Meet Espie Randolph III

We recently connected with Espie Randolph III and have shared our conversation below.

Espie, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I think every artist is confronted with imposter syndrome pretty often and I’m no different. Any minor or major success or opportunity is met with crippling, often debilitating self-doubt. And honestly that’s my cue that I’m on the right track. If you don’t feel like an imposter while pursuing your ambitions, well, your sights probably aren’t set high enough. Your goals aren’t big enough. Growth is supposed to be uncomfortable. For a seed to become a tree it has to expand far outside of its present state. I’ve faced my own imposter syndrome when moving from acting into directing. I faced it while directing projects like my new film “Project & Serve.” And I stare it down often these days as I record my weekly Apple podcast “YESPIE.” Me and imposter syndrome have become strange bedfellows. But in moments like these, I always take a minute to remind myself – and I encourage you also to remember – that lesser people have done greater things. Just breathe. You belong here. You’ll be fine.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Having wrapped production of my new social issue themed short film “Project & Serve” at the end of last year, I’m now finishing post production and working on distribution. This is a new challenge for me. On top of film festival submissions I’m also challenging myself to become more creative with my distribution efforts for the film. So we’ll see what that ends up looking like in the coming months. On top of that I’ve been polishing scripts, researching funding for my feature film and working on my podcast “YESPIE.” The podcast is a journey. It’s been a lot of fun producing it and being in control of the distribution on a weekly basis. I actually have so much fun recording it. It’s an unscripted podcast recapping film and tv shows with a couple of scripted sketches added into each episode. I have so much fun just laughing and being myself with no boundaries but I also put in a few hours of work each week creating well produced fully realized sketches that are buried within the podcast. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun. I just finished up the first season and I’m working on some new exciting ideas for the second season currently. So stay tuned!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been the most impactful on my journey are purpose, adaptability and a sense of humor. The best advice I can give someone early in their journey is to move with purpose and remain adaptable along the way. Purpose will guide you along your winding journey and you’ll need a good sense of humor for when the challenges come along.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
One of my greatest inspirations is the writer James Baldwin. I always aspire to one day be as educated, inspirational and articulate as Baldwin was with his pen. I try to hold all of my work to that exacting standard. If you look closely you’ll see Baldwin’s influence in most of my work. My Film “Project & Serve” actually starts and ends with a James Baldwin quote from his essay “Dark Days.” My favorite book of his isn’t actually really a book as much as a collection of essays, speeches, and book and movie reviews called “The Cross of Redemption.” Reading Baldwin’s movie reviews is actually what inspired me to do my podcast “YESPIE.” Baldwin injected all of his writings with his unique POV and thoughtful worldview no matter what he was being paid to write about. He believed, as I do also, that the work is just a reflection of the society in which it was created. So I thought “Why don’t I just do the same? I’m not better than James f’n Baldwin! Do some damn movie reviews, Espie!” So my approach is: let’s have fun, talk about tv and movies, have a laugh, OH AND ALSO you’re gonna hear my thoughts about social issues and the things affecting the world. And also here’s a funny well produced sketch or two for good measure. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, follow, rate and review!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Aditya Gupta

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