Nathan Runyan On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
You must keep applying yourself and learning new avenues, even if it’s not what you want to be doing. Experience in any type of film work is good experience. You must keep listening and learning and try to stay open to trying new things. It’s hard but make yourself get out of your comfort zone — that can be when you learn the most. And, if you don’t apply yourself, your bills will!
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Nathan Runyan.
Nathan Runyan is a 2022 graduate of the Los Angeles Film School. Since then, he has worked closely on over a dozen projects in VFX (visual effects), including Golden Globe-nominated films like “John Wick 4” and “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” which also earned an Oscar Nomination for Best VFX. Runyan’s work can also be seen in various upcoming feature films such as “Atlas” (Netflix), “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios), “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (Netflix), and “Fly Me to The Moon” (Sony Studios and Apple Studios). Currently, Nathan is working on Fortnite’s Cinematic Team and is continuing to elevate himself in all aspects of film and animation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a variety of places, but mainly in the greater Los Angeles area. I’ve been living in the film world for most of my life. My father has been working in this industry for about 25+ years as a VFX artist. So, I’ve been lucky to be immersed in film and entertainment from a young age, and it has definitely helped develop and flourish my creative side to what it is today.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Surprisingly, it wasn’t my dad working in film that guided me to this path. During the COVID-19 years, I had a lot of time on my hands (as did everyone). So, I ended up using TikTok to tap in on creating short, funny videos that ended up attracting more than 207k followers by the end of 2021. I ended up attending the Los Angeles Film School (LAFS) in August of 2022 to help improve my writing and understand the ins and outs of how to create film on a larger scale.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
So far, it has been having the ability to work with amazing creatives/directors, being able to connect with them, and learn from them to better improve myself and my skills. This networking habit is something that I learned at LAFS early on, and I have continued to use these skills to make connections that have helped me secure roles on the amazing projects on which I’ve worked like “John Wick 4” and “Atlas.”
Also, to have been able to suit up and mocap (motion capture) some of the apes in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” was a huge moment for me, and I look forward to it coming out next month!
It has been said that 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?
My biggest mistake when I first started attending school was not paying attention to the other film departments. I was focused only on becoming a director. That’s a sad mistake that a lot of people make when first starting out. After working a few commercial gigs and being a part of a few student short films, I learned quickly that to be an amazing director, you need to be well-versed in everything on a project — not just one. Since then, I’ve learned how to work on an LED film stage/set, use Unreal Engine in production usage, use advanced real-time 3D creation software, use mocap, run a mocap stage professionally, and many more complex skills.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
As of now I work on Epic’s Fortnite Cinematics team. I am also waiting on a few movies that I worked on to come out this year including “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Atlas,” “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”
As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?
You must keep applying yourself and learning new avenues, even if it’s not what you want to be doing. Experience in any type of film work is good experience. You must keep listening and learning and try to stay open to trying new things. It’s hard but make yourself get out of your comfort zone — that can be when you learn the most. And, if you don’t apply yourself, your bills will!
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?
Film is an international art form. We wouldn’t have the amazing films we see today if they were not inspired by people with different stories and backgrounds. I’m a huge “Godzilla” fan, which is a Japanese-derived character and one of the many foreign and culturally inspired stories that I enjoy. I love to see the “Godzilla” movies do so well in recent years. Funny enough, I was competing against “Godzilla: Minus One” at this year’s Oscars for Best VFX (I worked on “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning,” which was also nominated), but sadly, I lost to that project. Either way, I was super happy to see the team win such a prestigious award being purely made in Japan. Without diversity we’d have no stories.
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.
Making the films that I make! Working on these stories can help move someone on a personal level. It’s why I wanted to work in film in the first place. After crying my eyes out watching “Interstellar” for the first time, I thought to myself, “Wow, if this film can move me like this, I want to be a part of something like this that can move generations even after I’m gone.” Cinema is eternal, and that’s why I want to leave my mark on this world.
None of us can 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?
Personally, my parents have a big impact on me, and I’ll be forever grateful to them. Also, during my time at LAFS, many of my professors helped me figure out how to move forward in the industry and achieve my goals, especially Michael Greenspan. I learned a lot from him. But I also want to give that credit to myself. To even have a chance to succeed in this industry, you must give 110%. It’s up to YOU to get yourself where you want to be.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote which has always inspired me and keeps me focused on my goals is by Ray Lewis, “I wanna live long after my records have fallen, long after my rings have tarnished. And whatever you got to do, to make sure you chase your legacy every second of your life. Will you be remembered, how would you be remembered, why wouldn’t you fight for the greatest achievement ever? LEAVE. YOUR. MARK.”
This is from the Madden 13 intro speech when you load the game up! It has always stuck with me since then, and I try to live by it.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
It would have to be Sam Raimi. I looked up to him growing up and respect his work and how he has done it.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can find me on my socials below:
Linkedin ~ www.linkedin.com/in/nathanrunyan97
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/ndrunyan/
IMDB ~ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9057057/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
