Cameron Betz Wears His ‘8’ With Purpose

Cameron Betz

Cameron Betz is learning to live with the lights on. The 27-year-old actor and model from Lynn, Massachusetts, carries a mission that precedes any booking, making sure people know they’re not alone. It’s the pulse behind his work, the mantra stitched into his streetwear line Eight of Hearts, and the question he returns to whenever doubt creeps in—what would my brother do?

Betz’s creative pivot began after his brother’s passing in 2017. Grief didn’t just change his priorities but clarified them. He reached out to a photographer in Rhode Island, signed with a Boston agent soon after, and redirected his education toward theater. More than anything, Betz needed passion; a feeling that lights up when he’s working.

The road has since been exactly what aspiring artists expect and rarely post about. Eight years of emailing, networking, hearing nothing, hearing “no,” and moving forward anyway. This past summer, he finally leapt west, spending two months in Southern California with long drives, long days, and the quiet work “that doesn’t pay right away.” He left with an L.A. agent and a clearer compass. “Any audition is traction,” says Betz when referring to his next step to move to New York City. “If I don’t get it, it’s still a step.” 

Eight of Hearts, launched recently, is the other wing of his work. The brand’s tag line, “where style meets mental health,” isn’t a gimmick; it’s a promise. Pieces read like emotional support garments, clean silhouettes carrying subtle affirmations. The name hits close to home, with eight being his brother’s jersey number, a sign that seems to follow Betz through hotel floors and photos of cloud formations. He didn’t want a preachy aesthetic; he just wanted a streetwear language with meaning. 

On a whiteboard above his desk, a daily declaration that keeps him on track: I will be a star actor. My big break is coming. My goals are unraveling every day. And when overwhelm hits, he returns to a favorite line from The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: if you can only see the next step, take it.

Step by step, Betz is building a life where craft and care coexist—a screen career rooted in service, and a brand that looks good while saying the quiet parts out loud. In grief, he found grit; in fashion, a megaphone; in community, a cause. Most days, that’s enough light to keep going.