2015 Round Up: Laughs, Lessons and Losses - CAREER

06:05

First off…….I’M BACK!!!!! Yes it’s been 2 months, which is crazy, but in all honesty I’ve been living life and having some pretty cool experiences and I just haven’t had the mental space to write anything of value. But trust me,
this blog has such a special place in my heart, and I have made it one of my 2016 resolutions to write more consistently so get ready for some awesome content. Now before I get into 2016 I’d like to take the time to look back on my 2015 because trust me when I say, its been one for the books.

I initially started this post with the intention to talk about both my professional and personal life but it just became too long and I think its best I split them. I actually prefer it this way because my personal and professional lives have taken two very independent and very enriching journeys. Here is my professional journey.

Where my career has gone this year has been mind blowing to me. I started off the year on stage, which up to that point had been 95% of the work I’d been doing in the industry (I’d actually been on a little bit of a theatre marathon: I’d pretty much been in back-to-back productions from around October 2014 right through to around April 2015, and I loved it) I got to work with some amazing directors and some really talented and inspiring actors from the Phoenix, Friends Ensemble and FCA families, which I will forever be grateful for. But by April, I was exhausted and the thought of having to read and memorize another script, honestly made me wanna cry. So I took May off and spent it applying to UK schools to do a Masters in Acting.

After 2 trips there for auditions and months of nervous waiting, I finally got the email telling me I’d gotten a spot on the MA program at…….. MOUNTVIEW ACADEMY!!!! For those who don’t realize how amazing that is, Mountivew is one of the best acting schools not only in the UK but in the world so it’s kinda a BIG deal. It felt soooo validating to get a spot and I was sooo excited to go, but as fate and arduous paperwork would have it, 2015 was just not meant to be the year I went (which is another story in itself). Needless to say, September found me in Kenya, with absolutely no plans, and no idea what I was going to do for the next year. But if this year has proven anything to me, it’s been that everything really does happen the way it’s supposed to.

Instead of spending the last months of the year in London learning from some of the best acting teachers in the world, I stayed in Nairobi and my career completely transformed. I knew at this point that, as much as I LOVED theatre, it just wasn’t a financially viable thing to keep doing at that time. So when I saw a Facebook post about a certain BET audition, I didn’t think twice and went. Now did I REALLY want to be part of a reality show………… NO! But I thought it would be a great platform and more so, (and I hope all new actors are told this) an audition is a great place to showcase your talents to producers, directors and casting directors who may consider you for other projects they are a part of. And that is exactly what happened to me! I got a call a few weeks later asking for me to come to an audition for a new TV show thanks to a referral from a certain casting director and I got the role!!! Yay!!!

Now I’d done small roles in TV shows before, but this was the first time I was not only part of the main cast, but I was the protagonist. The show (which we filmed from November) is called NEWS JUST IN and filming it was by far the best career experience of the year. Our producer/directors/fellow actors/editors/family Dr. Moyo, Mrs. Nyota, Aggie and Dr. Soft made the experience so enjoyable and easy for everyone and we really did become a small family. I learnt soooo much about acting for screen and though I had a pretty challenging work schedule, it was so rewarding. I can’t wait to film Season 2!!!

Now as the TV show filming was going along, I also had the opportunity to work on 2 short films for Machafest and 48HFP, with two very different outcomes and experiences (VERY DIFFERENT!!!!). The Machafest short film was…..umm……an interesting experience? It was definitely out of the box and I definitely learnt a lot of things about what to do and what not to do when filming anything. I unfortunately couldn’t be a part of the reshoots but it was…….AN EXPERIENCE (ask me about it in person and I’ll tell you more). The 48HFP experience on the other hand, was an experience that I will always treasure. It was all so serendipitous. I just happened to have that Saturday off (which I didn’t expect to have), I just happened to be friends with a friend of the director who was looking for actors and he forwarded my name (thank Mugambi), and last minute cast changes forced us to change the storyline into the sentimental and beautiful story the piece became. Filming that short film was literally the most calming, peaceful and positive experience I have EVER had at work. More so, getting to see the finished product shown at the cinemas, and having people respond so positively to it, was just so gratifying. The film was called ITS BEEN A WHILE and was director by the amazing Mbithi Masya and filmed by the crazy talented Joan Poggio. It will hopefully be available to view on youtube after it’s done some festival rounds and when it is, I’ll post it here.

Ok this post has become wayyyy longer than I intended so I’ll stop here. Needless to say this year has been a good one career wise. I’ve learnt A LOT and gotten to work with the BEST and I cant wait to see what 2016 has in store.