Many individuals grew up in Richmond County, left, and never looked back. Piper Parks isn’t one of those individuals.
A 2011 graduate of Richmond Senior High, Parks has spent more than a decade doggedly pursuing her dream in New York City. Talk to her for 10 minutes, and you’ll find a Richmond County heart beating in “The City That Never Sleeps.”
Living in New York City, Parks has spent the most recent third of her life a long way from the quiet roads of Richmond County. I asked Parks what kept Richmond County feeling like home, and she returned the fastest answer of the entire interview: “My parents.”
Parks spoke fondly of her parents and the grounding experience that occurs when she returns to Richmond County about twice a year.
“I mean, I think a lot about my home, my actual home,” she said. You know, it’s a small house, but it’s surrounded by a lot of beautiful land that is public. There are streams and wildlife, just beautiful space. That’s where I can go and, you know, sort of decompress and just be right at home.”
Her affection for home hasn’t dulled since she’s been away. When asked about what Richmond County looked like from where she lives, Parks replied, “I have grown to appreciate it a lot more, ever since being here for over a decade. You get a real appreciation for where you came from and how it specifically influenced you.”
Parks will also tell you that while she wants our county to be blessed, she does not want it to become something it isn’t. I asked what she might say to people who had a less-than-stellar opinion of Richmond County, and she replied that outsiders haven’t personally experienced our communities. They shouldn’t form opinions about a town without knowing the people who live there, the rhythms that shape them, or the reasons a place matters.
Her closing statement on the topic was this: “Let anyone who feels whatever way about Richmond County feel that way about it. Keep Rockingham protected, and keep it as local as possible for as long as possible.” She knows that the wider world will eventually find us, but loves that her home hasn’t been swallowed by attention.
When she speaks about her father, Perry, it becomes immediately obvious that a large piece of her connection to home runs through him. She spoke of his service in Vietnam, his time in Iran when Shah Pahlavi was overthrown, the Emmy-nominated documentary he was part of, and his famous selfie with President Barack Obama.
When I asked her about her father’s greatest achievement, however, she immediately pointed to his character.
“He really is someone who loves his family,” she said. “He is honest about the mistakes he’s made in the past, and he believes in forgiveness.” Parks described her father’s mercy as being available “almost to a fault” due to his understanding of what it means to have received forgiveness in his own life.
When I asked which of her father’s characteristics she most saw in herself, she hesitated over the word “fearlessness.” From my experience, that hesitation is a hallmark of fearlessness. Her father, she stated, has certainly known fear. He has been in danger, and he has fought for his life. Parks said that the way he has lived has been the most fearless example, though.
“He didn’t let any of that stop him. He went on to achieve really impressive things,” she explained. “He continues to surprise us every day. He’s just a rock star.”
Parks’ earliest memories involve her wanting to be an actress. Over time, her understanding of her dream has evolved. She explained that acting doesn’t always occur in front of the camera and can take many forms. The desire itself, though, has always been consistent for her.
Parks studied theatre in college and was subsequently accepted into a professional acting guild in Manhattan.
“I moved to New York City at 22 years old without knowing anyone there,” she said. “I immediately began working to try and make a career here.”
Her decision was a bold one, and the path has been rocky in spots. She explained that New York is a city filled with successful people, and the overarching expectation is that you are to be doing something with your life. She explained that the environment was high-pressure and that this additional pressure makes people both highly motivated and highly passionate.
Like most artists, Parks has faced moments of great uncertainty. I asked if she had faced moments when she wondered if she should continue, and her immediate response was an emphatic, “Of course!”
Piper’s reasoning was based on the difficulty of surviving in an expensive city while building a career in a talent-rich environment. Both corporate consolidation and the adoption of streaming platforms have led to a marked decrease in earnings for most actors and performers, according to Parks.
She said she often talks with her parents about the realities of supporting herself, covering necessities like health insurance, and trying to build a decent life. “The economy has also become increasingly difficult to survive in,” she said.
Unmarried and without children in her 30s, Parks said that she regularly considers how much of her life she is willing to sacrifice in pursuit of her dream. Walking away wouldn’t be simple, based on her statement on the topic.
“Ultimately, it mostly comes down to the fact that I just don’t think I would be happy doing anything else. No matter what, that’s always going to be a part of who I am,” she said.
