Meet William Gurley

We were lucky to catch up with William Gurley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi William, 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?
Much of my work ethic comes from my passion. I am incredibly passionate about the stories that I tell and the work that I do; I want to do them the best that I possibly can. An example of this is the Balladeer Theatre Company at the Culture House. I feel passionate about telling good stories with good messages as well as creating opportunities for artists to explore new ideas for plays (and get paid for it). However, in my area, there isn’t something that checks all of those boxes. Thus, the Balladeer Theatre Company was born. My work ethic isn’t everything though— a company like this wouldn’t be possible without the extreme support of The Culture House and specifically Jeremiah Enna, whose generosity and encouragement has helped make this dream a reality.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I currently direct and produce the play “The Brightest It’s Ever Been,” written by the incredible local playwright Kayli Slayden. “Brightest” is a powerful play about anxiety that has packed theatre spaces for the first two runs. You can find us at @Brightestplay on Instagram and Facebook (and if you or your organization want to set up a showing, please message us!) I am also the Artistic Director of the Balladeer Theatre Company at the Culture House. We are a professional theatre company that provides a nurturing and supportive environment that encourages the development of excellent new artistic voices by producing their new works regularly. Additionally, there is an emphasis on collaboration between playwrights, actors, and directors, as well as audience members, to help these ideas reach their fullest potential. Artists are encouraged to explore stories that matter— stories with impact that audiences need to hear. We have our first evening of plays on October 13th! You can stay up to date on the Culture House’s social media pages.

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?
Something that helped (and continues to help) me immensely is delegation. After the first You Matter Festival in 2018, I had to learn how to delegate tasks and projects to members of my team. Without that, You Matter likely wouldn’t have lasted for the five years it did. Obviously, nothing is possible without good old fashioned hard work. There have been many times where efforts felt futile, but being able to block that out and put my nose to the grindstone has been invaluable. This doesn’t come overnight, though! It takes time and many attempts at various levels of success to develop a hard-working attitude. The final thing that has helped me is passion. You HAVE to want whatever you are trying to do. If you don’t, why bother? So many things fall into place when passion is driving you. Many doors have been opened for me simply because I care so much about the projects I am involved in and the stories I want to tell.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
My band teacher in high school, Trent Tinker, routinely challenged us with pieces that might have been out of our skill level. He would ask us, “how do you eat an elephant?” We would always doggedly reply, “one bite at a time.” It’s a silly saying, but it has stuck with me. Sometimes, projects feel impossibly huge, but if you focus on the step right in front of you, before you know it, you’ve made great strides. Break down the next few things you have to accomplish, set deadlines for yourself, and take it one bite at a time.

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Image Credits
Laurel Hinton, Charles King, Todd Zimmer

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