Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikayla Soo-ni Campbell.
Hi Mikayla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
After moving out at 16 to attend Walnut Hill School for the Arts as a theatre major, I began taking the chosen career path as that of an actor quite earnestly. Three weeks after graduating, I moved to NYC to study musical theatre, completing 8 semesters and earning a BFA degree in just over two years between the NYC and Los Angeles campuses. Subsequently, in 2011, I was accepted to the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK earning a Master’s Degree in Screen Acting with a distinction.
I moved back to Los Angeles where I’ve lived and worked as an actor for the last 11 years. Currently an executive producer on Owen Wilson and Woody Harrleson’s next film called Lips Like Sugar, shooting at the end of March. I continue to work as both an actor and an EP with the utmost enthusiasm and excitement as I fully immerse myself in all aspects of film development and movie-making magic.
“Mikayla Soo-ni Campbell is a versatile actress with a Korean, European/Greek background lending to her ethnic ambiguity. She is a graduate of the prestigious and highly competitive Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK, earning her Master’s in Screen Acting by age 22 with a distinction.
Mikayla is also an Executive Producer for a murder mystery thriller starring Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, shooting in Los Angeles in the early spring of 2024.
Mikayla can be seen in a recurring role on AMC/ALLBLKTV’s hit show, Craig Ross Jr.’s Monogamy season three! She was also just cast in a pilot that shot in New Mexico this past fall. You can catch Mikayla starring in Korn’s new music video for their new single, Can You Hear Me? Click here for the article in Rolling Stone.
Mikayla can previously be seen as the lead in an episode of “True Nightmares” on Discovery ID. You can also catch her as a guest star in the popular TV show “My Haunted House,” which airs on Lifetime Movie Network. Mikayla has worked alongside renowned A-list names in the industry, including Golden Globe Nominee Diane Venora (Heat w/ Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, The Jackal w/Bruce Willis and Richard Gere), the late Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), and Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul).
Mikayla was born outside of Boston and travels back frequently for filming and to visit her family who still reside in Massachusetts. Mikayla divides her time between LA, Boston, NYC and London.”
Alright, 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?
Not at all smooth or easy, but fulfilling, confronting and testing, yes.
Actors face more rejection daily than any healthy human being should experience. Searching deep within for our purpose, our identity, our tenacity, our work ethic, and our inspiration to keep going. Hope and prospects are easily dwindled and forgotten under the guise of insecurity, comparison, imposter syndrome, doubt, and fear.
The biggest struggles for myself have been finding the right agent/manager who equally believes in your talent, ability, potential, and hast clout to get you in rooms and open the right doors. As an actor who has prided herself on “doing all that is asked of her,” including but not limited to updated headshots whenever needs, prioritizing ongoing audition technique class or scene study, taking part in casting workshops, creating/writing/shooting my own content, investing in updated reel footage between bookings, practicing self-tapes/mock auditions with friends and fellow actors, constantly updating materials and keep track of relationships with producers/directors/cd’s via spreadsheets (so many spreadsheets), I found myself exhausting all efforts before concluding that this industry, (being an actor specifically) is not so black and white as “hard work pays off.”
I am surrendering to conclusion that nepotism, luck, and money play a monumental factor in how fast one’s career can ascend. Without compromising integrity or work ethic, navigating this esoteric profession might be a longer endurance run than any young, naive actor would hope, and finding peace and acceptance in that surrender makes worlds of difference to one’s quality of life and attitude and set’s you up for the long-haul journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Stepping into the role of executive producer and being part of a finance team that green lights projects, I’m so proud to acknowledge that despite being an actor in LA for 11 years, there was a vast mystery to the puzzle pieces of getting a film or project made than I’ve ever been privy to previously. It’s daunting, unknown, scary (dare I say), but staggeringly insightful and advantageous to learn.
I’ve remedied my idea and sentiment about networking and connecting with other creatives and financial brains on a human level that calibrates dynamic and returns us to an awareness of energy, synergy, intuition, and a simple, “Do I want to work with this person” and share in the precarious effort that is film making. Much of this industry is transaction; therefore, reframing it to be reciprocal and collaborative over transactional (as many people operate in LA) has been tremendously helpful and, simultaneously, beautiful.
I don’t think I’m known for anything as of this moment, but I hope to become known for being pleasant to work with, talented, intuitive, efficient, valuable, insightful, reputable, and enthusiastic.
One thing I’m most proud of is the unwavering sentiment that here in LA specifically, you can be at the right place, at the right time, meet the right person, and something magical can happen. It happened to me after years of discouragement and fear of indulging in doubt and hopelessness. Magic is real. I don’t care what anyone says… it’s real. And it starts with you, your mind, your thoughts, you’re programming. Follow your intuition. Indulge in your dreams. Embrace redirects along your journey with open arms, welcoming growth and evolution.
What matters most to you?
My answer of what matters most to me is certainly not exclusive to the industry but heavily applies and that is to make people feel seen. In a world where so many feel invisible, unappreciated, and not valued, it takes so little to look someone in the eye, learn their name, and make them feel a sense of purpose is exponentially powerful. It inspires people to work harder, allows pride and honor to flourish, creates a copacetic work environment where people feel respected, and most of all, it reignites self-worth in an industry that can often feel like we’re swimming upstream or banging our heads against a brick wall to advance and accomplish.
Making people feel seen through the stories that we tell will always be formidable and influential to the masses.
Contact Info:
- Website: mikaylascampbell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaylasoonicampbell/?hl=en
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5350882/
