Meet Zayne Richard Simpson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zayne Richard Simpson. 

Hi Zayne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I began my story in Los Angeles, California. I was actually born in the Midwest in Evansville, Indiana and moved soon after to Los Angeles. I lived in Los Angeles until I was about eight or nine years old full-time, and then I had moved to Columbus, Ohio with my brother and father for his job. After moving to Columbus I went back-and-forth between Columbus and Los Angeles for a few years because my mom, and sister were still out there, and then eventually they both moved to Columbus as well.

I finish grade school in Columbus, Ohio in 2007, and decided I would attend college for a very brief period of time. Didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but throughout my teenage years, I had fell in love with the music industry. During time in high school, I spent more time on the road doing shows, interviews, and playing music with my garage band as they call it.

Back then it was called “Tomorrow’s Gone”, later changed to “Fear of Waking”. We truly were a garage band, started right in the garage. Anyhow we play shows our drummers dad, my best friend David Stacy, managed us, help us get shows and gigs, build a website and try to take us to another level. We had a lot of great, and cool opportunities over the years.

Unfortunately, as we got older, we had a lot of hurdles, as your mind gets older and you don’t understand the concept of money, you also start to wonder, so the business wasn’t our first priority. Girls, partying, and other things were though, and because of all this a lot of people dropped out, a lot of people got kicked out, and things just weren’t the same. We didn’t see eye to eye as we did before and the band kind of fell apart.

As this begans to happen the band ended up changing the name, and getting some new members, and moving forward to continue to be successful for quite some time. Unfortunately, I was not one of those members. My co-vocalist, and I spent many years looking for other opportunities in the music industry, unfortunately it just wasn’t there as it was before, and not to say I gave up but kind of had to look elsewhere for something else for a while.

At 21 years old I stepped away from the entertainment industry, and join the US Army. During my time in the Army, it was a lot different, I always kept music close to my heart, which was the thing I loved the most, and it helped me get through all the hard times. Throughout my time in the Army I spent time in Afghanistan, and some other countries as well.

Going to war definitely changed me, and the way I did everything in life. After eight years in the US Army, I got out, and did a short stent in law Enforcement. I went to Eastland career center in Columbus Ohio and attended the police academy.

After attending the police academy, I took a job with a private security/police company called PSI. This was my first real opportunity to do something, and it was pretty cool. I got to drive around, and patrol in a Dodge Charger, pretty much make sure people were maintaining what they needed to. I had opportunities to do special duty opportunities like Taco Bell at night when all the college kids were partying, and things like the OSU games on campus.

I worked for another company called Highland Security, and Investigations, definitely some of the funnest times of my life. We got to do Fugitive Recovery. We had the opportunity to work for I.C.E. and even at one point were acting federal agents that was pretty cool.

All in all, I knew I was meant for something more. During my time doing all of these things, I always still went to the clubs, still was around music, and entertainment. I decided one day I wanted to return and come back to the entertainment industry that I had always loved so much.

In 2015 I started my company ZRS Productions. At the time my company’s primary objective was to throw events, and parties at the clubs. I worked with Cantina, Granero, and Red Club, just to name a few, in the Columbus, Ohio area. I had worked with clubs before when I was younger so it was an easy transition to kind of start doing events on my own rather than just as a promoter as I did before the military. Putting my own name on it give me a little more credibility, and get to make more than money, and still put in the same work.

So, I started building that brand. The same year I was offered an opportunity for my first role in a movie. They were filming a movie called “I am Wrath”, in Columbus, Ohio starring “John Travolta”, and “Luis da Silva Jr”. I had the opportunity to be a featured extra on my first film. I was on set for 18 hours, and got to work with John and Luis first hand. Luis and I spoke a lot on set, we exchange numbers and him and I have been friends ever since. we stay in touch and a lot of opportunities came because of this also.

In 2017 I attended the “Ohio Media School” in Columbus, Ohio. This would be something that changed my life forever. I was actually at my best friend David’s house, watching a TV show with him and across the TV came a commercial for the “Ohio Media School”. At the time I was attending Franklin University for my associates degree in business management. This just seem like it was so much more in line with what I was currently doing as a club promoter, and an actor. It seemed as if attending the “Ohio Media School” would help me learn more about being an actor, and some knowledge about TV, and radio broadcasting as well which I didn’t really know about.

I was very interested in well rounding myself, doing many different things so why not. Once I got to the media school, I found out that it was not really about movies and more about TV broadcast but they did have a film emphasis class. So, after completing their main course, their core program, I was able to move forward take a film emphasis class while I learned how to write scripts, create a production from “Pre production to post production. See everything that goes into, and behind building a production. While I was at the Media school, I did a radio show on WUDG Columbus underground. Called The Biz, With my cohost “Nikki James”.

