We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Ohara recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?
I’m theatrically represented by Image Powerhouse and their commercial division Prestigious Models, and I’m so happy with the relationship I have with my reps!! I have to give a big shout-out to Kim Loan Duong who owns and operates the company, and my girl, Michelle Lee, for continuing to submit me for roles, answering my emails, and believing in me wholeheartedly! They are truly the best!
The story of how I got signed is very unique, but it has some pretty good lessons for people who are seeking representation. So this might be a little long, but it’s important!
Image Powerhouse/Prestigious Models contacted me via Backstage. It was peak COVID and I was still in my conservatory program at the Art of Acting Studio in LA. I was in my last semester, and I when I was approached by them, I was apprehensive.
I researched the company and took a meeting. It went well. It was a very regular run-of-the-mill meeting, but they stood out in a very specific way. My mom is from Japan, so I speak Japanese. Upon learning that I spoke Japanese, the team recorded me speaking, took it back to their office, and verified my proficiency. This is something I had NEVER heard of anyone doing–as an agency or with casting. I also trusted that they could verify my language skills because the company is run and operated by Asian women. Everyone who works at the agency, that I’ve interacted with, is a part of the Asian community. Which means they cared, from the moment I met them, about authenticity. And that is priceless.
But still, I wasn’t convinced. I received their contract, read through it, and had a good back-and-forth with the assistant. I wanted them to know that if I was going to sign, they weren’t dealing with any other actor. They were dealing with someone who knows how to read her contracts and will keep them on their Ps & Qs. When you are a direct and driven young woman in this industry, people are either going to dismiss you or try to label you “difficult”. If you’re not a “cool girl,” you’re a problem, and I wanted to see if they would see me as a problem. If they couldn’t deal with me advocating for myself now, how could I trust them later once I was signed and exclusive?
REMEMBER! when you are seeking representation, they are seeking talent. THEY NEED YOU, just as much as you need them. So it’s fair to test them out and take your time. If they really want you, they will take the time to prove to you that they want you. I wasn’t even signed with them yet, and they were getting back to my emails at lightning speed, answering every one of my questions. Responsive. Respectful. Reasonable. I knew that they would represent me well.
But I still said no, with conditions. I was in school. I wanted to get out there with my best foot forward and be the best actor I could be, and I wasn’t ready quite yet. I was in the middle of a huge artist growth spurt, and I didn’t want anything, including auditioning, to get in the way of that. So I asked if the agency would make a deal with me. Could they wait to sign me in a couple months? I didn’t want to be in a position where I had to decline auditions or jobs because of school, and I didn’t want to devalue my education either. They said. “Yes.”
By the time I had graduated, I had no hesitation with signing with them because we took our time. We invested in the relationship before the relationship officially began. I got to know how the agency works. Who was answering emails…when certain questions got escalated to higher-ups. We got to know each other’s rhythms and how we would work as professionals, so the transition was easy. After a few months of being signed with them commercially, I was in their minds when a theatrical audition came along that they wanted to submit me for.
I was ecstatic, but again, I was hesitant. I was two months out from graduation, and I was actively searching for theatrical representation elsewhere. So when the offer came, I did not want to sacrifice exclusivity just yet. So I countered the offer. Since this was just one audition, could we do a handshake deal? Would it be possible for them to submit me this one time, so that I could take the interviews I had already scheduled with other agencies? They agreed to my deal.
I took my other meetings, and they were TERRIBLE! One meeting, the agent seemed so uninterested in speaking with me, to the point that I wondered why he even agreed to meet. He literally told me, “You’re not going to make it long in this business with your attitude.” I wasn’t being unreasonable! I had just commented that I wanted to work with someone who would want to work with me to level up my career over time. I gave him a five to ten-year plan, and he basically laughed in my face.
The experience was a wake-up call. With Image Powerhouse/Prestigious Models, I was treated with so much respect, dignity, and value that I forgot that most agencies were just like that guy. A lot of offices don’t actually care about their developing talent. And I thought back to the history I had built over six months with Image Powerhouse. They cared about the authenticity of my language, they responded quickly to all of my emails, they gave me the grace to talk to their competition, and assured me that they would receive me with open arms if I chose to come back. It was like a romcom, the ONE was right under my nose the entire time!
The next day, I reached out and committed. Within my first few months, I was auditioning for series regular roles, leading roles in films, sizable roles for Oscar-nominated films, and major streaming shows. And even though the industry has slowed down significantly, the attention to detail and the interest I’ve gotten from the agency hasn’t slowed down. In fact, I’ve been able to get to know them better.
What I love most about the agency is that it operates on a “mission-first” approach. They care deeply about fostering Asian talent and empowering the Asian community. Despite having a sizable roster, the agency approaches their talent with a very hands-on, personalized, and aggressive approach. They focus on building community and are doing a great job at it. I don’t know any agency that does what they do, and I think the results speak for themselves. We BOOK!
