Meet Samantha Baugnon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Baugnon.

Hi Samantha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Cedar Park, Texas and I lived in the same house my whole life until college. I grew up going to the movies almost every weekend (my family loves the theatre) and I was and still am always in awe of the power of film. Love for film didn’t just start with my parents though; my grandma Flash (as the grandkids called her) had an extensive VHS and DVD collection filling closets and rooms all over her house. She even had a 50 page movie directory where you could look up any movie to see if she owned it and could find out the exact location of it for easy access. After she passed in 2019 that movie directory was one of the cherished items of hers I took as a keepsake.

The funny thing is that I was never a theatre kid growing up, I just loved film and television. My friends and I would be watching shows and I would know the name of every actor and actress in the show and what other projects they had worked on. IMDb was my favorite tool! I would become obsessed with an actress like Jennifer Lawrence and watch every movie she had been in up to that point and watch countless interviews of them. I loved performers who would do all types of roles and genres. I didn’t necessarily know it then, but it was my way of studying and learning.

It was my sophomore year of high school when I approached my parents anxious and scared declaring “I want to be an actress” and they said, “Oh, we know that honey”. Because I had never said it out loud, I never thought anyone knew! I am lucky to have parents that are so supportive of my soul’s calling. So, I started acting classes, got headshots and tried to work background on the few things that shot in Austin at that time.

Fast forward to my first year of college at Texas State University. I wasn’t sure what my path in life was to be and I thought going to college would help me figure that out. And funny enough, I did figure it out. Just not in the way I was expecting. I started traveling from school to acting classes in downtown Austin to really solidify if acting was my dream. And yes, it is! I ended up leaving college and moving to LA when I was 20 and didn’t know a single person to follow my passion. Years of classes, movies and connections later, I met Niki Koss through an acting class and actually started out as her assistant while she was on a Freeform show. She started directing and I would produce and act in her short films and that evolved into me producing and having a bit part in her feature directorial debut ‘Night Night’ which is coming out on November 16th in theaters and VOD. From there, Niki founded the Production Company K Factor Films in early 2021 and it just came so naturally when she asked me to be a Creative Executive at the company. It’s been a crazy and fun ride ever since!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Living in LA is never a smooth road for anyone unless you are one of the magical few who move here and “make it” within a few weeks. Everything takes a lot longer than you would hope it would, but in the end I wouldn’t wish for anything different. My years spent here have allowed me to fall in love with the city and industry. And with any love, it has its rough stretches of times as well as the amazing moments you cherish forever. If you give this city and the people enough time, grit and passion you will make it. Maybe not in the way you were envisioning when you first arrived, but something way better! Just stick through the rejection and don’t let it affect you personally. That is the nature of the beast. The longer you are in Hollywood, the more you realize it’s such a small town. Everyone knows everyone. Always be kind, and it will come back to you. I remember those people and try to repay the favor whenever I see an opportunity. I was once your barista and server and now I am making the decisions on who gets cast and hired in a movie; it’s crazy! Life can switch on you in an instant and the only way to maintain a long career out here is to stand up for yourself and be kind.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Creative Executive/Producer at K Factor Films and an actress. As an actress, I have been so blessed to have worked on many amazing projects. I had a small part on The Greatest Showman which was such a joy to get to work on. I love period pieces and the costumes were amazing. Musicals are my favorite and because I was not gifted with a good singing voice, I never imagined I would be in a musical, but here we are! I also had a fun part as Nurse Courtney in the upcoming psychological thriller Night Night that K Factor Films also produced. It stars Brenna D’amico, Matty Cardarople. Eric Roberts, Tony Todd and many more! K Factor has a lot of fun projects in the works and I am so excited to get to share them with the world someday soon.

I believe I stand apart from others because of my attitude and passion. I know what I want and I will work as hard as it takes to get there, but the difference is that I will bring other people up with me along the way. I had people take chances on me and I want to do the same for others.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Even if I am working on a movie or doing these quote/unquote glamorous looking things, I am still just a woman from Texas who loves her family, God and a good time! I am a huge concert goer. Something about live music just breathes life into my soul. Honestly, that can be said for any live performance like broadway and live theatre. There is nothing like seeing people using their God-given gifts and doing what they were put on this earth here to do. It’s almost euphoric!

Contact Info:

• Website: kfactorfilms.com
• Instagram: @sambaugnon and @kfactorfilms