Our Exclusive Interview With Kyle Klaus

Who Says You Can’t Do It All? Kyle Klaus Has Been A Successful Actor While Running Other Successful Businesses

BY CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES FEBRUARY 22, 2021

Kyle Klaus

Photo: Kyle Klaus

1. CA: Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?

Kyle Klaus: I grew up in Pottstown, PA, about an hour outside of Philadelphia. As a child I was introverted and very much in my own head. I was athletic but did not have a really competitive edge until later in life.

2. CA: Where are you currently based and where is your favorite place to live and work?

Kyle Klaus: I am currently based in NYC. I live in West New York NJ just on the other side of the Hudson river.. My favorite place to live and work is NY/ North NJ area as well as LA.

3. CA: How did the entrepreneurial side of you come to life and can you share your earliest business ventures even as a child or at an early age?

Kyle Klaus: I feel like the entrepreneurial side came along after I realised my dream of becoming an actor. The amazing thing with being an entrepreneur is that it is very creative in itself. I will say however, I had an entrepreneurial side ever since I was a young child. My father always instilled in me from a very young age the value of working and making money. I feel that since he had to provide for a family of 4 and then 5 when I became 14 years old that this was of utmost importance to him. Especially with my mom and him being without a college degree. I remember learning the value of money, working and entrepreneurship early in life. One of my earliest memories of this was “burning” cd’s in high school and selling them out of my bookbag.

4. CA: Why did you choose to get into Real Estate and how has the Real Estate market been impacted by COVID?

Kyle Klaus: I chose to get into real estate after I felt that it was the most flexible career after deciding I wanted to be an actor and figuring out what job I could do to coincide that. The real estate market has been affected by Covid greatly. Manhattan saw a huge drop. New construction homes saw as much as a 40% drop in Manhattan. The boroughs remained flat since Manhattan people were sometimes moving there or even the people living there were moving from a one to a two bed, or a two to a three, or a three to a house with outdoor space etc. But we saw the biggest boom in the suburbs where that market is completely on fire.

Photo: Kyle Klaus

5. CA: You’ve expanded your portfolio beyond Real Estate and have ventured into the restaurant industry, tell us about some of the ventures that you’re currently working on and how you are navigating that with COVID?

Kyle Klaus: Yes, I invested and became one of the owners in a restaurant in Hoboken during Covid called Touch the Heart. I also started my own production company during Covid. My view is this - yes. Covid changed things. But if you use that as an excuse then I don’t know what to tell you. The only thing I can say is there are no outside forces stopping you from doing anything you want.

6. CA: Incredibly while running a business, you’ve been able to have a successful acting career in shows like The Blacklist, Billions, Homeland, Happy! and The Last O.G., how were you able to do this?

Kyle Klaus: You have to learn house to delegate. I have such a problem with this. I think that if I wanted to I could be my own agent. I would be damn good at that. But that is a job amongst itself. So the thing is - while I’m doing other things, I have an agent that I trust to get me the opportunities to work on shows such as those. Then I just have to bring my skills and step up to the plate and make it happen.

7. CA: How did COVID impact your acting career?

Kyle Klaus: Nothing happened with production during the whole time of Covid so I didn't really feel like things were happening without me or that other people were getting further along in their careers than me. So I asked the question… what can I do? The answer was obvious. Get the projects I’m looking to develop and my materials in order. Then when all this is over I will be ready to shoot out like a cannon.

8. CA: Do you have a mantra or a book recommendation you would like to share and how it has influenced you?

Kyle Klaus: Don’t talk about it, be about it.

9. CA: Describe yourself in one sentence?

Kyle Klaus: A small town boy who aspired to make his dreams come true and realised through a mix of hard work and dreaming that he can do anything and everything he set his mind to.