Rising Star Randy Gonzalez On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
While events are fun, remember that you are there to network and build your brand. Don’t have so much fun that you miss out on opportunities.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of Randy Gonzalez.
Randy Gonzalez was born in Southern California and got his start in the industry as a young teen with a love for taking photos and posting them on Instagram. He quickly found a growing fanbase that enjoyed his Instagram posts which led him to share more of his life and passions on Tik Tok as well. It wasn’t long before this millennial became a Micro-Influencer on both platforms. Aside from being part of the famed Boys of Summer Tour, Randy has also been a model for top Instagram Brands. His outgoing personality and passion for meeting new people, especially his fans, has made him popular at meet and greet events as well as tours. When not sharing his life on social media, Randy enjoys hanging out with friends, boxing, and playing the piano.
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 Inglewood, California and I am the oldest of 3 sisters. I enjoyed playing sports and playing football in high school. It was a typical California childhood.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
It started out when my little sister was looking at TikTok which I thought was a crazy app, but of course, I downloaded it to see what it was all about. I made a TikTok and it blew up so I kept going and started my Instagram account which caught the eye of companies and brands and they started reaching out to me. Let’s just say the rest is history.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One of the most interesting stories that have happened to me is when I was first starting out and I was hanging out with some friends from Tik Tok at the Saddle Ranch in West Hollywood. There happened to be some celebrities there too and it wasn’t long before the Paparazzi showed up to snap some photos. That was pretty wild! I had never seen anything like that before.
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 funniest mistake I made was when I first went live on Instagram, and I didn’t realize there was something behind me that shouldn’t have been on Instagram. I learned right then and there to always check what’s behind you when taking a pic or going live.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am working on a new YouTube channel right now. I hope to launch around Valentine’s Day. It’s going to be a Vlog about my life. I’m working on the details and the title so keep an eye out for it next month on YouTube.
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?
Just don’t ever give up even though you feel like you may want to give up just keep going. Focus harder and keep moving forward.
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?
1. As a Hispanic boy growing up in Los Angeles, I didn’t always see someone that looked like me on television or in the movies or even on social media. It didn’t seem like that would be something I could do. If there is more diversity, then it will encourage others to pursue their dreams which is important.
2. Showing different people from different walks of life helps others understand how much we are all the same no matter where you are from.
3. It is important for kids growing up today to learn to talk to everyone the same whether they look like them or not.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Do not be cringe (millennial term lol). For example, if you are dancing make sure that you are on the beat or if you are lip-syncing make sure you are with the music.
2. Always check your background! See the question above lol. And make sure your room is clean because no one wants to see your mess!
3. Lighting is so important. Find a good ring light that will make you look good for the camera.
4. While events are fun, remember that you are there to network and build your brand. Don’t have so much fun that you miss out on opportunities.
5. When you are at an event, always pay attention! One time when I was on tour, I was waiting backstage for them to call my name, but I was talking to my friends and didn’t hear my name called. Totally missed my cue to go on stage.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Actually, I thrive on constantly working, but whenever I feel stressed out or on the verge of “burnout” I take some time to hang out with my family or talk with friends. Making sure you don’t lose those connections is really important to stay on track in this business.
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 would like to inspire people to try something new whether they think they will be good at it or not. You never know what you will love or be good at if you don’t try.
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 am really grateful for my parents and my girlfriend. When I was first starting out my parents took the time to take me to events even if they didn’t have the time. My girlfriend pushes me to not give up and work harder. It is important to have people that support you if you want to succeed.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If you want it badly enough you will get it”. This always reminded me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.
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. :-)
If he was still alive, I would love to have been able to have lunch with Michael Jackson. I would love to ask him a lot of questions about his career. I would also like to have lunch with Justin Bieber. He is the reason why I am doing what I do. He inspires me every day. I would love to be doing what he does every day.
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
