Early life
Rosswick was born and raised in the small city of Merritt Island, Florida. He spent the first part of his life in Florida, but moved to Charlotte, North Carolina when he was 12. Rosswick's mother remarried in 1997, and in 1998 gave birth to Rosswick's younger brother, Kenneth. Education
Rosswick attended Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his first year of high school, he began taking Theatre, not because he wanted to, but because he wanted to fill up his course load. Soon thereafter, he was bitten by the acting bug and never looked back. Two years later, he made his stage debut in Judy Simpson Cook's Country Songs, and since has been featured in stage productions such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Arsenic and Old Lace and Enter Pharaoh Nussbaum. He was rewarded for his talents in 2003 when he was honored as Actor of the Year, for his work in A Bite Off Broadway. After graduating high school, Rosswick turned down a scholarship in Graphic Arts to pursue acting full time.
Acting career
In 2005, Steve worked alongside Will Ferrell as his stand-in on the box-office hit Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In 2006, Rosswick signed with an elite agency, and began doing commercial work with names like Muggsy Bogues and Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also debuted his new brainchild, a weekly TV comedy named The Misadventures of Steve Rosswick a reality show satire where he performs as almost every character, lending him the platform to showcase his many talents. The show was widely accepted by its viewing audience, and was expanded for worldwide viewing on Apple iTunes as a weekly podcast.
As of 2007, he is still starring in The Misadventures of Steve Rosswick which was recognized by the Telly Awards and received an award for Outstanding TV Comedy. Rosswick also starred in a pilot, Red, White & Speed, an adaptation of his weekly show featuring his most notable character, Speed Reed. In addition to starring in this project, Rosswick also wrote, directed and co-produced the entire show on a shoestring budget. According to Rosswick, Red, White & Speed is currently being shopped around to various networks.
Controversy
In early 2007, a clip from Rosswick's weekly show The Misadventures of Steve Rosswick appeared on the front page of MySpace.com. The clip featured Rosswick giving tips on how to defend yourself against a terrorist attack. Rosswick comically kicked and thrashed at animated terrorists, and reception of this video was mixed to say the least. Rosswick allegedly received numerous death threats and an apparent "plethora" of negative mail, blasting him for his shallow and ignorant ways.
Rosswick redeemed himself a short time later, when he was featured yet again on Myspace's home page. This time, Rosswick was not fighting faux terrorists, he was donning his (now) symbolic "pink shirt and a mauvish tie" and professing his love to the world. The video was a comedic web confession of a seemingly dorky version of Rosswick, in which he tells viewers in various languages he loves them. The video was an instant hit, and Rosswick, in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner, was quoted saying "I don't think they hate me anymore."
Awards
In May 2007, Rosswick's television comedy The Misadventures of Steve Rosswick received a Telly Award for outstanding performance in the Comedy field. The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world. Over 14,000 entries are received from all 50 states and around the world.
In June 2008, he won a second Telly Award for his TV pilot Red, White & Speed in the Outstanding TV Comedy category. Red, White & Speed - a mockumentary mixing low-budget comedy with vehicular action shots while combining the styles of The Office with Smokey and the Bandit - is a 30-minute pilot that Rosswick wrote and produced last summer. What happens when a car-lovin' trashy boozehound is forced to take custody of his illegitimate son after his ex-wife's carnival accident? Not even the unsuspecting documentary crew is sure... This action/comedy stars Rosswick as both the main character "Speed Reed" and his brother, Merle Reed - roles further developed from his weekly television show, The Misadventures of Steve Rosswick. In addition to writing, producing, narrating and starring in the pilot, Rosswick's responsibilities included directing and editing the entire show (including a 2-minute teaser trailer) as well as designing various elements like logos and costumes.
Steve Rosswick Collection
In 2004, Rosswick decided to try and return to his second passion, design. Knowing he didn't have a degree in the field, Rosswick wanted to try and start a T-shirt company. Using his employee discount at Hobby Lobby, Rosswick bought the essential necessities to start such a company. After his designs sold exceptionally well on EBay, he quit his job as a supervisor at Hobby Lobby to pursue career in design.
As of 2007, Rosswick's line of T-shirts and polo shirts, are available in retail stores and boutiques all over the globe, in addition to web sites. Spring/summer 2008, marked the first season Rosswick didn't produce merchandise, since the company's inception in 2004. Status of the clothing line, or future lines is unknown.
Personal Life
Rosswick is an avid auto-racing enthusiast and enjoys participating in karting and indoor karting events. While he does it as a pastime, he has garnered some impressive results for someone of his size. (Standing 6'5" and weighing over 200lbs, Rosswick has been considered large for a karting pilot.)
Rosswick is also a patron and supporter of iRacing, along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., AJ Allmendinger, Justin White, Jacques Villeneuve and Ryan Reynolds (among others). Rosswick also volunteers his time to Reary Racing, a part-time NASCAR team, to be their spotter at the track.