Conversations with Trey G. Riley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trey G. Riley.

Hi Trey G., we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My first major role was in White Oak Highschool when my English teacher, Mrs. Prince, encouraged me to join the theatre club and audition for the lead role of Seaweed J. Stubbs in the musical Hairspray. From there, I knew being an Actor was my passion. I went from no one knowing my name to someone with an identity, a stage where I could truly be myself. As I learned more about art, I also taught myself how to tell a story through videography using an iPad as my first “camera.” The passion was still the same, and they both jived very well. The thing with being an artist was that I was raised in a military family, and although my parents supported me to be an actor, they also wanted me to find something a bit more “stable.” I always wanted to serve my country, but I didn’t want to put my dreams behind me, so I asked myself, “why not do both?” In 2017, I became the first theatre arts major from North Carolina A&T State University to commission as a 2nd Lieutenant into the U.S. Air Force and the first officer in my family. Now it’s 2022, I’ve traveled across the country and the world, performed on stage and camera, and directed videography on several projects while serving Active Duty in the military.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
I’ve run into multiple dead ends, but I am still on course to my final destination. My experience of success and failures has affected me in all aspects of life, but I’ve learned more about myself than I expected. I’ve experienced two life changes in a year.

To love someone and to have that someone love you back requires effort on both sides, and when one leaves, you have to learn to start over. Losing my partner was the biggest blow to me from an emotional and mental perspective, especially when it’s not what you wanted it to be, but you never know what God, or whomever you believe in, has in store for you. I had to learn how do I change my focus from “we” to “me.” Learn to pick up the pieces while not falling behind on my dreams. The biggest lesson is “control what you can control, and let your patience open doors to opportunities of peace.”

I got the ultimatum I should’ve listened to when I had the option to leave the Reserve Officers Training Course in 2015. I’ve decided to leave Active Duty to invest in my acting career fully. To say that I am leaving a stable career for an extremely volatile lifestyle scared me to near anxiety, and I am now ok with that. I was scared of the unknown, but with proper planning, networking, and being consistent in the passion I wanted, the fear of starting over changed to a competition to win for me first.

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 known for capturing stories from a cinematic point of view, whether in front of the camera as the actor or behind the camera as the videographer. I bring the creator’s dreams down to earth and make them a reality.

What do you think about luck?
I think the fact that I could perform the roles of Actor, Videographer, and active duty officer at the same time allowed me to stay relevant without the fear of starting over and learn to be an adaptable leader in any situation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.treygrileyllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trey_g_riley/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9510694/