Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Chapman.
Rachel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Merritt Island, Florida — aka where the space shuttle used to launch. It was a great place with space shuttles everywhere, including the McDonald’s PlayPlace. My parents both worked on the shuttle program, as well as the first ever GPS and most recently, the current weather satellite we use today. So, you can see I had big shoes to fill. Instead of “you could have been a doctor,” my mom likes to tell me all the time, “you could have been an astronaut.”
Though, as amazing as space is, my heart was set on Hollywood. My family grew up about an hour away from Disney World, and I became obsessed. I had to watch every movie in the theater, and couldn’t wait to see what parade or ride they would put in the parks from it. I knew that was my dream. I got my first video camera in middle school. It was a janky thing that hooked up right to the VCR so that you could record straight to VHS. I would make soap operas with my friends at every sleepover, and every big assignment in school, I would make a video for it.
I loved my island on the space coast, but I knew I had to get out, which is why I went to New York University for film and television. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, so I tried everything from editing to directing, but eventually found my love in writing. I regret not taking any animation classes because Disney was always my dream. However, I had to be real with myself and accept that I am a horrible artist. Luckily, I made several friends in the animation department who let me voice act in their final projects, and I fell in love with that as well.
Once I got to junior year, I could do internships and was able to work at great places like Sesame Workshop, Saturday Night Live, MTV, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I also started taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and basically haven’t stopped since. It’s a community that has given me some of my best friends and collaborators. I’ve gotten to perform sketch shows I’ve written, host dream bit shows like a Britney Spears one and even perform on two glorious Mess Hall teams.
I graduated NYU in 2012 and didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I loved writing, television, comedy, animation, children’s media, and most importantly, Disney. I stayed in New York for a few years working at Spike TV and doing UCB on the side but knew LA was where I wanted to be.
I missed living so close to a Disney park and wanted to follow my dreams of working for the mouse. I was always the New Yorker looking for an excuse to move to LA when really I just needed to go even if I didn’t have a job lined up. At the time, my dad was also sick, and watching him go through all of that showed me that life is short. Sometimes, you just have to chase your dreams even if you don’t have a plan.
So, that’s how I got to where I am. I’ve been in LA for almost four years now. I’m writing, going to Disneyland whenever I can, performing comedy with my friends, still voice acting in my friend’s animated shorts, and hosting podcasts I love. It may not be writing the next Disney animated movie that gets turned into a ride at the parks, but I’m one step closer.
Has it been a smooth road?
Unfortunately, a job in the entertainment industry isn’t as easy as go to school, and get your job. There isn’t one simple guide to follow, and everyone’s path is different. The only two things I’ve noticed that help are 1) knowing someone already in the industry and asking them to help you and 2) being very, very lucky.
I am neither of those. As I said, my parents are engineers, and they can’t introduce me to a showrunner who could read my latest script. I went to NYU, but I am horrible at networking. I have incredible imposter syndrome that is constantly stopping me from doing anything because I feel I’m not good enough. I need more confidence and am horrible at faking it.
On top of that, my parents pushed me to always have a steady income, so sadly, I will never be able to quit my job to go on auditions. That also prevents me from being able to take a million classes that get me noticed, and put on teams where I can invite industry to see me. You really have to hustle in this industry, and even though I work a few jobs, take classes on the side, do comedy shows at night, and host two podcasts, it feels like the bare minimum.
Not to mention, I also suffer with depression. My dad passed away the same week I moved to LA. He was the person who motivated me to come out. I tried really hard to keep that energy with me when I got here, but after a while, I slowed down. I didn’t really get to process the loss, because I was in a new town, meeting new people, and trying to find a job. When you don’t attend to the wound right away, it gets infected. So, I’ve been dealing with the waves of that loss that come in and out every once in a while. I just always have to remind myself that my dad was proud of me and wanted me to do this. He would even pitch me movie ideas all the time that I should write. They weren’t great, but they showed me that he cared.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Right now, I host two podcasts that I am incredibly proud of. The first one is Inside The Disney Vault. I host it with my two friends, Oscar and Clare. They were the ones who came up with the idea, and I was brought on for my love of Disney. Each week, we watch a different Disney animated movie and talk about it with special guests. We’ve had some amazing people come on like Thorgy Thor from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Nicole Byer from Nailed It. The whole thing is so fun and gives me a chance to just talk about my favorite thing in the entire world — Disney. I also have a segment called “Imagineering with Rachel” where I get to imagine a new ride or restaurant for the parks based on the movie we’re watching. The best is having our fans reach out every week to tell us how much they enjoy the episodes. That makes everything worth it.
I also host a second podcast called You’ve Got Hanks. Next to Disney, my absolute favorite thing in the world is Tom Hanks. He is my role model and hero. There’s nothing that man can’t do. I’ve even named my cat, Lady Tom Hanks, after him.
As a number one fan, I decided I needed to watch all of his movies as well. That’s what the podcast is about. I’m going in chronological order and watching all of Tom Hanks’ movies with my comedian friends. It really is my pride and joy. I recently got a review for the podcast that said I’m that person’s favorite, and that made my whole life. If you don’t think I’m framing that review and putting on my wall, you’re wrong.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I constantly get asked by my New York friends if they should move out here. I want to say, “no,” because I’m selfish and don’t want any more traffic, but I’d be lying. LA is great for this industry, but you really need to take advantage of it. It’s so easy to get lazy out here. There are so many opportunities, but you need the hustle to make them work for you.
It’s true that people in LA are selfish and flaky, but not everyone. You have to find the right community, and people to work with. Luckily, I had UCB. I got on a team right away and took classes to make friends. I had to work on those relationships. I mean, my dad had just died and I wanted to cry everyday, but I sucked it up, went out there, made friends, and then, cried myself to sleep. If I can do that, you can definitely make LA work for you. Emphasis on work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thisisrachelchapman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladytomhanks/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youvegothanks/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladytomhanks
Image Credit:
Sandy Honig, Kody Schmidt, Aaron Alpert, Matt Czap, Daniel Cole
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