PHOTOS

: <ul> <li>Best known for his portrayal of Tee Tee on BET’s The Game, Barry Floyd earned his position in the spotlight the hard way. With ambitions of being a writer, the Philadelphia native headed to Hollywood to follow his dreams, but like many aspiring scribes, he saw those dreams deferred. Following a string of production assistant jobs on such TV series as Cuts, Everybody Hates Chris and Girlfriends, Floyd fell into acting when one of the Girlfriends performers was late for rehearsal and he was asked to stand in. Impressed with his performance, the casting director suggested Floyd audition for a part on an upcoming show called The Game. “I had no intention of acting,” he explains. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”</li> <li>During the course of the show’s inaugural run on The CW network, Floyd sharpened his acting skills, earning more camera time in the process. Now, at the close of the sitcom’s resurrected season on BET, the actor is refocused on his initial goal, working as the head writer on the online sketch comedy series, <a href="http://www.purplestufftv.com/" target="_blank">Purple Stuff TV</a>. Managing to navigate his way through the bright lights of Tinseltown, Floyd shares a few of his trade secrets with BlackEnterprise.com.

: <ul> <li>3,000 miles is a short distance to travel for your dreams</li> <li>While it’s possible to act anywhere, the heart of the movie business is in California and, according to Floyd, that’s where anyone that’s serious about acting, writing or producing needs to be. “A lot of people try to do it from Atlanta or New York because this is a long way to move for people,” he says. “I came from the East Coast—that’s 3,000 miles—with no friends or family out here so it’s an intimidating thing to do but you have to do it because even though there’s work in New York and Atlanta, most of the work is here [in LA]. You got to be out here and you got to be making connections. That’s the main thing just having the courage to move out here and just go all in.”</li> </ul>

: <ul> <li>Aspiring actors usually aspire more than they act</li> <li>With more actors than there are roles in Hollywood, most neophyte thespians have to pay dues in other ways before getting any substantial camera time. “A lot of people get discouraged because they're not doing what they wanted to do right away,” says Floyd, who toiled behind the scenes for three years before getting his big break. “You have to be okay with taking a PA job or something that’s not the job you initially saw yourself doing because you’re going to have to work your way up.”</li> </ul>

: <ul> <li>Success comes to those who work hard for it</li> <li>According to Floyd, connections are just as important as talent. Throughout his years of paying dues, he made sure to forge solid relationships and a reputation as a hard worker. “Had I not been the best PA [on Cuts] they wouldn’t have been so hype to recommend me for the job [on Girlfriends] so hard work pays off,” he says. “Also, it’s definitely about who you know and how they feel about you that will determine how far you get in this business, because people always hire their friends and they look out for people that’ve done good work for them in the past.”</li> </ul>

: <ul> <li>Always save money for the rainy days</li> <li>From the outside looking in, the life of an actor looks like all glamour and glitz. The reality, however, is much more like the everyday man. Before moving to BET this year, The Game was cancelled for two years, leaving Floyd on the unemployment line. “This isn’t a stable industry,” he says. “You might be working today and you don’t know when you’re next job is going to come or how long it’s going to take to find that next job. So you got to save your money; don’t blow it all on the cars or whatever when you get your first check. I saved a lot of my money from The Game and I had unemployment and you get residuals when they show the reruns, so I was able to manage my money to last me until The Game came back on air.”</li>

Posted: April 5, 2011

Krystin Johnson

I love Barry Floyd!! His steps seem like they will really help those of us that are already dramatic but looking to become an actor!! Thanks boo…I know u have a girlfriend, but ILY anyway!!!

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