Entrepreneurs: How Romaine Waite Turned a High School Play Into a Hollywood Career

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Where entrepreneurs come to grow. It's Passage to Profit with Richard and Elizabeth Gearhart. [00:00:06] Speaker B: And now it is time for our featured guest. We love having celebrities on Passage to Profit, not just because they're great guests, but because, as anyone in media will tell you, entertainment is one of the most entrepreneurial businesses out there. And today we're honored to have Romaine Waite. He's known for his standout roles in Star Discovery, Departure, and the Mist. And Romaine joins us to share how an unexpected path into acting evolved into a career built on powerful, emotional, grounded performances. Before the show, I was listening to your podcast, the Waiting Room, if you'll pardon the pun. Right. And in particular, your interview with Kabir Burke. Am I pronouncing that correctly? [00:00:49] Speaker A: Yes. [00:00:50] Speaker B: And one of the questions you asked him was, what was your first creative experience? And so I'm gonna turn the tables on you and ask you, what was your first creative experience? [00:01:02] Speaker A: Richard, you. You're digging, man. You're digging. Oh, man. But no, great question. And again, thank you so much for. For the opportunity just to speak about myself and. And, you know, what I got going on. But my first creative experience that I feel kind of planted a seed for me was a play that I did in high school. The reason being was, you know, I grew up in a household where, you know, education was the number one focus. You know, you gotta go to university, you gotta do this particular pathway, and, you know, you gotta end up here. And so entertainment or acting was never on the table really. But having that experience planted a seed of realization where you kind of go, huh? This is real. It's tangible. You can actually do it. And that kind of helped to kind of transform my mindset towards the arts to something that is actually a career choice. Now, mind you, it didn't happen until years later, but the seed was planted in terms of that first creative experience. [00:02:02] Speaker C: I was on your IMDb profile. Pretty impressive. I just gotta ask you, how many movies have you been in? [00:02:09] Speaker A: I don't know. [00:02:11] Speaker C: It's a lot, though, isn't it? [00:02:13] Speaker A: Again, going back to my initial thing about keeping the end goal in mind, I'm not really keeping count, truthfully. It's just one of these things where you just keep it moving and you enjoy the moment, and then it's kind of onto the next. And it's not that you don't value the experience, but it's the doing of the thing that makes it what it is or makes it fulfilling. But, yeah, I've done a few. [00:02:36] Speaker B: I've done a Few you talk about being authentic. Tell me about authenticity. I almost feel like today it's kind of becoming overused. Maybe it's kind of almost a worn out term. But how do you think about authenticity in your acting? [00:02:53] Speaker A: For some reason, I feel like authenticity is earned. I don't think it's something that you automatically understand, especially when you're dealing with self, because I think life and context provides authenticity. It provides your barometer for where you want to stay, where you want to live, in terms of what you bring, your energy, your mindset. And I think as you go through life, that gauge for authenticity changes based on who you are, where you are, for example, married versus not married. That authenticity would be different versus if you were a parent or not a parent. All these variables, I think, come into place when we talk about authenticity. And I think it's something that evolves. And I think you just have to be in a place to recognize that evolution for not only for yourself, but those around you, allowing for that change to happen as life and context changes. In terms of the acting piece, I think it's also about having that understanding of where people are in their life and in a specific moment and try your best to align with what that would be authentically, to not use the word, but yes, [00:04:00] Speaker B: that's really cool. So when you're an actor, how do you get into that spot of understanding where somebody is in a moment? [00:04:09] Speaker A: It's like a comparison. Like, what is this like? If, for example, I've never done something like the character would have done, whether it's kill someone or do something horrific, you might have to find something in your own life that you could connect to that, that might bring up that type of anger or desperation or whatever so that you could bring something like that to the stream. And then, you know, there's also room for interpretation because I might bring something to the table and the director might say, ah, you know, that's maybe a little bit too far that way. Let's bring it over here a little bit or let's tweak it. So the acting piece is really a collaborative opportunity between yourself and the director and the of the cast to really find what that authentic moment is. And you'll get a couple takes at it. If you're, if you're on camera, on theater, you might only have once, but you have an opportunity to kind of, you know, massage it a little bit and get as close to it as possible. [00:05:05] Speaker C: I've really been looking forward to asking you about your new movie that you did everything on for his namesake that's coming out on Tubi. You wrote it, you starred in it, produce it, right? [00:05:17] Speaker A: Yes, all except direct. I didn't direct it. You know, I couldn't wear all the hats. That would have been. That would have been a lot. But I did write, star and produce it. Interesting thing about this particular project is that I had written the script approximately. Almost eight to ten years ago before it actually got made. And again, going back to my initial thing about keeping the end goal in mind. It's this whole thing about, like, don't delete your old work. So when this opportunity came up to make a film, it was like, why don't we revisit this script? That was kind of sitting around collecting dust. So that came out, dusted it off a little