Life & Work with Tara Parker of Los Angeles/Santa Clarita

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Parker.

Hi Tara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in North Hollywood, CA, but my family moved out to the country in Georgia when I was three. We were living in Northridge during the big 1994 earthquake. After that, my mom wanted the heck out-so, off to the south we went!

Summer vacations brought me back to the Valley to visit my grandparents, and, honestly, they are some of the best memories I have. From a young age I always wanted to get back to California. It felt so beautiful and sunny— Disneyland, the sequoias, the beach! Pure paradise.

One summer when I was twelve, my gramma enrolled me in a little theater camp that Granada Hills Theater was running. That camp changed everything. Before, I never felt like I had hit my groove. I was terrible at sports, wasn’t a math whiz- but when I landed the lead role as Peter Pan, something clicked. I finally felt like my life made sense.

When I got back to Georgia, I would spend hours up until 1am researching how to become a film actor. I started auditioning for all the school plays and acted in every theater show I could throughout high school.

I went on to attend Kennesaw State University for a couple years, but oddly I never let myself major in theater. All of my family was guiding me to make “rational”, safe decisions, and I guess I was trying to please them. But, eventually I couldn’t ignore my heart anymore. I told my dad I was moving to LA.

Now, luckily my grandparents lived in Simi Valley—not too far from the city—and it felt like destiny was on my side. Even so, there still were some doubters. One of my own acting coaches in Atlanta actually told me not to go—said the competition would be too stiff and that I should cancel my plans.

Her words left a little bit of a smirk on my face as I booked my first commercial agent and shot a Samsung commercial within my first three months in L.A.! Moving here was the best decision I could have made. It has made me a better actor and exposed me to so much more opportunity. If you’re an artist, go where the opportunity is.

Since then it has been quite a journey: going through different agents, driving to a million auditions, getting rejected—a lot, and then landing awesome roles—even having people from back home message me “Hey, was that you in that commercial?!”

My resume started to grow. I landed a role in a Hulu Original “Into the Dark: Pure”, plus appearing on Amazon Prime and Lifetime. That Hulu role officially got me into SAG-AFTRA, which was a huge milestone! My best friend from high school even congratulated me since it was a long time goal.

And then…the pandemic hit.

In a way though, it helped. It gave me time to slow down and reconnect with why I wanted this career in the first place. To be honest-I started to feel like I was becoming a hamster on a wheel: constantly auditioning, never stopping to think or be creative.

So, I told my agent and manager I needed a break. I started writing and producing my own content, mainly comedy sketches. The first one was actually pretty successful, and Dave Asprey (founder of Bullet Proof Coffee) even reposted it on his Instagram story! Since then, I’ve been writing original sketches and songs, experimenting with musical comedy and satire.

Currently I’m in preproduction for a musical comedy short, and in post production for a Weird Al-style music parody. It feels amazing to be creating from my own imagination again-and building work that reflects my voice-not just waiting for someone else to give me the green light. I’m realizing I came here to share and create stories so people can laugh and smile-and remember the magic in life.

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?
It’s been a bit of both, rough and smooth! Some roles and agents seemed to have fallen right in my lap, but mostly it’s been a lot of hustling and rinse and repeat. Rejection is normal in the acting biz, and if you can let it slide off your back you will succeed. You just gotta keep getting up and going back out there! Finding balance has also been important, hence, when I took a break from auditioning. I think some of the most frustrating parts for me have been when I’d do an audition that I felt I totally nailed (one of them actually was for a nail polish commercial), and the casting directors loved me….but then I’d never get called back. Ouch! It’s happened a lot and it really checks your ego. After writing and producing my own content, it’s helped me not to take all that personally. In the end, the role goes to the person who best helps tell the story. And I’m continuing to learn to let go, get back up, and do it again.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m very grateful to have worked on the Hulu production where I played Lilith, the mythological first woman ever created—and let me tell you, the costume fittings for this were so fun. I also had the honor of playing the female lead in a short horror film called Whitetail, written and directed by Josh Minyard. I loved how this film turned out and was very excited when I was nominated as “Best Performer” at the Austin After Dark Film Festival.

More recently, I also co-starred alongside Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black), and it was incredible to meet and work with her! She’s such a down-to-earth powerhouse— I felt leveled up just standing next to her.

I’m very proud of all the original sketches and songs I’ve made and posted online—even my singing cover video of “Open Up Your Eyes” that has over 100k views on Youtube! Every so often I’ll be hanging with friends and we’ll watch some of my sketches, and when they bust out laughing or say “This should be on SNL,” I light up inside.

My style blends influences like Weird Al, Rachel Bloom, and maybe Lonely Island or Felicia Day. I love writing musical comedy—that’s where I feel most like myself, and I think that’s where I stand out. I’m especially excited for my next musical short in preproduction—it’s big, ambitious, and probably the most “me” thing I’ve made yet.

What matters most to you? Why?
That’s a big question. I think, for me, creating. My numerology life path is 33, which becomes a 6, the number of the “creator.” I’ve always had the creative itch, and I probably always will. I have to keep expressing myself to feel happy and free. But more importantly, I want to use it to uplift others. Life is filled with tragedy and pain…but stories can give us hope and bring us joy, even if for a little while. And I love making people laugh. That matters very much to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thetaraparker.com
• Instagram: @thetaraparker
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetaraparker
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6OjWayOKBSk6UP7GfoC59I?si=qhI6vD2pRpW3_tlgwqI61ghttps%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fartist%2F6OjWayOKBSk6UP7GfoC59I%3Fsi%3DqhI6vD2pRpW3_tlgwqI61g&nd=1&dlsi=3f6b7ca51297401f

Image Credits
Headshot: Jeff LaPensee
Hulu Pure: Blumhouse
Whitetail: Josh Minyard