The Farmer Picks a Life
Greg Harpold's mother says he was never the same after his kindergarten performance of the Farmer in the Dell . Thirty-some years later, Greg, who starred as the Farmer, still credits a woman, named Wanda Good, with helping him ignite his passion for the stage. "I was a natural ham. I loved the attention and working with other people. I was not shy and ever since then it's been in my brain and my blood."
As he grew, Greg wasn't a front row student, instead he opted for the role of class clown. Little did he know, he would someday use his childhood experiences to help other kids become better students. As a producer/director for Jaguar Educational, he now creates many of the informational videos kids watch in school. "When I was a kid, it had to be something really interesting to hold my attention," remembers Greg. "I often watch MTV or the Comedy Channel to find out what's trendy and what young people are in to today. Sometimes I reach down in myself and use a personal experience. I also try to use a lot of music and graphics in my work."
While he hopes kids enjoy his nationally and internationally distributed videos, he hopes they have a serious impact as well. "I do either 'How to.' which teaches something such as how to study step by step, or conversation starters. I want to get kids to think, so I try to touch on a lot of different things in a very short time to get everyone involved," he says. "I try to communicate on their level. I don't preach. I simply say one of these days you will need this information. Do with it what you will."
This philosophy isn't something Greg developed for his work on the small screen; it started when he was in college at Marshall. First he worked with an improv group in Huntington, doing short skits and theater games for teenagers on such hard hitting topics as sex and drugs. Later he toured with Theater West Virginia doing children's theater. "The other members of the group and I ended up writing a play called A Mile In My Shoes which dealt with character, self-esteem and being fair." The group then took their message to elementary schools all over West Virginia.
Positive TV
Greg's positive messages through entertainment have also transferred to his voiceover work. Fans of Letter TV , an animated children's series, produced by Destiny Images in Teays Valley, may recognize him as Peri Od, Mark Question, Ape or Frog. He also does voice-overs for a show called Ted Tunes a science program sponsored by NASA, which brings kids 'news they can use'.
"I think some of the best advice I can give kids about entertainment is to get involved with local theater. Charleston has three well established groups as well as many smaller groups, that can provide great experience," says Greg. "I didn't know about them until my senior year, had I known I would have latched on a lot earlier in life."
He says that theater is one of those strong components that can really help mold a young person's life. "I played sports and had many outlets growing up, but theater is a whole other form of release. It's like therapy for me. The first time I stood on a stage with others that had energy just like mine, I remember thinking 'Wow! I've found my home. There are others just like me!" If for no other reason, Greg feels that sense of belonging is a strong reason to encourage kids to experiment with a theatrical production.
Sweet Success
Greg says one of the other things he was often told growing up and even as a young adult, is that those wanting to work in entertainment must leave West Virginia. He says while you may have to work a little harder to stay in West Virginia, it is possible. "I'm still here, doing it and making a living."
A good living too-he has done everything from serious stage work such as Extremities , a play about breaking, entering and rape; to serious comedy such as the Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. It won the Southeastern Regional Theater Conference and American Community Theater Conference and earned him tickets to perform both in Ireland and Aruba. Others may recognize him from local productions in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Glen Gary Glen Ross or the opera The Barber of Seville . Other work includes reenactments for America's Most Wanted, Real Stories of the Highway Patrol and an ABC Movie of the Week called Country Justice , with George C. Scott. He is currently in a few commercials too: one for credit card fraud and another for Brick Street.
One of the ways he makes sure that he and other entertainers can continue to live in West Virginia, is through his company Outside the Box Entertainment. It acts as an umbrella for acting, voice-over and production work and helps to keep locals involved in the entertainment industry. "It's a way for me to help bring business to our state from all these other places I've made contacts such as New York, LA and Chicago."
"There's a lot of non-stop rejection out there. You may hear it for days on end. You will have to travel a lot especially in the beginning, if you want to keep West Virginia as your home, and you will hear 'no' a lot from all the big places all the way on down to community theater," he says. "But never be afraid of the word 'no'. In order to be happy as an actor, you must be extremely adaptable, learn, grow, do things you might not want to do."
To him being a successful part of theater is not winning an Oscar or being featured on MTVs Cribs, it's about that single moment when an actor connects with their audience. "When you can make 800 or 900 people take a collective breath or sigh, because of something you've done, something you've made them feel, that's real power," he says. "That's the best drug in the world!"
It looks like the little farmer picked a very good life!
To learn more about Greg Harpold or his endeavors contact him at greg.harpold@jaguar.edu.
