Meet Sallieu Sesay

We were lucky to catch up with Sallieu Sesay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sallieu, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I am most certain that my resilience stems from my parents. I had front row seats to watching these two African Immigrants navigating the US landscape. They had a janitorial business and managed half a dozen employees and worked side by side with them cleaning restaurants. I recall being 11 or 12 years old and going with them at nights to clean during the summers. When other kids were going to sports camps and other camps, I was privileged to be working night shifts with Mom and Dad. I remember one New Year’s Day cleaning a restaurant in down town Seattle called FX McCrory’s. I remember walking into the men’s restroom and there was vomit everywhere! My dad came in behind me as I was tip-toeing around to prevent stepping into the vomit. As I entered one of the stall’s I saw a used condom and immediately next to the condom was a heroin needle! As I looked back at my dad, I’d hope he’d say, “oh man, I got this son. I’ll clean up in here and you can go start sweeping the dining room area.” Instead, he looked at me and with this thick African accent and said, “Be careful.” “I was like what?!?” Astonished as I was, I thoroughly cleaned that bathroom. I remember starting with the floor, throwing scalding hot water, bleach and pine-sol all over to ensure every nook and cranny was squeegeed and covered. Then moved on to the sinks, urinals, toilets and counter tops, leaving that bathroom spotless! I remember my dad being really proud of me. So that’s just one example of many, where facing a challenge required resilience. Not to mention as an 11- or 12-year-old boy, sometimes I spent too much time playing with my younger brother Abdul and didn’t sleep before working which made me extremely tired. Nevertheless, I’m grateful for being a foreigner with immigrant parents. I remember when my father moved back to Sierra Leone the first time, my mother stepped up to run the business on her own. She was tasked to keep the business running on the grandest scale down to the most miniscule, being the boss, inventory coordinator, equipment manager, human resources and most importantly an employee herself! Every minute detail of the daily operations of the business was my mother’s responsibility and she made sure the company was firing on all cylinders. From managing her employees to taking inventory to fixing malfunctioning equipment to scheduling her employees to securing clientele to working alongside her employees on site, my mother really did it ALL and as I sit here and recount these things, I myself am in awe of her.

God Damn, this woman was and is something else, a true definition of resilience. After several years she decided to pivot into nursing. It wasn’t easy being a female in the early 90’s running a business with 100% male staff. Some of which were making advances and of course being inappropriate; however, I do applaud her for her perseverance in navigating through it all.

 

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?

Well for starters, I am a film and TV actor. I take my career very seriously. Just as seriously as I do being a father, for example. I take acting classes twice a week with Ivana Chubbuck at her studio. She’s legendary and received a notable mention by Halle Berry when she won an Oscar for Monsters Ball. This past year I’ve been on the road for work. In January, I was in New York filming a Dick Wolf show in which I worked as a Top of the Show Guest star. In February, I was in Berlin, Germany at the Berlinale film festival for Manodrome. The film I did with Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody and Odessa Young. This was a special moment for me because I got to fly my mother out with the intention of walking the red carpet with me. In May, I was in the South of France in Cannes for the film festival. I was invited by Darren Darnborough with a small group of select actors. We had wonderful PR with JadEastPR, who by the way now reps me independently. It truly was just a wonderful time attending special events, networking and being fully immersed in the community amongst all my colleagues and peers. While in Europe I took the opportunity to take a well-deserved vacation and went to Italy. I spent a week in the Amalfi coast. It was nice visiting the different islands taking up the customs and mingling with the people. Then I went to Rome and spent a week there. Then in June, July and August my kids and I spent the summer road tripping to several states and stopped in Atlanta where I own a vacation home. We spent time going to the skating ring, movies, I taught them both how to ride bikes, they would bike 3 miles while I ran which was truly an amazing experience with them, we swam in the pool. We did a lot of journaling; we went to theme parks during the week so that we could ride the rides with minimal wait times. Then I surprised both kids and flew them to New York. Did the touristy activities of Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, Museum of Modern Art, Statue of Liberty, nice dinners, etc. We saw the Broadway production of Lion King and I was able to give my son the birthday and experiences he wanted. Eventually we made our way back to Los Angeles. Once back in LA we went to Disneyland for a day and it was such an awesome indescribable experience. We followed our summer tour with a 3-day camping trip in Malibu and spent our days on the beach. We got to see the sunrise and sunset. It was amazing holding them, kissing them, loving on them and making these lasting memories that I wish my parents would have been able to make with my siblings and I.

