Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Caitlyn Mims. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Caitlyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I remember making a video that I posted on YouTube, holding me accountable to pursuing my dreams in film. I made that video five years ago. It is crazy to look back and see how far I have come. More importantly, I actually accomplished what I said I would do in the video. I went from doing a little bit of theater in high school, to making a full time living off of film. I cannot fathom the fact that I just wrote that down. I make revenue off of acting opportunities, doing movie marketing and event marketing. I also work with studios helping them cast, revise scripts, and run their social media. I am happy to announce that I have recently accepted the offer to not only be the director of an up-and-coming film festival, but also a judge in a film festival as well. 5 years feels like a day ago.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a producer, actor, writer, social media manager, YouTuber, and I work in movie marketing. I started out in the industry as an actor who began learning the ropes while on set! Getting on set experience in this way led me to producing my first short film. From there I continued to produce two more shorts as well as a nominated screenplay. I am now in the stages of producing a comedic TV Pilot. Through this journey, I have fallen in love with all the different ways of content creation. I have interned with iHeartradio as a producer where I later became a host on the show! I was always finding new ways to use content to help others! With that said, I also have experience in social media as I managed accounts for churches, car dealerships, studios, and radio stations. Now on the side I have started my own perfume, receiving most of my work doing administrative work for a talent scout at an acting studio. I also will take on the responsibility of reviewing scripts and managing the socials for another studio. Lastly, I am connected with the marketing side of movies. On the side, I have started my own perfume brand called “Her Version” and My end goal is to make beautiful, long lasting art using film.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
First off, I think everyone is creative. The levels of creativity and how they use it may defer, but for the most part people are creative. However, what some people who do not do it as full time career may not understand is how hard it is to restrain creativity to the business world. A lot of times creatives have these big and beautiful ideas, but if it does not fit the mold of the business, or what is “in” with society then the ideas will only remain ideas. Also, a lot of times “non-creatives” will expect this grand idea they have painted in their head to be done in 20 minutes. It can be frustrating to have high standards set, but have the work it takes to get it done be underestimated.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I grew up looking to Disney and Nickelodeon as an idol almost. I fell in love with entertainment because of that channel. It has been years since then and many of the child actors from that time are grown. They have spoken out against the hurt the entertainment industry caused them as kids. It absolutely broke my heart to know they were mistreated so badly. Their testimonies have led my dreams to shift a bit. Originally I wanted to be a successful actor. However, now I want to build a production company that has the reputation of protecting the people that work under its roof. I want a safe place for the actors. My heart goes out to those stars in the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caitlynamims3.wixsite.com/caitlyn-mims
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mimscaitlyn?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlyn-mims-221159153
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@caitlynmims/shorts
- Other: VSCO: https://vsco.co/caitlynmims/gallery Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitlynmims?lang=en
Image Credits
I certify I have all the rights and Kaitlyn Jackson