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Vince Foster is an actor and filmmaker currently living and working in Los Angeles, California.
He pursued his life-long passion for filmmaking by moving to the entertainment capital of the world and has since worked on many web series and a variety of prominent commercials.
In fact, you might recognize Vince from two of his most recent commercials: the McDonald’s “Egg McMuffin of…” and Samsung Galaxy SII “The Next Big Thing…”
HalfKorean.com had a chance to talk with Vince and learn about his background and career.
Hey Vince! So what is your mix?
My father is Irish and my mother is Korean.
Where were you born, raised and currently live?
I was born and raised in North Carolina. I currently live in Los Angeles.
How long have you been in Los Angeles?
I’ve been living in LA for five years now.
How do you like Los Angeles compared to North Carolina?
North Carolina will always be home, however there’s much to admire about Los Angeles. The cultural diversity, array of opportunities and sunny skies alone make LA great. But what I really enjoy the most is continuing to suddenly recognize a street or building that I remember from a movie.
Do you visit Ktown at all?
I’m in Ktown quite a bit. For both photography and Korean BBQ!
Do you speak Korean?
Unfortunately I don’t.
Any siblings?
I have one sister and two brothers. I’m the oldest.
What has your mixed Korean experience been like?
As I mentioned, my mother is Korean. However, she was adopted by a Puerto Rican family. My grandfather was in the Korean War and during that time he befriended a Korean family that ran an orphanage. My grandparents, though already having four biological children, agreed that they could provide for one more. Despite the challenges they successfully adopted my mother. With that being said, my mother’s side of the family is Puerto Rican, and my father’s side is very rural. As a child, one Sunday I’d be in a Southern Baptist revival, and the next Sunday in Catholic Mass. And that’s just one aspect. Overall, it made me very open-minded.
Being that your mother is adopted, has she pursued any type of search for her biological Korean family?
My mother visited Korea in the late 90s in attempts to gather any information regarding her biological family. When researching the orphanage she learned there was a fire that destroyed all records and documentation. However on a positive note, she and my grandparents were reunited with the family that adopted my mother.
Now, let’s discuss your professional career. How long have you been acting and involved with filmmaking?
I’ve been acting/filmmaking since I was in single digits. However, as a career for around seven years.
Has it been something you have always been interested in?
As a young kid, my friends and I grew up on action films; the Schwarzenegger Era. So, when my mom bought our family its first camcorder, I immediately rallied to start making my own action films. In fact, that’s the only effective way my mom could ground me back then, was to take the camcorder away. She was the original “Studio Head.” LOL
Have your parents and family been supportive of your career?
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, I was in the medical field (clinical research) and when I told my family I was planning on quitting to pursue acting/filmmaking, they were all extremely supportive, zero negativity. Especially from my grandparents, of which I am particularly close to.
Tell us what are some of your notable features/commercials/etc. that we can see you in?
I’ve had a fortunate run thus far in the commercial world; Sony, McDonald’s, Samsung Galaxy, Asics.
I also co-created a comedic series titled On Empty. It’s the Z-listers guide to making it. It’s in the comedic realm of Flight of the Conchords, The Office, and Curb your Enthusiasm. The full season is viewable online at http://www.onempty.net.
I recently shot a great sketch about a psychologically unstable Kung Fu Master who decides to teach a dance class. It’s basically a comedic ode to Bruce Lee. If you have three minutes and want a good laugh, take a gander – Kung Fu Master Teaches Dance
Any projects you are working on that you can share with us?
I’m collaborating with an old friend/fellow filmmaker from the “Schwarzenegger Era” on a sci-fi series. I’m not at the liberty to say much, but it involves a ton of action. Arnold will be proud.
Do you prefer being in front of or behind the camera?
I thoroughly enjoy both acting and directing, I just think doing them at the same time can be a gamble. It really just depends on the project. I think acting is more fun. Directing is more fulfilling.
I read that you have a company called Getshot.tv. What is Getshot.tv?
Getshot.tv is a production company I started in 2008. We specialize in shooting and editing demo-reels for actors and hosts. In addition, we also shoot headshots. It’s been a lot of fun and equally rewarding to assist in creating acting tools that both motivate and move actors forward.
Do you feel that being of mixed race has played any role in your career?
Commercially it certainly has been positive. From a business perspective alone it makes sense to cast multi-ethnic talent because you reach a broader audience. As for film and TV, again I feel like it’s advantageous for the same reasoning.
Now, we have to ask this one. How does it feel to have been the “Egg McMuffin” of boyfriends?
Hah! It’s an honor and a privilege. An accolade I would have never excepted to receive. LOL
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
Short-term goals are to continue working commercially, as well as co-starring in television.
Long-term is to be acting/directing feature action-comedies. Basically go full circle to back when I was a kid, just with bigger, better camcorders and keep trying not to get grounded!
Any final words or anything you would like to share with the mixed Korean community?
If you’re a fan of action-comedy and looking to collaborate by way of writing, directing, editing, let me know.
Thank you to Vince for his time and sharing more about himself and his work. For more information on Vince, please check out his official website, YouTube, IMDB, and Twitter.
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