We were lucky to catch up with Adrianna Taffel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Adrianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was born on a Friday the 13th and my initials spell “ACT”, so I like to say I was cursed to be here… I’ve known I wanted to be in entertainment from a very young age.

As a kid, I remember forcing my parents to rewatch famous movies over and over again so that I could pause the TV each time to write down their monologues. At the same time, I would terrorize my poor grandmother and some stuffed toys into acting in plays that I created weekly.

I’ve always known I wanted to tell stories and have been very lucky to have a family that supported me in this.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Adrianna Taffel and I am an actress, writer, and director based in Los Angeles, CA. I’m a firm believer in the power of storytelling and in its ability to connect and inspire.

I remember the first time I ever watched “City Lights” (one of my favorite films by Charlie Chaplin) and being struck by the power and understanding of each frame of the film despite not using any dialogue.

I truly believe my love of silent films sparked my love of film itself and taught me the power it holds to connect us all despite language, time, and culture.

As a creator, I’m big on stories that have an impact and share unique perspectives. The most recent project I’ve directed “Edge of 23” aims to reveal what lies behind closed doors by following a young sex worker as she enters and breaks free from the cycle of exploitation. I’ve also been privileged enough to act in films that have recently had very successful festival runs. (Shout out to “Kiss Me Goodnight” and “Glamping”!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Using my Instagram for research was a HUGE game changer!

I’ll admit I’m someone who’s fairly social media avoidant in my personal life, so accepting IG as a tool took some time.

However, I’ve learned there is so much that can be discovered just through following Casting Directors, Agencies, and other creatives that I admire. From looking through other IG profiles for creatives in Entertainment, you’ll start to see the connections of which Agencies and Casting Directors work together, which Casting Directors work with which Directors and Brands, and the patterns of which actors book and why. Plus, since COVID tons of Agents and Casting Directors have started sharing free advice over social media!

If you’re looking for a way to get clarity around relationships in Entertainment a good old Instagram stalk is the way to go!

For actors who are just starting out, I highly recommend looking into the work of Bonnie Gillespie. She has great blogs, a book, newsletters, and a course. Plus if you ever have a question you can pretty much google “how to ___ Bonnie Gillespie” and a blog will pop up with the answer. She was recommended to me as a resource very early in my career and I can’t say enough how valuable her guidance has been.

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

Storytelling and art have always been a part of what makes up the fabric of society. As humans, we have an inert need to communicate and art has been a tool for this since the beginning of time. It’s always been confusing to me why our society seems to diminish the value of artists in our world as a means to connect with each other.

With the rise of technology and AI in film, there’s an ongoing debate about where artists will fit into the future of entertainment. While corporations look to save costs by eliminating creatives in the creative process, we have to ask ourselves what the purpose of art really is.

If at its core the purpose of art is to connect with our humanity and others, can we truly have art without the artist?

I don’t believe we can.

It is very important to stay up to date with news about technology in the arts. Support local artists and the creative humans who share their humanity to make content we know and love.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriannataffel/
• Other: IMBD: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7749600/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

Personal Photo: Photo by Huebner Headshots

Image One: Photo by Grant Terzakis

Image Three: Photo from the film “Glamping”. Director of Photography Yousef Sekander. Directed by ReaAnneCarlson.