Focus On: Actor-Creator Tyler Totten
A true triple-threat, actor and creator Tyler Totten is finding success on both sides of the camera.
As an actor, he notably gained attention starring as an FBI SWAT team member caught in a thrilling situation in the award-winning indie horror “Conduit.” When asked about the experience, Totten shares “I was very fortunate to work on this project with director Tim Earnheart. He is quite the brilliant mind in this industry and the best director I’ve ever worked with.”
More recently, Totten set his sights on creating his own projects. Turning to his Kentucky roots for ideas, he wrote a pilot for the TV series “Derby City.” The script is based on the true story of the first and youngest black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby and has earned recognition and nominations for Best Screenplay at several festivals, including the Nashville, Vail, and Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards.
“All of the projects that I’ve written are either based on or inspired by a true story, with authenticity being of importance,” shares Totten.
A Louisville native, Totten began performing in theater productions at the age of 8 years old. “I’ve always had a passion for being able to tell a story from either a stage or television screen. Growing up, it was something that I held and kept to myself until my last year in college at the University of Kentucky,” explains Totten. After graduation, he made his way to Nashville and began his professional acting career. It didn’t take long to land an agent, and he booked his first audition, a national television commercial for Blue Cross Blue Shield. A few years later, Totten moved to California where he honed his skills further.
Up next, Totten can be seen on the festival circuit once again as star and co-producer of the dramatic short film “Numbers and Nonsense,” directed by Calvin Cobb. He is also in-development on several projects under his production banner Dyna Stee N’ Tee, including a TV series inspired by a true story about two well-known figures in the sport of professional bull riding.
