Meet Nadiyah of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadiyah

Hi Nadiyah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been dreaming of a career in entertainment since I was a child. Back then, I wanted to be on Star Search and Amateur Night at the Apollo but my parents didn’t trust me with their camcorder, so those audition tapes never got made. Instead, I dazzled (read: annoyed) my family with variety show-like performances inspired by what I had seen on In Living Color and Saturday Night Live. Whether it was singing, acting or comedy, I knew I was destined to be an entertainer.

Growing up in Atlanta, before there was much of a movie scene, I found myself involved heavily in theater. At that time the theater community buzzed about this director named Tyler Perry, who was famous for church plays. Apparently, he was starting a local production studio and I made it my business to get myself in front of him. Though I’d auditioned for nearly all of his tv and film productions, I had only worked with him twice in a small capacity. But the taste of set life fueled my determination to be a part of this industry. Eventually, I landed a role in VH1’s Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story, which gave me my SAG-AFTRAe status. I was super excited about what was next for me as an actor, but the opportunities were just not there. Like many actors, I turned to the corporate world to make ends meet while hoping to keep the dream alive.

After years as an administrative professional, I was recruited by Google for an Executive Business Partner role. There was a catch—I had to relocate from Atlanta to the Bay Area post-pandemic. While I wasn’t excited about moving cross country, I saw an opportunity: this job would pay nearly triple my salary, which could fund my acting career and put me just hours from Hollywood. Sold! I accepted and made a two-year plan: save aggressively, fulfill my relocation commitment, then move to L.A. to finally pursue my acting dreams.

The move to the Bay Area brought about several culture shocks but the biggest one was how challenging it was to find and build community as a transplant. Deciding to use my talents as a gateway to community, I introduced myself via email to local theater expressing my interest to audition for any upcoming shows. Within an hour, one replied with an urgent need for a performer, and I jumped right in. That role led to starring in multiple professional productions, from Once on This Island to Elf the Musical, and I earned membership in Actor’s Equity Association (AEA).

A year and a half later, I realized I had checked nearly every box in my two-year plan. So it was time to move to phase two. In February 2023, resigned from Google, signed with a talent agency, and moved to L.A. to pursue acting full-time. Since then, I’ve worked on short films, web series, music videos, and commercials/ads for brands like Chase Bank, Bush’s Best, and Round Table Pizza. My most recent commercial with Quilted Northern has turned into an ongoing spokesperson role.

I’m now two years into my Hollywood journey and hopeful that 2025 will be my year of theatrical success. I look forward to bringing stories to life and dazzling audiences on the silver screen. Stay tuned…

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?
Absolutely not! After leaving the Bay Aea, I was coming to L.A. with this Kimmy Schmidt-level of enthusiasm about my acting career, and just three months later we were met with the WGA and SAG strikes. While I had a sufficient amount of savings coming into the move, my overall financial plan included money from acting jobs I was sure I’d secure (Hey future actors — don’t ever do this. This is a dumb financial plan.). I hadn’t even considered a disruption in the industry. My savings were quickly dwindling and I didn’t have a job since I had swore off 9 to 5s when I left Google. Eventually I found myself using credit cards to pay rent, doing odd jobs to make ends meet and the nail in the coffin was being hit with a five-figure tax debt from the equity I had received at Google. Against everything in my being, I knew I had to go back to work. It was a low point in my career because it felt like I was moving backwards AND I was broke — who WANTS to be broke in L.A.? So I bit the bullet. My first job in L.A. was working as a “Poptender” at Dynasty Typewriter which is a local comedy theater. I loved the atmosphere and while I wasn’t performing, I got to live vicariously through some amazing comedians, improv actors and entertainers. The energy in the theater allowed me to remain hopeful about my career even though I wasn’t active. However, the role was only part-time, hourly, so I had to find another job to sustain. I went on to work at some stuffy investment firm, which was draining the life out of me, then out of nowhere a recruiter at Netflix reached out about an opportunity that was relative to my administrative background. For over a year, I was juggling a full-time job, a part-time job and acting.

I now work on the non-creative side of Netflix supporting the Enterprise Operations team. Not only have I been blessed with a job that I love, it funds my dreams and I have the most supportive managers when it comes to my acting career. While I’d much rather be on set at Netflix, I’ll take working at a cubical next door to the sets as a consolation prize – at least for now.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a multi-hyphenate: actor, singer, plus size model and content creator. I tend to lean more comedic but I enjoy acting in all forms. One thing I am passionate about is disrupting the status quo. As a Black, plus size woman I’m aware that I am an anomaly in Hollywood. I aspire to contribute to the diversity of the industry but more than that, challenge the notion that fat, Black, women are subordinate, asexual, props in other people’s stories. I live a fabulous, fun, complex, main-character life and I aspire to be that representation on TV and theater screens.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
In the next 5-10 years I’ll be a household name. I see myself successfully producing my own projects, telling unique stories from the Black diaspora and creating opportunities for other up and coming artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.itsNadiyah.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spunky_brewstah/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3416293/

Image Credits
Photos by Jamaal, Nikita Kuzmenko, Jake the Shooter, Mark and Tracy Photos, Dario, Bekah Lynn Photography, Breslow Imaging