Meet the Creator: Daniel Peera

You may have seen Daniel Peera on series like Fox’s The Cleaning Lady and CBS’ NCIS within the traditional TV space, but the actor pivoted during 2020 and the pandemic-induced pause on productions to expand his horizons to the digital sphere. When Peera virtually sat down with Casting Networks, he shared a window into his journey to becoming a creator on social media platforms, which led to his influencer-level following. Keep reading for insights into how Peera’s experience as an actor lends itself to the work he puts out in the digital space and vice versa. You can also find the video version of our interview below.

Daniel, thank you so much for being with us, and I’d love to hear a bit of the @danielpeeraandco “origin story” that led to your current status as an influencer with more than 100 thousand followers on TikTok.

Thank you, again, for having me. I’m an actor here in LA, and obviously when the pandemic first hit, the whole industry came basically to a halt. I was looking for ways to keep myself busy and to also get seen. I thought, “How are people going to see me acting?” And my girlfriend has since the beginning said, “You’ve got to get on TikTok.” So, finally I started with TikTok — because there weren’t many auditions coming through — and for the first six months I was banging my head against the wall trying to “go viral” with nothing to show for it. It wasn’t until I really pushed myself creatively with how I wanted to express myself and did things I would want to watch that I actually started getting the exposure I was going for in the first place. I found the kind of skit-based comedy that I’m using and these characters I wanted to play, and that’s what took off. So, I doubled down on it, and that’s a little bit about how I ended up here.

I love that beautiful moment of you deciding to just do what you like doing, enjoy, and think is good. And then the followers followed.

Because, there’s nothing more frustrating than when you’re trying to do what people want or what you think is going to work. It’s not even fun at that point; it’s just stressful. Thankfully, that worked out — with what people thought was fun to watch. I was like, “I’ll keep doing that.”

Can you share about your process as a creator, including how you come up with and execute ideas?

Ninety-nine percent of my stuff is skit-based and character-based. And circling back to why I started in the beginning — trying to be seen as an actor — I was thinking of what characters I could play or would want to play in the movies. And that’s how I came up with the “finance bro” type of character. I also have an Italian guy — his name is Mikey Meatballs — and I definitely want to be in a mob movie. So, it was all inspired by roles I was thinking of for myself for the future. Then also in my daily life, I’m just looking at what makes me laugh and is relatable. Every time I see something or a friend says something [along those lines], I try to pay attention and write it down in my little notes that I carry around with me. Then I pull that for inspiration of what I want to make that week. Beyond that, I find inspiration from other people’s art. You know, I love watching TV, reading scripts and watching other people’s content. Whenever I can find something that inspires me, I wonder what it would sound like in my voice or one of my character’s voices. And that usually ends up being what I make.

Photo by @cmvisualz, courtesy of Daniel Peera.

You mentioned the acting side of things, and I would love to hear more about that. I know you have a background in improv and have studied with names like Aaron Speiser and Shannon Sturges. Additionally, your TV credits include titles like Fox’s The Cleaning Lady and CBS’ NCIS. Can you share how your training and your work in more traditional mediums play into your performances in the digital space?

The acting side of it translated almost directly over because my videos are mostly performances — they’re acting rather than a vision into my life. What I didn’t expect was how my experience in the traditional industry — reading scripts, breaking down characters and understanding elements of comedy and story structure — would help me make and write sketches. I had all this experience doing it on set and in class, and it translated directly over. Conversely, directing content and editing it made me a better actor, too. Because I’m learning technical things about seeing myself on camera over and over again. You know, if you’re shaking [in a scene], it doesn’t always work; if you jumble your words, it’s not going to hit; continuity. These different little things I’ve been picking up have now circled back to the traditional space, and now when I show up on set, I feel even more confident. Because, now I know how something’s going to edit together or what the camera is seeing.

That makes sense. It sounds like even just with self tape auditions, [creating videos] has helped you to know exactly how you come across on camera and has prepared you to have your [self tape] set-up at home. And then when you get to set, you know how to work the camera because you’re doing it every day [as a creator].

Yes, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is how to watch yourself on camera — which you have to do when you’re shooting self tape auditions — and how to be detached from it. That’s a sort of muscle I’ve developed. I can watch myself, looking at the video objectively and just seeing what it lacks or what it needs. That has taken some time to develop through recording myself every day and editing all the video. So, it’s a good skill that I’m thankful I got [from creating.]

Definitely. And before we wrap, I’d love to hear what you hope people take away from the work you create.

First and foremost, I want people to laugh. I want them to smile. I love that feeling when you see something that just rings true and is relatable. I love being a part of that, so it makes me happy to know that other people are sharing my stuff and connecting with their friends over some comedy I made. Beyond that, I like to shine a spotlight on crazy, ridiculous behavior that rings true and with which we’ve all had experience. One of the themes that constantly comes through with my sketches is the male toxic culture, and I explore that through one of my characters — “finance bro” — a lot. He’s got all this bravado and charisma and flair, but it’s not that hard to see his inner self, who’s insecure and ignorant. And I think that’s how life is a lot of times. It can make you laugh because it’s so ridiculous, but it can also make you cry. It’s like, “Darn, that’s true and pretty sad that it’s true.” That’s the kind of comedy that resonates with me — it makes you think a little bit. And that’s what I love making.

From finding success with sketches that personally resonate with him to the social commentary he puts out with his work in the digital space, this has a been a look into the creator behind all the videos. And those interested in keeping up with Peera’s acting career can find him on IMDb.

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This interview has been edited and condensed.

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