We were lucky to catch up with Christina Carmona recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christina , appreciate you joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes — I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, and I’m proud of that because it didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been in entertainment my entire life, and every chapter whether acting, hosting, producing, or writing has been another step in learning how to turn passion into a profession.

In the beginning, I thought talent alone would open every door. What I learned instead is that creativity is only half of it, consistency, resilience, and relationships are what keep those doors open. I made a choice early on to say yes to opportunities that aligned with who I am: storytelling, community, and purpose. That’s what led me to television hosting, film production, and even writing my children’s books. They are all different paths that feed the same creative heart.

The truth is, I built this career piece by piece. I didn’t wait for someone to “find” me, I built stages when there weren’t any, created platforms when none existed, and stayed visible when it would’ve been easier to quit. That’s how I made it happen.

If I could’ve sped up the process, I’d tell my younger self this: stop waiting to feel ready. The work itself makes you ready. Every project, every rejection, every late night editing or rewriting, that’s the training ground for the life you’re building.

Making a living through art isn’t about luck. It’s about believing that your creativity is your livelihood and protecting that belief until everyone else catches up.

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’ve been in entertainment my entire life performing, hosting, producing, and writing — but at the heart of everything I do, I’m a storyteller. Whether I’m on stage, on camera, or behind the scenes, I believe stories have the power to remind us that we’re all connected.

I started performing young, and that spark never faded. Today, I’m proud to wear many creative hats: I play the Queen at Medieval Times, where I get to bring a fun twist in history and theatre to life for audiences. I’m also the host and Co-Producer of Indie Cinema Showcase on Orange TV, CEO of Bad Kitty Films, City Producer for the Orlando 48 Hour Film Project, and in-arena host for the Osceola Magic. Every role I take on gives me a new way to connect with people, through laughter, inspiration, or stories that stay with them long after the curtain falls.

My children’s books, The Adventures of Theodore & Otis, hold a special place in my heart. They teach kindness, creativity, and friendship, values I think the world can never have too much of. Seeing children light up as they meet those characters reminds me why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

What sets me apart isn’t just versatility, it’s heart. I’ve built a creative life grounded in authenticity, empathy, and joy. My goal has always been to make people feel seen, encouraged, and inspired to chase whatever sets their soul on fire.

At the end of the day, I’m just a girl who never stopped believing in stories, and that belief has carried me through every chapter.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience, to me, has never just been about bouncing back, it’s about standing tall even when no one’s clapping.

There have been so many moments in my career where the easy choice would’ve been to step back. I’ve had projects fall apart, opportunities vanish overnight, and doors close right after I thought they were finally opening. As someone who’s spent their life in entertainment, there’s a constant balance between passion and pressure. You learn to perform through exhaustion, self-doubt, and heartbreak, because the show always goes on.

I’ll go with a very recent example, one of my biggest tests came when I had to run the entire Orlando 48 Hour Film Project completely on my own for the first time. It was chaos, some sleepless nights, technical issues, a hundred moving parts, and there was no safety net. When it all came together, standing in that theater knowing I pulled it off not just as a producer, but as a leader… that was a defining moment. This just happening so recently shows that you will always be tested no matter how far you’ve come, and a reminder how powerful it is to believe in yourself.

That experience reminded me that resilience isn’t loud. It’s quiet determination. It’s grace under pressure. It’s showing up, again and again, even when no one sees the work behind the curtain.

If there’s one thing this industry has taught me, it’s that creative dreams don’t just survive on luck and talent alone, they survive on heart. And that’s something I’ll never run out of.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that success has to look a certain way.

When I was younger, I thought “making it” in entertainment meant landing one big role that would change everything. I believed if I just worked hard enough, stayed polished enough, or waited for the right person to notice me, the rest would fall into place. Life had other plans and thank God it did.

Over the years, I’ve learned that real success isn’t a single moment; it’s a mosaic of everything you build, piece by piece. It’s saying yes to opportunities that might not fit the traditional mold, like hosting for the Osceola Magic, playing the Queen at Medieval Times, producing films, or creating children’s books that help kids see the world with more kindness. None of those things were “the plan,” but together, they became my purpose.

I had to unlearn the belief that my worth depended on being chosen. The truth is, It was always about choosing myself all along, and every time I did, doors opened that I never even knew existed.

Now, I measure success by impact, not spotlight. By the lives I touch, not the titles I hold. That shift changed everything, not just my career, but how I see myself as an artist and a person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinalcarmona.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/xtinalynnc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/xtina08
• Other: www.theodoreandotis.com