After attending the film emphasis class, I decided to move forward and attend the audio emphasis class as well. This is where I learned how to DJ. I learned how to mix, blend, and start to be able to put songs together as a Dj. Dj Justin Luvv Taught me a lot, and help me get to where I am today.

All of my time at the media school sparked into a lot of things I started creating my own productions, I met my co-producer, and partner with my company Fred Wheeler. Fred and I have created a TV show, and a movie called “The Thin Blue Line”. It was based in Columbus and about Columbus police, and showed more of the life behind the badge, and the humanity, and humility of what police go through day in and day out. We are still currently working on this show as well as a feature that will stay in Ohio, but maybe we move to Cleveland rather than Columbus. We have a lot of offers, and people who want to work with us so they will definitely be going to a major platform here very soon.

Since leaving the Ohio Media School I’ve done many many things and I’ve worked very hard to get to where I am. The media school help me learn to build my social media as well by taking a social media class. When I first attended, I only had 900 followers, I have around 150,000 now. It helps me learn to be a better actor, producer, director, and DJ.

I currently split my time between Cincinnati, and Las Vegas Nevada, and I’m looking to move full-time to Las Vegas here in the coming months. I’ve been a Dj for a few years now, but professionally I’ve really only been Dj since March 2021. since then, I’ve done multiple tours, over 100 different cities and continuing to add more each and every month. I’ve had the opportunity to be around some pretty amazing people. I did a podcast for a while during the pandemic with my fiancé, we interviewed one of our good friend’s celebrity MC, recording artist, and reality star, Mikey P. One thing he told me that has stuck with me, and has resonated with me more than anything else, is to create your own opportunities don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. I’ve been doing that ever since.

To date I’ve done about 36 movies, produced, and directed three of my own. Produced one song, and currently working on a short EP album with three songs. I’ve done multiple tours and continuing the rest of 2022 doing the same. I’m currently in the process of writing a book to be released later this year. I currently am living in Cincinnati, Ohio and will be moving to Las Vegas, Nevada very soon. Have some very big news, and big opportunities to come that I can announce at the moment, but I am very appreciative of them.

I wanna take a moment to shout out to all my friends, and family that have been supportive, that has stood by me and that have believed in what I am fighting for. I want to give a huge shout out to my amazing beautiful fiancé Carlee Atkins. We’ve definitely had some serious ups and downs; no relationship is perfect and it definitely takes work to make a relationship work. When you were in a career field where you were constantly traveling, around temptation, and focusing on yourself, it could be hard for the other person to realize that you do care about them or sometimes you lose sight of what’s going on in your personal life. I do appreciate her standing by me through everything, thick, and thin and us being able to get to where we are now and work out our differences! I want to give a big shout-out to all of my haters also, all the people who didn’t believe in me, said negative things, and just shook her head, I appreciate you the most you are the ones who fuel my fire, who keep me going, and keep me fighting to prove to myself, and everyone around me that anything that you want can be accomplished if you push, and fight for it.

I believe I was put on this earth not to be a DJ, an actor, to be famous or wealthy, but to inspire people. To inspire people to fight for what they want, and to inspire people that they can be anything that they want to be. Don’t give up on yourself, no matter who believes in you, you’re the only one that can stand in your own way! Believe in the dream, and never give up.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many struggles along the way. Relationships, time away from family, definitely alcohol abuse, which makes things worse. Losing friends, and being alone. I think all these things even though they may be struggles at times make a stronger in the end.

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?
I am a DJ, and an actor. I do mostly movies, some TV, and I’ve done a couple commercials along the way. I’m currently signed with “Heyman Talent Agency”, based out of Ohio. I have a company in Los Angeles, that I will be working with here in the near future. As far as Djing goes, I am open format which means I play all types of music. I do produce my own music haven’t got to release a lot of it yet, but in the coming months I hope to. My specialty of music is hip-hop and EDM remixes. I love to play that and I love to play for big crowds.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice is don’t stop asking questions, no question is stupid, and don’t stop putting effort in. The moment you stop putting it ever is the moment that you fail. You have to want it and you have to continue to practice, continue to rehearse, audition, take classes. So many different things to make you successful, don’t stop that’s my advice.

Always ask the people, who have been doing it longer than you for tips, and for advice. I appreciate all the DJs along the way who have helped me get to where I am. A lot of people don’t want to help you, a lot of people, I think are threatened that you may step on their toes if they give you the opportunity to be in the position they are in, you could possibly take their job. The truth about it is that, we’re all in this together there’s plenty out there for everyone to eat, so share the wealth, your knowledge with everyone else as they should to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: Zaynerichardsimpson.cok
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Zaynersimpson
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Zaynersimpson
• Twitter: Twitter.com/zaynersimpson