One day in October…

The 12th of October 2024 to be exact, I made a decision that has completely turned my life upside down, for the better!

I was up at 5am to get ready, I left the house and was walking to the train station at 6am so that I could catch a 7am train to London Waterloo. 4 days beforehand I’d been sent an email containing sides (parts of scripts) and told to choose one and memorise it. I was heading to Run At It Shouting in Hackney to attend a tv/film casting workshop run by the incredible Caitlin Joseph (of Caitlin Joseph Casting). I had ZERO idea what to expect and had no experience of being on camera.

I was very nervous, but there was an excitement contained within that. I wanted to see if this was something I’d enjoy, and it was something I was doing for me. I grew up involved in plays, choirs, singing open mic nights and even doing puppetry work, but screen acting was something I have wanted to do ever since I saw The Lord of The Rings films in the cinema.

I spoke to my dad about my nerves beforehand whilst he helped me practice my chosen side. He said to me “you will do it and you will either come out of that workshop knowing it is not for you, or you will come out with certainty that this is it. This is the thing you are meant to pursue.”

The workshop itself was really informative! Caitlin was engaging, gave great feedback to everyone there and helped put us all at ease. We taped twice, the second time after feedback. I met some great people and received some really encouraging feedback from Caitlin on my scene and me as an actor. I walked out of that building feeling giddy and of course, I rang my dad straight away to tell him I felt that certainty. This is it for me. This is what I want to do.

That workshop was the start of me actively pursuing acting. I have worked really hard since, I’ve learned so much already. I’ve had plenty of rejection. But, I’ve been involved with an incredible student film (Shadows Of The Mind) where the other cast member and all the crew made it such an awesome experience. I’ve had a pretty constant stream of tape requests for auditions. I’ve roped in friends and family to read for the many, many tapes I’ve submitted for roles. I’ve done 2 photoshoots. I’ve secured 2 roles for filming early next year. I’ve attended another workshop, this one with Courtney Hammond (of Theo Park Casting) who gave me some incredibly helpful advice on what to do next. I got accepted onto Spotlight, which has led to me finding an agent to represent me. I auditioned for a local musical theatre group and got in as well as auditioning for an acting class, which I was offered a place on! I’ve had some great feedback from industry professionals and I’ve got some amazing friends supporting my dream. I was also offered a job which will support me while I build my acting career.

The new friends I’m finding in the industry; actors, photographers, directors, writers… some through workshops, some through sharing a photoshoot time at a studio, some through shared acquaintances, some through me messaging asking for advice or them messaging me! Some even through chance encounters of me asking to join a group of people attending the same event I’d gone to on my own (HSC – you guys 🫶🏻🫶🏻) and now I get to talk about acting and the industry with all these different people. They are all so incredibly talented and I’m really excited to build on those connections in the future!

These past couple of months have been non stop for a variety of reasons, personally and professionally. I feel blessed to be able to say that. It feels intense and a little overwhelming when I put it all together in one place, I’m currently riding that high and using the momentum to propel me forward into next year and putting a plan in place as to what I’m going to do over the next 12 months.

Looking forward into 2025… I’ve already got some exciting projects in the works, some intriguing conversations, some courses, hopefully many more workshops and I’m going to be working with some amazing people to build my career…bring it on!

K