Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Sparks.
Kylie is an actor, writer, singer, producer, activist, pug owner, and brunch enthusiast primarily based in Los Angeles.
She has been acting since she was a child, debuting as the star of IFC Films’ PIZZA (winner of the Producer’s Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards), and has steadily worked in Film, Television, Digital, Commercials, and Theatre since, most recently on Go90’s THREADS and FOX’s WEIRD LONERS. They also produced cult web spoof LA GIRLS with BFF/creative partner Tiffany Ariany, which was featured in Variety and numerous other publications. As the star of the long-running digital series SQUARESVILLE, she was nominated for the IAWTV award for lead actress in a comedy and shares the Best Ensemble award for her performance as Esther, and was number one on Comedy TV Is Dead’s “Women to Watch” list for her traditional and digital media work.
As a writer, they are the creator and writer of the Astronauts Wanted series “#rulesofspringbreak,” which aired exclusively on Snapchat, and her first feature screenplay, “Mission Hills,” was a Second Round (Top 15%) selection at the 2015 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition and nominated for the Top Unproduced Screenplay award at the Nice IFF and Madrid International Festivals in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Currently, she is developing a half-hour single-camera pilot in the vein of “Broad City” and “New Girl” with Pollen Pictures, an independent production company focusing on stories about women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community, as well as a feminist horror/suspense feature and an unscripted hybrid music/travel series. They are also a published journalist with bylines in Racked (Vox Media), INTO, Femsplain, LifeIvy, TheVideoInk, Ms. In The Biz, and Wonderly.
Kylie holds a BA from USC and is an alum of UCB, the Broadway Theatre Project, UCLA Performers Institute, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In their very-limited downtime, they enjoy volunteering with Pug Nation Rescue and the LA LGBT Center, going to SoulCycle and brunch, and working with action groups to create progressive change.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Everyone in the industry has always had a rocky path-point me to someone in entertainment who has had it easy because there aren’t a lot of them! Starting off as a child actor, growing up and navigating an industry that ebbs and flows is always a tricky balance, especially when you’re a weird teenager like I was. I’m lucky I was able to take time off when I wanted to and go to school, but I was still working in college and steadily working since I graduated, but I’ve had my fair share of slow periods and almost-had-it-big-shot-oops-nevermind moments.
Trying to be myself and also be an industry that doesn’t necessarily want me to be myself has been the biggest challenge, especially as I become older and I’m definitely NOT a cookie cutter type, but I know the work that is right for me always comes along right on time.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with actor/writer (so Kylie Sparks is my business name) – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’ve been lucky to be on some really incredible TV and digital series and movies with some of the best in the business-my first recurring role on TV was with an Academy Award winner (Keith Carradine)!-and I love being able to do both comedy and drama as I usually do comedies and love when I get the opportunity to do dramatic, meaty roles, but I live for those roles that are in genre-bending projects. For example. I recently was on Go90’s “Threads,” which is a horror/suspense anthology series, and my role and storyline was horror AND comedy, and it was such a fun day at work.
In terms of writing, I’m self-taught; I learn from the scripts I read, the passion of what I want to write about, and good old trial and error of what works and what doesn’t. My writing also tends to blend genres because I love experimenting; my first feature, Mission Hills, is a millennial LGBTQ ‘light dramedy.’ I also have a weird gift of being a chameleon; I’ve changed my look so many times that people tend to remember me in various things without realizing it was me, which is always really fun.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, I’m currently in development on my half-hour comedy series with Pollen Pictures that I will also star in (details are currently under wraps, but I’m very excited about it!) plus a few other projects in the pipeline I can’t talk about yet. And of course, always living the dream of auditioning and self-tapes as every actor daily!
Contact Info:
- Website: demoreel.com/kylie-sparks
- Instagram: instagram.com/kyliesparks
- Facebook: facebook.com/kyliesparks
- Twitter: twitter.com/kyliesparks
Image Credit:
Liz Laub, Ella Schaefer, Go90/NewForm Digital, Jee Jing
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