Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Whitney
Hi Alison, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Alison Whitney is an all-around hustler! She acts, writes, produces and raises two young humanettes in Los Angeles.
She was born and raised in Rockville Centre, New York, just 46 minutes outside of Manhattan (LA translation: 1 hour and 19 minutes in current traffic). Raised by two busy lawyers (read: 0% creative juice), Alison was always looking for outlets for her artistry. It was the kindergarten play, Get Hopping, where Alison landed the leading role as Bunny Sue and never looked back on her acting dreams. Alison continued to find her way to the stage in both middle and high school, playing roles such as Roz in Moon Over Buffalo, a courtesan twin in A Funny Thing…, and Desmond Tutu (Yup, you read that right. Talk about range!). She graduated high school with an International Baccalaureate degree in Theatre.
Come time to apply for college, Alison committed to this acting thing and was accepted to the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts acting program where she studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory. She worked hard! Very hard! Hard enough to graduate early. Within weeks she booked a role in Happy Hour at the Michael Chekhov Theatre.
From then on, Alison was a working actress.
Since moving to LA, she has booked work on Black-ish, Super Store, Chicago Med, Midnight, TX, Great News, Conan, General Hospital, Jane the Virgin, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Tosh.O to name a few.
She starred in such films as A Year and Change (with Bryan Greenberg) She-Ball (with Nick Cannon), Hooking Up (with Corey Feldman and Bronson Pinchot), Polycarp (with Charles Durning) and Bacterium.
You may also have seen her on the Rachel Ray Show, and on VH1 in the I Love the New Millennium commercial, where she played Paris Hilton. Recently, she booked a national spot for Lowe’s as a Red Vest Associate.
Alison also was the host of Nintendo Week for two years, which had over 100 episodes streaming on the Wii.
She loves ALL things funny and has studied and performed improv at The Pit in New York City and The Groundlings in LA. Alison also has a lot of sketch comedy experience and did a ten-month run in Fine Funny and Female at the Bleeker Street Theatre, as well as Recess(ion) at the Bridge Theatre. She had leading roles in Misconceptions (The Public Theatre), Kennedy’s Children (The SoHo Playhouse), and Bottom of the 9th (The Turtle Shell Theatre).
Alison wrote, produced and starred in two award-winning web series. She is an on-going contributor to The Catalyst Story Institute with her series, First Child Problems. Her series, Common Charges, was screened at many festivals and was awarded Best Acting in a Web Series: Hollywood & Vine Festival 2014.
Alison has gone on to utilize her unique comedic voice to normalize issues surrounding Women’s Health. She has a portfolio of projects about women in relation to their bodies, that make people laugh, squirm, and pee a little.
On her current slate: AfterBirth (pilot), The Heavy (pilot), and The Hole Truth (short film).
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Challenges and Obstacles! Wow, where to begin. The industry is really facing a very difficult moment! After surviving the drought of Covid and two strikes, and now the consolidation at the network level and layoffs, plus work leaving town…. it can feel like there is nothing left! Nothing left to pursue, which for an artist, is lethal! Auditions have been light and selling/buying scripts/projects seems nearly impossible. I am so eager to go out with my latest pilot, but do not have writing representation willing to package it and get it out, as the current marketplace is so broken.
At the start of this year, I started a Production Company called Back Up Plan Productions. When I was younger and told people I wanted to be an actor, the naysayers would say. “What’s your back up plan?” – which always took the wind from my sails. At this point, it’s a battle cry. This is my back-up plan. This is a company run off of the estrogen of women who won’t settle. I want to hire women, and moms, and make projects about women in relation to their bodies.
Right now, I am working to attach funding for a short film I wrote, called, “The Hole Truth” about destigmatizing Postpartum Recovery. Together with my partner on the film, Natasha Goss, we have already brought on two brands to help fund the film, which is a big change from going the production company or private investor route! TotSquad (Jen Saxton) and Tiny Transitions (Courtney Zentz & Kelly Burton) have come on to contribute to the film’s budget and to connect us to other like minded brands and entrepreneurs.
I had read a great deal about the recent rise in the trend to integrate brands from the conception of a project, and so I set out on this very path with “The Hole Truth.” As the Branded Upfronts by Michael Sugar are demonstrating, branded content could be one way to pull us out of this industry “contraction.” As consumer attention becomes increasingly fragmented and traditional advertising becomes less effective due to the saturation of ads bombarding consumers, brands need new ways to achieve the same level of impact! Branded films create emotional connection, providing deeper engagement with consumers. These are deeper connections, that when built, create a lasting bond between the brand and its audience, translating to increased brand affinity, loyalty and ultimately sales.
We hope to get “The Hole Truth” on the Festival Circuit in 2025 and to get more people laughing and talking about the changes that happen to women’s bodies after they have a baby. We do not need to hide behind shame, and all of these amazing brands coming onboard are proof that we all need to hear this message and we are not alone.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Actress/Writer/Producer/Mom/Wife/Dog Owner!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite and earliest memories was going to see “The Secret Garden” on Broadway. My mom took me on the train from Rockville Centre on Long Island, into Manhattan. I was about five and my mom got me a red booster seat that matched the red velvet of the chairs, so that I had a clear view of the stage. I sat in the theatre, all dressed up, and waited for the show to begin. My mom showed me the Playbill, pointing out that there would be children in the show. The lights went out, the orchestra started, and the rest was history! I was in love! The lights, the music, and the magic of a garden growing on that stage in Times Square. I left the theatre working to perfect my British accent, as Mary Lennox. I got it! I understood the transformation and never looked back! Acting, creating, playing became my happiest place and my greatest passion.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alisonwhitney.com
- Instagram: @alisonwhitney15
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxOeFieggLnLj1B4YCZOyXQ
- Other: http://www.imdb.me/alisonwhitney
Image Credits
Photography by Josh Fingerhut Hair / Make up Styling by Joanna Klein