Parks’ most visible milestone came last year via a national NFL commercial she auditioned for. She candidly admitted that she didn’t feel she performed well in terms of her football knowledge. Still, she said she was asked to hold the dates open for the production, should she be invited. She shortly found out that she would be part of the production.
“When I got to set, there were three different large-scale commercial productions being filmed for the NFL. That was definitely one of the largest productions I’ve been on,” she said.
Parks had two chances to appear in a final edit due to being part of two different campaigns. Both commercials aired, but one of them caught the most attention from people back home and elsewhere. She was allowed to choose a “lucky item” to represent her favorite team. She chose a pair of Carolina Panthers earrings, and as luck would have it, they used her real name in the shot.
At one point, her parents started hearing from others that they had seen Piper in a commercial. On Thanksgiving Day, the calls and texts started pouring in. “Everyone on those game days just started seeing the commercial,” she said.
Like nearly anything you’re searching hard for, Parks couldn’t manage to catch the commercial herself. She returned home for Christmas, and her family joined her in her quest, recording and scrolling through football games. They checked every commercial, with no luck. It wasn’t until they were watching “Toy Story” that her cousin pointed her out in the commercial.
For Parks, that was a particularly meaningful moment in that she saw proof that her hard work and perseverance had taken her somewhere. “It’s definitely the first time I was able to say that I was on television and had made it,” she explained.
Parks’ life, like that of many working artists, extends beyond auditions and sets. Her day job is unusual by most standards, as she works as an axe-throwing instructor at an establishment she helps manage. During the latter portion of our interview, I watched her answer my questions while opening the venue with the precision and calm you’d expect from an actress.
Her day job sheds an important light on creative ambition and its demands. Resourcefulness, flexibility, and a willingness to do whatever is necessary are the foundations of pursuing a dream. Parks’ adaptation of these principles has allowed her to survive in “The Big Apple” for more than a decade. She’s gained experience, made contacts, and created a chance for herself to pursue the dream she’s had since childhood.
With a nine-hour drive between her and home, Parks still stays engaged in local issues. She briefly spoke about concerns regarding the upcoming data center and its potential impact on electricity and water costs.
“I don’t think the people of Richmond County should be on the hook for those costs,” she said. She feels that the data centers should instead bear those costs. She is very quick to offer that she doesn’t have all the answers, and said, “There’s no blame to be made for past decisions.” Her concerns lie in the effects of large-scale technology on both the local economy and human interaction.
Parks speaks about her faith from a genuine place, absent the platitudes you might sometimes hear. She explained that she was raised in church, learning to love others and to do her best to help the people around her. While faith and career are deeply connected for Parks, that doesn’t mean the combination exists without conflict. She said it would be difficult, as a person of faith, not to resent finding out that she was not meant to have a career in the arts.
Her faith also means learning to live with uncertainty. “Being okay with failure is something you have to constantly work at,” she said. “You also have to believe that ultimately, it will all work out. That’s easier said than done.”
She doesn’t try to present herself as being perfect in faith or in confidence, readily admitting to moments of doubt. She ultimately returns to her father Perry’s steadfast insistence on having hope. “My dad is constant about having hope,” said Parks. “He will not let me not have hope. We have hope.”
In my experience, one of the best ways to figure out how to get somewhere is to ask someone who has been there before. So, I asked Parks what she would say to a young person here in Richmond County who feels their dream is too big. She became very direct, saying, “Don’t believe it.”
She knows what it feels like to be told that her dream is unrealistic, courtesy of everyone who told her as a child that she’d never make it as an actress. “I went out there and I did it,” she said. She rejects the idea that other people’s fears should somehow place limits on lives that aren’t their own.
“It’s your understanding versus their understanding every time,” she said. “I may not be famous, but I’ve done some things and survived here in New York for over a decade, and that’s not nothing.”
Parks went on to explain that everyone has a right to go out and make something happen without worrying about others’ fears being projected onto them.
If, after all of this, the dream still seems impossible?
“You can figure it out,” she said. “It is possible.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Click here to read about Parks’ work in an award-winning web series.
NOTE: This story has been updated to add a photo. 2:26 p.m. 6-26-26
