ACTOR

Kristian majored in drama to be classically trained in conservatory. He received his BFA in Acting at USC & studied text analysis, voice, movement, Shakespeare, & improvisation. His teachers were Mary Joan Negro, Joseph Hacker, Armin Shimerman, Zachary Steel, Kate Burton, Bayo Akinfemi, & Stephanie Shroyer.

Kristian collaborated rigorously with local film schools in his area. These projects sharpened his on-camera strengths, totaling to over 100+ short film performances with students and professors of the top-ranked film schools in the world, such as the American Film Institute, USC, UCLA, etc.

After graduation, Ventura sparked a signing war with some of the biggest agencies in Hollywood battling to represent the actor [Deadline exclusive]. His first credit began as a recurring role in 20th Fox’s Reboot with Keegan-Michael Key and Johnny Knoxville directed by Steve Levitan. Kristian’s feature film debut was as Dex, a high-functioning bulimic at an eating disorder facility in Me Little Me premiered at SXSW. Ventura then landed supporting roles in Lionsgates’ The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent starring Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, Hulu’s horror film Grimcutty, and HBO Max’s sci-fi feature Gray Matter. He then became the leading actor in the Paramount+ drama series School Spirits, starring alongside Peyton List, which was renewed for a third season.

Kristian’s focus on transformational character work was highlighted in his performance of Richard III at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Later he performed in Maxim Gorky’s Barbarians directed by Susan Angelo and Camino Real directed by Edgar Landa.

WRITER

Kristian's literary career was first received in speeches written and performed to audiences for non-profit organizations. Several came to be performed and awarded by the California State Legislature Assembly and Rotary International.

In 2020, Ventura published a collection of one-hundred poems for a book titled, Can I Tell You Something? which became a finalist for the 2020 American Fiction Awards. Writer’s Digest deemed his poetry “soul-shattering in the very best of ways.” That year, the notoriously harsh Kirkus Reviews reviewed Ventura’s writing as "exquisitely crafted.” Following, he wrote The Goodbye Song, which won the 2021 American Fiction Awards in Poetry: Anthologies. His latest book is a novel titled A Happy Ghost.

VOLUNTEER

For seven years, Kristian’s commitment to service has been recognized and awarded by some of the largest humanitarian organizations, non-profits, and leaders including former President Barack Obama, U.S. Senators, the City of Los Angeles, and city mayors in California. Kristian’s childhood, while mostly private, had shaped his perspective on poverty and education. It has inspired him to serve in different ways and with burning commitment.

Kristian launched a series of fundraisers to help aid emergency crises. In a school located in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood, where 80% of the students receive free lunch, he raised thousands of dollars to provide children access to clean water, food, shelter, and protection. He is recognized for giving presentations classroom to classroom each semester to teach students of the realities of different countries and how to practically improve their state. He united sports teams, clubs, and school administration to hold events, joined the Los Angeles UNICEF Congressional Action Team, and the UNICEF Symposium. At the age of 17, Kristian became a recipient of President Barack Obama’s Volunteer Service Award for his exceptional leadership and contributions to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). He was later awarded by the Parent Institute of Quality Education for tutoring children and hosting a daycare in La Puente, California. More recently, Kristian narrows his volunteer work to homelessness in Los Angeles and leading volunteer groups in food banks, warehouses, and homeless shelters such as St. Francis, the LA Food Bank, and the Midnight Mission. Within his freshman year of college, his university awarded him with the USC Service Award.

At 18, Ventura travelled to the Dominican Republic to volunteer in orphanages and schools to meet children who battle with HIV. He painted schools, constructed fences, and played sports. He returned to the DR the next year to build a kitchen. Ventura maintains a close relationship with Thrive in Joy and Vision Trust, the organizations that he partnered with to help lead these trips.

In 2019, Kristian flew to Lourdes, France in the summer to learn about and serve the handicap and elderly in hospitals, train stations, churches, and baths. He plans to return to Lourdes in the summers to come.