Aaron Ploof

Aaron-Ploof

Author: March 12, 2019

Interview

What was your best/favorite subject in school?

I absolutely loved Theatre/English.  Stories are my favorite aspects of the human condition.  I believe that they have HUGE messages to give us as to how to treat each other with more compassion and love, and I’ve been inspired by them since I was in kindergarten.  I love theatre because it is acted out form of storytelling.  Embodying characters on the stage and in film is, I believe, one of the highest forms of art.

Because of this, I’ve taken acting classes since I was a young child, around the age of six.  I’ve been studying theatre for about 24 years now.   I’ve been studying English literature for even longer.  Theatre wasn’t my best subject yet Z (That was English), but it was my favorite.  

What was your first job?

Not counting picking up leaves in my dad’s backyard (Haha) my first job was working at the school bookstore at Noblesville High School.  I was able to work there through a vocational business class whose goal it was to prepare me for real life outside of high school.   It was a difficult job, and I didn’t exactly get along with my boss, but it taught me a lot about perseverance and striving to move forward in every circumstance.

My first job out in the workforce was working at Blockbuster. Due to my strong knowledge of film, I excelled and was able to achieve status as the #2 Salesman in the Indianapolis district area.

Where and how did you first get into the industry you currently work in?

That’s a difficult question to answer, as getting into the acting industry is something I’ve been working on my entire life.  My first play was when I was six years old.  I was in a community theater production of Peter Pan, and I was a bit of attention starved kid.

I starred as a random pirate who was on stage alongside my fellow actor who played Peter Pan.  I originally had a speaking role, but I gave it to my sister.  Instead, I ended up playing a no-name character.  As I said, I was attention seeking, so I tried to upstage other characters i.e. steal the spotlight.  Anyone in theatre knows that if you’re a background character, it’s a no-no to try to steal the spotlight from others. 

As for getting into journalism/writing like on my website that I’m creating and writing for 25yearslater.com (which I have left for the time being), I’ve been writing essays over literature/film since I was a child as well.

How have those jobs prepared you for what you do now?

They taught me the value of perseverance and not stopping or giving up on your dreams, ever.  I kept working, and working, and writing and acting, and it’s the only reason I’ve made it this far in my career.  I’m still not very far, to be honest.  I still have a LOT of things to do get to where I’m going to be.  But I’ll get there.

Describe the best day of work you’ve ever had.

My day jobs (the jobs I have when I’m not directing or acting or writing) provide some of the best work.  I work day jobs as a movie theater usher at Regal and utility worker at Meijer.  My jobs there are smooth and easy almost all the time, and I get to spend a lot of time outside.  I feel a sense of ease and relaxation working outside.  It’s much better than working 3rd shift, I can say that.

My best day was the day I learned that I was getting off 3rd shift and I was able to experience the release of not having to work overnight anymore.  Finally, I was able to spend my time outside where I could relax and enjoy the sun.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

Prayer.  I’m a very spiritual faith based individual.  I believe each person on this planet has a dream and that dream is meant to be fulfilled.  Because of this, I continue to focus on the positive and give thanks to God for everything that I have and what is coming in my life, whether it is bad, or good.  Both have helped me in my life.

Also, I continue to look back at my life, at all the goals that I have accomplished.  The fact that I’ve made it this far after 30 years gives me motivation to continue forward at all costs.  Pursuing and excelling in the arts is a rough road, one which takes nerves and strong faith, and although I wouldn’t trade it for the world, I still have experienced tremendous pain at times.  I can’t let that pain be for nothing.  I’ve only come this far because I was willing to confront it. 

What kind of business ideas excite you most?

My main goal is to continue acting and directing and bring video game/anime films to prominence in the industry.  So far, no one has really figured out a successful strategy to do that.  I believe they focus on the structure of these works and not on the soul.

See, a game is split into levels, or dungeons, sometimes with bosses at the end, and most films based on games adapt this format.  If video game films are ever going to be taken seriously (similarly to comic-based films like Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse) than creators need to focus on the soul, not the structure.

One of my newest goals, however, is to create a website/youtube channel that analyses all kinds of works of art.  These works would include video games, novels, film, television, paintings.  Everything.

Have you ever tried any unorthodox techniques to attract attention to your business?

I’m directing a film right now called “The Dark Room.”  It’s in the vein of Robin Williams’ “One Hour Photo.”  Somewhat like David Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.”  When I first started out, I had a scene to film at Anderson University in Anderson Indiana.  I printed off fliers and put them in every single profesor’s mailbox on campus as well as posted them on every wall and bulletin board I could find around the school. 

No one showed up the day of the shoot, but my crew didn’t allow the unexpected to get the better of us.  We buckled down and shot what we could anyway.

What personal achievement are you most proud of?

There’s a series called 12 Monkeys which is an adaptation of Terry Gilliam film with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.  While the movie is nihilistic in tone, the series is much more focused on love, faith, and family.  I wrote a series of analyses on the last season of the show in 2018 and one of them was liked on Twitter by Terry Matalas, the showrunner of the series!  I also am very proud of my own IMDB page and beign nominated in college to compete at the national level for an Irene Ryan Acting scolarhsip.

What wisdom would you have liked to share with yourself when you first started out?

Never give up.  Ever.  You are the only one holding yourself back. Never compare yourself to another.  The only limits are those we believe we have.  Miracles are real and DO happen every day. Anything and everything is possible. Fear is a lie.  In short, keep faith and dreams DO come true.

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