Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Jonah.
Hi Natalie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I work in casting for television. When I made the jump from New York to Los Angeles, I came with an open mind. As long as I was working toward a career in storytelling, I was game. Luckily the yellow brick road led me to casting pretty quickly – starting with The Voicecaster in Burbank. I had a background in producing audio news clips and my father was a computer animator so it felt like a good fit. I met so many talented voice actors and had the chance to direct their auditions in the booth for four wonderful years – including the entirety of the pandemic lockdown thanks to remote technology. Not too long after completing a casting training program provided by Casting Society Cares, my first opportunity to work in television came knocking. A casting director who had never worked in animation before wanted an associate that could guide her through that world. And with that, my television career was off to the races. I’ve been a human Imdb my entire life so I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize that casting was the career for me but I’m glad I found it eventually.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My career momentum is feeling pretty strong these days, but it didn’t happen overnight. After graduating from The School of Visual Arts in 2011, I wasn’t financially well off enough to do any more unpaid internships, so I had to take some survival jobs that felt a little soul-sucking. Then I took a chance and moved to New Zealand for a few years and got a new perspective on life. It helped me realize that I should be enjoying the journey of life a little more and not putting so much pressure on myself to succeed. Moving to LA shortly after cemented those feelings. Everyone had so much passion and high hopes for their creative dreams which made me feel like this is where I should be.
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?
After my time on “#1 Happy Family USA,” my first on-camera opportunity came in “The Brothers Sun.” It was a steep learning curve but the film school grad in me was so happy to finally be working in a medium that brought me such joy as a kid. I’m proud that my first two shows happen to be two projects that will be groundbreaking for underrepresented cultures in entertainment, specifically the Middle Eastern and Asian communities. I’m now working on the upcoming mini-series, “Presumed Innocent,” with actors and creators that I greatly admired in my formative years so I find myself asking if this is real life quite often during my work week.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as finding a way to make something you love part of your everyday life. It can come in all shapes and sizes but as long as you feel fulfilled, that’s the important thing. If I could give advice to anyone seeking a career in the entertainment industry, I think the secret to success is saying yes to the opportunities that come your way that make you feel good or more like yourself. It may not be what you had in mind but following your gut and your heart is a solid way of figuring out your true path.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: nattyjojo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-jonah/
Image Credits
My headshot photos (the ones outside) were done by Bonnie Jean Koenn.
