PINEPITCH

1. You are a producer, an actor, a singer and an entrepreneur. On your Facebook page you simply describe yourself as a writer. Is that your true passion?

It all stems from writing. I am a storyteller and a producer. I like to make stuff, but to make stuff you need an architectural plan, and that is where the writer comes in. When I was starting out, acting and singing was all I knew in the arts because that was what I had been exposed to. Once I got in the door, I found that the writers’ room was more interesting than even being on the set.

2. How do you stay grounded and find joy through the ups and downs of show biz?

Quieter moments are healthier. I’m an introvert by nature. In order to process all the extroverted performing parts, I’ve always needed to go away and come out again. Writing gave me a better life and more time with my family, and I was fortunate that I was able to make that transition. 

3. Having grown up among entertainment legends, is there a life lesson from your parents or brothers that influences your career today?

It is less what they taught me and more by the example they gave. I have three very famous people in my immediate family. I grew up watching all of them and seeing how they managed their careers and the choices they made in their personal lives as a result of all that. All of their choices weren’t always good, but I learned from those as well. 

4. What drives you creatively at this stage of life? And how do you choose what’s next?

I get up every morning and I make something — I cannot not be involved in something creative. But it doesn’t have to be a song, or a concert, it could be remodeling a room in our house, or teaching a college class. One of the greatest things about having a long career is you are in a position to nurture younger people. 

5. You’ve described your “Road to Us” tour as a love letter to fans. When or what inspired the words and music for your new songs on the album?

I kind of crafted the story I wanted to tell and found that I didn’t always have a song to support that, so I created it. I’ve written new songs and that was a great experience, too. “Road to Us” feels like a full-circle experience. It is not just me stopping to play a song, it is to support something I am talking about in the show.”