Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandia Chansrisuriyawong.

Chandia , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

Well first off, hello again!

My story. Well my story begins at a very young age. From the age where I could memorize songs, lyrics, or choreography, which was about 4, I was always performing. I danced around my living room, sang from the top of the stairs, and put on shows for my whole family. I danced in a hip hop team for a while , performed dances with my cousins and put on Michael Jackson shows with my brother in our sala. When I would get punished and sent to my room I would write songs and stories about my feelings or how I was going to prove my parents wrong. You know, typical 10 year old problems. But from a young age, art has always been an outlet for me. It was something that I always came back to even if I had taken time away. It was always the one thing that sparked fire and passion in me when I couldn’t find it anywhere else. I didn’t really start taking acting seriously until about a couple years ago. Right after my senior year if high school , when I had to decide what I wanted to do with my life, this was the only thing that I could see myself doing until I can’t anymore and it was something I always wanted to pursue but never had the courage to. I decided to take a risk.

My life was going in a completely different direction. I was playing basketball at a really high competitive level, going around the country looking to get scouted but at some point I knew this wasn’t going to fulfill me anymore. After the devastation of COVID, I realized that it’s worth it to go for what makes me move. I decided to audition for the American Musical Dramatic Academy in the winter of 2022, and fortunately got in. This is the the true moment when I started to really pursue this career and have been at it ever since. Since then, I have been studying at a very high level at my conservatory with professors who actively work in the industry and have been able to work in the industry in various projects.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

No it has not been a smooth road, but then again it’s rare that an artist just sails through this career without any struggle. It’s hard to pursue this career. Unlike almost every other career, this one is non linear. Anything opportunity can be presented to you at anytime and it isn’t a fact of if you have enough credits or not it’s just a matter of being prepared for it and prepared to commit to the work.

One of the struggles I had overall was just navigating the fact that it is a non-linear career. I never knew how the business worked and honestly am still learning. But one thing that was hard for me to wrap my head around is how much this business relies on who you know, what rooms you can get in, and luck. That doesn’t mean hard work doesn’t pay off, because it always will, but those factors contribute majorly when leveling up in this career. It is not like you complete one step , and you move higher, you complete another, you get a manager position etc. Just getting used to how this business works and how nothing is really ever guaranteed was definitely one of my overall struggles. This also led to a bit of discouragement and lack of self confidence which is also something that I struggle with. Can I do this? Am I ready? Am I prepared? Learning to find my footing in this new territory has definitely been a struggle.

Another struggle is just the loneliness it has created. This has definitely made some space between my family and my friends in some aspects. I spend almost all my time working on my craft and sometimes forget that I have people here for me. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about the art with people who may not understand it or understand what you do or why you’re doing it and those conversations are hard. There is no bad blood it is just this matter of understanding and belonging and I don’t fit into the spaces I used to which sometimes is lonely. But everyday I’m growing into a new person and am slowly finding my community.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I am an actress / filmmaker. I have been studying acting and filmmaking professionally for the last couple of years. I have been able to do many short films and some staged performances.

” Wilder Greene” , the most recent short film I had filmed is currently in post production. I play Wilder, the protagonist, as she embarks on a journey to be free. My lovely friend, Ximena Uribe directed it and it will be out soon so stay tuned for that!

As a filmmaker I have been working hard writing my first feature film. My hopes is to have the whole script and pitch deck ready in the next year or two. I have also been the DP for some scenes that I have shot with my peers and have started to really get smooth with editing.

I’m the most proud of being here. This is not easy at all. I’m proud that I followed my heart and am continuously keeping my dream alive and continuously making them come true.

What sets me apart from others I think is just my experiences in life. I think that’s true for every artist. No story will ever be told the same way if told by two different people. I am a woman of color , multiracial, and from New York. I think my knowledge about certain topics sets me apart, and I think my vast range of how I like to tell certain stories sets me apart. Right now I’m in a stage where I’m trying to bring culturally significant films back but from cultures that do not have a voice ad I think that sets me apart at this moment. I’m fairly young and I do believe as I grow in life and in the work I will find many more things that sets me apart.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?

The only thing that I can say for sure is that closed mouths don’t get fed. That’s how I see it and that is how I approach it. Finding a mentor can be really hard. Everyone in this business is super eager to learn but not everyone is eager to share their time and that’s where it gets tricky. I think networking is also something that puts pressure on a lot of young creatives.

I would also say to try to get into rooms where the work or organization truly speaks to you or is similar to the work you want to do . That way, the connections you make are also assigned with your vision as a creative and maybe easier conversations can occur and relationships happen more naturally. That has worked for me. I’m very precise on the type of people I would want to create things with, not that I don’t have an open mind, but I know what attracts me.

If you want to introduce yourself to someone do it. If you want to start a conversation with someone in the room that you can see yourself working with, do it. Just do it appropriately and concise. Be confident in yourself, and just try. You won’t know if you don’t try.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chan.dia
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandia-chansrisuriyawong-4170b2332

Image Credits

MJ Romero Coy
Jeremy Thompson