We recently connected with Nate Duke Lopez and have shared our conversation below.
Nate Duke, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I love answering this question because I get to share about my family. My work ethic comes from my parents. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today, truly. My dad always taught me to work hard no matter what. He does not want me to go down the same path that he went down. My dad had a rough go during his teens and 20s. As cliche as it seems he always tells me to “stay strong” and “keep up the good work”. Every time he says those phrases I know I can’t led up or else I know I will fail.
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?
What I do? Absolutely everything possible.
To put it simply, I’ve acted on stage for the past 10 years. I’ve written plays, sketches, and monologues for the past 7, and I’ve even directed my own play.
I’ve always known I’ve wanted to act since my first elementary school play (School House Rock). My whole family came to sit and watch as I wiggled around on stage singing about nouns and how a bill is processed. Since then, I’ve always been addicted to the applause. As crazy as it seems, I have withdrawals if I haven’t been on stage in a long period of time.
As for writing and directing, this is a semi new title to me. My sophomore year of college I went to the head of the department and asked for an opportunity. He then granted that wish. I was given a theatre to produce and direct my own play that I wrote for 1 weekend, and 1 weekend only. I had been writing this play for about 2 years and i’ve always kept it in my back pocket so I was excited to finally share it (The show being titled “Thank You”). I was given no help. The only thing I was given was the space, everything else I had to manage, produce, and build. Due to this, I put on my producer hat and found people that could help. I found someone who could do the lighting, I found someone who could design the set, I found someone who could help graphic design. Fast forward to showtime, I was very nervous to see if anyone would even show up for the damn thing. Little did I know, with the four shows we had, we sold out 2 of them! Everyone loved it and supported the crew and actors. It was amazing to see the standing ovations, hear the applause, and the compliments. I truly do love what I do and its an even greater feeling sharing my hard work to people for their enjoyment.
NOW! Since moving to LA I am creating my own opportunities. I have written a short series titled “The Group Tells Tales” that I am looking to film! I am looking for directors, cast, crew, and more! The series logline is : “On one October night, 5 friends gather in their friends house to play Dungeons & Dragons. But when the game begins mirroring reality, one of them spots something strange outside, kicking off a mystery that blurs the line between imagination and the unknown.”
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe the 3 things that I have learned to be most impactful in my journey so far is “hard work beats talent when talent fails to hard work”. This has been my moto for so long as it goes for almost anything you can strive for. Another skill I learned was learning when to put my head down and work, rather than talking or digging myself into a hole. This has helped me get large projects done and even small homework assignments done. The last thing is compassion. Whether you’re on a film set or ordering coffee, having compassion will go a long way.
As for advice, I am still learning too. I love to give advice, however I am in a position where I need to receive it. Looking at the 3 things I described, is to practice them and have patience, it won’t develop overnight.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I believe my biggest area of growth and improvement has been independency. I recently just moved to Los Angeles. Living here without friends or family nearby has been very difficult. However since they are nowhere near, I am learning to be independent on my own and find ways to succeed without others helping. This is important because without independence I would not be able to do things on my own and with the field I am entering, nobody is there to help you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://NathanLopezPortfolio.pdf
- Instagram: @natedukelopez and @nate.dlopez
Image Credits
headshots credit: @mikester.mp4
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