I’m what some call a “second-act actor.” I've led a perfectly fine life as a techie. I entered the science fair every year as a kid, watched Star Trek, and built a single-person hovercraft with my high school buddies. Immediately after I got a PhD from M.I.T. I joined a Silicon Valley startup. That was just before the dot-com bubble burst in 2001. I survived the crash - barely - and four jobs later I’m still here today, now at a large public company in San Jose.
A little over a decade ago, on a whim, I took a standup comedy class. I did open mics and shows in San Francisco for several months, and that led to improv and eventually dramatic and comedic acting. I was as surprised as anyone by this side of me. I’d never been in a school play and was way too shy to have any interest in performing on stage.
During the pandemic, prestigious Los Angeles acting studios had no choice but to teach online. That gave me access to great teachers as well as a community of professional actors working in film and television. After learning about the professional side of acting, I threw my hat into the ring. I now get called in to audition for TV shows and films on a somewhat regular basis. I’m not famous, nor do I expect or want to be.
I noticed that a lot of what I learned in acting and improv is incredibly beneficial in the working world, especially the tech industry. Many of the problems I observe could be resolved with better communication and understanding of human nature. These happen to be two pillars of a good actor's skillset. Human beings are always emotionally driven, even those of us in tech.
My goal for We Are Not Machines is to articulate lessons I’ve learned so that you don’t have to spend ten years and lots of money on acting classes to thrive in your workplace and possibly your personal life. I hope you get something out of it.
