Falling from a building, getting thrown through a wall or being attacked in a street fight are all in a day’s work for Fairfax District resident and veteran stuntman Shawn Balentine, who has spent decades working in Hollywood, appearing in dozens of films and television shows.

Balentine joined fellow stuntman Narayana Cabral at Television City on Sept. 30 to discuss his life and career and share stories about working in a unique segment of the entertainment industry. Approximately 200 people attended the program, which introduced members of the public to career paths in Hollywood as well as operations at a major studio.

Balentine brought along a cast of stunt performers and mixed martial artists who gave a dazzling demonstration, fighting with swords, hurdling themselves through the air and taking falls that would send an ordinary person to the hospital. Balentine himself was thrown backwards through a wall from being seated in a chair. It was a spectacle straight from a movie, all carefully choreographed to ensure maximum visual stimulation for the audience and uncompromised safety for the performers.

Balentine and Cabral described stunt performers, and the behind-the-scenes studio employees who ensure everything goes right, as unsung heroes in the entertainment industry. Usually doubling for a famous actor or playing an anonymous role as a bad guy, the names of the stunt performers are relegated to the credits, they added.

But the job is very rewarding, Balentine said, and it can take performers around the world and expose them to places and things they never expected. Balentine has performed stunts in “American Horror Story,” “Under the Dome” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and has been a stunt double for Patton Oswalt, James Corden and Jack Black. He said there have been many proud moments in his long career.

“The biggest project that set it off for me was being kissed by Harley Quinn [in “Birds of Prey”]. I actually got a role in that with lines and everything. It’s between that and being able to fall off the Queen Mary into the water. Those are the two biggest things,” Balentine said.

Cabral cited his stunt work in the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” as a proud moment. He is also known for the flawless execution of “the scorpion,” a stunt in which a performer falls on their face and their feet fly up in the air over their head like a scorpion’s tail.

“Shockingly, it does not hurt at all with the proper technique,” Cabral added.

Balentine stressed safety as a crucial factor in everything stunt performers do, with extensive planning occurring before every fall, crash or explosion. Safety equipment is also paramount, such as pads hidden in places out of view from the cameras to ensure soft landings. Mentorship and experience are another key part, building relationships that instill confidence when elevating to stunts with higher levels of difficulty. Stunt performers undergo rigorous training programs, usually at privately-run schools, and making sure everyone goes home after work is always top of mind. Teamwork is an important part of the business, Balentine added.

The veterans encouraged young people interested in becoming stunt performers to follow their dreams and to find a niche. Many performers are also martial artists and acrobats, and specialize in a certain type of stunt. They encouraged people to look for ways to get involved in the entertainment industry in behind-the-scenes roles, which offers exposure to studio production. Balentine was a combat medic with the U.S. Army before getting his foot in the door as a medic on a film set and going on to become a stunt man. He also made history eight years ago when he became one of the first openly gay stuntmen in the industry. He encouraged members of the LGBTQ+ community to aim high with their careers.

“I came out of the closet in 2016. In my field, there’s other people that kind of come out, but I think I came out in the loud way,” Balentine said.

“He literally set himself on fire,” Cabral added.

Balentine also stressed the importance of keeping studio production jobs in Los Angeles and said he was grateful to Television City, and the studio’s owner Hackman Capital Partners, for hosting the program. Adeena Bleich, vice president of community relations for Television City, said the event is one of many ways the studio connects with the community.

“My favorite part about our programs is how they’re designed not just to be entertaining, but to really help people understand all of the jobs and all of the people who make what I call movie magic,” Bleich said. “We really try to show who the people are in the credits. I think seeing not only the space, but also seeing all of the people who make it happen, it’s really amazing.”

“It’s unbelievable the community that we’ve built around … our efforts to keep Hollywood here in Hollywood, to create good union paying jobs here in Los Angeles, make sure that production is staying in state and that we can continue to be the entertainment capital of the world,” said Zach Sokoloff, senior vice president of Television City. “We’re honored to open up our studio so [people] can see how the magic on the silver screen is made in real life.”