JEREMY HERNANDEZ

At sixteen, Jeremy left home to pursue his dreams of becoming a performer. This created a rift between him and his family as he went against his parents' wishes to pursue a career in medicine. It took all his courage to leave home so he could break away from their expectations and take charge of his own destiny and life. Jeremy has been taking the steps needed to heal the gap between him and his parents, as they’re both learning to appreciate each other's values.

 

On his own and with no family support, he worked multiple jobs- at the local grocery store, as a dishwasher, as a server in countless restaurants, and even mascot gigs here and there- so he could save up to attend art and theatre school. He always placed his career first, even if it meant missing a meal to pay for dance or acting lessons. Living in Mississauga at that time with no car, he relied heavily on the slow and infrequent public transit system to work, study, and travel for hours to perform at far and costly auditions. Initially enrolled in Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College, Jeremy switched his major from visual arts to musical theatre after completing his first year.

​

After graduating from the Sheridan College Performing Arts Preparation Program in 2007, Jeremy continued training for 10 years after and took similar notable workshops, including graduation from Sears and Switzer and Second City Improv Training. He managed to juggle multiple jobs, and maintain his training of acting, singing and dancing, while auditioning and booking his own gigs before he landed his first agent. He knew that all his hard work would add up and the live dance performances, fashion shows, and music videos would help advance his stage presence and craft.

 

In 2013, Jeremy was offered a scholarship to the Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts (VADA). His decision to accept the offer was last minute - three weeks before the semester would start - and financially unprepared. He sold his art work so he could afford the four day bus ride from Toronto to Vancouver. While training at VADA studios, Jeremy moved through five different living arrangements in six months to reduce living expenses. This was a challenging time, but he managed through and did what was necessary for success. In October 2013, he lived in a van for a month located in Olympic Village. The van was solar-powered with no running water, no heat, and no built-in bathroom. With no amenities or dwelling of his own, Jeremy relied on the Olympic Village community centre to provide him with clean water and public facilities every day.

 

For the last four months of his stay in Vancouver, Jeremy found affordable accommodations on Craigslist. These accommodations included a reclaimed abandoned house, and a kitchen pantry rented as a spare room. After school he worked into the night at a kitchen called Heirloom, a high end vegan restaurant. In the evenings and on weekends, he was focused on his studies at VADA. On March 7, 2014, Jeremy graduated from VADA and moved back to Toronto. Immediately arriving back in Toronto, Jeremy continued his actor training at Lewis Baumander studios for the next year and a half. He was inspired to go vegan by the healthy lifestyle in Vancouver, so he decided any restaurant experience in Toronto moving forward was strictly at vegan establishments.

 

Throughout the years, he aligned with a variety of artists, dancers, designers, promoters, DJs, and musicians, within the Toronto electronic rave scene. Jeremy draws a lot of inspiration from festival culture and it is this influence to which he credits shaping his art portfolio and personal style. He used his artistic talents and worked with multiple mainstream rave production companies, as a promoter and making art deco for their events and music festivals. He is currently a brand ambassador for his favourite Canadian production company, Eclipse music festival, and has been their main Ontario promoter since 2005. The underground dance floor is where he first discovered his love for dance; Jeremy studied and admired breakdance crews and their impromptu dance offs. Dancing underneath the stars, surrounded by art in the forests, he has taken this time to soul search, exploring his creativity and spirituality.

 

Jeremy is a passionate supporter of local bohemian artisans and one-of-a-kind shops. On Instagram, he frequently blogs about his love for graffiti culture, promoting up and coming artists and events surrounding contemporary urban art, edgy bohemian fashion, vegan food, and EDM nightlife wherever he travels.