This is all to say, that it’s important for emerging actors to take their time finding the right reps. We are artists, but we’re in the entertainment business. You are the CEO of your career, and we cannot allow people who don’t want to invest in us to waste our time. When you are looking for reps, do your homework. Ask friends how they like their representation and see if you can get a referral, but don’t just sign with the first office that shows interest in you. Shop around and find people who you vibe with and are passionate about development. And if you’re signed with an agency who won’t answer your emails or refuses to meet with you, let them go because clearly they are not interested in investing in your career. Build your community, and that includes the people you choose to join your team.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Thank you so much for taking an interest in interviewing me! I hope your readers enjoy getting to know me better!
This is a BIG question and there’s a lot to cover! If you want to know the elevator pitch about me…My name is Nicole Ohara. I am a Hapa actor, producer, and writer. I trained at the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio Conservatory under incredible teachers and mentors. My recent acting credits include: ‘California Skate’ (coming soon), ‘Moving’ on Hulu and Disney+, ‘Love Deadline’ on Netflix, and ‘Found Family’ (Winner Paris Film Festival Best LGBTQ). As a producer I’ve worked both on-stage and in film for projects such as ‘The Seagull’ (dir. Bruce Katzman, starring Sasha Alexander); Dreamwork’s ‘Orion and the Dark’ (Netflix – Top 10); ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’ (Oscar Nominee Best Documentary); and ‘Gummy Worm’ (Hollywood Fringe Festival Best Comedy Nominee and Encore Producers’ Award Winner). I’m currently in post-production for my short film ‘Ashes: Hai Iro No Yuki’ which I wrote, starred in, and executive produced. I’m also the founder and executive producer of Street Rat Media–a production company focused on film, television, and theatre. I continue to pursue acting as my main focus while I daylight as a project manager with a major studio in their Theatrical Mastering and Screening Operations team. And I’m sure I’m forgetting something else!
I am on a mission to build a body of work that takes people on a journey of self-discovery and awareness. We all hurt, we all love, we all laugh, we all cry. By exploring the humanity in all of us, I hope to create art that brings us one step closer to healing.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My sophomore year of high school my grandmother passed away. The final weeks I spent with her were formative in ways that altered the trajectory of my life. In taking care of my grandmother, I became torn between being an actor or abandoning everything to go into medicine. So when it was time to go to college and I was accepted and received scholarships to schools in California for Theatre, and schools out-of-state with good Pre-Med programs, my dad gave me some advice.
He encouraged me to leave California and pursue medicine. I had spent my entire life up until that point pursuing acting. He’s been there for every minute of it. But now I needed to give medicine the same amount of dedication. Commit completely in the opposite direction, and if I end up choosing acting by the end of my time in college, then I would know what to do. LA would always be waiting for me.
I left California, to attend Truman State University in Missouri. I devoted my college career to Health Sciences, with an emphasis on mental health, substance abuse prevention, and women’s health. But by my junior year, I had enough. I was studying for the MCAT, taking biochemistry and physics at the same time, and I felt this deep ache in my heart. I was losing myself. I felt hollow. In a moment of inspiration I turned my back to the medical field and moved back to LA to study at the Art of Acting Studio.
I had to reconfigure who I was as an artist. It was a gloriously painful and exciting time. I found my soul again. I’m grateful for the time I spent in Missouri. And now, being back in full force as an actor, I can pursue it without any doubts. I tried to escape, and it failed. And no one, not even myself, can ever doubt that the entertainment industry is where I belong.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Oh my gosh! So many! I’m not going to give backstory to any of it, so I’m just going to list out the wisdoms that I find most helpful in no particular order.
1. Discipline and consistency will take you where you need to go. You cannot have success without both.
2. You cannot force opportunities that are not meant for you, especially if you are not ready for them. What is meant for you will find you.
3. The more you try to rush through the process, the less it will work. Trust the process, trust yourself.
4. There is value in solitude as an artist. It’s necessary. But be mindful that solitude does not transform into isolation or loneliness.
5. Build community that encourages growth and celebrates your wins. Make sure you reciprocate!
6. We must be active and resolute in pursuing our goals, but we must do it without anger or angst.
7. Be discerning with who you give your time, energy, and talent to. Some people are not worth it.
8. Working for free is not a bad thing, so long as you know your worth and have strong boundaries. Favors can go a long way, but only if your heart is in the right place. If you choose to volunteer yourself make sure you feel passionately about the project and the people you are working with.
9. Always ask questions and advocate for yourself and your needs. No one is going to do it for you. Even the most well meaning person can take advantage of you.
10. It’s not a race. It’s a marathon. Do what you need to do to avoid burning out early so you can make it to the finish line!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nicoleoharamedia.com
- Instagram: @nicoleoharamedia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-ohara/
- Other: https://streetratmedia.com
Image Credits
Miguel Perez, Matthew Kamimura, Jake Sarfaty, Rita House