We recently connected with Annie Wood and have shared our conversation below.
Annie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I think about this all the time. The fact that my folx did one amazing thing: they let me entirely be who I was.
My #1 passion as a kid was acting. I wrote as well, stories, plays, and poems, but acting was my obsession. My folx weren’t stage parents at all though, my mom was an immigrant who couldn’t read English and my dad was busy working. So it was up to me to figure out (pre-internet) how to find acting classes, theatre companies, auditions, agents, etc. I asked around and managed to find an acting class taught by Jason and Justine Bateman’s dad, Kent. He had an acting class in the valley that I mostly signed up for because I had a major crush on his son, Jason. Jason wasn’t a big movie star back then but he was on a TV show. Two! (YouTube: sitcoms, “Silver Spoons” and “Hogan’s Family.”
Anyway, the class was a bust for me because the other kids weren’t as into as I was so Kent had me join his new theatre company in Hollywood, Theatre III. (the III – Kent, Jason, and Justine.) Oh, and Justine was on the hit show, “Family Ties” with Michael J. Fox.
I LIVED for this theatre company! When I was 16 I told my folx that I want to emancipate myself and leave school early. When you emancipate yourself you have some adult privileges – like not going to school (which I hated) and not needing a parent to accompany you to auditions and jobs. It took some convincing but I made it clear to my dad that I will continue learning throughout my life, (and I have!). Dad thought I should have something to fall back on but I said, “I’m not falling back.”
And so my parents signed the slip that gave me permission to take the test to emancipate myself. I left school early, got
a part-time job at a talent agency in Beverly Hills, and spent the rest of the time at my theatre company, painting, cleaning, fixing, hands-on creating, and helping take care of the space and of course, acting on stage. All because my parents trusted me enough to allow me the freedom to be me. For that, I will be forever grateful.
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.
I am the third solo female dating game show host in the history of television. The nationally syndicated TV show I hosted and co-produced was called, BZZZ! (you can find clips on YouTube.) It had a reairing of 20 episodes in 2020 on the Buzzr channel.
As an actor I was in films, Good Luck Chuck with Dane Cook and My Sister’s Keeper with Cameron Diaz. I was the lead in the cult classic, Cellblock Sisters and appeared in several TV shows and hundreds of voice-over commercials as well as video games.
As a writer, I had a hit web series that I also starred in, Karma’s a Bitch (find it at anniewood.com) and several books on Amazon, and a few signed copies in my Etsy shop. (etsy – goodvibesbyanniewood). My Young Adult novel, Just a Girl in the Whirl is my newest book and I have two more books my agent is shopping around now.
I’m an internationally exhibited mixed-media artist and have exhibited throughout the country as well as in Venice, Italy. Currently, my work can be seen at the West Hollywood, Artist Tree, and the Artist Tree in Redondo Beach. As well as at The Art Lounge collective on La Brea in West Hollywood. You can view my drawings and mixed media work on my site and on Etsy and my Instagram – @artistanniewood and @anniewoodworld
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I believe we are all born as joyful creatives. The thing is, things happen, right? Life can try to smack our crayons out of our hands. People can tell us all of their opinions about us which can then morph into our own opinions of ourselves. I was lucky to have supportive parents, true, but that doesn’t mean that people/life didn’t try to pull the rug out from under me. So, what to do about that?
Someone asked me recently if anyone ever told me that I couldn’t do something. I mean, I’m a female human so, yeah, duh, obviously, but the truth is – I couldn’t remember the details of these people. Because I don’t spend much time on all the NOS. I forget about them because I’m too busy moving forward in the direction of my joys. I’m too busy creating to stop and listen to the NOS. I hear my YESes. I continue to hear them. I strongly suggest you love the hell out of yourself enough to give yourself the YESes.
My belief in myself, my strong-held desire to create, is my strength. Creating is an act of self-love AND a gift that we give the world. Being an artist in any capacity, music, art, dance, gardening, cooking, I don’t care what – it doesn’t matter what the thing is that is calling you – pursue it. Be it. Live it. It’s important. What you make is important.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The Artist’s Way The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
this is my public Amazon List of inspiring books:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3XAMJ18BY2DE?ref_=wl_share
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/anniewood and https://www.anniewood.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistanniewood
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welcometoanniewood/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniewoodworld
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniewood
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=sY8XF3eef4Y-fcsEOE9m0w
- Newsletter sign up: https://mailchi.mp/09e463bf0f70/anniewoodnewsletter
- blog/writing: https://medium.com/@anniewoodinhollywood https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoodVibesByAnnieWood https://www.pinterest.com/TheAnnieWood/