We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aliya Minter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aliya below.
Aliya , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?
I have been blessed to secure one of the best agents in the Southeast!! KU Talent Agency! My youngest daughter, at the age of 3 booked a role on Apple TV’s Swagger, and was required to have an agent in order to negotiate the terms of the contract. The casting director for the show, Emmy nominated Erica Arvold, called and suggested that we meet with KU. The rest was history!! After an amazing meeting, we were interested in her signing with them and they were interested in signing our entire family of 6. We both got what we wanted :-) We’ve been with them ever since and are not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.
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.
Being an actor has always been a dream for me. I started out doing theatre in elementary school and always desired to venture into film and TV at some point. As I got older and started building my family I decided to introduce them to acting as I had been introduced at a young age. Things had changed since I had started, and unfortunately we fell victim to lots of scams as a result of not understanding how the industry had evolved. After those experiences, I made a vow to help everyone and anyone that asked. We had now gained an an understanding of how the industry worked and were ready to dive in. My family begin booking lots of projects individually and as a family. Our first major family booking was for Spectrum Inc. and after that we were on a roll. I then took on the role as “Momager” for our family and began to coordinate our auditions, bookings, interviews, etc.
I constantly meet people that want to know more about how to maneuver through this industry. While I don’t proclaim to know it all, I openly and freely share what I do know so that others can make wise decisions and feel empowered while making them.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Being a creative takes lots of patience and time on our part. Please be patient with us as well. We have to work really hard to build our craft and share our creativity with the those who may or may not respect it. In addition to that there’s a matter of compensation that comes into play as well. We enjoy what we do however we still have to take care of our financial responsibilities. It’s also very important to be confident enough in ourselves to KNOW that we are good at what we do, whether or not anyone else agrees or feels that we are worthy of compensation or recognition. There’s so much that goes into choosing careers that cause us to wear our most prized possessions on our sleeves…our ART. It’s a risk that many won’t ever understand.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I had known that there were so many free resources out there that can help guide you through this acting/creative journey! Facebook has been an amazing resource believe it or not and the amount of free classes out there is too much to count. Connecting with other actors/creatives can also point you in the right direction! Network with those that enjoy what you enjoy, and you will certainly get the information you need to expand your knowledge and build your resources!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aminterphotography.wixsite.com/aminter
- Instagram: @mintergirlsfourever
- Facebook: AliyaMinter Photography
- Youtube: @asuite6426
Image Credits
AliyaMinter Photography
Commercial ispotv Screenshot: Marathon USA