If you’ve been discouraged by friends, family, or coworkers to give up on your dream to be an actor, or as in one success story’s case, you’ve been told, “you can’t achieve that; you’re a cop,” you might think you don’t have what it takes and may wind up never trying. However, if you are former NYPD Officer and celebrity bodyguard Steve Stanulis, you’ve proven to yourself and the world that anything is possible if you have innate abilities, put in the hard work, and hang in there during the journey to lasting success.
How did he build his career as an actor, director, and producer so effectively? Steve has said in the past, “I’m not afraid to put myself out there,” and he regularly does that. During a recent celebrity interview on satellite radio station Power 98.5, he and host Steven Cuoco talked about how he engages in the creative process, what his day-to-day is like when developing a new project, and what advice he has for aspiring child entertainers. Steve was very open and candid about how day-to-day hard work, persistence, and a healthy dose of caution can lead to effective career transformations and lasting success.
How easy or difficult is it to create new films or shows? Steve detailed how he uses the “script, the genre, and the budget” to develop a story or idea into a full-scale production. He also talked about how he leverages casting agents to work with agencies and obtain the funding and what’s needed to develop a new project. While outlining key success criteria, he mentioned that a good script is a leading indicator of whether a production will succeed. Steve also talked about how the budget dictates the parameters he must work within. Smart decisions need to be made around areas such as special effects. During the interview, Steve comically spoke about a specific example: “…you can’t be asked to blow up the Empire State Building with a $125,000 budget”. While underlining how important it is to align development costs with expectations and funding limitations, he fully outlined a template for success. Steve went on to say that anchor actors can help achieve the expected return on investment and that other avenues, such as product placement, are key to a production achieving good financial results and other desired outcomes.
Steve’s advice was encouraging but cautious when asked whether he would encourage newcomers – specifically children – to try out the industry. He conveyed that he is not opposed to having kids follow their dreams to pursue acting, but given the “unscrupulous” past of certain people in Hollywood, he strongly encouraged parents to “stay on top of them” and to be present during their child’s working hours. As a former police officer and A-Lister bodyguard to celebrities such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Leo DiCaprio, this film-industry mogul and Staten Island native knows that safety-first is always a good strategy. His advice highlighted cautious optimism regarding children, specifically that parents should “not deter them from anything they want to try” but rather “stay on top of them.” Further to that point, as a father of three, he cautioned parents not to drop off their kids and say, “… I’ll pick you up in eight hours,”; but rather to stay close to them during acting gigs to ensure they remain safe.
Whether you are a child, teen, parent, or adult aspiring actor, producer, or director in the entertainment industry, influencer Steve Stanulis is an inspiration and true success story for us all. He shows us the power of following our dreams and not giving up even when discouraged. Steve’s journey outlines the importance of sticking with what you believe in, working hard, connecting with the right people, and never giving up. I’m excited to see what Steve and Stanulis Films give us next.
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