Meet Ethan “Lit Zando” Paul

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ethan “Lit Zando” Paul. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ethan “Lit Zando”, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

So I have been entertaining and performing ever since I was a kid. There was this one time when I was at a performing arts camp and it was a VIP day. VIP days mean that someone big in the industry comes to see us perform that day, which could lead to big opportunities like getting signed or booking a job. Usually, before the VIP arrives, we have to perform our piece for our coaches to get approval to perform later. That day, I was totally off my game and nothing was landing. This caused me to get very frustrated. Since I couldn’t get approved, I decided I wouldn’t perform that day. The VIP came and everyone was performing their pieces while I was on the sidelines upset. So everyone went and the VIP looked at me and asked why I didn’t perform. The lady in charge of the camp said that I wasn’t approved by the coaches, but the VIP insisted that I perform. So I got up, and through my tears of frustration, I performed my pieces. All of the punchlines landed and I did very well on my song. I got a standing ovation from the VIP and audience. The VIP told me that I was a star and I deserved to be on TV at that exact moment. He said that if he had discovered me first, I could’ve easily replaced another kid who was currently on a show at that time. He even offered to sign me to his agency. From then I became optimistic and confident in my abilities to perform and that moment showed me that no matter how frustrated I get with myself, I should just do it, because my hard work, skill, and overall talent will shine through.

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?

Hello, my name is Ethan Paul, but I also go by Lit Zando. I am a Screenwriter, Actor, Director, Songwriter, Musician, overall Creative and Entertainer, and the owner and creator of the production company Redd 13 Productions. Since I was little, I have always been interested in being a performer in the entertainment industry, whether that was through acting or singing. I received an acting agent when I was young and I am currently signed with MI talent and have been in numerous projects like most recently BMF. In recent years, I decided that I would rather create my own opportunities instead of wait for them. During my senior year of high school (2020), I wrote my own 30-minute pilot episode for a show I wanted to create, and in the summer of 2020, I was able to assemble a wonderful crew to create my project. Ever since then, I wanted to continue making my own content, putting it on my youtube page “Redd 13 Productions”. When it comes to my music, I am Lit Zando aka Capital E, the South East Beast aka Sir Rikato, the southern gentleman. I see myself as a Southern storyteller, or a deep South musical director, if you will, whether it’s my own story or based on someone else’s. Lil Wayne, Outkast, and T.I. were some of my many influences. I gravitate more towards Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B, but I will make whatever feeds my soul. Even though I am a love letter to the South, I am not afraid to venture out and see where that other sound is coming from. All I know is that wherever I go, I will bring the fire.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think patience, passion, and preparation are three skills/qualities that were the most impactful in my journey. When it comes to patience, in the entertainment industry, you will need a whole lot of it. Everybody’s path is different and yes it’s possible for someone to quickly blow up and just continue to succeed, but a lot of times big things slowly build up and when you have patience, you won’t burn out quickly and get frustrated. It will also give you peace of mind and in the meantime you could continue working on your craft, which is where preparation comes in. You have to be ready to go at all times because even though everything may not happen at the same time, there will come a time, and that will either make or break you. That’s why I just focus on my skill and what I can control and I make sure everything is top shape for when that big moment arises. And lastly, the reason why I have made it where I am after having the patience and preparation is because I am the most passionate about what I do. I am not doing this to get rich quickly, am I doing this because, in my soul, I believe this is what I am supposed to be doing. I believe that doing what you love brings its own kind of wealth and because I am in the entertainment industry and art is subjective, there will be someone else who also enjoys my passion, and that will yes bring a type of satisfaction but at some point, it will bring money too, and those are just additional bonuses to me loving my work.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

The challenge I am facing is finding a way to promote myself. I don’t have a full-force team and manager, so it takes me and a couple of friends to help push myself in an already oversaturated market. Everyone is a rapper and actor and creator, and everyone has already done every promoting tactic possible, so it’s hard for me to come up with ways of pushing myself in front of the masses and gaining traction. On top of that, most of the promo I do is by myself, and self-promotion is pretty difficult when people constantly crave new material. If I had a team, then I could spend my time just being creative, but creating and figure out a way to push it can be very draining at times.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Zaniyah Ariel
Jona Brazil
Taliyah Baptiste
Dwayne Boyd

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