am a Speech and Language Pathologist. I love helping others make positive change in their lives. Make a plan, edit the plan as often as needed, get a mentor that knows how they got to where they are, Pray, Trust God and Don’t give up.
-That is something that I continue to work on: I often let my professional life take too much of my time, not giving my personal life enough room to develop.
-I’m working on a few TV-Pilots, vocal strengthening, a cookbook, and a screenplay.
