Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaj Adnan.
Hi Kaj, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Since I can barely remember, I have always been attracted to acting and performing in front of others. I grew up watching live plays and would watch Arabic, Turkish, and American tv shows. Each culture’s process of expressing emotion mesmerized me. When I was in middle school, I did stage acting workshops and in high school, I went forward and joined the drama club.
Through all of this, I found myself falling further in love with performance art. When I graduated, I was inspired to find alternative outlets of expression. At that point, I created my YouTube channel. As I grew, it was a platform to release all my creative ideas and keep my memories as a diary. After graduating from university with a Bachelor’s in Business, I focused on working in local commercials and short films. It was an experience that gave me a foundation to build on. I was fueled with ambition and felt it was time to move to Hollywood and pursue my dream of becoming an actor. Once I arrived, I chose to complete an extensive acting conservatory program in Los Angeles. Since moving here a year ago, I have elected to take on as many short film projects as I could to hone my craft further. Recently, I was cast as a lead in a project titled “Final Score”. This film will participate in international film festivals once filming wraps up. I feel very grateful for everything that has occurred thus far and cannot wait to keep learning and building in my acting profession.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not, I have faced a lot of obstacles. For an international actor, there is a reality that you must leave behind what you know to pursue the unknown then. The second I got onto that 18-hour flight to the United States to pursue my dreams, I knew the journey ahead would not be easy. As a Middle Eastern actor coming to Hollywood to start a career, I’ve had my work cut out for me. The culture shift alone was a huge change for me but with time I have found a strong community to keep myself surrounded. My first language was Arabic. So, coming to America to work with a dialect coach to strengthen my English has been a must.
In addition to those challenges, I’ve also had to face the typical obstacles of an actor – from finding an agent and a manager to overcoming rejection on a project. You must be able to keep going. It gets difficult sometimes, but I believe if you’re able to keep your passion and commitment to your dream strong, you can overcome any obstacle in your way.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Because of my background in YouTube, I have an eye for filmmaking. I am not only able to work on others’ projects, but I can also write, film, edit and produce my own projects. I am proud to be self-taught, which is one of the biggest things that sets me apart from others. Over the last seven years, I have worked relentlessly on growing my channel and today have accumulated an audience of nearly 2 million subscribers, with 230 million total views. Outside of acting, I like to keep myself versatile in my experiences. Through this, I’ve been able to skydive, become scuba certified, and explore traveling solo throughout five countries.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would say I am a risk taker. I have always felt I would rather live a life full of risks and believe something great will flourish than stay in the same spot my whole life. Life would be boring without risk-taking! I took a huge risk when I left the Kingdom of Bahrain. I knew I would start from zero here in Hollywood. It was very scary and I was hesitant about the move, but I thought I didn’t want to regret not following my dreams later on in my life. Even if it can be terrifying I have to be brave in this pursuit.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://imdb.me/kajadnan
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kajj.7?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kaajjj
