Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ray Carsillo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ray, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from my family. My grandparents were hard workers; my parents were hard workers. It was buying into the American Dream that hard work will pay off, so why not work hard? I just think the thing that took me the longest to realize was my dreams were different from theirs and that was okay. But the idea of working hard to get those dreams is at the core of who I am and that comes from my family.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment. While I have my day job working in video games, my passion comes from performing, whether as an actor/voice actor or as a stand-up comedian. I’m always performing all around LA, from the Ice House to Flappers and beyond, so just check out my Instagram (instagram.com/raycarsillo) to see where I’m going to be next.
My comedy comes from turning personal pain and disfunction over the course of my life into humor. Because if I can laugh at it, I hope you can, too.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’m a jack-of-all-trades. You look at where I’ve been over the course of my career and you’d see anything but a linear path. But a lot of it comes from a passion for performing, whether that’s doing play-by-play for a baseball game, performing at a local black box theater as a comic relief character, or doing my stand-up, it all boils down to a love of performing for people.
My strongest ability in that regard then is being able to talk to a large group of people. If you can communicate to a crowd, that’s like a superpower. So many people struggle in front of crowds, and that was something I worked on getting over at a young age that has helped me in every facet of my life, not just performing. Being able to communicate, through writing or speaking, is key in so many aspects of life, and it’s a skill that so many would benefit from. And the best way to develop that skill, is like so much else in life: practice. I never shied away from an opportunity to get up on stage, and it paid off in the end.
I don’t just get in front of people and talk for the sake of talking, though. I always try to add something to a conversation and speak from a place of experience or knowledge. It’s why my standup comes from my life, and even when not telling jokes and I’m in front of a group, I’m talking about things I’m passionate about like comics, video games, sports, etc.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I’ve been lucky to have some great mentors in my life. One of the most important ones was my friend Brad Blanks. Brad was already well established in New York radio when I interned WPLJ-FM. But Brad took me under his wing, showed me the ropes, and taught me the true art of hustling in an ever-changing media landscape. But I didn’t just try to mimic Brad. I recognized my goals were slightly different and took his lessons and used them in a way that best benefitted me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raycarsillo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raycarsillo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-carsillo-b210658/
- Twitter: https://x.com/raycarsillo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/raycarsillo
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@raycarsillo
Image Credits
Katelynn Reiss (Brooklyn Picture)
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