Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Lakin.
Hi Christine, 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.
My name is Christine Lakin. I am a self-described recovering child actor (haha) you might remember from the popular 90s sitcom “Step By Step” on the TGIF lineup. I have worked as an actor in many television shows and films, in theater, and as a voice-over artist in animated shows like “Family Guy” and audiobook narrations such as the Michael Connelly “Bosch” detective series. I was a trained dancer growing up and have used those skills to choreograph theater productions, films, and multiple episodes of television. In the last 10 years, I started to pivot my career towards directing and producing. I created a digital series called “Lovin’ Lakin,” which can be found on YouTube and which I sold to Hulu. Around the same time, I created a live storytelling show called “Worst Ever,” which ran in Los Angeles for several years before being sold as a pilot to Pop TV and being made into a podcast. After that, I executive produced and starred in a partially scripted comedy for Pop called “Hollywood Darlings,” which ran for two seasons. I now primarily direct television and short films, having worked on such shows as “The Goldbergs,” “Schooled,” “Life By Ella,” and “High School Musical, The Series.” I have two short films currently in the festival circuit, “Who Am I” starring Grammy Nominated artist Petey Pablo and “An Interracial Couple In A Cheerios Ad”, a musical spoof on the advertising industry, which has won best short musical at several festivals, including Dances With Films in LA. I have a rewatch podcast with Staci Keanan that drops February 28th entitled “Keanan & Lakin Give You Deja Vu”! Check it out everywhere you get your podcasts!
Although I started my career as an actor, there were many moments along the way that directed my path to where I am today. I have always been interested in the production of television and the behind-the-scenes action that goes on with live and scripted production. Being a self-starter and creating my own lane with projects was something born out of necessity in a competitive town like Hollywood, but also appealed to my creative brain to constantly try things and bring folks together to create something fun and unique. I think the biggest thing that’s helped me pivot my career over the years has been saying yes to opportunities that sometimes scared me, that didn’t always seem like a linear path to where I thought I wanted to go. I’ve used these opportunities to learn something new, whether it be a skill set, a connection, or even a lesson in how to improve a production or leadership style in the future.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been smooth. I think any creative who has had zero fear or roadblocks along their path would be either lying or in the extreme minority! Self-doubt is always present because putting yourself out there as your brand, whether as an actor or a writer, or a director, is inherently very personal. Yet, we are in a subjective business and told not to take rejection personally. It’s a fine line. I remember when I first started making the switch to directing, it was filled with roadblocks. It’s hard to be competitive for that first big job when you’ve had no experience at that level before. The feedback can feel like a Catch-22: You desperately want to prove you can do it, but folks have a hard time taking a chance on someone new. So, how do you ever move the needle? It was incredibly frustrating, and I had moments of real doubt it would ever happen. I thought about giving up completely. I was a new mom; I had been working nearly my whole life in the entertainment business, and yet I was feeling like I had wasted time doing the wrong things. I had to really keep the faith that my hard work and hustle would pay off eventually. I continued on my path, making connections, making my own shorts, directing everything I could get my hands on to prove I knew what I was doing. I say success is when preparation and opportunity meet. There’s a good dose of luck involved too. And for me, that was exactly the combination that brought me to my first big job 7 weeks after my son was born. I was again, a new mom of 2 now, and in position to prove myself. I was low on sleep, high on adrenaline, and running on instinct. It was an important moment I look back on now that I’m grateful I didn’t freeze or let the imposter syndrome or negative self-talk dictate my reality.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Having been an actor for decades, I feel my unique skill set as a director and choreographer comes from that early training. The work of breaking down a scene, understanding character motivation, inventing backstory and connective tissue is one of my favorite parts of creating the reality in a story. It’s one thing to read the page and understand what the writer is going for and another to internalize it, feel it, and make it your own. I didn’t always get the parts in my acting career that stretched these skills, but I practiced them a lot in class and in my own auditions. That work and practice is something I bring in now on set to talk actors through the moment by moment or to bring them back to where we are in the story, as most times, shows are filmed out of order. It’s a language I’m proud to have and ultimately proved that all those years certainly weren’t wasted. I still enjoy acting and do it on occasion. I think it’s important to remember for those on the other side of the camera how nuanced and difficult it is, and when an actor makes it look easy and natural, how brilliant that person’s performance is. I’ve worked with well-established actors as well as folks who are newer to the process, and I find the relationship and trust they develop with the director can be the key to a connected performance.
I also grew up on a set. The rhythm of production and navigating issues and pitfalls is something I’m used to. Live theater taught me a lot about how to just make it work when something goes awry. It takes a certain level of removal from your ultimate plan and troubleshooting and collaboration to best service the project. It’s a team mentality for sure. If theater was a team sport, I’d say that was my training for how I work today.
I’m also entirely grateful for my early success. I had the most fun working as a child and surrounded by wonderful people. I love the fans that still approach me today and those who are now watching “Step By Step” again with their kids. There’s a nostalgia that, as a fan of that time, I can completely appreciate. I’ll be at 90’s con this March to connect with fans new and old!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am by nature, a doer. I am never satisfied sitting waiting for the phone to ring. I have too much creative energy to sit on and an unwillingness to fail. To be clear, I have failed many times. Not every project, every audition, or every script, meeting, or job can be a total and complete winner. That’s just the odds. But it doesn’t stop me. Maybe it’s the idea of being underestimated that I just can’t reconcile for myself. When someone tells me no, I say to myself, “Okay, well, watch this.” I try to learn from the moment, work a little harder, dig a little deeper, pivot where possible, and emerge again. I think for me, it’s the only way to keep momentum in a business that thrives on what’s next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christinelakin.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yolakin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineLakinVerified/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lakin/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/keananandlakin/?hl=en
Image Credits
Eric Michael
Roy Inda Reid