bit, did some revisions and made it what it is now. But, yeah, it's one of those things where when you have a vision for something, it kind of just. If you allow it to manifest, you know, and connecting with the right people and having the right supports, you know, you can do some wonderful things. So as much as I did do a lot on it, I have to give credit to all the people that were around me and supported me in order to get it done. Those on camera and off camera. Because film truly is a collaborative medium, for sure. [00:06:26] Speaker C: What's it about? [00:06:26] Speaker A: So it's a story about redemption, fatherhood, faith. It centers on a young couple who's facing a situation where their newborn child has a rare illness. And so now they're faced with the task of trying to find a way to deal with that which leads the character that I play, Robert, on a journey to find his estranged father. [00:06:49] Speaker C: Wow, that sounds really good. I can't wait to watch that. [00:06:51] Speaker A: I hope it's good. You gotta take a look and tell me. [00:06:55] Speaker B: So did you have personal experiences in your life that you drew from when you were writing the script? [00:07:01] Speaker A: Not at the time. You know, it was one of these things where it was a collection of stories and experiences that I had heard from other people and kind of amalgamated that into one story. And obviously, being a person of faith, you know, that faith element was. Was natural because a lot of times in those type of situations, you know, we don't have the answer. No one really does. You kind of have to kind of take it one step at a time and hope for the best. And so that's what I kind of tried to infuse into this story. [00:07:30] Speaker C: So you had the script. Did you screenwrite it yourself, or did you have to get a Screenwriter? [00:07:35] Speaker A: No, I. I wrote the script, yeah. [00:07:37] Speaker C: So then how did you pick the people to be in the movie with you? [00:07:41] Speaker A: That's a very interesting story. I did go through a traditional casting process where, you know, I put out the casting call, you know, we're looking for this, this and this. And we had a few people submit and I would go through, you know, their resume, you know, kind of interview them. They would submit to me something called a self tape or an audition of them reading the lines as the character. And then based on that delivery and how I feel they fit within the story, then we would cast them, or unfortunately, sometimes not cast them. So that's how that went. But during that process, we had a really hard time finding the actress to play my mother. And we were about, I feel like two to three days away from actually starting principal photography to the point where we were gonna change the schedule to have all the mother scenes towards the end until we found somebody. And I think it was like close to midnight. I don't know what I was doing up that late. I think actually I do know I was stressing. [00:08:44] Speaker B: Coupling weren't eating after 6:30, by the way. [00:08:48] Speaker A: Oh, there was definitely some stress eating going on. Multiple bowls of cereal. But an email came in and, you know, it was just kind of this, okay, let's see what's going on here. Another hurdle or obstacle to deal with. And it was this wonderful actress sharing her interest in the role. And she had a tape attached to it and they watched it and it was just like, wow. And it was really a testament of, you know, you can only control so much. You know, sometimes you have to allow, however you want to call it the universe, God, to facilitate some opportunities and present you with solutions for the problems that you're facing. [00:09:25] Speaker C: Well, that's a great story. [00:09:27] Speaker B: Yeah, well, it sounds like a healthy attitude. Sometimes you really can't control everything. And sometimes you do have to wait. You just have to put it out there to fate or to the universe. [00:09:36] Speaker A: And 100%, that's something that I've definitely learned in my career. You know, it's easy when you, you love something and you want it to be a certain way, to kind of, you know, white knuckle it. You know, you really want it to be a certain way. But sometimes you, you do have to kind of, you know, back off a little bit. I mean, don't let it all the way go, but, you know, allow room for things to happen, for grace and faith to lead you in a different direction. [00:10:03] Speaker C: I agree. I feel like the universe pushes me in certain ways and I think I want to do something. And the universe is kind of like, man, I think you ought to go this way. So I agree 100%. Well, that's an amazing story. That's awesome. I was going to say. [00:10:21] Speaker B: So it's time for a commercial break already? Yeah, already. So we'll be back with more passage to profit and Romaine Waite, Star of the Mist and Star Trek Discovery right after this. [00:10:32] Speaker D: Do you hear that? That's the sound of uncertainty lurking under your hood. You know the feeling? I know I do. That sudden sinking sensation when you see a check engine light or your car unexpectedly breaks down and you're faced with sky high repair bills. It's time to shield against unexpected repairs with Car Shield. Car Shield is America's most trusted auto protection company and has an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. Don't let the fear of a breakdown keep you up at night. Trust the shield. Car Shield. And say goodbye to terrifying repair bills and hello to peace of mind. Your plan also comes with 24. 7 roadside assistance, courtesy towing, rental car options, and so much more. Don't wait till it's too late. Call Car Shield now before a breakdown. Protect your wallet. Protect your car with Car Shield. Get our best protection ever. Call now. You'll thank me later. 