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

Hi Tyler, why did you pursue a creative career?
Simply put. I want to make movies and help create stories while having fun and making money. It’s exciting to have the ability to escape reality and create something amazing with other brilliant minds. To work WITH people instead of FOR them while still being in a competitive environment. To witness other people enjoy and invest in your work. Growing up, I loved Marvel movies and other franchises like Mission Impossible and Scream. I would always be so emotional and passionate living those moments with these characters. I loved watching them because they were so convincing and attractive that I escaped reality with them into something epic. When I stood up in theatres applauding victories or cried with them during their lows/highs, there was a fire in me that exploded and I think after realizing what effect those actors and franchises had on me, that’s when I knew I wanted to be an actor. Being older and having acted in projects myself, there’s such a reward when creating an idea with other like-minded people and watching it come to life. Knowing we are all working hard together to make our dream a reality, being able to make money and have fun doing what you love is the life I want to live. I’ve worked retail jobs, service jobs, and in the food industry, and nothing has done me the same justice as acting has. I just love it here.

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.
Apart from acting, I’m a certified personal trainer. I love fitness. I grew up playing sports, eating healthy, and watching anime to obtain their extreme physiques so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is routine to me. However, becoming certified was NOT easy. I studied for about 1 year with NASM and was scared to take the test because I thought I’d fail and I was limited on money so I didn’t want to pay to retake the test. I studied on and off because I was overwhelmed with a lot of new information I was learning with NASM and I felt like I couldn’t become the person I pictured myself as. I was dealing with so many things in my day-to-day and financially that I felt like I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was lucky enough to have the support of my partner to help me refocus, push me through my anxiety, and try one more time. After studying for 1-3 hours a day and taking the practice test +30 times, I gained the courage to take my test; it was just as terrible as I thought it was going to be but I passed! I’m now working with Crunch Fitness to further develop my career as a Personal Trainer. A lesson I fully understand now is if it were easy, everybody would be doing it. I asked myself, what’s more painful… The pain of discipline or the pain of regret?

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To be honest, I’m a chill person so I don’t do too much in terms of going out. We love low-key vibe spots to eat and chill, so I’d show them around to some Ramen spots in ATL like Gaja Ramen Kruramen; and also, some speakeasies/lounges in the area to hang out. Sightseeing is always a must for us so I’d take them to Stone Mountain, Gibbs Garden, Botanical Garden, and the Beltline! I would take them to tourist areas like Mid-town Atl, The Battery, Ponce City Market, Atlantic Station, etc.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a shout-out to Amari, and my agent at Aligned Stars! My partner has been my biggest supporter since day 1 and even before I started my career in acting. I wouldn’t have gone as far as I did now without her, and I’m grateful every day to her. For my agent, thank you for the abundance of auditions and always willing to chat with me to help me out! I know you and your team work extremely hard to find work for me and other actors and I can’t stress it enough that I appreciate you!

Instagram: _Tylertoney_

Other: Tiktok: _tylertoney

Image Credits
B/W Boxing picture was taken by Slingshot ATL B/W Couple Shot was taken by Tyler Core Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.