We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Briana Kennedy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Briana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I often say that my creative journey began at three years old when I first stepped onto a dance stage, but the moment I truly knew this was the path I wanted to pursue happened when I was six.

I auditioned for the intensive program at the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, and to this day, I remember it vividly. The atmosphere felt like something out of A Chorus Line mixed with Life with Mikey—hundreds of hopeful kids running around with audition numbers stapled to oversized T-shirts while nervous parents gave last-minute encouragement from the corners of the room.

Before the audition, my dad gave me one of his trademark pep talks. He was an athlete, so he approached my auditions the same way a coach approaches a big game. He looked at me and said, “Go handle business. You’re a silent executioner. They’ll never see you coming.” Then we did a New York Undercover style fist bump. Looking back, it’s hilarious that he was giving a six-year-old such an intense sports speech, but that’s who he was. My mother was an actress, I know she passed those genes on to me. My parents always made me feel capable of anything. No dream was too big to achieve.

Eventually, us children we were led onto the massive Children’s Theatre stage and arranged into rows. The parents were able to watch the auditions in the audience. It was an intense atmosphere for 1990. Intense, lol. One by one, we stepped forward to sing, dance, and act. After each round, some children were thanked and dismissed while others remained. I remember looking over at my parents throughout the day as the groups became smaller and smaller. With every cut, I was still standing there.

By the end of the audition, only a handful of us remained. We were told we would receive a final call if we were accepted into the program.

A few days later, the phone rang.
I got in.

That acceptance changed the course of my life.

Every Saturday, I trained for four hours in acting, improvisation, voice, and movement. It was the first time I experienced the discipline, creativity, and joy that come from being part of a true artistic community. At the end of the intensive, the students performed a production inspired by The Odyssey.

I was cast as Hermes. I remember that performance as if it happened yesterday. The audience was packed with parents, filling a mirrored dance studio from wall to wall. I stepped in the center of the dance studio as the messenger god, delivered my lines, and received my very first laugh from an audience.

That moment changed everything.

There is something magical about hearing a room full of people respond to your work. In that instant, I felt a connection unlike anything I had ever experienced. I wasn’t thinking about careers or success or the future, I no concept of any of that. I was 6! I simply knew, with the certainty only a child can have, that I was so happy & this was where I belonged.

I was bitten by the bug. That was the moment I knew I wanted to perform for the rest of my life.

Now, at 42 years old, after decades of acting, dancing, directing, producing, writing, and creating, I can still trace everything back to that six-year-old girl standing in a mirrored studio as Hermes. The feeling I had that day—the excitement, the wonder, the certainty that I had found my arena—has never left me.

It was a life-altering experience, and in many ways, I have been following that feeling ever since.

The little girl walking into that Hermes performance carried both of her parents’ belief in her. Decades later, I still do.

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.

Hi, readers!:)

My name is Briana Kennedy. I am an actor, director, screenwriter, teacher, producer, voice-over artist, and dancer with over 30 years of professional experience across film, television, theater, commercial, and voice-over work.

Originally from the cold city of St. Paul, Minnesota, I was bitten by the acting bug at six years old while attending Minneapolis Children’s Theatre. By seven, I had officially begun my journey in theater. I was cast as Scout in my very first play, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the rest truly was history.

I went on to perform in the Twin Cities theater market for the next eleven years. The Women, Tomboy Stone, Stamping, Shouting, Singing Home, Fences, Boundless Grace, Cowbird, and A Chorus Line are just some of the productions that helped me sharpen my theater chops and fall even deeper in love with the craft of storytelling.

I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film. In 2012, I relocated to Los Angeles and began my journey in the City of Angels.

My time in Los Angeles was brutally difficult, but incredibly fortifying. It was there that I discovered whether I truly had what it took to pursue acting at a high level. After two years, I booked my first primetime television co-star role on CBS’s Stalker. The experience was incredible. But in true actor fashion, one co-star credit doesn’t magically open the door to the massive career we all dream about.

What followed were countless auditions, many unanswered opportunities, and a few bookings sprinkled in between. The creative journey is a roller coaster of emotions. It is non-linear, unpredictable, and often the amount of time, energy, and dedication you pour into the craft is not immediately reflected in your level of success.

Los Angeles is where I developed my grit.

Los Angeles also forced me to come face-to-face with my “why.”

I discovered that I loved storytelling in my bones. Despite the uncertainty, the rejection, and the obstacles, I knew I had to pursue this career and see it all the way through.

Over the span of eleven years in Los Angeles, I built a body of work that I am incredibly proud of. My credits include Detective Villanueva in Sarah Elizabeth Mintz’s Good Girl Jane, which won Best Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival and starred Andie MacDowell and Rolando Boyce; Sandy in Damion Smith’s The Block Trilogies, opposite Glenn Plummer and Marcus T. Paulk; recurring Officer Lacy on Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger and Danger Force; the voice of Tape Girl in Five Nights at Freddy’s; Officer Sweeney on CBS’s S.W.A.T.; Luz in Marvin Lemus’s Vámonos; Tiny in Stalker; lead dancer in Pharrell Williams’ iconic Happy music video; and one of the faces of the MGM Rewards Las Vegas commercial campaign.

I moved back to Las Vegas in 2022, and within the span of just a few years, I can honestly say I am experiencing the most exciting run of my career to date.

