Meet Tony Mouleart

Hi Tony, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Everyone starts at the beginning. Every celebrity actor and accomplished filmmaker started without experience. As an actor and filmmaker, I started by taking classes to develop my skills. However, you have to act or direct in order to really gain the experience in those fields.

As an actor, I started submitting to films, commercials and theater. You go on auditions and try to book something. A good place to start are student films. Find a college in your area and submit to be an actor in their student projects. That way you can learn together. I also picked up a lot of filmmaking knowledge from being on set as an actor. I did background work on film and television shows as well. I got paid to get an education from being on set and learning the terminology and set etiquette.

As a filmmaker, you need to make a film. You can start by just making one with your phone. It doesn’t require a lot of resources. You get some friends together and shoot something. There is free editing software out there and you can learn a lot of technical things from videos online. You can also post your films online and get feedback. Another way to get filmmaking experience is to do production work. Be a production assistant on any productions in your area. Production assistant jobs don’t require a lot of experience. It is usually the job where most people get their start. You can volunteer to help on sets as well. Every production needs help. I don’t think many people would refuse having free extra help on set.

By doing the above, you will meet and network with people in the industry. Many opportunities arise from working with others in the business. As a result of doing the work, you will gain confidence. Eventually, you will get to a point where you no longer feel like an imposter. You are now a working actor or filmmaker.

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?
Being a filmmaker and actor, I’m a storyteller. I really enjoy entertaining people and letting them escape from their normal lives, to just have some fun in the world of make believe. It is needed now more than ever. I tend to focus more on comedy. There’s nothing quite like listening to people laugh at something you’ve made. It’s really fulfilling when you provide people with a good time. This business allows me to express myself creatively and it’s really fun!

As a filmmaker, I make films, television shows, commercials, industrials, etc. I’ve done lots of shorts that went to film festivals and won awards. My latest short “School Days are Happy Days,” just played the Golden State Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, CA. I also just released my award-winning comedy film “The Fountain Pen” online.  Watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL74NJqLX7I

I plan to make my first feature film this year. It’s a quirky, romantic comedy about a guy who never takes off his bike helmet (and it’s set in an underground disco dance world). The film is titled “Bike Helmet Harry” and is based on a short that I made. I will be doing a crowdfunding campaign and it will have opportunities for you to get fun perks (like attending the red carpet premiere and even becoming a producer on the film). Follow me on Instagram @gosquirrely for future updates. I also just shot a promo for the rock band “Jane N’ the Jungle.” It was a lot of fun to shoot it at the world famous Viper Room in Hollywood.
As an actor, I just worked on a feature film called “The Next Big Hit.” It’s about a stunt man and his movie producer cousin, on the run from a loan shark, who hit the jackpot by producing the first martial-arts musical. I play two different roles in this crazy comedy. I can’t wait for people to see it! I also did an audiobook that was just released on www.audible.com. It’s called “The Brain Savers” and it’s about the invention of telemedicine. It tells the dramatic story of the company that saved lives and forever changed medicine. I play two very different characters in that as well. It’s producers made the award-winning “The Barefoot Spirit” audiobook (the story of America’s #1 wine brand “Barefoot Wine”).

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 think the three best qualities that impacted me were, adaptability, creativity, and resilience. First, you have to be adaptable in this business. Things can change very quickly and you need to be flexible to adapt to those changes. Technology alone has dramatically changed how business is done. Being able to learn new technology and understand how it impacts the business is paramount. Also, the pandemic had an incredible impact on the business. Adapting to new limitations during that time was imperative.

Creativity is an essential part of the business as well. Many times you will be challenged by unexpected circumstances. Things go wrong on sets all the time. As they say, “The show must go on.” Your ability to find creative ways to solve problems will make you an asset on any set. Also, creativity is rewarded in both acting and filmmaking. Everyone wants to see something new, original and unexpected.

The last quality that is immensely valuable is resilience. There is a lot of competition in this business. You will face failures and disappointment. You need to be able to learn from your mistakes and move on. The people that succeed in this business are those with resilience. You need to be able dust your self off and start again (or find another way to get what you want). There are countless stories of actors who auditioned for years without getting anywhere. However, by honing their skills and continuing to audition, they eventually got that big break that launched their career. The same can be said for filmmakers. Many successful filmmakers spent years trying to get a film made. They moved past the financing falling apart or the famous actor taking another job. By continuing to refine their script or continuing to pitch to people, they eventually got their film made.

I once spoke to a famous film producer who ran Sony Pictures and produced huge blockbuster films. He said simply, “Keep making films.” The more films you make, the better you will get. And everyone wants to work with people that are really great at their job.

Another thing I would tell new people is to watch movies. You’d be surprised how many people say they want to be in the film business that don’t watch a lot of movies. You can learn a lot from past films about both acting and directing. I like watching a lot of older films. I constantly watch Turner Classic Movies (TCM). However, you can watch the Criterion channel or stream tons of older films online. I learn from the masters. See how they build suspense or how they make you care about the characters. Many DVD’s have extras. Listen to the filmmakers talk about the making of the film or watch the behind the scenes videos. There are tons of Q&A’s interviewing actors and filmmakers available online for free as well. You can learn a lot from their experiences.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one challenge I’m currently facing is financing my new feature film. I will be doing a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money. I did a successful crowdfunding campaign in the past on a short film I made. However, I am going to have to raise at least five times as much to make my feature film. This amount can seem daunting. I am currently enrolled in two classes that will help. One class is about getting meetings and pitching your ideas more effectively. The other class is a self-improvement course that will help me gain more focus and provide effective methods of overcoming bigger challenges. I think it is important to continually educate yourself and learn from those who have successfully done the things that you are attempting to do.