We recently connected with Caitlynne Medrek and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Caitlynne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Whew! Big question. Have I earned a full time living? Yes! But creating and running a performance based children’s company that I worked at full time definitely helped. It also allowed me to live and breathe performing each day!
There are so many incredibly fulfilling ways to make a living in the arts, the definition of creative work is limitless. Having been in the performer’s industry professionally from the age of 12, I started making money really early in life. If I could offer myself a piece of advice in hindsight it would be to invest that money and start earning interest right away. Of course, I was 12 years old, and my money was put away for my future, but it didn’t gain interest. In the future, that money then paid for ANY auditions across Canada that my mother and I would travel for over the next 9 years of my life, including auditions for Arts Universities and Colleges across Canada and the USA.
After graduation, I headed out to Toronto. During my six years there I was blessed with a plethora of professional acting jobs that helped with the bills – everything from Total Drama Island on Teletoon, to The Diary of Anne Frank, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Skatoony, to one of Canada’s most successful web series of all time – Out With Dad, to the hilariously bloody feature film ‘Blood Riders’ (I got shot in the face by a blood cannon over 30 times haha). BUT alongside this I worked PLENTY of non-creative jobs to stay afloat. The beauty of these jobs is they DID allow me to pursue my dreams, afford vocal training, yoga classes, theatre shows and transportation. I worked as a dog walker, a dog groomer assistant, waitress, shooter girl, bartender, nanny, barista, line cook, elf, and the list goes on. These jobs were important to my livelihood but not always easy to acquire – I won’t sugar coat it and pretend it was easy. Being an actress makes it hard to get hired. If you’re honest in your interviews that you are a gig worker and that you MAY have to quit if a contract comes up – they aren’t always willing to hire you! On top of that, there can be a lot of anxiety around getting shifts covered anytime there is a last minute audition (and to be honest, they’re all pretty last minute). It definitely takes hustle and a deep commitment to the arts.
In 2016 I started my own Children’s entertainment company, and we quickly – using our knowledge of theatre and the arts, and hiring the best of Calgarys emerging young artists – we quickly became Calgary’s #1 choice for children’s birthday entertainment in our first year of business. It even won me a spot in Avenue Magazine’s Class of 2020: Top 40 Under 40. I started my company with 2 performers and 3 costumes and by 2019 I had 43 performers, 62+ costumes, and a really incredible loyal client and fan base.
In 2022 I sold my business. My dreams were evolving and changing and I really wanted to focus my career in film and TV. To effectively do that, my heart took me (and my now husband!!) to Vancouver, where we now reside.
That leads us to today. I’m currently taking my 200 HR Yoga Training to run alongside my work as a creative.
They say, ‘Being an actor is really about what you’re doing when you’re not acting,’ and ‘If you can imagine doing ANYTHING ELSE…do that.’
Truly, I cannot and never will be able to see myself as anything other than an Actress, so I’m still here!
I have been fortunate enough to work as an actress in such shows as: Heartland season 15 and 16, YellowJackets season 2, numerous Netflix and Crave cartoons, Total Drama Island, Arthur, Fargo season 3, and two feature films; Hailey Rose, currently on the film festival circuit, and Stage 5, a sci-fi thriller set for release in 2025.
Do I think I could have sped up the process?
I think I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my journey as a creative and I invite everyone to find that same belief in their journeys too. There are no rules, no timelines. Just enjoy making the art ANY time you get to make it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started my life in the arts at the age of 10, and quickly moved into the professional world of theatre by age 12! At 12 years old, I had booked two equity productions and 65 episodes of a cartoon series (Dragon Ball GT!) that would entirely change my life!
It wasn’t long after DBGT that I decided to dedicate my entire self to theatre, music, and storytelling.
I believe success in the arts comes from authenticity and safety.