The industry has changed. You no longer have to be based in Los Angeles to build a meaningful and successful career as an actor.

Most recently, I can be seen as Ruby in The Hook, starring Malin Åkerman and Michael Jai White, directed by John D’Angelo and slated for release in 2026. I also portray Tina in the feature film Real Ones, inspired by the true story of Alejandro Zavala and starring Guillermo Iván and Reno Reyes directed by Art Camacho. I am currently filming Broken Ones, the follow-up to Real Ones directed by Tim Gagliardo.

In addition to film and television, I work extensively with the Old Navy brand as Thrifty Tiffany, appearing in both commercials and live performances.

As my career evolved, I found myself wanting to expand as an artist. I began teaching character development classes, which has become one of my greatest passions. There is something incredibly fulfilling about helping another artist unlock their potential and find confidence in their work.

A major part of that artistic expansion came from doing something that both terrified and excited me.

Making my first short film.

I wrote, directed, produced, and starred in my debut short film, Underground Overture, through my production company, Lady Luck Pictures, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Creating that film challenged me in every possible way and remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

What I am most proud of, however, is not a specific credit, booking, or accomplishment.

It is the fact that I have never lost my sense of self or my soul throughout this creative journey.

My career has been guided by my two favorite “H’s”:

Humility and Hunger. Humility reminds me to stay grateful every time I get the opportunity to do what I love.
Hunger reminds me that there is still so much more to learn, create, experience, and accomplish.

At 42, does my career look anything like I thought it would? Absolutely not.

Am I having the time of my life? Absolutely. :)

Always bet on yourself. Keep moving forward.
Stay open to the wild twists, turns, setbacks, surprises, and blessings this creative journey will inevitably bring.
You just might discover that it turns out even better than you could have ever imagined.

Love,
BK

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I first stepped onto a stage at three years old. By seven, I was performing in theater and had already discovered the thing that made me feel most alive. Storytelling wasn’t something I chose. It chose me.

For over three decades, I have dedicated my life to the arts as an actor, director, writer, producer, teacher, dancer, and creative entrepreneur. The path has been beautiful, heartbreaking, exhilarating, and at times unbelievably difficult. There were moments when I had every reason to walk away. I didn’t.

Because at the core of everything I do is a simple belief: stories have the power to change people.

My mission is to create work that makes people feel seen. To tell stories that challenge, heal, inspire, provoke thought, and spark conversation. To create characters who remind audiences of their own humanity. To make people laugh. Cry. Escape. To build projects that entertain while also leaving people different than they were before they experienced them.

I want to create opportunities for other artists. If I can make another creative’s journey a little better, a little richer, a little more fulfilling… I want to do that. I want to build worlds where diverse voices are celebrated. I want to mentor, teach, direct, and help the next generation understand that their stories matter too.

I believe art is one of the greatest forces for connection we have. In a world that often feels divided, storytelling allows us to step into someone else’s shoes, experience another perspective, and remember what it means to be human.

My goal is not simply to have a successful career.

My goal is to build a legacy.

A legacy of exceptional work. A legacy of courage. A legacy of creativity. A legacy that proves that perseverance, authenticity, and passion still matter.

I want to be known as an artist who never stopped growing, never stopped creating, and never stopped believing in the power of a dream.

If my work inspires even one person to pursue their own purpose, tell their own story, or believe in themselves a little more deeply, then every obstacle along the way will have been worth it.

This journey has never been about becoming famous.

It has always been about becoming who I was created to be.

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

Society can best support artists by first recognizing that art is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Every song that gets us through heartbreak, every film that changes our perspective, every painting that makes us stop and feel, every story that reminds us we are not alone, comes from an artist brave enough to create something vulnerable and human.

The challenge is that society often celebrates artists after they succeed while offering very little support during the years they are building. Most artists spend decades developing their craft, working multiple jobs, facing rejection, and creating long before anyone knows their name. If we truly want a thriving creative ecosystem, we have to invest in artists before they become famous.

That means supporting arts education, funding independent film, theater, music, and dance programs, creating affordable spaces for artists to work and perform, and paying creatives fairly for their labor. Exposure is not payment. Art is work. Creative labor has value.

We also need communities that champion artists locally. Not every creative success story begins in New York, Los Angeles. Vibrant artistic communities can thrive anywhere when people show up, buy tickets, share work, attend screenings, support local theaters, and invest in the creative voices around them.

Most importantly, we need to stop treating creativity as a frivolous pursuit. Artists are storytellers, truth-tellers, historians, dreamers, and bridge-builders. We help people process grief, celebrate joy, challenge assumptions, and imagine new possibilities. We don’t just entertain—we contribute to the emotional and cultural fabric of society.

A thriving creative ecosystem is one where artists are given the space to experiment, fail, learn, grow, and eventually flourish. When artists thrive, communities thrive. Culture thrives. Innovation thrives.

As someone who has spent over thirty years pursuing a life in the arts, I can tell you that every opportunity, every mentor, every audience member, every person who believed in me mattered. The greatest gift society can give artists is not just applause after the fact—it’s support while they’re still becoming.

Because behind every “overnight success” is usually a lifetime of work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://actingcoachdirect.com/
• Instagram: thebrianakennedy