Rising Star Julian Shaw On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
Timing is everything. While you should always strive to improve your skills and never be complacent, you also need to accept that there are factors beyond your effort and ability that can swing a casting or funding decision toward you or away from you. Sometimes it’s not about how good you are.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Julian Shaw.
Julian’s credits as an actor include San Andreas, Portlandia and the title role in Looking for Dr. Love. Julian is well known for his appearance in the viral marriage equality short It’s Time, on which he also served as a producer. It’s Time has over 16 million views on YouTube, won the AdNews Viral Ad of the Year Award and was re-shared by Madonna and Stephen Fry. His modeling credits include national campaigns for Google, Squarespace and Columbia Sportswear.
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 New Zealand but moved to Sydney, Australia when I was 9. I went to a Performing Arts High School called The McDonald College — it was kind of like the movie ‘Fame’! I’d study drama for two hours a day, and it was in this time period I became obsessed with cinema. Alfred Hitchcock’s work was sort of the gateway drug for me. I realized directing films and acting were my calling.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was fifteen, I saw a one-man theater show at the Sydney Opera House. It was a South African political satirist named Pieter-Dirk Uys. I decided at that moment I would make a film about Pieter-Dirk and document his work educating millions of young South Africans about the threat of HIV/AIDS. The film opened the door to the next film — and that’s all you can ever ask for. But it all started with me being inspired and excited — that is the place where I think all of the best work begins!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I think for me, the biggest breakthrough moment I had psychologically was when I played a small supporting part in the movie ‘San Andreas.’ Being on the set of a movie that cost over 100 million to make, I realized that my job as an actor was just the same as it would be in a no-budget student film. The size of the crew might change, the people you’re working with might be more famous, but it is fundamentally the same process of preparing your character and delivering on the day. That experience made me believe I could be in anything, and not long after filming that, I moved to the States to follow my dreams.
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?
The biggest mistake I made as a filmmaker was when I started directing my first documentary as a teenager (Darling! The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEuLFlvX-KE). I spent almost all of the budget I had on renting a 35MM film camera and buying reels of film stock! I thought that was the way to make ‘a real movie.’ It’s cool that nowadays you can capture something great with the phone in your pocket. I think the equipment is just one consideration. It’s about your voice, your perspective, and the message you want to tell. That matters more than having the fanciest gear.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am actually the subject of a documentary, alongside my girlfriend. It explores how I have transitioned into OnlyFans in the last few years and embraced the Internet to make a living rather than traditional media. I am super excited to see how it will all come together.
As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?
I have a post-it note stuck on my wall that says ‘don’t quit, REST.’ Invariably, the rejection you will run into in this business will wear you down. The biggest lesson I have learned is that you need to pause and recharge rather than just soldier on. The main thing is to always pick yourself back up — but a seasoned boxer knows that when they’ve been knocked to the canvas, it’s a good idea to use most of the referee’s ten-count before getting back on their feet!
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?
The whole point of art is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and experience life through a different set of eyes. I think it’s important to have access to different life experiences than your own, and you get that through enjoying the stories of diverse storytellers.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- Timing is everything. While you should always strive to improve your skills and never be complacent, you also need to accept that there are factors beyond your effort and ability that can swing a casting or funding decision toward you or away from you. Sometimes it’s not about how good you are.
- Don’t take things so personally. People are infinitely more interested in themselves than you. Very often, if someone is rude or dismissive to you, it is because they are going through something in their own life you might not be aware of.
- Success won’t make you happy, progress will.
- Lean into social media and any new technology. Rather than replacing traditional media like film and literature, they are a perfect partner and can help you reach a new audience.
- For fat loss, it’s primarily diet. For muscle building, it’s primarily resistance training. For a sense of vitality and wellness, it’s cardio and/or HIIT.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
I would say that rest is the most important and most underrated aspect of long-term success. Think of it like climbing a mountain — you don’t try and do it all continuously. There’s a base camp. You set up a tent and sleep at different points on the journey. Sometimes you need to stop and re-calculate your route when the conditions change. Maybe you even move down the mountain a little bit to change your angle of attack before going up again. My biggest advice is to let go of any guilt around relaxing or ‘doing nothing.’ In our over-stimulated world, it’s more important than ever to stop and heal your brain by resting. I think those who have the best resting skills are destined to be the most successful in their career.
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. :-)
I’ll put out a controversial one here and say basic universal income. I think it would motivate people to follow the right career path for them and improve the state of society overall by creating a floor for those experiencing hard times which may be beyond their control.
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?
Look, the truth is a few years ago, my life fell apart. A long-term relationship ended, and I was struggling financially. I went back to Australia to regroup and considered staying there, but my Mum told me I had to get on the plane and go back to the States to keep pursuing my dreams. I will never forget that moment of support. My life really turned around for the better after that, but I am grateful that my Mum backed me to stick to my plan, despite the temporary obstacles.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’m paraphrasing, but an idea that really resonates with me is the concept that we are all climbing our own mountain, but the peak of the mountain is shrouded in mist. So we never truly know where the peak is. It is not up to us to know where the peak is or to judge that we have arrived. We just have to keep climbing! This metaphor at once reduces complacency but also offers eternal hope that the best may be yet to come.
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. :-)
One day I hope to meet one of my favorite performers, the WWE wrestler Becky Lynch. A friend of mine acted with her on ‘Young Rock’ and said she was super cool. I’d just love to briefly tell her how much her journey as a pro-wrestler/performing artist, who also started their career outside the United States, has inspired me on my own journey!
How can our readers follow you online?
My Instagram is where I mostly share my journey, so I’d suggest checking me out at www.instagram.com/julianshawofficial. I also have a Facebook (www.facebook.com/julianshawofficial) and a YouTube channel, where I talk about one of my biggest passions — Rugby! (www.youtube.com/julianshawofficial)
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
