You’ve heard the story before; move to Los Angeles, work hard, develop into a working actor or actress and live the dream.
Sachem alum Craig Geoghan moved west in 2017 and has steadily increased his exposure to film in a number of projects from commercials to short films to a leading role in a festival piece. It’s all happening.
On screen he had a leading role as a gambling addict in the short film “50/50,” which one first prize at the San Diego State University Film Festival. He was host for a pilot being pitched on Quibi called “100 Deadly Skills for Survival.” He had a role in “Muzo,” a pilot for Netflix.
After his work on “Red Oaks,” an Amazon Prime series, he earned eligibility to join SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union. He hopes to sign the paperwork to make it official in January.
“That will validate me as a legitimate actor in LA and will likely – hopefully – open even more doors,” he said. “I’ve definitively been working my way up.”
Scroll on your Facebook or Instagram feed and you may see Geoghan in many advertisements. From Disney to whiskey companies, hotels, clothing brands, to one for the NFL where he played a quarterback, which is fitting considering his record-setting career behind center at Sachem, he’s built a. growing rolodex of contacts and IMDB entries.
He auditions three to five times per week. And the ones he narrowly misses – Empire, Lucifer and NCIS, for example – motivate him for more.
“I do work every week,” he said.
Like the rest of the world, Geoghan had to slow down on work when the pandemic hit. But he’s not complaining. He has a positive outlook.
“I’m thankful that everyone I know is safe,” he said. “As for work, it obviously slowed down, but it’s starting to pick up again. I’m hopeful for a great 2021.”
Short term he’s hoping to book network TV or streaming service gigs, and in the future the ultimate goal is to live comfortably off acting. He also hopes to make a difference with his platform when the time is right.
For those keeping score, Geoghan, who graduated from Sachem in 2009, holds Sachem football records in career passing yards (2,146), career touchdown passes (18), career passing completions (187), career completion percentage (.711), single season touchdown passes (11), and single season completion percentage (.712).
As you can imagine he was focused on his athletic career at Sachem and did not turn his attention to film until after. He parlayed his ability into a college career at Nassau Community and Stony Brook University.
“However, I think my athletic career, and more specifically football, taught me life lessons that are invaluable for being successful in anything I’ve done in my life. I’ve taken the countless hours that I put into training for football and refocused it on my acting career.”
And that’s how you go from Sachem to Hollywood.
