Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Gibson.
Hi Carrie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been pursuing a career as an actor and writer since I started a touring theater company in the 1990s when I lived in Seattle. We toured shows on racism and homophobia and as a result, were targeted in the Christian Coalition enemy’s list one year, quite the honor. I moved to LA and 2004 to put all the focus on my career as an actor in TV/Film. I took classes, got an agent, met as many people as I could and had very small victories. After six years of juggling the rare audition with other ways to earn money, I declared in my acting class that I was done. I began a graduate school program to teach and after six months realized it was not for me and all I wanted to do was act. When I returned, I decided I would do whatever it took even if it meant missing a family vacation or any obstacle that might present itself. My new attitude coupled with a joining SGI, a Buddhist chanting practice was the magic formula I needed to get my career moving. I did over 30 student films, Indies and began to book costar roles on major shows. In the Buddhist chanting practice your are told to focus on something you really want and chant for that. I chanting for my biggest role yet and one week later, I found myself on the set of Super Store. Meanwhile, my writing partner and I were writing and rewriting screenplays not sure of how they would get beyond the shelf. Fast forward to the last year when I decided I wanted to be bicoastal to be closer to family in NY and break into that market while building on my relationships in LA. My goal is evolving and I have now officially worked on both coasts and have landed a wonderful recurring role on a popular award-winning HBO show. One of my screenplays is being circulated among some big names and I seem to be experiencing the best of both worlds. I am very grateful to my friends and family who are supporting this new phase and of course to my amazing agent/manager team who keep finding me great opportunities.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to building a sustainable career as an actor is definitely not smooth. There are constant challenges mostly from the moments when it feels like nothing is happening. It is easy to battle self-doubt when things are quiet. I definitely turn to chanting more to elevate my life condition and chase away the doubts which are inevitable. It is also great to network with other actors who understand how it feels. One of my favorite resources now is We Audition, a website where you can find readers, coaches and people to share with. I have coached people all over the world on three continents and love the sense of camaraderie it fosters. I also find that writing is incredibly helpful to maintain my sanity. Both writing with my partner and writing for myself to chronicle the victories and the challenges.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an actor, I am most proud of the auditions I send in via self-tape. I feel like each one is a chance for me to make a mini-movie. I fully commit to the role and feel as if it is the real thing. As a writer, I am most proud of the six screenplays I co-wrote with my writing partner. We have rewritten all of them and are confident they will make great movies.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I love doing readings of scripts and plays. I am happy to be a part of any writer’s process at any stage. If I am available, I love supporting other people’s visions. The only way people can help me other than contacting my team about auditions is if they want to invest in a current screenplay I am producing with a team from the UK. It was inspired by what happened to me in my early twenties when I took a bus trip across the country that changed my life. Here is the logline: When a loyal White House aide weeps her way home after Nixon’s resignation speech and finds her boy-next-door fiancé in bed with her brother, she runs away from her picture-perfect life and mistakenly hops on a cross-country hippie tour bus that changes the very essence of who she thought she was.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Andy Rooney at Exactdigital
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