By Miranda Myers (opens in new tab), staff writer at Grow Wire
Chad Lowe wasn’t initially interested in acting. In fact, until high school, he was pretty set on playing baseball (opens in new tab) for as long as humanly possible. But, as we all know, life tends to pitch us a few curveballs—and Lowe happened to hit his out of the park.
On this episode of the “Grow Wire Podcast (opens in new tab),” Lowe takes us on his growth journey, revealing how a drive to a David Bowie concert with Martin Sheen changed his path and eventually turned a baseball-loving Ohio native into a successful actor, director and soon-to-be entrepreneur.
Of course, none of this happened without some struggle. Having moved from Dayton, Ohio, to Malibu, California, at a young age, Lowe admits he often felt out of place in the bustling City of Angels. But that feeling cultivated his sense of vulnerability (opens in new tab), and vulnerability helped guide him into acting and eventually strengthened his leadership style.
“The vulnerability of putting yourself out there, of standing up and saying ‘I have something to offer,’ is a powerful thing to do,” he says. “We all have something to offer and a story to tell.”
“The vulnerability of putting yourself out there, of standing up and saying ‘I have something to offer,’ is a powerful thing to do.”
In fact, after many years in front of the camera, working on shows like "Life Goes On," "Melrose Place" and "Now and Again," Lowe wanted to be more involved in the storytelling process. He transitioned into directing and realized his journey helped mold him into the type of leader he always appreciated.
“I like to empower people to do a good job,” he explains. “I want them to take some ownership in what they’re doing. That goes for the actors, the camera men, the writers, really [everybody].”
With all the various personalities in a cast and crew, Lowe tries to identify disruptions as early as possible and address them individually.
“I am a believer in sitting down one-on-one and having a conversation about what is expected and having that open line of communication,” he says.
Today, Lowe is diving into another exciting venture: Entrepreneurialism (opens in new tab)! He’s launching his own vintage sports memorabilia company, Cobb and Lowe, with co-founder, Ricky Cobb (you might want to take a look at this Twitter feed (opens in new tab) to get a good idea of what’s about to come our way). Lowe knows the lessons learned in acting and directing will serve him in business, and he’s excited to tap into a new form of creativity.
“I think everyone has an opportunity to be creative,” he explains. “In business itself people are using their creative minds to problem solve. Artists don’t have a monopoly on creativity. I think it’s something everybody can tap into, which is why we appreciate art and film.”
Listen to the full podcast episode on Apple Podcasts (opens in new tab), SoundCloud (opens in new tab) and YouTube (opens in new tab), and as always, don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe.
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