Today we’d like to introduce you to Alycia Conrad.
Hi Alycia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Well I grew up as the youngest of 3 in NJ/FL and always new I wanted to perform/work in entertainment and be a storyteller. I grew up as a competitive dancer and switched over to a focus on acting and never looked back. When i was 13 i heard about a talent scout audition on the radio for a showcase and had my mom take me. It went well and they offered me a full scholarship to the showcase in Orlando FL. I was disqualified for using props in my monologue during the competition but that ended up working to my benefit because apparently I was the talk during the agent’s lunch that day and ended up getting multiple callbacks from agents wanting to meet with me. I ended up traveling to LA that summer for more auditions with some of the biggest agencies in the business and was shocked so many had real interest in me and what I had to offer. Being the youngest sibling, my parents were not ready to uproot our whole family to Los Angeles so we went back to Florida and for the next 4 years, they would drive me 4 hours to and from Orlando every other weekend to study and train with my acting coaches. It was my escape. Even though I went to a performing arts high school, it wasn’t the best experience. I called myself a “career woman” and really focused on my craft until I graduated and moved to Orlando for college. I ended up traveling back out to LA the following summer and auditioned for more agencies and managers and told my mom “I’m moving to LA in 3 weeks will you help me?” And she did. At 19 years old I moved across the country with a “promise” to sign with a fantastic manager. Once I was here, I met with said management team, it went great but before I could even turn the key in the ignition to leave the parking lot, I got an email saying that the rest of the team had “another blonde girl just like you” and will not be pursuing a professional relationship. Left with nothing and no one across the country I did what anyone would do and got a cat and a cheap apartment in Hollywood. I worked a bunch of odd jobs while taking my college classes online and trying to find my footing in the entertainment industry here. I was met with a lot of “We already have someone like you”, “You look too average”, “You’re not thin enough”, “You’re not pretty enough” but I kept pushing. I got a job as a tour guide at Warner Bros and that’s where unexpected doors started to open. That job was interesting to say the least. It gave me flashbacks of high school but when I was able to be on the cart unscripted with 13 strangers for a few hours, it was so cool. I got to have free reign on one of the most historical lots. The working conditions weren’t the best and when it would get to be too much, I would use it as an acting exercise. I would give a 3 hour tour in a british or scottish accent, some days it would be my birthday or maybe my first day back from maternity leave. I apologize to my guests but really I was just trying to get through the day. I would constantly be searching on the WB internal site for any job openings and I saw they were looking for a temp PA on Season 16 of the Ellen Degeneres Show and I applied. I got the job and was only supposed to be there for 3 days but I did something right because they kept me on. The production manager and I were close as we were both from Jersey and he said where do I want to move to within the show and hed help me and I just said wardrobe or props sounds cool and before the season ended I was the props PA. I had never done props before, but being a crafty person and LOVING a DIY project (you should see all the renter friendly flips I’ve done in my apartments) i realized pretty quickly that I was good at this job. I was working 12-15 hour days and I can’t say i always loved it or that it was a healthy work life balance but I am so garteful for that time. I was going through a rough time personally and really used that job as a coping mechanism. I spent so much time either on those stages or in my car shopping for that show I should’ve sent my rent checks to Stage 1 at the WB Lot. Between that show and Ellen’s Game of Games, I ended up joining IATSE local 44 and becoming the Asst. Prop Master at the Ellen Show by 25. That job was my whole life. I learned how a television show works, how to organize and run an entire department, make a space at the table for myself as a young woman in a male dominated department and industry and the adversities that come with that, but I also was able to make an actual wage and go on amazing trips and give back to my family for the first time. There are many ups and downs. After the show ended I made the natural transition over to the Jennifer Hudson Show which was filming on the same stages. During this transition, I realized work was running my life and some of the people that I had been spending 90% of my time with working , were impacting me and my health in a negative way so I started therapy and found myslef a new acting studio. Crash Acting, This really brought me back to myself and is where I met some of my best friends. Only took me 8 years. During the transition to the Jennifer Hudson Show and working on boundaries and work life balance, it was very clear that this wasn’t working well anymore. The people I’d been working with for 8 years weren’t capable of respecting my boundaries ar acknowledging praise I was getting from other departments for our small crew being so solid. THings started to crack. My health quickly started to decline and I ended up not being able to use my hands or walk. I ended up having to take 4 months off of work and spending all of my time in hospitals and offices with needles in my arms. I was diagnosed with Lupus. My life has completely been turned upside down since then. Stress ultimately is what brought it on and it was stress from the work and the toxic environment I was in. During those 4 months, it was telling who reached out and who didn’t. I lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks. My hands and feet and joints were so swollen and painful, just air blowing on them felt excruciating. I