Meet Justin Sterner | Actor, Coach & Headshot photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Sterner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My wife Amber and I want to help influence and inspire young creatives, filmmakers, photographers and other artists. So, it was an easy choice for us when the pandemic hit to use the time we had to build our brand and launch a platform where we had the opportunity to do that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
like a large portion of people, I started performing in Musicals at age 7 and caught the theatre-bug quickly. I fell in love with the music, the audience interaction and the adrenaline. It wasn’t until age 10 that I had the opportunity to transition from educational theater too auditioning for Broadway. I had the incredible opportunity to compete at the national acting competition AMTC in Orlando FL, and by the grace of God, won the Overall Best Male Actor title. That experience landed me representation offers from premier Agents and Managers in the LA, NYC, and ATL markets. I spent roughly two years traveling too and from those cities meeting with the agencies, auditioning, and trying to figure out what I wanted. In all honesty that time in my life is sort of a blur, I was in my pivotal years developmentally and in hindsight feel extremely blessed that I didn’t lose my soul in the overwhelming demand that’s driven by the entertainment industry! Fast-forward a decade and I had been ridiculously close to booking some life changing television shows, films, and broadway shows. But…. I never got the offers. I was confused and honestly pretty exhausted after spending most of my life chasing these opportunities that never seemed to come to fruition. During the COVID-19 quarantine of 2020, I told my wife, oh yeah, I married the love of my life and we are thriving thanks to the lords goodness, anyway, I told her that I was pretty sure God was calling me away from the industry and maybe he wanted me to teach more, or pursue a different path. She chuckled and said “okay babe” clearly not buying it. soon after, some colleagues/friends and I were fortunate enough to secure funding for a project we had been developing and I suddenly had the chance to Produce and Direct a television pilot with the most amazing crew. I fell madly in love with the work that happens behind the camera so I made it official. I changed my bio on instagram (cause that’s official right? haha) and I started promoting and marketing myself as a Producer/Director. Well God had other plans. During post production on the pilot, I continued to audition and send in self tapes to my agent because I felt bad just turning down work that she was getting me so reluctantly I would quickly memorize the script and Amber (wife) would read for me. Well, In February of 2021 I auditioned for a role in the upcoming Kendrick Brothers film (known for: Fireproof, War Room, Courageous, Overcomer.) I read the breakdown and the character description and was hooked. I wanted the role so badly, I was so confused because up until this point I had steered away from doing “Cheesy Christian Movies” even though I always cried during their films and was clearly impacted by their mission, I thought I was somehow above that type of work. Well I wasn’t, I’m not, and in total transparency Im ashamed that I ever even had the thought. After a few virtual callbacks, chemistry reads and interviews, I booked the role. My wife also booked a role in the film so the two of us packed up and moved to a small town for 6 weeks to film the movie. The Lord not only humbled my heart and taught Amber and I so much about our faith, marriage, and our calling but he guided me into a serious relationship with him that is built on trust, quality time and most of all prayer. Since that film we have worked non-stop on faith-based and family friendly films and are absolutely in awe of what God is doing in us. What I realized during the last production we worked on was that the ten years I spent chasing after what I thought I wanted paled in comparison to the path that God was calling me onto. His way. His Timing. His glory.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Atlanta so much because the food and coffee scene here is so diverse and exciting! Its funny, my wife and I have been so busy that we actually planned a “stay-cation” where our entire itinerary is surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops. our favorite spots include: Valor Coffee in Roswell which has truly the best coffee in ATL. Their customer service is ridiculously good, all the barista’s are very well trained and knowledgable on the most popular brewing methods and the environment is so retro and fun! True Food Kitchen in Buckhead is the freshest and healthiest option that we enjoy. The menu is made up of non inflammatory items and the drink menu is unmatched. We love Nido Cafe in Cumming GA for brunch. If you come to Atlanta to have a good time, the Aquarium is a great spot, the High Museum of Art, the world Coke is interesting but a one time stop for me. We love shopping and small bites at Ponce City Market and Krog Street. Little Rey is one of Chef Ford Fry’s spots and its a legit taco joint, in the AM they do a killer hot cake stack (Pancakes) and iced coffee. Gio’s Chicken is a small Italian hole in the wall that we frequent and you cant forget to stop by The Optimist for fine dining!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off, I have to dedicate this shoutout to God who has blessed me

Website: justinsterner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinsterner_/?hl=en

Facebook: Justin Sterner

Image Credits
Photo with Wife in Sideways Hat and denim jacket by GiGi Arias