We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charitee Higgins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Charitee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me on this journey has just been giving me the chance to prove myself. A Dallas-based production company, Watzs, has given me an overwhelming sense of community by the way they have supported me for years. I’ve worked on projects with them both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, and what a learning experience it has been. I feel like we as young Black artists don’t get the benefit of the doubt very often, so for them to take a chance on me and continue to do so has just boosted my confidence and really furthered my belief in myself.
The first time I worked with them was 2019. I was pretty fresh out of college, and new to the Dallas acting scene. Following that, I worked with them on another project through 2020 during the uncertainty that was COVID. In 2021, I was offered the opportunity to partner with them again on a Watzs original tv series called “Frame of Reference” that had its premiere on the 21st of February through the new WFAA+ streaming service. I traveled with them to LA to do some PA work on a short film they produced and directed, and am working with them again this year on some upcoming projects.
Time and time again they have given me countless opportunities to grow, learn, and strengthen my craft and I am forever grateful for their kindness. It can be a scary and lonely experience trying to pave your own path, and I truly could not be where I am now if it wasn’t for our aligned introduction.
Charitee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a 26 year old creative currently living in Atlanta, GA. I was originally born in Santa Rosa, California, but my family moved to DFW when I was about 2 so I’m basically a Dallas native. I obtained a B.S. in Social Work in 2018, and worked as the Constituent Aide for a State Representative of the southern Dallas region for a while after graduation.
I have always had a love for performing, and I am no stranger to the stage—as a dancer. Acting has always been a passion, but one I’ve only come to fully harness in the recent years. Since I began pursuing a career in acting and training at the TBell Actors Studio after graduating in 2018, I have been a part of a plethora of projects—ranging from music videos, to comedies, to dramas, to local commercials. In these projects I have played the sassy best friend trying to talk my friends into trouble, the enthusiastic baseball fanatic advertising the new Texas Rangers stadium, the femme fatale distracting game players while running a scam to take home all the coins, and the doting wife who…dotes.
I recently relocated to Atlanta in the summer of 2022 to further pursue this calling. The aim is to be as creative as possible for as long as I am on this Earth. I do have high-hopes to one day act or host alongside Quinta Brunson and work with Ava Duvernay. I love any and all opportunities to be creative and I have some work to do, but the goal will always to be to put out quality art driven by my passion as a Black creative.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Something I think non-creatives struggle to understand about this journey as a creative is that, at least for me, there is no answer to the question of when I am going to “stop and pursue something different.” I may have to pivot, but I will continue to be a creative until the end.
I have been asked how long before I give it up, but I feel as though there is no timeline that involves me quitting. I am trusting that all of the no’s will be worth it in the end.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I believe that the mission driving this journey is one that is not unique to just me. I want to see more people who look like me in spaces that we have been left out of for years. To prove that you don’t have to look, act, or present a certain way to be accepted in this industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://youtu.be/dF2hO3QWMEI
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chariteechristina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chariteehigginsactress
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chariteehiggins
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUhS0zS6Lnh82IVTsVwBsFw
- Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chariteextina?_t=8aL60wDAPV5&_r=1