Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Hamilton.
Hi Ali, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Born in South Bend, Indiana and raised in Cleveland, Ohio I’m a midwest girl with a west coast heart. Fun fact, I went to kindergarten in Mexico, so from a young age, my mind was very open, aware and inquisitive about the world and different cultures around me. At three years old I watched Wizard of Oz for the first time and became obsessed with Dorthy and the actress that played her, Judy Garland. For a year straight, everywhere I went I would wear my Dorthy costume, ruby red slippers and hair in braided pigtails. During this time, I have a vivid memory of being in my hallway at my house dressed up as Dorthy and thinking “This is what I am going to do. I am going to be an actress.” My obsessions with TV shows, movies and Hollywood ran so deep to the point that I was 24/7 playing a given character and telling my family members which characters they were to play. To this day, my grandpa brings up how I would put on plays for the whole family and make them sit on pillows on the ground while the bed was my stage. At age eight, I acted in my first play at the local community theater. From there on out, the plays and musicals were consistent throughout my teenage years. In college, I felt a deep pull toward exploring my artistic side, but the pragmatic part of me felt I had to choose a practical major, so I would have a stable career and income. I landed on communication studies with a minor in psychology (which later on I found to really help me with my acting career). Sadly during this time I was under the false belief that I had to put my acting endeavors to the side and hone in on a “real” career.
In my early 20s, I was driving myself insane trying to figure out my passion. I would listen to podcasts, read books and watch documentaries in hopes that my passion would come to me. One time I read an article that said “What did you enjoy doing when you were younger? This is what your true passion is.” So of course, “ACTING!” popped in my head and I thought, “no, no, no stop, this is an impossible and irrational dream…moving on!” I continued to push away and suppress the dream because, growing up in Ohio, I did not meet one person who aspired to be an actor as an adult – I never even met someone who aspired to be in the film industry. In my head actors were people who were either bred from a long line of wealth and nepotism, people who started on TV very young, or “struggling artists” who could not pay their bills.
Since being an actress felt like an unattainable dream – I decided to search for my passion outside of my comfort zone by moving to Israel for a year to teach English. The reality of the move abroad was a daunting transition for me. Night after night I cried on the phone to my family and friends. One day I remember sitting on the bus feeling so lonely and rock bottom depressed that I just couldn’t bear it anymore and decided I had to go back to the states. However, I wanted to have something to show for my time there, a gift to my students, a video called “A Day in the Life of a Haifa Israel Teaching Fellow.” Through my numbness and apathy, I proposed my video idea to my teaching partner, so I was therefore held accountable. My only motivation to create the video was knowing I could leave the country once it was done. I worked my a** off to direct, film, and edit the video. We posted it on YouTube and it got thousands of views – HUGE HIT! The students were thrilled to be featured and the program I was enrolled in used it as a marketing piece for conventions and future enrollments. I felt more satisfaction and fulfillment than I had in years. I realized I felt this urge to continue creating content in Israel rather than feeling the overwhelming need to go back to the States. Could this be my passion? Writing? Directing? Creating? I went on to create more videos and felt a new sense of clarity and purpose throughout my time there.
Had I not suffered through the changes of uplifting my life and moving to another country, I never would have grown to realize what I knew all along, which is that I want to do something with film. I had always known my next move was LA, but knowing I wanted to work in the film industry confirmed this for me. However, after Israel, I was broke and needed to save money before moving to LA, so I spent the next two years living and working in Cleveland saving enough to make the move.
Once I saved enough money, I started applying for jobs in LA, yes in the film industry, but… I could see myself doing so many different jobs in many realms, ahhh “how am I supposed to just pick one?!” I pondered. “How can I have multiple careers in this one life of mine?” I thought to myself. Then the epiphany struck…to experience multiple careers in one life, I CAN BE AN ACTRESS. I then googled “how to be an actress in LA” amazed at how everything had come full circle for me…and well, I’ll let the rest speak for itself 🙂
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. I was supposed to move to LA in March 2020 but couldn’t because of Covid. Then I finally made the move in July 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. My mom and I did a cross-country road trip from Ohio to Los Angeles. My first week here my mom and I were walking in broad daylight in a nice area when suddenly my phone got stolen right out of my hand by a man on a bike. “Are you sure you want to live in this crazy place?” My terrified mom asked. Sure of what my passion and goal was I answered “Yes, more sure than I’ve ever been.” This set the scene for how difficult of a place Los Angeles is to live. The first of many insane instances. You truly have to be street-smart to make it out here. As everyone knows, this is not a cheap place to live and I do not have my parents to help me out financially. To pay the bills, I work full-time as an Account Manager for a company out of New York. Doing both this and acting is almost like living a double life. I work seven days a week and have to sacrifice having a “normal” social life in order to stay financially afloat and on track with my acting career.
Additionally, LA can be a toxic place when it comes to partying. I’ve had to learn through experience to resist the temptations of certain types of events and parties. When I first moved out here, I was hanging out with the wrong crowds – people who dragged me down rather than uplifted me. Now I’ve learned to surround myself with positive energy and cultivate relationships where we can help one another grow.
For me, it comes down to taking action on a daily basis that will further my short-term and long-term goals. I prioritize my acting career, financial well-being, physical/mental health and relationships. Keeping my priorities straight and not getting distracted or jaded has led to an all-around healthier and happier lifestyle for me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an actor, but I also have experience writing, producing and directing. Throughout my three years here I have honed in on acting in particular. I specialize in horror and dramas but have done a wide range of work including commercials, testimonials and music videos. I consistently work with horror director Alex the Titan on horror shorts and I’m set to star in a feature film that shoots this month and will be on Amazon Prime. I graduated from Baron Brown Acting Studio in Santa Monica, which mainly focuses on Meisner Technique and Scene Study. What sets me apart from others is my ability to take action. For example, my first week in LA, I was already on set acting in a commercial. I put myself out there as much as possible to gain new experiences and network. I allow myself to be vulnerable and can admit if I don’t know something or if I still need to work on a certain skill.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I have found that in order to be successful in this industry, you have to constantly focus on fine-tuning your craft while simultaneously working on the business aspect. My drive and business savvy ways have been an essential part of me successfully getting acting work out here. In addition, I’m curious, open and a good listener. I try not to get tunnel-visioned in my own beliefs and stay open to hearing out viewpoints that are different from the popular opinion. I try my best to not judge a situation or person based on first impressions because I’m well aware of the potential complicated dynamics underneath the surface. I think my superpower is being able to intimately connect to so many different walks of lives. Hence why I have close relationships with people of a vast range of backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and age groups. I rarely shun a person because their point of view or belief is different from my own, rather I try to feel out if they are a good person in their core. This attitude allows me to continuously learn and grow. It also assists me in crafting dynamic characters and trying to accurately portray situations in my acting.
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.me/aliraehamilton
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ali_ham/
Image Credits
Main pic – Curt Nordling Headshots – Joanna DeGeneres Pink outfit and black outfit against white wall – Chuck Espinoza On set photos – Josh Quintero
