Today we’d like to introduce you to Gill Sotu.
Gill, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been writing and performing since before high school. I think where my work gained a bit of depth is when I joined the navy and began to see the rest of the world and how that made me examine who I was in this vast experiment. Once I was out of the navy, I started performing at open mics, that led to requests to perform other places. I began entering poetry slam competitions and winning them. That led to more opportunities to perform, paid and unpaid. I definitely paid my dues in miles, blood, sweat, tears, and horror stories from the stage to make it to where I am now. I ran open mics, competed some more, loss some, won some and started getting more and more recognition around San Diego for my work. Around 2013/2014, I took a short playwriting course through the Old Globe Theatre. Caught the theatre bug as well. I saw how everything I loved, music, poetry, hip-hop, prose can all fit under the umbrella of theatre. Started writing plays, started getting commissioned to write more. Now I have had at least eight plays commissioned, several have been produced, and a couple I have directed. Currently, I am a teaching artist with several theatre companies, the creative director for Tedx San Diego, and as a side passion, I DJ events throughout San Diego. I get commissioned to write poetry and plays from various organizations throughout the country and when I’m not working I’m family’ing. And if im not family’ing… I’m working. There isn’t much in-between!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road hasn’t been super bumpy. Definitely hit some potholes along the way. Two reasons inform that statement. One, I’m an eternal optimist, so to me, problems are exciting challenges (not always in the moment, but in reflection…yes.) And two, as an artist, I haven’t been asked to risk much in my opinion. Being on stage has never been a challenge to me. My biggest threat is my own insecurities and feelings of inferiority as an artist. I believe that fight will never go away. The silver lining is that although I have lost many many many battles, I am still far ahead when taking a bird’s eye view of winning this war.
Tell us about your work – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a freelance artist. Primarily in the fields of poetry, spoken word, playwriting, event hosting, djing, teaching and event planning. I have written and performed for everyone from tech companies to rehab clinics. From grassroots non-profits to the San Diego Symphony. I am a chameleon of sorts, adapting very quickly to the situation/environment/audience to provide unforgettable experiences.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Writing, producing, and co-directing my spoken word opera Ordinary Magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gillsotu.com
- Email: gillsotu@gmail.com
- Instagram: @gillsotu
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gillsotu
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/gillsotu
- Other: www.djgillsotu.com
Image Credit:
Sean Diaz, Cliff Endsley, EyeRise Photography
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