Meet Paige Patterson of The Blank Paige Podcast in Miracle Mile

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Patterson.

Paige, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a Southern California Native. I was born in the Bay Area but spent most of my school years in a tiny town called Menifee, California. I fell hard for musicals and films in high school. Most of my teenage free time was spent in my high school theatre or consuming content from the golden age of Broadway, sketch comedy shows and old Hollywood. I went to college at CSU, Chico and majored in Theatre Arts. Then, I went straight on to get my MFA in Acting at Columbia University in NYC. Getting my Master’s was incredible. I studied theatre in an intensely concentrated way in one of the most amazing cities in the world. I made lifelong friends, met my husband AND got wonderful representation upon graduating. Since then, I’ve worked on a few television shows and shot a few commercials. I spent eight years in NYC. I’ve been in a bit of a rut the past two years and I kept feeling called home to California. My husband and I came back here in January to continue pursuing our acting careers and to be closer to our families (most of our people are on the west coast). I am a nanny to pay the bills as I work toward a career that allows me to just ACT and tell stories.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I mentioned, ya know…the rut. I was definitely on a bit of a roll with booking work 2015-2016 and then it all kind of just stopped. It just hasn’t been my time. I have the most supportive reps and I have fans in the casting world, but nothing has clicked. It is way too easy to be consumed by thoughts like, “I’m not enough, there must be something wrong with me, maybe I’m delusional for thinking I can make my dreams reality”. I definitely went through a bit of depression, especially around turning 30. I’ve been out of work and nannying during a time when, if the work had kept coming, I probably would have been starting my own family. I trained as a postpartum doula and it was so incredible, but it felt very daunting to try to get that business off the ground while my dream business was at a bit of a stall. It’s pretty commonly known that the path of the actor isn’t easy (HELLO being broke, auditioning and hearing nothing like 90% of the time, cobbling together a living with day jobs, and praying you don’t get fired from said day jobs when you need time off for spur of the moment auditions) but the longer I walk this path, the more I see that the journey REALLY is the destination. It’s so cliché, but SO true.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an actor, I’ve primarily worked in TV. I trained in theatre and would love to go back to it and some point, but mama’s got an ivy league education to pay off, so TV is grand! I also love the pace of television. It’s quick and exciting and we really are in a platinum age of that medium right now. There is SO much content, and lots of prestigious content, at that. I look forward to acting in and hopefully CREATING some great stories in the future. Right now, I’m in the phase where auditioning is the work. My job is to be consistently performing at a high level, trying on characters in tiny rooms in front of a tripod. I was lucky enough to be pretty well connected to the casting offices in NYC. In LA, everything is a first impression right now, but I kind of love that. I’m a show-off and I’m always itching to perform for and charm new people. I feel very proud of the fact that I am a trained actor. This career lull has a silver lining…it’s helped me garner some serious grit. I’m proud of the work I do and I’m proud of the way I choose to move through the world. I’m always seeking growth and expansion and I do this because I love telling stories and I LOVE show people, man. Community is everything to me. This business is really one big community for better or worse and I dig that.

I’m also in the process of birthing a podcast called “The Blank Paige” where I’ll talk to creatives, storytellers and entrepreneurs on how they stay inspired, maintain wellbeing and return to the proverbial blank page again and again. I want to turn my rut into something that helps other people like me remember that highs and lows are all valid, NORMAL, and part of the journey. My mission is to remind my fellow creators to KEEP GOING and remain in their faith and worth on their own special journey.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is Christmas at my grandparents’ house. They had a log cabin they built and it was pretty much evergreen magic. Good food, an amazing family and so much love.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theblankpaigepodcast.com (coming soon!)
• Instagram: @paigeisapeach
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/paigeisapeach
• Other: www.imdb.me/paigepatterson

Image Credit:
Milan + Shannon, Alexandra Turshen, Love and Thyme Photography

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