Meet Stephen Rafferty: Entertainer & Multimedia Sepcialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephen Rafferty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephen, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As I get older and wiser, I realize that having a work-life balance becomes more important and greatly beneficial. I have been in entertainment for 10 years now going on 11 and I am the type of individual that has and will work long hours, especially when I am working in my field. I have been able to have my levels of successes over time, but I realized that having a work-life balance is a crucial part of that success. When you have that work-life balance, you manage to focus on certain tasks more effectively. The nature of working in entertainment is hectic to say the least. Anybody that has been in it knows that it is a 24/7 gig. Most people will not do it, nor they will not put the time and effort into it. As successes and opportunities occur, it becomes important to take care of yourself and make sure that you are present and effective with your decisions and career choices.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I will give you the Cliff Notes version of the past 10 years of my career so far. I started as a stand-up comedian back in 2010. My first official stand up show was in front of 15 people at a local Carnival. I was a last-minute replacement for a charity rock band that no-call no-show. That stemmed into making YouTube videos which I started doing parodies on pop topics at the time and that had led to creating my own niche in standup comedy which later led to doing additional projects and works in the multimedia and entertainment fields. I went from being an on-camera talent to a videographer, photographer, graphic designer and have been a creative in the sense of creating various sketches, short films, standup comedy pieces and other forms of entertainment. I have been grateful to work with some amazing companies and talents over the years. I had the Guinness World Record for the most straws in my hair at one time, I did a TED talk, I have written three successful comedy books, been on TV, worked and created projects for celebrities and talents and currently creating a card game. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life mainly because of how much time and effort you have to constantly put into to have a level of success that you feel is right for what you’re doing. I have learned along the way is that age is a number, whatever happens happens and at the end of the day if it is something that you really interested in doing then you might as well try to see if it works for you. Even if it does not work out or let us say things do not happen the way you wanted, it might redirect you into something better or different.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Due to the global situation currently, there would not be many places I would suggest to go out right now. However, in normal circumstances, I recommend any beaches. One in particular is Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park which is a nature sanctuary and secluded beach. It’s hidden from the tourists. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are way too many individuals, groups, and organizations that have helped me over the years and to be honest if I list certain people, groups, and collaborators then I know I am going to forget some along the way. Some may get upset so I am going to keep this rather general. Normally when I create videos, projects or receive great opportunities, I would say thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I thank everyone who has followed my career through my highs and lows so far, especially the ones that have been there since the beginning and have stuck with me the entire time. It is amazing that anybody would care about me and care about my works. I am grateful to have a well enough support system over the years with genuine individuals, groups, and organizations. It truly means a lot to me. The only other group I would like to just say thank you will be my family. Without them I would not be where I am today.

Website: www.srafferty.com

Instagram: @raffnation

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3tNqBUj

Image Credits
CFF TEDx and Viviimage Photography