Daily Inspiration: Meet Drew Williams Orozco

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Drew Williams Orozco.

Hi Drew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I started performing in 2nd grade. I sang in the school talent show, and from then on, I couldn’t stop. I’d sing for every talent show each one of my schools had and even sang with my family and various different events in the area I grew up in.

Once 7th grade rolled around, I fell into musical theatre. The first show I ever did was Aladdin, in which I played Jafar.

This was for a touring children’s troupe, which consisted of all child actors putting on shows for kids in local schools and programs throughout the year. This along with various different local theatres and choir groups became my home away from home for about 5 or 6 years straight. After this I auditioned for American Idol but sadly, I never made it to Paula, Randy and Simon. Even though that “big audition” did not go as planned I was not deterred.

Since I grew up in CT, NYC was only a hop, skip & a jump away! I auditioned as regularly as my parents and school schedule would allow and while I did gain lots of experience, I continued to perform for local community theatres slowly working my way up to semi professional work in CT. Not satisfied with staying in the circle I’d become accustomed to, I made my first big move to Florida which I had the opportunity to work at Universal Studios!

After receiving the news that I got the role, I had to move in a matter of 10 days. In FL I began to flourish as I began working professionally as a musical theatre actor. I would perform in the local theaters & Dinner theaters until I connected with a show that was entered into the NYMF (New York Musical Theatre Festival) in New York City. My Illustrious Wasteland was my opportunity to finally start working in NYC and boy did I take that!

I left Florida and moved in with some friends that had found an apartment shortly after the run was done and thus my city life had begun. I did some shows in the area and about a year later I scored a gig from an audition for a cruise ship which ironically brought me all the way back to Florida. This was about a 6-month contract, and I stayed an extra two weeks in Spain & France before making my way back to NYC. Back in the city I had a few more auditions but I couldn’t really stick with it. Whatever passion I had was starting to fizzle, so I sought to create in other ways.

Vlogging, composing music, taking part in cabarets and anything that would scratch that itch. I began to play at local bars and coffee shops and even did a show or two back home in CT. The last theatre show I did was around 2012/2013, and I played Motel in Fiddler on the Roof, but it was during this show I knew I needed to take a step back as… it wasn’t the same. Though I followed through on my commitment to perform, I didn’t have the same gusto behind the work.

It was around 2015 that I fell into my second love of technology and began building a family and trying to settle into a “normal” life. I had a girlfriend (we got together officially in 2013) who is now my wife and the end of that year into 2016 we were expecting our child.

Everything creatively kind of went by the wayside for me. It was more than just me now and I had to reevaluate what that would look like and to see if I could even do anything I’d originally set out to do all those years before. I think one of the best things that happened to me in this regard was one of my old co workers during a zoom call we were on asked me to cover my journey of life so far and we wrote it all down together and realized… I’d lived a pretty full life thus far.

Now fast forward to 2019… I started to get that itch back… the want to be in front of people again. make people laugh, make people feel something BUT I was now in Ohio?! Where do I start? Enter Twitch. I learned all I could about broadcasting online and just what that entailed and how to go about creating my own studio at home.

It was a cobbled together MESS of a set up but you know what? IT GOT THE JOB DONE. First, it was Pokemon and just sharing my love of those digital creatures. Then it was me playing host to games that people could join in. Then it was sharing my singing until at last, with the help of the community that we built, the Beardies showed me that I could very well do what I set out to all those years ago.

I had an audience. I had even more people that believed in me and what I could do and most importantly… I believed in myself again. I’d lost that piece because what they don’t teach you in the classes and in your gigs is believing in yourself is important. Because no matter how many people tell you that you CAN do it… YOU’RE the one that has to do it. It may not be the conventional or traditional way of doing things, but take it from me… as long as you want it and you believe in yourself… life has a funny way of getting you where you belong.

So now, I’m doing things in my own way. I played Edward Bloom in Big Fish the Musical earlier this year with Springboro Community Theatre. I’m currently rehearsing to reprise the role of the Baker in Into the Woods for Middletown Lyric Theatre. I finished my third kids musical which I’m making my Music Director debut this summer AND I’m starting to book gigs to hang out with the Captain of the Black Pearl Captain Jack Sparrow. Creatively… I’m in a very good place.

I can’t wait to see “What’s Next.”

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has never been a smooth road. I’ve heard, “no” more times than I’d care to admit but when you choose this it’s exactly that; a choice. Your skin does toughen up, but you can reach a point where you may need to step back and evaluate.

Not auditioning enough. When you’re actively pursuing performing as a profession, you’re only as employed as many gigs you acquire and the only way to do so is audition. If you’re not auditioning (and you’re not fortunate enough to be handed roles), it will be harder.

LIFE! Life in a big city is unpredictable! You never know who you’ll meet. Who you’ll fall in love with. Who do you THINK you fall in love with? I’ve learned to give myself a little credit in this regard. While I didn’t make the best choices of partners at times, I learned a lot about myself and what I did and did not want in a relationship. Especially one that would include my artistry.

Burnout. This is real. Listen to your body when it tells you it is done. Otherwise it will make you listen. This has happened on more than one occasion to me. Not fun.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
This… is a fun question. Lol.

I sing, act, dance, photo edit, video edit, audio edit, mix & master audio, write, compose, play guitar & promote.

I specialize in Acting/Singing. This is the work I’m most known for by my family and friends. I would say the follow up to this would be broadcasting on Twitch and making gaming videos for YouTube.

I’m most proud of myself for not being scared to just go for it. While I was afraid I had lost this trait, Twitch has beat the perfectionism right out of me.

I’m known for my infectious energy.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Saving enough money to get a Gameboy and a copy of Pokemon Yellow. That game will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Performing-wise, I was singing No Me Ames by Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony with my family. My mom sang with me, my dad played guitar (maybe bass), and my sister played piano.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youtube.com/drewbearded
• Instagram: @Drewbearded
• Facebook: Facebook.com/drewbearded
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drewbearded/
• Twitter: Drewbearded
• Youtube: Youtube.com/drewbearded