Conversations with Kaitlyn Ohara

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Ohara.

Hi Kaitlyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m an actress and a production coordinator. Growing up in the Bay Area, I first tried professionally acting but multiple experiences negatively affected my relationship with acting and my identity. In college, I focused on film production/behind-the-scenes roles instead of acting. After graduating from Santa Clara University in 2019, I moved to LA and while working odd gigs and background acting, was looking for any consistent day job that would allow me to figure out what I wanted to focus on. March 2020, I unexpectedly moved back home to the bay because of COVID. But in October 2020, I was lucky to get a production coordinator job at Across the Pond, an international marketing and production company. I continued in production management when I moved onto an Office PA position at the Main Production department at WBTV and in June 2023, a production coordinator role at A+E Studios on the Multiplatform Production Operations team.

During the height of COVID, I craved an artistic outlet and got back into an online acting class and it was my saving grace. Working on my craft and having the scenes as my outlet and focus reminded me how important acting was to me and my passion. Acting became my larger career goal and the motivator of my day job also became to sustain my acting endeavors. I’ve consistently been in acting classes for the past couple of years, focusing on scene study, audition technique, and recently voice-over. Last fall, I booked the lead and filmed an Asian, queer LMU grad thesis called “Over Easy”. This film was validating my love for the craft, collaborating on sets, and my passion to make art, especially in relation to my identity as an Asian queer woman. “Over Easy” has gone onto official selection at the Out South and Honolulu Rainbow Film Festivals.

So currently, I work as a production coordinator, leveraging my production and logistical experience while focusing on my craft. I’m working on gaining representation, auditioning, and dipping my toes into voiceover.

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?
Obstacles that come to mind are from my own mind. I struggled with my identity and confidence. When I first started getting back into acting during COVID, I felt insecure about being an Asian woman in the space and then as a queer woman. It took me over a year to feel comfortable telling others about pursuing acting and calling myself an actor.

Trying to balance life and avoid burnout has also been something that I consistently work on. I try to be mindful and conscious about all the different areas of my life that I dedicate my energy to and being kind to myself when I feel like I’m getting in my own way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a very emotional, logical, and empathetic person. I’ve come to realize these parts of my personality and being are all part of my chest of skills, as well as my identities. I sit well both within comedy and drama and consistently bring myself to my work.

I also love a puzzle and I think of the script and scene as a puzzle. Understanding the different pieces and how they all fit together are things I find a fun and rewarding challenge.

I’m proud of how open I am to exploring my identities in my art, rather than shying away from them as I have in the past. That’s growth baby!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a curious lil nerd who loved video games, TV, theatre, and cartoons. That hasn’t changed! I also was involved in sports and have always been an active person, which balances out my more sedentary hobbies. I studied martial arts for 11 years and grew up playing tennis with my grandpa and on school teams.

I’m a Chinese and Japanese 5th-generation American and grew up in the Bay Area near my Chinese family and culture. My grandparents would babysit me and frequently took me to Oakland Chinatown running errands or having a meal. It wasn’t something I thought much about growing up, but after I started college and wasn’t in as close proximity to my Chinese family and culture, I realized how significantly my culture has impacted my artistic vision and interests. Meeting and collaborating with other Asian creatives has been very rewarding to me and something I will strive to do throughout my career.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kates4ever/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlynohara

Image Credits
Dana Patrick