Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maissa Houri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’m Lebanese/Syrian-Canadian and when I first got into the acting industry a long time ago, I realized very quickly that the Middle Eastern characters I was being sent in to audition for were very negatively stereotyped. I made it a mission to not only start writing short films for myself, to provide better representation but I started to do it for others who also felt marginalized. From there, I joined a Filmmakers’ Festival in Ottawa as a volunteer board member, as the Director of Equity Initiatives where I, along with my team, create professional development opportunities for underrepresented groups in the film industry. I made it a personal mission to make sure that all the projects I create, work on or develop have meaning to them and contribute a positive change to film industry.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in a Middle Eastern household with six kids where I was number 4 and the youngest girl. I was always someone with a creative imagination. I liked to play dress up, sing, put on plays, write stories, watch movies and daydream. I daydreamed so much! I originally wanted to be a singer, I sang at festivals, in talent shows and for anyone who would listen to me, but there was always something inside that wanted to be a performer. At the young age of 6, I would volunteer to be in any play the school was putting on. I did theatre throughout my educational career and then went on to try film acting and video production. The film industry is so hard and back when I started, there was no social media so it wasn’t easy to find that community. I eventually took a break and fell into a 9-5 office job to support myself. That crushed my soul. When I had my first daughter, I promised myself that I would try, not just for me, but for my kids, to show them that no matter what, they should always pursue their dreams, no matter how hard. So I found an agent, got into some acting classes again and never looked back. I still had the day job (for now), but I started to focus on pursing a creative career on the side. I started to write and make films, network, and made a whole webseries, and joined the board of directors for film festival. A couple actually!
I discovered something about myself that I didn’t know I had: courage. Courage to face my fears, courage to keep learning, courage to face rejection over and over and still get up and do it all over again, I am most proud of how far I have come since that day I made the decision to jump back in again. I have booked some tv and movie roles, I have a TV series in development, and more in the early stages that I am pitching, and I am creating and fostering a community with the film festival that I am part of. I am a community builder at the end of the day.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I am currently transitioning out a Public Servive career and into a full-time creative career! And when I tell people my plans to leave a steady job that I have been in for almost 17 years, they gasp!!! What about your pension?! What about your benefits?! Can’t you stick it out until retirement?! And my answer is – what if I never make it to retirement? My soul has been unfulfilled for so long. Yes I do a lot of film on the side, but I’m at a point where I want one job, so that I have more time to spend with my children. And when mom is happy, the household is happy. It all comes from Mom. And mom can no longer just go with the zombie-like motions of going into an unfulfilling 9-5 day, make dinner, and get working on the side hustle. Mom is tired. So, I understand the fear of the unstable career for creatives, and I am lucky that I have a partner who also has a stable job so that I can explore a new career. But what I realize is that a lot of these people who gasp at the thought of me leaving a steady paycheque, is that they themselves are scared and are projecting their fears unto me, because they could never. It took me a long time to realize this, but they are coming from a lack mindset and not an abundant mindset. So, don’t worry about me. I’m going in with a plan, with goals, and stepping through my fear, to see what’s on the other side of that. Art is everywhere. Someone has to make it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Pay them. For some reason, people feel like artists should work for free. Art is everywhere. Look at your dining room table, someone designed that. The cereal box your kids are eating from, someone created the artwork for that, look at your favorite TV shows, it took so many artists to get that made and put on television so you can enjoy it. Society can nurture artists and support them instead of asking them to work for free or so little money that they can’t support themselves. The “starving artist” shouldn’t be how society views a creative career. It should fostered and celebrated.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maissahouri.com
• Instagram: Instgram.com/Maissa_Houri
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/maissahourifilm
• Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/Maissahouri
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maissahouri
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/maissahouri
• Other: https://Tiktok.com/maissahour

Image Credits

Robert DeWitt
Kristel Viduka
Ming Wu Photography (photogmusic)
Ramy Raphaël