Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Coupe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

This is a really tough question to answer, because many people have been kind to me throughout my life. I’d say, honestly maybe my acting manager. I have been with her maybe 8+ years, and I have not booked one thing through her yet. I have had quite a few near misses aka pins, callbacks and chemistry reads etc, as well as definitely made money and given commission to my both my theatrical reps through self sourced and created work, however that’s about it. And I’ve done looots of auditions. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am so grateful that I have people who truly love and believe in me, and who stick by me through thick and thin – having faith that that big day will come, and it will.

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?

Soooo basically I am an actor and singer songwriter, who dabbles in modeling and film producing. I have dabbled in many other things throughout the years, however right now those are my main focuses. It’s funny, because a mentor of mine a while ago told me that in order to succeed, you can really only choose 2 things to focus on – and I decided that that would be film/TV acting, as well as being a singer songwriter. Not a VO artist, not a theatre actor, jingle writer, session guitarist, or even session singer etc etc. Every little facet of the industry, especially in L.A because it is so competitive, really requires all of your blood, sweat, tears and energy to break in and make a living, and so you really have no choice! Or you will be chasing your tail forever and ever and ever…

So in saying that, right now I have a couple of films in development (one short and one feature), multiple songs that are slated to be released, as well as many already released this year (6 so far to be exact, with two more to come!). I also have a couple of feature films which I starred in a couple years ago slated to be released hopefully soon (I am not actively producing them), as well as consistently trying to out out more content and value into the world on a daily basis through social media, helping out my friends, collegues etc. Behind the scenes (which most people don’t see), I am songwriting consistently, auditioning on a weekly basis, pitching to film makers, working multiple day jobs, taking meetings, putting out newsletters, sending postcards, attending networking events, working out, looking after my doggo, dating, living a normal life etc etc etc.

I was also recently gigging 2-3 times week, performing 3-4 hour cover gigs all around town. However after doing this for around 12 months, I was having some vocal fatigue issues, and was told by my ENT that I have developed vocal nodules. It was cool, because for the first time in my life I really felt like I was a working musician, but through pushing through and ignoring my health issues and red flags, now I’m having to take a break from singing for 3-6 months +. It has been such a great learning lesson to listen to my body, take time off to rest and recover, and that my body is in fact an organism and friend, not a machine.

Throughout this journey of really trying to break into these industries, I think the thing I am most proud of is that I haven’t given up, and that I’ve also really taken the time to hone my craft as an actor, singer and writer. As well as learn to trust my gut and artistic voice, and believe that my instincts, voice and opinion is valuable and can add to the conversation.

I feel like this applies not only to the creative arts as a career, but also to any creative endeavour that you pursue as well as life tasks – such as choosing furniture for your house, the clothes that you wear, and who you surround yourself with. It’s all about developing your own unique taste, and trusting it 100%. Being in touch with the ‘source creative’ energy that guides you, and just going with the flow. I believe Julian Cameron talks about this concept in ‘The Artists Way’, as well as Elizabeth Gilbert in ‘Big Magic’.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wished that I had taken more time to invest in my craft, aka acting teachers, coaches, mentors, accent coaches etc from an early age (and as soon as I moved to L.A), and stuck with them once finding a great one. So that when I hustled and got the opportunities, I would have been really ready craft, confidence and experience wise. In the past I feel like I have screwed up opportunities due to lack of experience and skill, as I couldn’t afford to do lessons or get coaching at the time as I was just trying to survive. As a result, I ended up wasting time, hurting connections that I had, and I really couldn’t afford not to invest in them.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Getting to connect to other people through your craft, chatting to them, and them telling you that they were affected by a piece of art which you put out. That it made them feel something, and helped them through a work shift, hard time of their life, or was a happy song they could dance to. People hanging on your every word when you perform a song, telling a story, performing a scene or monologue, and being affected by it. Nothing really compares to that feeling, its a certain kind of high, and makes you realize that you are doing what you were born to do in this life :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emilycoupe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilycoupe
• Facebook: https://m2.facebook.com/emilymeicoupe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycoupe
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_coupe
• Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/emilycoupe/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emilymcoupe