Meet Ryan Satterfeal

We recently connected with Ryan Satterfeal and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

In the beginning, it was terrifying. Throwing myself on stage or in front of a camera in a class somewhere felt like a gauntlet. I was trying to get everything “right,” or whatever I thought the “right” way was. It felt like I was trying to please everyone around me, even if that meant not believing my own performance. Once I learned to follow my instincts, things started to change. Yes, I do believe in having mentors and learning through classes – that knowledge will serve you, but know that you have the performance in you.

I learned that yes, you’re going to stumble here and there, but you HAVE to believe in yourself and trust yourself because, at the end of it all, it’s you. You’re the one that has to go in front of the camera.

So the short answer? Nike. “Just do it.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hey friends. I’m Ryan, and I’m an actor, writer, and producer. I’ve been on stage and in front of the camera but, before that, I was a musician. Guitar, to be exact (I still play every now and then).

After a few musical projects that didn’t pan out the way I had hoped, I landed in an acting class. As it turns out, myself and ONE other kid had signed up. Since it was hard to run an acting class with just two kids, the coach decided to put us in his advanced class later in the week. With no experience at all, we were thrown in. It turned out to be the start of something great in my life. Fast forward many years, several films, a television show, some commercials, and a live theatre show, and here I am.

There are a couple things about this business that I find magical and exciting. The first is that it’s unpredictable, you can’t plan what people are going to like next. You know what they like now, sure, but you can’t just say “this next thing is going to be the next hit.” It might be you, but you don’t know until you get out there. The second thing is, as artists, we’re literally creating something that does not exist but, once created, has the power to stir creativity and change in others. It has the power to make people feel a certain way.. all from an idea. That’s huge. The final marvel about this business is that it is powered by human connection in a world, it seems, where people are increasingly disconnected with each other.

As of today, I’m focused on creating my own content, sharpening my skills and materials, and writing films of my own.

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?

Listening is number one. The people around you will find you infinitely more charming and interesting, if you are sincerely interested in who they are. This means by asking them authentic questions out of curiosity. Many people have this often-unfulfilled need of feeling important, and a person asking real questions out of curiosity (not kissing their ass) will satiate that hunger, thereby making them appear more charming. Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People goes into this with great examples.

Second is exploration and curiosity. This partly relates to item number one, but it’s an expansion: live your life and get experiences where you can. You never know what’s going to lead to the next great experience of your life. As a plus, these experiences can largely help your acting, writing, directing, producing, or songwriting, as you’ll have more to draw on.

Third is self-confidence. There are so many reasons why one should not work in this business so, if you’re going to do this, you have to believe in yourself, your capabilities, and your journey. There’ll be many times along the way when you’ll want to give up. The ones that “make it” (whatever that means), believed in themselves enough to get through those times.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I always am! I love work with other producers, writers, actors, and directors. If the community keeps the creative fire going, I’m in.

The people I ideally would love to collaborate with are go-getters. They have a burning passion for creating quality content, be that films, web series, television, commercials, or stage productions. They’re detail oriented and, when it comes to the “desk work” of this biz (budgets, breakdowns, etc), they’re structured. They take the time to break it down and say “Alright, HOW can we do this,” instead of “CAN we do this?” As Confucius said, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without said preparation there is sure to be failure.” They jump to create projects that crack open the heart of human beings and show what’s inside. Projects filled with grounded performances and relatable stories.

If this sounds like you, look me up on Instagram @ryansatterfeal, or email my manager Heather Roy at hrjb@nesianmanagement.com

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryansatterfeal
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ryansatterfeal
• Other: Snapchat: @ryansatterfeal

Image Credits

Christian Webb, Charlie Young.