In September, I flew them back up to Seattle and came back to work. Let me not forget to mention that I booked a film, which required for me to return back to New York to film for 3 days.

So far, I’ve covered film and TV although, just briefly and a summer with my kids. I also have a degree in nursing, so I work in the capacity of a Registered Nurse as well. Aside from all things listed, I also have an LLC where I rent the homes, which I own, at times. I do long term rentals and, in some properties, I do short term rentals.

The more I live the more I realize how much of a renaissance man I actually am. Ultimately, work and business is motivated by the ability to be able to spend summer with my kids unencumbered with having to go to a job and clock in. My goals are to travel the world with them seeing places, tasting foods, and meeting different people from different walks of life.

Last but certainly not least, one of the most important philanthropic ventures of mine has to do with speaking to the youth. Particularly young men, educating them on learning about the principles of success. I also want to encourage all fathers to be present for their children. Sometimes we feel that we have to do some sort of grand gesture, but kids are easy. Just standing by as a dad and watching a game of theirs, or playing video games, or throwing the ball around can all give a child what they need from their father. Kind words, kind gestures, telling your children, “I Love you” “I believe in you” “I’m here for you. “ Are all instrumental in their development and it’s pertinent that we step up and show up for them.

I would like to circle back and let our readers know that Manodrome is now in theaters. In the month of December, it will be streaming on AppleTv, Vudu, Youtube Movies, Google Play Movies and Prime Video. I encourage everyone to check it out, as it has been one of my most challenging roles to date. I’ve been told that my character transcends societal norms and is captivating to watch!

 

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 wouldyou focus on?

#1. Curiosity: Wanting to learn more about myself, wanting to change and evolve. Wanting to learn about the ways in which other people thought and lived. Knowing that I didn’t have to necessarily believe or agree. One of my acting teachers told me that an actor has to be curious and empathetic. Always be willing to ask what is that. Be willing to go down the trail a bit to see what’s there. Curiosity also helps a person to gain knowledge. The reading of books autobiographies, documentaries on successful people, self-help books, books on evolution, books on quantum physics, books on psycho cybernetics, books on epigenetic, books on mediation and manifestation. My knowledge base and understanding of these books all stem from my ability to be curious and to want to know. It’s why I take voice lessons, vocal lessons, it’s why I learn about body movement, etc.

#2. Persistence: I remember when some of the people closest to me who I love dearly encouraged to give up on the dream. To sell my home in LA for example and move back to Seattle. I remember when I was given an ultimatum in one relationship in particular. I was told it was either the person or my acting career. I’ve learned that when someone truly loves you, they won’t ask you to give up something you loved since before your relationship with them. I’ve lost jobs, I’ve been lied on, I’ve been framed for things I didn’t do. My name has been sullied; I’ve been villainized. But still, I stand persistent. An actor, a businessman and Entrepreneur.

#3. The ability to visualize. The Bible says that, without a vision the people parish. Having no sense of direction, no goal in mind, no vision can lead to a life that’s pointless, mundane and purposeless. The goal is to aim and transcend. More than achieving your particular goal, the person you become in the process will speak volumes about your character and your essence. You become an Oscar winning actor by the way you train, read and the colors you use to paint. You’re the person first, before holding that trophy in hand.

So, in summation those are my (3) bits of advice for anyone starting out. It’s what I teach my kids on a regular basis. They can be best developed by just practicing the principles daily.

 

Okay, so before we go, we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am looking to collaborate with people in the film and television world who are masters at what they do best. I recently ran into Ava DuVernay at the

airport coming back from Berlin. Her and I had a brief chat but there was a sense of a kindred spirit there. I felt like she saw me, like she knew who I was at my core. She promised me that she would watch MANODROME and I’m looking forward to hearing what she thinks about it. I want to work with people who do it for the love of it, not for fame or for money. I would like to work with like-minded people who see bigger than what’s in front of them, who are just as hungry as I am to COOK and EAT! I really love theatre and would love to work with some contemporary playwrights on Broadway. I would like to do Tennessee Williams, Angust Wilson and Tarell Alvin McCraney plays on Broadway.

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