Anton Ray & Paul Masterson
They’re from opposite coasts, socioeconomics, and ethnic backgrounds with wildly different lived experiences. But these differences have enabled a more expansive and empathetic world to draw from and pour into their stories.
Anton’s (BFA Acting CALARTS, MFA Directing East 15th) experience as a poor polyethnic (Native American and French) child in Oregon, where opportunity was limited; to Paul’s (BS William and Mary Government- International Security/Theater, MFA Acting CAL ARTS) Northern Virginia community filled with major players in business and government were about as different as it gets. Despite these disparate origins, they became two people with similar spirits, both with hearts filled with the need to serve our society and help make it better for everyone.
Paul prepared for a career as an intelligence officer, while Anton served as a soldier fighting foreign wars. However, they both became disillusioned with their paths and chose to pursue storytelling. They fervently believe that you can draw a direct line between any major problem, in-process solution, or sustained positive shift in their country and abroad to the content you consume on television. More than just a belief, they have seen first-hand these impacts in foreign countries and our communities with results that have been both inspiring and heart-rending.
One of the postulated origins of the word for mass entertainment; THEATRE, is that it was crafted from the joining of “Theos” and “Atrium”. That it was the place in which god or the “deep truths for the health of the community” are shared. That space today, is television, and the stories we consume, be they of unity or division, acceptance of diversity or “othering” are determined by the people entrusted to do the work
