Vas Saranga (@vas_saranga) is an actor and entrepreneur (founder @theonlineactor) who has made appearances in productions such as The Handmaid's Tale, Orphan Black, Little Italy, The Beaverton, Flashpoint and American Pie (to name a few). He's also Ara’s best friend of over 20 years and one of the best storytellers you'll meet. He joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss how he stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles, dropping out of university without telling his parents, hustling Ara's younger brother out of a $200 guitar for $10 and how he got Ara suspended once in high school along with a bunch of other incredible and hilarious stories.
"The Tamil Creator" is a podcast started by me (Ara Ehamparam). As someone who is extremely inquisitive by nature, I created the podcast to chat with, spotlight, and learn about brilliance among creators in the Tamil community - and among creators in general from all over the world.
**TAKE THE QUIZ - "What Type of Creator Are You?"**
***Get notified FIRST on future podcast updates & special updates (WITH ZERO SPAM) - CLICK HERE!***
- CLICK HERE to listen on Spotify!
- CLICK HERE to listen to us on Apple Podcasts!
- CLICK HERE to listen to us on Google Podcasts!
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vas Saranga
03:19 - Vas speaks on his pursuit of being an actor in a South Asian household
06:29 - Dropping out (and not telling his parents), taking acting classes and creating YouTube content
09:49 - Finding inspiration from the career trajectories of actors like Riz Ahmed and Wentworth Miller
13:24 - How Vas stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles
17:25 - Where did Vas’ passion for acting come from?
20:54 - Ara will ‘brainwash’ his kids by making them watch films; how films can entertain and inform
24:21 - How acting opportunities have evolved for Vas over the last 15 years
26:02 - Will shows starring minorities (ex: Kim’s Convenience) continue breaking out?
29:40 - Post-COVID, does the road to success as an actor still go through Hollywood?
32:15 - Vas’ Training Studio, ‘The Online Actor’
37:34 - Biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
41:32 - Why Vas does ‘absolutely less than nothing’ when he isn’t working
43:57 - Ara got suspended from school after Vas taught him how to workout
48:08 - One of Vas’ biggest insecurities is...
49:07 - Wanting to be remembered for…
51:12 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
52:15 - The Toronto-Tamil community’s impact on Vas - both professionally and personally
56:50 - Vas improved his life by…
57:49 - His favourite podcast, Box Angeles
58:55 - Admiration for Mindy Kaling and Denzel Washington
1:00:54 - Creator Confessions
1:10:37 - Having a shoe stolen and then hustling Ara’s younger brother
1:15:02 - The Wrap Up
**Looking to create your love story? Join the other couples who have dated and got married through myTamilDate.com!***
"myTamilDate Love Story: Jenani & Nav Found Each Other At The Right Time And Right Place In Life"
"myTamilDate.com Love Story: Tharshi & Ravi Found Love During Lockdown"
"How France Met Canada: A MyTamilDate.com Love Story"
***CLICK HERE to listen to us on Spotify!***
Related Articles:
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.43): Roveena - Multi-Award Winning Canadian Recording Artist, Songwriter & Pianist"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.42): Kartik Bala - CEO & Co-Founder of SnapSmile, AI-Driven Oral Health Monitoring App"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.41): Dr. Saskia Sivananthan - Chief Research & KTE Officer At The Alzheimer Society of Canada"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.40): Roy Ratnavel - From Mail Clerk To Executive Vice-President at CI Financial"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.39): Luxy Thuraisingam - Storyteller & Leader, Head of Global Partner Marketing At Cisco"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.38): Sathish Bala - CEO of EdTech Startup Schoolio + Founder of desiFEST (largest South Asian Music Festival in North America)"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.37): Krish O'Mara Vignarajah - Former Policy Director To Michelle Obama + President/CEO Of LIRS"
- "Award-Winning Tamil-American Author And Educator SJ Sindu, Releases Second Novel Called "Blue-Skinned Gods" That Explores Identity, Faith, Family & Sexuality"
- "Serial Entrepreneur Vinoth Kumar Created Singapore-Based App ABL-ify To Remove Stigmas Around Autism In Asian Communities"
- "Boston-Based Suba Suntharalingam Overcomes Challenges As An Immigrant To Start Non-Profit Providing Opportunities For The Wounded, Widows and Orphans of War In Sri Lanka"
- "Elite Athlete, Coach, Future Chiropractor & Entrepreneur Abirami Shanmugaratnam Is Making Waves In The Athletic Performance Industry"
- "Toronto's OG Food Writer Suresh Doss Is Using His Reach And Voice To Help Engineer A Comeback For Beleaguered Restaurant Industry"
- "Ballet And Kung Fu Trained Australian Actress & Writer Rubi Balasingam Is Promoting Tamil Voices In Aussie TV And Film"
- "Yathusha Kulenthiran's Marketplace For Environmentally Sustainable Palmyra Products Empowers Female Artisans In Sri Lanka"
- "Australian-Tamil Entrepreneur Sujan Selven Is Creating Economic Opportunities For Remote Villages In Northeast Sri Lanka Using Upcycled Devices & Improved Connectivity"
- "Crypto Tinhorn & Former Journalist Anand Venkateswaran Talks About Buying A $69M Digital Art Piece, Collecting Stories & Catalyzing Change"