Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
I am an 18x award winning actor and filmmaker born in Riverside, California. From an early age, I thrived in sports eventually going on to play collegiate football at Southern University. My collegiate career landed me an opportunity to play professional football where I played 4 seasons in the Indoor Football League. I began my journey into entertainment doing stunts as a motion capture actor with the Madden Video Game Series earning credits in Madden ’18, ’19, ’20, ’21, ’22, & ’23. This led to further opportunities doing sports stunts in Hollywood for shows such as Ballers for HBO and All American on The CW, and Colin in Black & White on Netflix. I am most known for my work on The CW series “All American” for my role as “Troy”, a South Crenshaw high school football player as well as doing football stunt work and doubling for the characters “Jabari Long” and “Cameron” appearing in 21 episodes over 3 seasons.
I have built a successful career in entertainment working on multiple movies, short films, major network TV shows, and video games including supporting roles in feature films ” The 4 Points”, “Fortunate Son”, “God of Dreams”, “Lost in the Moment”, and “Expunged”. I have also directed two multi award winning films, “SKANDALOUZ” and “Deadly Thoughts” which collectively racked up 18 awards including multiple debut filmmaker awards, Best Actor, Best short film awards and more.
Aside from acting, I have established myself as an entrepreneur. In 2018, I created the media platform 247LiveCulture.com, a platform dedicated towards pushing Black culture in the right direction. I also co-founded Highest Level Academy, a non-profit organization helping to get student athletes college ready athletically and academically.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
I am the true definition of a jack of all trades. I am an actor, director, stuntman, athlete, writer, and business owner and I juggle all of these hats well. As a former pro athlete, I know how to preserve through obstacles to obtain a major goal. I understand what it takes to excel and how to win. I have a winning mentality that keeps me motivated and on task.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
The moment I realized I was doing what I was born to do was when started to notice an overwhelming positive response to my endeavors. I constantly receive messages from people telling me they are inspired by what I am doing and that was enough confirmation for me to keep going harder. My whole goal is to inspire as many people as possible and entertainment gave me that opportunity.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
The biggest challenge I had to overcome was switching careers. During 2020, I was signed to play professional football but due to the pandemic lockdown, I was forced to make a pivot in my career. I decided to focus on acting, which was a path that was virtually unknown to me. I trusted that this was the right path for me and placed my focus on elevating my film career. Switching careers was definitely a tough task but I am amazed at how successful the redirection has been.
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?
Denzel Washington, Issa Rae, and Ava DuVernay are 3 people that are successful people of color in the entertainment industry that could instantly elevate my career with a life changing opportunity. They have proven to be Gamechanging in the entertainment industry and I believe I align with that winning energy as well.
Drop your social media links.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/omarcook_
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OmarCook_