Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Simone.
Hi Natasha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It was the first-grade production of Billy Goat’s Gruff. I had my eyes on Billy Goat #2, the Billy Goat with the most lines. I landed the part and never looked back.
But really, I don’t know where or why the obsession with theatre started; it was just always something I wanted to be a part of. Maybe it was because I was shy and acting was a way for me to interact with people without having to use my own words. But when I eventually came out of my shell, the pull toward storytelling was still there and I’ve followed it ever since.
This strange tug carried me through high school and into USC where I eventually met the love of my life, Danny Dalah, who is equally story-obsessed. If you have to be in this industry, get yourself a partner who is just as crazy/passionate about storytelling as you are! You’ll be knocked down over and over and will need someone who understands why you’re putting yourself through all this nonsense. Since graduating, we’ve been creating content and navigating this post-college, pre-apocalyptic crazy world together.
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?
Have you been on Indiana Jones at Disneyland? On the surface, it looks safe and fun but inside it’s a never-ending chaotic joyride that breaks down every hour. That’s been my road so far. On the surface, I did all the things you’re supposed to do: get good grades in high school, get into a dream college, continued to get good grades while I acted, directed and produced, and graduated with Magna Cum Laude (sorry to brag, it’s just something that never comes up anymore, so why did I kill myself for 4 years to do it??!), then shortly after graduating landed an entry-level industry job. But underneath the facade of everything going well, I was narrowly avoiding a boulder that would soon run me off the tracks.
My whole life I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression, and the demons inside me needed to be dealt with. After college, I started therapy–the first one in my family to ever do so. Facing my demons was work, but putting it off just deepened my depression and I realized I needed to take a break from the industry. Without getting into a family trauma memoir you didn’t sign up for, my life became about survival more than anything else. And only just recently–now that I’m safe and finding ways to cope with my mental illness–have I started to enjoy creative pursuits again.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, my first passion was acting, and that is where I have the most training. I studied both at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and School of Cinematic Arts, bouncing between acting, directing, producing, and writing to see where I fit best. I’m honestly still not sure, so I’d describe myself as a jack of all trades, master of none with a knack for good storytelling.
As far as what I’m most proud of, it has to be the puppet music videos I produced for Dan Harmon’s Channel 101. My partner Danny is an incredibly talented musical comedian who wrote an album of hilarious comedy songs. He had an idea to turn one of the songs into a puppet music video to be released with the album, and he trusted me to help produce it–which I am so grateful for. So we made the video and he sent it to Channel 101 on a whim, not expecting it to get accepted. Not only did they feature it, but the live audience also voted us in to see another episode the next month!
Excitement and terror shot through us as we realized we’d have 3 weeks to do what took us 3 months. But the late nights planning and sewing puppet costumes (one night where I actually sewed through my finger and had to go to the emergency room) were so worth it when it all came together on shooting day. Working with a group of our talented, incredible friends, the room was bubbling with creativity and excitement, and I started to remember why I chose this field. We ended up getting voted in for 3 more months before we had to self-cancel.
Getting to be a part of these videos was the beginning of the artistic spark reigniting inside me. Sometimes when you’re working your way up in the industry, you’re so far removed from anything creative that it’s hard to remember why you started in the first place. But getting to translate our story ideas into reality in a matter of weeks was so fulfilling, and it gave us a peek into what our future could be someday if we just keep working at it.
In a perfect world, Danny and I would work together on a larger scale, maybe running our own production company. He has such an eye for comedy and he is so great at world-building. Then I like to bring in some refining story details and start to work out the logistics. We’re a great team with such talented friends and the hope is that we can all continue working and growing as artists together.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Resilience. It’s cliche, but you do face a lot of rejection in this industry. And I’m not resilient because I always believe in myself and believe with all my heart that I will make it someday. I’m just stubborn and I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. And now that I’m in a more stable place mentally and physically, I’m just fanning the little creative flame inside me and seeing where it wants to go.
But I’ve found that even more important than having success is having people around you that see you as successful no matter what. My grandma was great at this. When times used to get really tough, I would call her for help. She would listen patiently and at the end, say something to the effect of “Just do your best and it’ll be ok.” No lofty expectations, no advice that I would feel bad for not following. Just do your best. She’s no longer with us, so now I have to be the one to tell myself, “do your best.” Some days my best looks like watching and analyzing films, and sometimes my best is just managing to feed myself for the day, and that’s ok.
My mom has also carried that torch for my grandma; I don’t know what I would do without her endless support. She’s always encouraged me to slow down and enjoy the simple things. Early on in her life, she put aside her dreams of being an artist to pursue more “practical” career. Because of this, she taught me the importance of following my passion without putting on any pressure on me to succeed. She’s a truly remarkable woman.
But of course, one of my biggest champions and to whom I owe so much personal and professional success is (you guessed it) my guy, Danny Dalah. He put me up for this article, and I had no idea why because in my mind I’m not doing anything article-worthy. I want to do a million things and don’t have a clear direction on how to do any of them, but he believed in me and pushed me to follow through. And I’m so glad he did, and I hope this article finds other people who might feel a little lost in this industry but who would feel more lost without it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tater_tash.0/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natasha.simone.94/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRr84btCj_g&list=PLbp-Fyes3zNF8SbfANR0F_XV8Rl5ubRxC&ab_channel=DannyDalah