fell into a deep depression and still struggle today with my mental health. Eventually I was able to get my symptoms to be manageable enough and I was so fearful of losing my insurance, I went back to work. When there, I felt so unwelcome. Not by the whole show, but the department I was apart of and took care of for 8 years. When the show ended I knew I needed to leave for my own health but with the state of the industry and the dire need for my health insurance, I would’ve come back for the 3rd season but I got a call a few weeks later with HR on the phone and I was let go. The person I had worked with and was friends with for years not only didn’t have my back, but held a knife in it. That rocked me. I was at the lowest I’d ever been in my life and i felt like i was kicked while I was down. WHile being sick and at risk of flaring any second, I started reaching out to anyone I knew in the industry looking for a job but everyone else had been slow with work since the strikes. My body didn’t work like it used to anymore. My hands tremor and are weak, I’m chronically fatiqued, migraines, declining eyesight, rashes, UTI’s, extreme joint pain etc yet my whole profession is manual labor. I tunred to TikTok to find a support group and other people going through a similar thing as me. I started making videos seeking help but also sharing my journey so if there’s someone else out there feeling even an ounce of fear., loneliness, hopelessnes etc I was feeling, I could help in some way. It ended up being a great resource for me. I’m very outspoken now about womens health, holistic healing and mental health. I started focusing more on my acting and Voice Over career and have been able to book commercials with Disney and Celsius as well as narrate a few audiobooks. I’ve been dabbling in the Vertical Media game which has been very interesting. I got a part time job as a content creator for a few companies and have been freelancing as a set dresser and props asst from the small contact that I have as well as a wardrobe assistant from time to time. A friend of mine who works in sales said to try LinkedIn because that’s how they hire all of their employees and I laughed because that’s not how our industry works but I searched what shows are currently filming and who their prop masters were and just started sending linkedin dm’s to them all. Someone got back to me and kindly gave me a shot and ended up becoming my most consistent work to date working on shows like SuitsLA and a Netflix show currently filming. Things are slowly picking up but in an industry that’s so uncertain, how do you not have anxiety and stress especially after coming from a consistent paycheck for close to 10 years? This has been the biggest lesson and most humbling expereince of my life. How could it not be? I’ve learned that if you don’t have your health you have nothing. But sometimes in this industry it can feel like you must push yourself to the brink as that’s the culture. I am still learning everyday what my body can and cannot handle as well as how resilient I am. I’ve been in LA for 10 years this past September and when I’m feeling low – especially in the last 2 years- I remind myself I have done all of this on my own. I’m paving my own path and I’ve survived everything else I have been through so far, I will survive this too. I have to believe that everything happens for a reason and even this, which has felt so unfair and scary alot of the times, has happened for a reason. And I hope that I can help raise awareness and hope not only for lupus warriors but also anyone battling chronic illness, mental health battles, young women with a passion etc that somehow someway you will be okay and you will succeed if you prioritize you and never stop going after what you want most in this life. And at the end of the day, all that little girl wanted was to help tell meaningful stories that can help people and maybe that is still what I’m doing through this work, it just took a little reroute and is unscripted.
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?
Oh my goodness -well I think i just wrote waaayyyy too much on the other prompt hahaha! But definitely touched on this.
Short version. No haha. It has not been smooth but my entire life has been bumpy. I never fit into the mold other wanted me to. Whether that be a man in power, a high school teacher, an acting coach or judge etc. But somehow always following my gut has lead me to where I am today and to my most successful achievements.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor/asst.Prop master/Voice artist.
I worked as the Asst. Prop Master on the Ellen Degeneres for for the last 4 seasons which is probably my most notable professional credit.
I recently was nominated as Best Actress for the film Hello_From.m4a at the Burbank International Film Festival with just 2 other nominees as well as at Noho Cinefest and winner at the Boden International Film Festival.
I am always willing to bend the rules whether it be a self tape, a competition or the typical road to success in this industry. I’m an outspoken woman and I heard quiet women seldom make history.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
A friend recently said to me over coffee that half of the success in our industry has just come from sticking things out when other people gave up and i think there’s truth to that. I believe in right place at the right time and I think I can credit that to some of my success but mostly perseverance.
My family has always said we have the Conrad curse. If other people can float through life, we will always have to push the boulder up the hill. I’ve had to work extremely hard for everything I’ve achieved in my life and in the moment, often times im frustrated and upset but after the fact I look back and am proud of myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alyciaconrad.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyciaconrad/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alycia-conrad-853a4b341
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alycia-conrad-853a4b341
Image Credits
Chris John Photography
Mike Rozman
Marty Morris Photography
