Rem Conway, 19 is an award winning actor and Founder / Director of his own production company, G.R.A.F.T.
Rem has played host, model and entertainer to many shows across the UK, including featuring in UK MC, Kano’s music video – Beamer as well as starring in campaigns for Footlocker Europe and The Real Deal Comedy Jam, (UK’s biggest urban stand-up comedy show.)
In 2012, Mr Conway released his debut book, ‘Do you feel me?…The Mind Unleashed…’ and then went on to produce his first theatre production, ‘Uncle Ben’, shortly followed by ‘Uncle Ben The Wedding’.
What do general tasks in your career consist of on a daily basis?
Writing new scripts and getting them prepared for stage performances, camera or reading different scripts. My inspiration usually comes from observation, also watching people or simply just analysing films, plays or TV programmes to keep my directing skills sharp. Most importantly, I also practice acting techniques. As they say, practice makes perfect.
Why did you decide to set up?
After having quite a lot of experience in the acting industry, I realised as an Afro-Caribbean actor you can go through your career feeling at a disadvantage, due to most acting roles in the UK for Afro-Caribbean actors/actresses portraying negative stereotypes. Setting up my own production company gave me the opportunity to portray Afro-Caribbean professionals in the entertainment industry in a positive light. It was a dream of mine for a while, so I thought BOOM why not start now?
When did you make a start on your career?
I started my acting career when I was 13 years old while in school, I then went into professional acting around the age of 16. I picked up directing and writing along the way and now I thank God I’m here still moving up, slowly but surely.
How did you set up?
When setting up G.R.A.F.T it took a lot of research in finding out what the industry already has, so I could ensure that what I was bringing to the table would be different. I then sorted out all the boring things (paper work, legal requirement etc.) After this came the thing I consider the most important in business; CREATING YOUR BRAND. Once everything was in place, I had to establish my brand in Birmingham and I believed my first play ‘Uncle Ben’ was the best way to do this. The play featured some of the city’s most amazing talent and it was a huge success with an audience of 1,500 people. For my first play I couldn’t complain! Uncle Ben has helped to establish G.R.A.F.T as a high quality entertainment company that produces high quality plays.
Who helped you?
There were a lot of people that helped make this company what it is today. UnLtd were a huge help, The Drum really showed support towards G.R.A.F.T and also my family and friends are always supportive of anything I do.
What have you learnt during your experience?
I have learnt to prioritise everything including tasks; going out and partying is all fun but work comes first. The first night of Uncle Ben would definitely be a memorable moment, and I don’t regret sacrificing my social time for it.
What advice can you offer to aspiring actors?
The biggest advice I would offer to anyone in the entertainment industry that is trying to be successful is: Define Success For Yourself. By that I mean a lot of people believe that success is measured by money and celebrity status, when they don’t realise how much some celebrities have lost in order to be successful; including losing themselves. Yes be successful and be the best you can be, BUT hold onto YOU in the process and don’t get fooled by the game and the fame. Success to me is about the positive affect you can have on people; yes I like nice things including money, cars, jewellery and clothes etc. but the legacy I plan to build means more to me than all of these things.
