Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Matthew Atkisson.
Aaron, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My current stage in life is a culmination of many things but I’ll try to make it brief. Prior to wasting – I mean uh, spending – roughly 20 years in corporate America, I was a busy father, a thriving musician and creator of art in many forms. I’ve been a creative as far back as I can remember but my work schedule didn’t allow much freedom to be creative, and my musical instruments slowly started to collect dust. My writing soon became voice memos to be eventually lost in digital purgatory and my creative spark was fading, albeit still aching to get out. I got my creative itch out mostly by reading bedtime stories to my kiddos, voicing silly and animated performances to give otherwise sleepy children something fun and exciting to remember; they’re all older now but they still talk about my over the top rendition of The Greedy Python and Skippy John Jones!
In 2014, a work injury forced me to reevaluate my life and I finally had more time to spend with my growing children and I eventually made the attempt to re-enter the creative world. Transformers was filming in Detroit around that time and it sparked my interest, so signed up with a lovely company called Real Style. I missed the Transformers filming but eventually got booked as an extra on season 1 and 2 of Detroiters on Comedy Central (now on Netflix). Soon after that, I booked my first major commercial with Ford and the rest is history!
I’ve gone on to work on camera in countless commercials both as principal and background as well as dozens of commercial voice overs and many independent projects. I’ve also appeared in many union and non union film and tv productions. As of this interview, I am a SAG must join actor which is a huge milestone for me and many actors on this journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. As I mentioned, there have been some obstacles and struggles along the way.
I’m a single dad and my kids are with me most of the time, I’m also an only child and I’m caretaking for my mother part time. Speaking of part-time, I’m also juggling several part-time jobs so that I can be more available for my family and pursue the creative arts.
In a nutshell- availability, scheduling and finances are a huge hurdles. You have to be able to have industry standard headshots, pay for casting sites and get training, which is often expensive.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a musician first when it comes to creativity. I’ve been writing, singing and playing the piano since I was a child. I’m now in a band for the first time in two decades, and I sing and play guitar.
I’m also an on camera actor, voice actor and I have been in many commercials and print ads. I’m most identifiable by my beard and long hair. I have a Viking/biker/rocker vibe, so I stand out out a bit.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I have been returning to my roots by pursuing music again. I’ve always had stage fright but the acting world has taught me that I can use that energy to fuel my performances. It’s gotten a lot better over the years and I now really enjoy being on stage.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Right now I am one job away from being an official Union SAG-AFTRA member. That’s definitely something I see changing in the near future for me. I’ve been auditioning for Network TV shows more frequently and I expect that I will book one of those very soon, which will change the trajectory of my acting career.
Additionally, my band has been gaining some traction locally and we are booking shows at a faster rate than I ever expected.
In a perfect world, I see myself fronting a successful band and having a successful acting career as well similarly to Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Linktree.com/aaronmatthewatkisson
- Instagram: @aaronmatthewatkisson
- Facebook: @aaronmatthewatkisson
- Youtube: @aaronmatthewatkisson
- Other: aaronmatthewatkisson on TikTok
