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The entertainment industry isn’t just competitive — it’s relentless. Talent matters, but staying power matters more. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned on this journey, it’s this: success often comes to the last person standing.
There’s a misconception that success comes overnight. In reality, it comes after years of grinding, pitching, auditioning, and creating. Projects like ‘Roast Pork Butt’ (over a decade from first draft to completion) and ‘Switch’ (the idea first came to me around 2015) didn’t happen overnight. They were the result of persistence, belief, and refusing to step away — even when the odds were stacked against me.
Working on shows like ‘Atlanta’ — which came six years after my very first TV booking on ‘Hawaii Five-0’ — or ‘Space Command’ — which required over a year of auditions before I won the worldwide talent search for my role — taught me that this business rewards endurance. And it wasn’t just those milestones; countless other projects came long after I’d already spent nearly a decade committed to this craft. All of it reinforced one truth: this industry belongs to those who keep showing up.
This career isn’t about landing one big role or one breakout festival run (though it certainly can help!). It’s about staying consistent, being ready, and putting yourself in position when the right opportunity arrives. If you’re in this business, you have to commit to the long haul. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Talent may get you noticed, but perseverance carries you across the finish line. Indie filmmaking is a battle of attrition — and the ones who succeed are the ones who simply never stop showing up.
Bryan McClure is an actor, writer, producer, and director passionate about independent filmmaking. He has appeared in acclaimed series including ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, ‘The Walking Dead’, and ‘Mindhunter’, as well as numerous films, including his role opposite Jessica Lange in HBO’s ‘The Great Lillian Hall’, his lead performance in ‘In Other Words’, and his appearance in Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’. Bryan is the creator of ‘Roast Pork Butt’ and ‘Perfect Purpose’ and is currently developing ‘Switch’, a romantic comedy feature. He is also a co-founder of Max It Magazine, a platform dedicated to amplifying indie film voices.