8002-6121-7680-0261-2176. That's 800-261-2176. [00:11:31] Speaker E: Have you outgrown your health insurance plan or just not happy with what you're paying for? The number one reason we all change our health insurance is price. Are you paying too much for your health insurance? Would you like to have better coverage at a better rate or at little or no cost to you? Your life needs are always changing, but have you done anything to improve your health insurance for you and your family? Health insurance laws and coverage are always changing and getting better. It's impossible to do all the research yourself, but now it's all done for you for free. So regardless of your age or medical condition, take a few minutes right now and find out if you can save money or even qualify for zero cost health insurance in your state. Call now. [00:12:17] Speaker D: Paid for by cheaper health insurance. 800-652-1470800, 6521470. 800-652-1470. That's 800-652-1470. [00:12:31] Speaker E: Now back to passage to profit once again. Richard and Elizabeth Gearhart. [00:12:36] Speaker B: Really having a great conversation with Romaine Waite and learning a lot. During the break, we were talking about the business side of the entertainment industry. And so Romaine, maybe you could share some lessons that you've learned over the years. Tell our audience a little bit what it's like to be an entertainment entrepreneur star. [00:12:56] Speaker A: I'll be honest with you, for much of my career, I was very much focused on the acting side of things. You know, that took up a lot of time. That's a whole nother beast in itself. It's only in the past few years that I've started to shift my focus into production and producing and being behind the camera. It's been a crash course a lot of YouTube University, but I've, I've learned that it's, it's a business of attention. You're buying views, you're buying eyes, you're buying likes. And so what we see now a lot in media is, you know, a lot of these individual entities and brands kind of building up their own audience and then selling their content to said audience. Uh, and then once they reach a certain level, that's when, you know, the bigger brands want to tap into what you have. And that's how we end up in this influencer culture and sometimes crossover into mainstream media where, you know, a streamer or a service provider might see an influencer and say, you know, how could they fit into a model that we're building in terms of, you know, maybe putting them in a lead role to get eyes or to cross market the film? Because again, we're all in the business of attention. And so, you know, when I started to dive into the back end of it, you know, I recognized first of all, the higher you go, the less players they are in terms of who actually has control over what. And so you'll start to navigate this space where you go, oh, this person is connected to this and this is connected to that. And it's a very interesting and intricate world once you go behind the scenes. So it's of course navigating that like any business is finding out who the players are and how you can serve their mandate or their need. So with our particular film, for his namesake, it is a faith based drama. So having that niche or understanding that market automatically eliminates certain people that I would approach with this project, which actually helps. So one thing I've learned is in business, the more specific you can be, the more you can satisfy the need. And that I think applies across the board. So if you're doing this, that and the other, it's hard to categorize you or say, okay, this is what you do. But if you can narrow it down and be very specific, then it's easy to place you. It's easy for people to understand and to know if they want to engage with what it is that you have to offer. [00:15:17] Speaker C: How did you get your first acting role? [00:15:19] Speaker A: My first acting role, like, on camera, came through a friend of mine because I had done theater and things like that before. But again, you know, being on film, film and television wasn't really tangible for me. It wasn't in my scope of understanding at the time. But a friend of mine introduced me to someone who was doing an independent film, sent me the email and was like, oh, they're doing this thing. Maybe you want to do it? And it was one of those things like, eh, sure, why not? Didn't think too much of it. And so auditioned for that, got the part, did the film, went through the whole thing. It was a premiere, red carpet, all that type of stuff. And that moment really solidified, like, okay, this is possible. Like, this is what it looks like. And then, oddly enough, the gentleman that wrote and directed that film is a gentleman 10 years later that helped me make this film for his namesake. [00:16:15] Speaker C: Oh, wow. Yeah, that's pretty cool. That's a great story. [00:16:19] Speaker A: That's another something that people should consider in business is developing relationships. I think that's very important in entrepreneurship and business. [00:16:28] Speaker B: That's a great story because the people you work with now could also be people you work with later. And in the entertainment industry, somebody may make another movie. And they say, oh, I remember Romain. He was amazing. Let's call him and get him involved in this. [00:16:43] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. And I'm sure, you know, Dion and Jeff can attest to it. You know, the longer you're in a certain industry, you start to see the same people circulating. And so it's one of these things of you don't know where the opportunity is going to come from. You know, even if it's not something that's going to directly benefit you in that moment, if you see an opportunity to help, I believe that it will come back around for you. [00:17:05] Speaker C: So you may get a call, you know, 20 years from now, hey, we need the father or grandfather. We're camping tomorrow. Yes, [00:17:19] Speaker A: exactly. Exactly. [00:17:21] Speaker B: Well, it's been an amazing interview, Romain, and you're an amazing guy, and we've really enjoyed talking with you. Unfortunately, we have to move on to our next segment, so right before we [00:17:32] Speaker C: move on, don't forget to catch his new movie for his Namesake on Tubi. [00:17:37] Speaker B: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe subscribe to the podcast and leave a quick review. Also, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X and subscribe to our YouTube channel for bonus content. [00:17:48] Speaker E: Learn more at passagetoprofitshow.com.