We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Genesis Juarez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Genesis below.

Genesis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The very first dollar I ever earned through my art happened when I was 11 years old. I had only been acting for about a year at this point when my agent said that I had an in person audition for this pharmaceutical company called Abbvie. I remember they sent me a very dramatic monologue that I had to submit the next day. When I got to the studio where the auditions were being held, there were so many kids. I found it funny that I encountered another actress that had similar facial features as me! After patiently waiting for a while in the lobby, they eventually called me into the audition room. The casting director asked me some questions about my hobbies, all I remember was sharing with her some funny stories that I’ve been through and I guess she liked it. The audition went great…besides the fact that I forgot a big part of my monologue and ended up improvising the scene. I felt pretty good about the audition after I left but I wasn’t expecting much. I was thrilled when my Agent emailed me for the callback. When I came back for the callback audition there were 3 kid actors and 3 adult actors. They were casting for one kid and an aunt or mom.There were 10 people in the room that consisted of the Director, Casting Director, Producers and Assistants. They paired me up with a lady named Tania with whom we had good chemistry. We had to improv a scene together that turned more into a comedy skit that the team really seemed to enjoy. They called me back into the room again with another lady and then another one. Then they eventually called me back with Tania and it went super well! So we both ended up booking the TV commercial. I got paid a couple of thousand dollars! Not bad for an 11 year old kid. Mind you before this I didn’t even know you could get paid for acting as I just assumed people did it for fun. It was a great experience that I’ll keep with me forever and I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity to be on TV and get paid.

Genesis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born in Toronto, Canada but have spent most of my life living in Nashville, TN and parts of the Southeast. My family started a Music School soon after we moved to the town of Mt. Juliet just outside Nashville in 2014. Being exposed to music at such an early age gave me the opportunity to explore singing and playing different instruments. The Rock Zone School Of Music was the perfect outlet for me to truly find my voice. My role always involved filling in. This led me to occasionally play drums, piano, bass and sing……lots of singing! I would sing in bands, duets, or back myself up with either a piano or a karaoke track. I was a late bloomer when it came to reading and writing, but through learning song lyrics I became better at it. Being in such a creative environment also allowed me to try out different ideas such as starting a choir that also did choreography. Additionally I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which led me to baking cupcakes, and managing a small candy vending machine at the business. When I was 10 years old my interest shifted towards acting. I started taking lessons with several acting coaches and groups, mainly focusing on film and commercial acting for TV. Since then I’ve landed different opportunities and continue to grow and develop my skills. One of the greatest experiences was working with Corbin Bleu from High School Musical and Christopher Lloyd from Back To The Future. The film “Camp Hideout” has been picked up by Roadside Attractions productions and will be released to theaters. I continue to pursue both acting and music. Most recently I started a Pop/Funk band called The Castalians and we’ve been performing locally and writing original songs too.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I truly enjoy performing and entertaining others through the arts. As I young child at 5 years old I started to experience the satisfaction and feeling of being able to use my art to make people feel good through my music. Always looking at the great singers from the past for inspiration. I would always go for the big songs by Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Even though they were challenging I was driven to always do a good job because these songs meant a lot to people. Over the years I make it a habit to look into the audience and see what type of reaction I get when I sing. I love to see people smile during upbeat songs from singers like Loretta Lynn and Shania Twain, or heartfelt songs that make people tear up by artists like Adele or Sara Barielles. I’ve also taken a shot at writing original music. One song that I always see people bobbing their heads and really enjoying is called “Starstruck” I wrote this song with my sister when I was 10 years old. My sister and I were really inspired by 90s r&b and wanted the song to just be fun to listen to. The song describes the feeling of being “really into” your crush or significant other, something maybe people my age can relate to. Making that connection with people through my songs is very rewarding. On the acting side of things, it’s very similar. I enjoy bringing my character to life and allowing audiences to truly believe the role I am playing. In my upcoming movie “Camp Hideout”, I play Amy, one of the BFFs of the main character’s love interest. It’s a comedy role that I’m hoping audiences will enjoy as much as I did playing that character.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Well I think that being in the entertainment industry there are always pivots that you’ll have to take during your career. One of my most memorable experiences with pivoting was at the start of the pandemic and everything went into lockdown. There were no more auditions or singing gigs because everything was shut down. I remember not knowing what to work on since everything was so uncertain. One day I was watching the Jimmy Fallon show and I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be so cool if I could do what he does…. but with Kid Celebrities. After I got that idea, my 12 year old self was determined to start my own late night show! I remember sending emails like crazy to all these famous kids, I didn’t know if any of them were ever going to reply, but I thought “why not?” ….either this works or I become a couch potato. About 4 days after I sent the emails I got a reply and it was from Madison Han, a young talented girl who worked as a dancer with Janet Jackson. Later on I would have even more notable folks such as the winner of Holland’s Got Talent Amira Willahagen, the winner of Gordon Ramsey’s Masterchef Junior, and the winner of La Voz Kids (The Voice Jr.) Paula Guanche. Throughout my life I’ve worn many different hats working in entertainment and simply having to pivot in life. I’m a quick learner and can adapt easily to different interests. It’s helped me with acting a lot because I am able to draw from those lived experiences to add color to my characters.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.genesisviolet.com
• Instagram: genesisvioletofficial
• Youtube: genesisviolet
• Other: Band Page www.castalians.com Acting Page www.genesisjuarez.com

Image Credits
Chelsea Erica Smith Pitch Meeting Production’s