Conversations with Rodney Roldan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodney Roldan.

Hi Rodney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in New York City. I joined the Navy after high school and served for about 9 years. During my last year in the Navy, I decided to go into the performing arts, acting in several television and film projects. A couple of years later, I relocated to Los Angeles to continue acting in film and television. This is where I decided to go into the U.S. Army Reserve to continue my military service and go into the field of Mass Communications.

From that point on, I have maintained a dual career as an Army Mass Communication Specialist, as well as an actor and filmmaker in my civilian life. In the last couple of years, I have worked on a number of television and film projects as well as a few documentaries where I have won a number of awards for best documentary, voiceover, and television series, with the most recent wins coming from the 42nd Annual Telly Awards.

I also recently completed working on American Detective, which films in the Knoxville area, where I play the lead detective in one of the season 2 episodes.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been anything but smooth. A lot of struggles came from balancing finances, committing time or setting time aside for my personal life, and my military obligation while pursuing my acting and filmmaking career. The arts overall are not a promising career on the financial front. In addition, there is never a guarantee that a project will get picked or that you would be cast in something.

But regardless of the struggle and likelihood of such events occurring on a normal or consistent basis, I think for me my commitment and passion for creating overrides the struggle and keeps me focused on the positive outcomes or projects that I do get cast for.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
On the filmmaking front, I create a number of documentaries that are geared more towards the military and educational subject matter. I completed a World War 2 documentary a few years ago that focused on the life of a soldier who was captured at the Battle of the Bulge.

Afterward, I completed a mini-series focusing on the history of typography during the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment. I recently finished a feature-length documentary entitled “Country and Courage”, which looks at the experiences of U.S. Army veterans and ties in some of the writings of Shakespeare as it relates to PTSD that soldiers experience as well as the strive towards commitment to serve.

In the U.S. Army, as a mass communications specialist, I work in the Public Affairs sector, producing several news products, documentaries, and mass media products. I was able t0 apply those skills not only while serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan but also to my civilian life when it comes to performing and capturing footage for specific projects.

Having won over 49 awards in the last couple of years for a few projects, I would say that I am most proud of the reach of the projects itself and not so much of the accolades. I love storytelling and finding creative ways to highlight the essence of the subject matter.

What I think sets me apart from others is my drive and commitment to not accepting certain things as obstacles or barriers, but as challenges ahead that overcoming will only make me stronger and more knowledgeable.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The entertainment industry is constantly changing especially with the fact that information is more accessible. With the increasing number of streaming platforms and content, engaging with a higher number of audiences would be a little more challenging in that creators need to find more revolutionary ways to attract their audience.

Contact Info:

• Email: rodney.roldan@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.imdb.me/rodneyroldan
• Instagram: @rodneymroldan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodneyRoldanSAGAFTRA

Image Credits
Veterans Administration Photoshoot, Peoples Television, “Battledogs” – Production Company, Infectious Films The Standalone Award – The 2021 Impact Docs Awards, The IndieFest Film Awards, and The Hive