Who is Franklin Livingston and some of his Pakistani American actor and influencer work: I had the pleasure of interviewing Franklin Livingston of LPI Films®, Bambi Films Inc., and Listening Eyes Theater Company. His productions typically showcase people of color as the classic heroic roles and all the stories developed are based on true events. Mr. Livingston believes in empowering the characters generally known as ethnic minorities because they are the backbone to the functionality of the U.S. as a community. However, standard theater and film still continues to portray Caucasian men and women in the dominant roles. Find additional details at https://ritzherald.com/franklin-livingston-a-man-of-possibilities/.

Are Franklin Livingston’s actions absurd? One of the caveat Franklin shares is that many of these young actors that work with him assume Franklin, an idiot, who probably has no clue and doesn’t know what acting or filmmaking in Hollywood is made of! This is mostly because of his humble nature and polite behavior. Despite All this, Franklin remains unmovable. He says, “it doesn’t bother me. I know I am an extensively trained actor and highly intelligent human being.” Franklin enjoys seeing upcoming American actors working and developing their confidence to become someone like known Hollywood actors who can be viewed worldwide and on social media posts and stories.

For the past five years, Franklin Livingston has been working in storytelling through stage and film in the New York City area. He is highly proficient in ethnographic research, creating writing, directing, and acting. Franklin is an immigrant who has traveled the world and internationally performed as an actor and produced many films, plays and musicals, and online projects. He has managed talent, technical crews, writers, producers, marketing staff, and social media influencers. His focus is always to capture the truth of every culture, story, and situation regarding the sensitivity of individuals, communities, and institutions.

For our readers that may be interested in acting, filmmaking, and producing, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out in the industry? Be sure to get the right educational foundation. Research acting schools that you are considering. When you have completed your education there, be sure you never stop self-training. In what ways has the Covid-19 pandemic had an effect your career in the movie industry?Speaking as both an actor that has auditioned with other actors, that turned out to not be so great when we got on set, and as a producer, auditions that are done mostly via zoom now, are awful for picking up on so many of the meaningful but more subtle details that you notice when auditioning in person. In audition rooms, you can see the person enter, you see how they walk and stand. Were their hip sockets relaxed, shoulders relaxed, jaw relaxed? Do they look the part?

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? Al Qually has been a tremendous help on my journey in New York. When I first arrived in the Big Apple, I was angry and depressed because I had so many negative experiences. I believe that it was my growing and learning phase, but I met Al in 2016 who collaborated with me on numerous projects. He always went out of his way to help me with scripts, filmmaking, and much more without any expectations or hidden agendas. We have shot several short films in and outside of his apartment in Queens (including “Down-Range”) where he would be making coffee and running around trying to make sure all actors and crew were taken care of. Since our initial encounter and through Al’s network, I have met many great professionals who have helped me become a better human being and a compelling storyteller.

Franklin has had an unmatched opportunity to represent a growing number of Pakistani people in the US who are under-represented in Hollywood. Currently, there is no person of Pakistani origin in Hollywood’s big-budget movies and TV networks that has the background training Franklin has. Currently, Riz Ahmed has been in the news a lot due to his dramatic acting. However, Riz is a British-Pakistani which makes him distinctly different from Franklin Livingston. Franklin’s unique accent, enchanting voice, alluring charisma, and captivating presence makes him stand out among all actors Hollywood has cast from Southeast Asian backgrounds.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? I was in a meeting with my first TV commercial agents. They asked me if I was working on getting rid of my accent. They said that getting work without having a native sounding American vernacular is impossible. I laughed to myself and replied bluntly that I don’t believe I could ever eliminate my accent and that local people tend to search for a foreign accent when they need a medical specialist or a cosmetic surgeon in Beverly Hills. I think it’s only the Media, the formula, and the system that believes that actors shouldn’t have their native accents if they wanted to play leads in the local projects. Upon seeing their facial expressions, I realized my honesty was a mistake.

For these reasons, Franklin felt the urge to do something. As a community builder, Franklin not only looks out for himself; instead, he works out situations for the best interest of others, as he did for the young and upcoming American actors locate in the greater New York area. In summary, Franklin turns possibilities into reality. Franklin Livingston teaches us that even though there are possibilities in everything we yearn for; Nothing good comes out without challenges. There are possibilities all around you; plan and put them into action.