Today we’d like to introduce you to Blythe Howard.
Blythe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I was nine years old, I wanted to be a news anchor. I studied Broadcast Journalism at Washington State University ( GO COUGS! ) I was apart of the student ran production studio called Cable 8 Productions where I hosted a dating game show called Get Hooked Up and was a Lead on a show called Little Town (lol good times) but honestly, I never really liked school. Like who really uses Algebra. Even in High School, I swear the only reason I went to school was because I played sports year-round and all my coaches were the teachers, so I like, kind of had to be there. The only time a showed any interest was when an assignment called for creativity, or when I had to do public speaking, I remember my homeroom teacher, Mr. Baker, caught on to my MIA ways and made me join the after school Speech and Debate program. EXTRA SCHOOL?? No way. And For the record when I skipped class I was actually going to Barnes and Nobles, you’ll have to ask my mom about the time we got caught! But I ended up loving it and actually being really good at it. Growing up me and my sister Kesley were ALWAYS entertaining friends and family, our group of friends would run around town and film skits. When I got to college, I just wanted to skip all the prerequisites and just be a news anchor already. So naturally I was skipping class one day and saw a promo on MTV calling all TRL ( Total Request Live) Host wannabes to apply to be a VJ for a day but when I applied it kept saying “error, error” so I never thought it went through. A week later, I got a call from one of the TRL producers! I had to make an audition video of why I would be a great VJ; I’m pretty sure the audition video is still online somewhere Lol. I got another call to do a skype interview with producers, and then a week after that I was flown out to host the show in Times Square, my sister even got to come with me!! They said out of 25,000 submissions they picked four people to host that week. Hosting alongside Damein Fahey was so fun and motivating, I remember looking around and just feeling so good head to toe, I was in my element! I got back home and started looking up acting schools, I packed everything up and transferred to The Academy of Art University in San Francisco where I focused on Acting, for the first time in my life (that I can remember) I LOVED going to school! I loved being in class. During one of my finals, I was in the middle of a scene on stage, and I remember very vividly thinking to myself “Oh my god, this is what I want to do with my life” I felt it in my bones. I knew I had to get to LA. I went back home to save up money and also studied Meisner at the Seattle Acting School.
Once I got to Los Angeles, I hit the ground running. At first, I said I would wait to get headshots until I lost weight, but then I said eff that, I got my headshots and booked my first commercial as lead within a week of being in LA. I booked another commercial on my own and decided it was time to get an agent. I’ve been non-stop ever since. Fast forward six years later, I’ve booked over 50 commercial and print campaigns as a Principal Performer, booked lead, co-star, guest-star and recurring roles on Network shows. And now, I also coach actors!! When I was starting out nobody wanted to give advice or tips, or I’d get the “Oh you want to be an actor? You? How ambitious” So I am more than happy to help actors get started, get coaching, or give advice. There is something extremely motivating helping others succeed. I truly believe there is room for all of us, and there is something for EVERYONE. I started just having conversations with people when they asked for advice, but I found that not everybody follows through it or shows up, so I ultimately decided to turn this into a business. I started privately coaching in November 2018, mainly focusing on commercial work, public speaking, and hosting. I just launched my first Commercial Workshop in June 2019. At the workshop, I breakdown the commercial audition process step by step, teaching actors tips and tricks on how to effectively brand and submit themselves, audition prep, audition etiquette, how to stand out in the room, and how to break down commercial cold reads and then we wrap it all up a Q&A with working industry professionals. My plan is to host a workshop every month and take it to different cities. What sets my style of coaching and workshops apart from others in this city is, I’m coming straight from an actors perspective and its very specific. I’ve been in the “trenches” and at the end of the day some of the things my clients learn, you cannot teach it unless you’ve been through it, these tips don’t come from a book or from anyone else in town. Now with that being said, you can and will learn a lot from other classes and workshops, I encourage everybody to take as many classes as they can for as long as they can!! Fill up your arsenal and pull out those tools when you need them.
Today, I am extremely grateful that I get to act for a living, coach, and help actors succeed, and I just dropped the promo for webseries that I created and produced Project PAYNE! It’s been a beautiful journey so far, thank you for letting me share it with you.
Great, 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?
I work in an industry that is extremely unpredictable, which can be scary. There are constant ups and downs, but I’ve learned its ultimately about how you deal with the downs. Nobody teaches you how to do that. It can get dark really fast, but what are you doing during those downtimes. If this is something you really want to do, you have to find a way to stay motivated! Keep that fire burning! Update your profiles, get new headshots, take class, write a script, shoot a short film, webseries. There are so many platforms for creating your own content these days, you really dont have an excuse to why you’re not booking a role you really want, just create that opportunity for yourself!! That’s how I came up with Project PAYNE, I had an idea two years ago about wanting to be an Assassin, when it was “slow” for me, I hired a team of writers to help map out the series and now we have two episodes shot and a proof of concept ready to shop around! Find your actor family, lean on eachother. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. When you think things aren’t happening, something happens! I probably sent over a hundred self-tapes to my Atlanta agent and the minute I was ready to say “To hell with self-tapes” I booked a recurring co-star from a self-tape and was flown out to ATL a week later. The struggles are just apart of the deal but always always always keep it moving! Thats when the magic happens. Oh and book a flight somewhere, you’ll book something that shoots the same dates you’re out of town. Lol
Actor’s Life With Blythe – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Specializing in Commercial Work, Public Speaking, Hosting, and Commercial Workshops. For private coaching, I offer in-person (LA), and skype sessions are available to those beyond Los Angeles. Each session is catered to you individually, whether you’re a new actor, a working actor or just want to learn about the business. I do also offer payment plans to those who feel money is the reason for holding them back from taking action.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My dad played for the Seattle Seahawks, and I went out for this NFL Shoppe commercial as a ‘football fan,’ and of course I went in with my Seahawks gear and BOOKED it!! I was so proud I got to rep my city, you never know with those spots, they could have put me in a Patriots jersey (yuck), and it was an awesome moment when my dad called to say he was proud of me. It’s the little things, It all comes full circle. And the commercial was cool and empowering, all women doing their thing in cute football gear. Like, we are badass sports fans too.
Also, I’m from a small town (Maple Valley, WA) and when I was first starting out, that same teacher who made me join speech and debate messaged me and told me he saw one of my commercials on TV. My stuff is airing back home?? I felt like I had made it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ActorsLifeWithBlythe.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Gunner James – Photographer
Shelby Carol – Photographer
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
