Rising Star Alan Ceppos On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview with Elana Cohen
Learning languages are a way to understand the world better. It’s not only the language but the way of thinking. Unfortunately lower income people don’t have the means to pay or study new languages. I would inspire a movement to teach a second language to all Americans regardless of their economic status.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Alan Ceppos.
A fourth generation born and raised New Yorker, Alan Ceppos had a passion for theatre and the arts from the young age of 8 years old after volunteering as an audience member to participate in a show he was seeing. While in college, Alan drove taxis in NYC for a living and would end up networking with a Broadway producer who was interested in having Alan be a part of his next project. After going back and forth with the producer, Alan ultimately made the decision to put acting on the backburner for the time and moved to Paris where he would teach English for over 10 years and become fluent in the language. While living abroad Alan met his now husband Frédéric Rambaud. Alan also became fluent in French while living in Paris. Alan and Frédéric became the first gay couple to be legally wed in Southampton, New York, in the town’s 371-year history. They stood side by side in Southampton’s palatial town hall and exchanged vows, surrounded by friends and family. Guests had travelled from as far afield as India and Senegal to attend the wedding. After moving back to the states, Alan and his husband would go on to opening and running a string of successful companies in the US. Their multi-million-dollar Sarut Group includes The Hamptons Honey Company and PIQ.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and am a 5th generation New Yorker. My family was very much part of the fiber of NYC and from the age of 7 years old I would take the subway and go into Manhattan. Fascinated by Broadway, my Grandmother took me to every Musical Comedy. My first was at 9 years old The Sound of Music with Mary Martin in 1957.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was in 4th grade, and my teacher Mrs. Tolle was doing The King and I for the school. She asked me to be the King. After the 1st rehearsal, she took me to the side and told me that I couldn’t carry a tune so it would be best if I just was part of the chorus and mouthed the words. I went home, cried all day, and decided then that I wanted to be an actor.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Perhaps it’s globally interesting. For a number of years, I was a semi-regular on the Conan O’Brien show. I met every major celebrity that you could imagine. So, every day that I was there was interesting. Calming Debbie Reynolds, in my arms, because she had stage fright was intense!
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?
Intense love scene from You Can’t Take it With You. 14 years old and on stage, standing up with my co-star Sally. Audience begins to laugh hysterically. We continue the love scene and have no idea why the audience by this time is in stitches. Then we realize that my co-stars slip had fallen and was around her ankles on the floor. The lesson I learnt….the show must go on. Period. Period. Ad-lib, make up lines, but the SHOW MUST GO ON.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m working on a mockumentary about a bunch of frustrated actors on Eastern Long Island who are trying to make a musical from the film SCREAM. Also working on a supernatural thriller Feature Film about a cab driver in NYC who has reached the end of his rope and doesn’t know which way to turn. And, a Feature about a retired tennis coach.
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?
It’s a trite piece of advice, but we have only one life to live and we really don’t get a second chance. So, if it’s your passion, go with it. You’ll be rewarded in the end.
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?
First of all, our world is diverse. So whether it is film, television, music or driving a cab, we are diverse.
Second of all, by breaking the stereotypes of non-diverse casting, we break the stereotypes of our society.
And finally, it is just the right thing to do.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
First day on the set of my first major TV appearance. Knot’s Landing. Noone told me that there would be 100 people behind the camera. So, of course when I got on the set, I froze and it took 30 minutes to calm me down.
When my 4th grade teacher told me I couldn’t carry a tune, I wish someone told me that YOU CAN LEARN TO CARRY A TUNE! Maybe today I would have been starring in The King and I.
I wish someone had told me when I was starting out that in film you don’t shoot in sequence. My very first film, I memorized all the lines of 49 pages and the learnt that all the other actors were learning on order of the shoot. Boy, I could have saved hours and hours of sleepless nights.
Never wear a pin stripe shirt on TV. First time on TV I looked like an optical illusion
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
As long as it is your passion and you always keep that in mind, there is no reason to burn out. Even after rejection after rejection. Remember it might not be a rejection of you or your talent, simply you might not look right for the part or not right with the person opposite you.
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. :-)
Learning languages are a way to understand the world better. It’s not only the language but the way of thinking. Unfortunately lower income people don’t have the means to pay or study new languages. I would inspire a movement to teach a second language to all Americans regardless of their economic status.
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 think that I would have to say my Grandfather. He made an enormous amount of money by the time he was 30 and then lost it all when he was 60. But he never lost his faith in himself and his fellow human beings. He always said that we were all good people and that each of us was doing our best to get the most out of life. He always reminded me that hate should not be a word in my vocabulary and that as Scarlett in Gone With the Wind says, “Tomorrow is another day”. That kept him going till 88..and in spite of his financial loss, he died a happy man.
Make the most out of today because we don’t have endless tomorrows.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Perhaps the quote I prefer is that Luck = Preparedness and Opportunity. You need to work at what you want to get and seize the opportunity when it arrives. You will succeed that way.
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 have always been fascinated and admired the career of Barbra Streisand. I would love to meet her and ask her how she juggles incredible fame and talent with just being a human being like everyone else.
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
