Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Hebda.
Hi Johnny, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and a creative way of thinking ever since a child. I had a love for the performing arts and loved singing, playing the piano, acting in plays, musicals, commercials, etc. And I knew that I would end up in the arts as a profession.
I attended Florida School of the Arts on a presidential scholarship where I got my degree in Musical Theater, following I attended a Mormon mission for the LDS church to Canada-Halifax. And then attended Brigham Young University where I got a degree in Music Dance Theater. While at BYU, I also developed skills in sales and leadership.
I recognized the challenges a lot of artists had in financially supporting themselves while pursuing their acting and performing careers. I thought that I would best be able to pursue my dreams if I had a way to support myself financially.
During the summer months when I was off from college, I accepted a position to door-to-door sales for a pest control company. I found that I had a real talent for sales and that first summer made over $53,000 which made it possible for me to cover all my college expenses in one summer. Recognizing this opportunity, I opened a pest control franchise while finishing my degree–Pointe Pest Control and had locations in Salt Lake City and Denver. With the success of my business, I received the award for Student Entrepreneur of the Year. A few years later, the company I franchised with sold the company to Terminix for more than $20 million. I then started working for AMP SMART and advanced to the position of VP of Sales, where I oversee recruiting efforts and our national sales program. Currently AMP SMART is the 12th largest residential home security company in the nation, and we are opening a solar division for 2022 which I am excited about.
I have also been able to pursue my acting and directing career here in Utah, founding the award-winning Utah Repertory Theater Company, as well as acting in movies, commercials, and modeling projects regularly throughout Utah. Some notable credits have included the role of Lewis Brightman III on Proper Manors (Soap Opera on Amazon Prime) as well as lead roles in “Shifted Dreams” and “Make Me Laugh”.
I have also been able to use acting and directing talents to produce events, particularly focused on supporting the LGBTQ community and organizations such as the Utah Pride Center, Equality Utah, BYU OUT Foundation, and others. I recently formed the nonprofit company LOUD+QUEER that produces events for Utah Pride, National Coming Out Day, and other big fundraising events. Recently, LOUD+QUEER produced Pride Spectacular starring Todrick Hall as part of Utah Pride and The Ballroom starring Thelma Houston as part of National Coming Out Day.
It has been fulfilling to utilize my artistic talents and leadership skills to support organizations that I am passionate about and create high-quality events here in Utah.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Whether it be opening a new sales office, putting together an event, or staging a production, it has not been easy. There are always obstacles, challenges, and unforeseen setbacks along the way. I could easily spend pages on each one. Whether it be lower than expected ticket sales, a sponsor not coming through on an event, bad weather, a performer getting ill the day of the show, a manager underperforming, a pandemic called COVID appearing, an unhappy customer, etc. the list could go on and on.
Things rarely go as planned and it is easy to want to give up some days or become discouraged. But then again, that’s part of life. And making mistakes and learning from them is also part of life. 90% of businesses fail within the first year. There is risk involved in life and business and putting on an event or production. I’ve learned that fear of failure should not hold me back from pursuing my dreams and sometimes there are hard lessons that have to be learned. But perseverance, hard work, optimism, and a never-give-up attitude will eventually lead to success.
Most people aren’t willing to pay the price or take the risk. Or allow a couple of disappointments or failures to kill their dreams. I’ve found myself in those mindsets at times. But ultimately I am only happy when I pursue my dreams. And the future is unpredictable and ever-changing. Not pursuing dreams or giving up is also a risk. And I believe it’s better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. This mantra has kept me going many times.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I wear many hats, but I am best known as an actor, director, and producer. Most of my projects have centered around LGBTQ+ topics and events and I am proud to be a community leader and advocate and use arts as a way to reach people and influence. I jump at any opportunity to act in or produce events and productions that advocate for inclusion and equality in a conservative state like Utah. I use my training and platform to ensure high-quality events and productions, and if I am attached to a project there is a standard of quality that I have become known for, and put great amounts of time and effort into ensuring every aspect of the event will be at a certain standard.
Some of my proudest events have included directing and producing the theatrical production “Bare” a rock musical that explored homosexuality and suicide in a high school setting. I also enjoyed acting in the sold-out production of “Afterglow” which explored homosexuality and polyamory, and also playing “CB” (Charlie Brown) in “Dog Meets God” which examined homosexuality through the peanut characters. I am proud of producing the “Loud+Queer” pride spectacular which starred at Todrick Hall and raised $10,000 for the Utah Pride Center, as well as the afterparty for the Equality Utah Allies Dinner “Spark the Fire Within” starring Billy Porter.
I was also honored to be featured on the bottle of the Five Husbands Vodka and to be a brand ambassador for our local distillery which is a huge advocate and support of LGBTQ+ organizations and missions. I have many more projects on the horizon. So stay tuned for 2022 events and productions!
What’s next?
I have big plans for 2022 including a big event for Utah Pride (which will be announced soon). Also, I plan to get a condo in West Hollywood this next year (now that COVID is hopefully, fingers crossed, gonna be over soon) and work on breaking into the big leagues in acting, producing, and directing.
This has been my childhood dream. I plan to continue to be involved in Utah, but I am ready to expand my horizons. So plan on seeing my name in lights in the near future!
Contact Info:
- Email: johnnyhebda@gmail.com
- Website: www.johnnyhebda.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnnyhebda
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnny.hebda
Image Credits
Preston Powell, Ken Jones, Andy Villanueva, David Daniels, and Rick Day