There is little room for empathy and community if your work in the arts is ego-driven or rooted in self satisfaction/accomplishment. If we as artists are all trying to climb the ladder of success to reach the top, then we end up stepping on hundreds of people as we ascend that ladder, rather than offering a hand and reaching the top together. Being an artist and storyteller (to me) is one of being devoted to the service of art. The storytelling, the art of making and holding space, healthy community, empathy and open heartedness are all pieces of being a creative that I had a hard time finding in my own community as a young adult. To be of service is also to be a teacher and mentor to the younger and next generation of artists, to support and encourage them in healthy ways. So, at 19, my intention with starting my own Children’s entertainment company was so I could be the change I wanted to see in the world.
Starting YYC PRINCESS changed my life, and continues to change the lives of so many. Not only were we not providing deeply authentic artistic experiences for children, we were also hiring and providing professional, paid opportunities for artists to work and play with their artistic gifts! What better way to discover new placements in your vocals, or try out a new joke, or really get creative with hair and makeup then to try it all out in front of CHILDREN! They are the most forgiving audience, and also simultaneously, the most excited, bright eyed audience who is happy to jump into the world of play with you. In the 7 years I ran my business, I hired over 600 artists, from princesses to Santas, from photographers to LED artists, and balloon twisters to magicians, and on and on! We became number 1 in the city because we always adapted to the situation in front of us. No two birthday parties should be treated the same because no two children are the same. We had to be ready to play at any moment! I also believe our success came from highlighting the talents of the artists we had working for us. No one was ever expected to fit a mould, but rather use who they already are to create the mould and perform from that. THAT is authenticity.
I am most proud of myself for recognizing just that – for seeing that the community I was in NEEDED change and taking action. We need diverse voices and bodies and ages in storytelling. Starting my business allowed me to mentor, foster and nurture the next generation or artists. It created paid opportunities for performers as well as allowing me the opportunity to be the leader and mentor that I had been searching for for so long. THAT is what I am most proud of.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being a creative is the making of something out of nothing.
To take a thought and bring it to life.
To take a sentence and animate it.
To bring forth something tangible out of darkness.
To provide a space for others to feel empathy. To look at something in a new or different way.
To cultivate conversation. To inspire new thinking or neural pathways.
To create new friendships, community.
To inspire our inner child. To continue the tradition of oral storytelling.
To remember.
You aren’t just creating and making stories, you’re creating and making memories.
Something out of nothing. That to me, is magic.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There is so much rejection in this industry, and the goal, though much easier said than done, is to not feel the rejection but rather change the trajectory of that creative energy!
Once, I was hired by a streaming service to create a bunch of commercials featuring an original children’s character for their channel breaks. I did just that, falling in love with these inspiring commercial scripts and this adorable new character that had sprouted from my mind. Unfortunately, the streaming channel decided not to hire from the union and thus they wouldn’t be moving forward with my character or scripts. I was devastated.
I discovered how to self publish on Amazon, I took my scripts that I had written for this streaming service, and I wrote them into a children’s book. (This was also a sure fire way to protect and copyright my scripts!).
It may not have been the original way these stories were intended to be told, but I sure didn’t let a little rejection stop me from putting my ideas out into the world. Your ideas are always worth it. Dream big and make art. Art doesn’t have to be happy or sad. I hope you take a chance on creating something this year. You deserve it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @caitymed
- Facebook: facebook.com/caitlynnemedrek
Image Credits
Headshot – Jenna Berman Mermaid – Sofia Katherine Photography Frozen Sister – Dylan Foster Photo Billy Elliot – Mrs. Wilkinson, Theatre Calgary 2019 Ms. Clarissa – Heartland Frozen Duo – Chinook Blast – 2022 Caitlynne Medrek UBCP/ACTRA AWARDS 2023 Heartland 2022 Yellow Jackets 2022 Frozen Sister CS Parade – YYC PRINCESS Frozen Sister – Kalla Ramberg Photography 2022 Cast of YYC PRINCESS CS Parade 2023