We were lucky to catch up with Katie Lyons recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I’ve spent the past couple years of my life lamenting that I chose not to begin my career sooner. As a child, my mother put me into modeling and I started my career doing lifestyle work for catalogues and clothing brands. I loved it, I didn’t know it was work. For me, it was fun “dress up” time. Soon I was regularly at castings . When I was about six or seven, I abruptly stopped doing any kind of modeling work to focus on my education. My mom wanted me to make the choice of whether the industry was for me as an adult. I wanted to study theatre in college but ended up majoring in entertainment management because it seemed like a safer choice. I almost convinced myself that my real dream was just to be in the entertainment industry and I wasn’t the kind of person that should be in front of the camera. I interned at a talent agency where I would watch other actor’s auditions all day long. I loved everything I was learning, but it was killing me to see other people doing what I wanted to do so badly. My turning point was my sophomore year of college. I realized that the people doing the things I dreamed of doing were also human… like me. It seems so obvious but when you’re in the scarcity mindset you will tell yourself anything to stay in your comfort zone. Acting in my first short film as an adult is what really gave me confidence. Not only could I do this, but I was having a blast. I couldn’t help but sometimes feel regret that maybe if I started earlier, I would have been more successful. I was talking to my roommate about feeling this way and she told me something that I always remind myself of. As long as I am doing what I love, I am living my dream right now. Auditioning, going to acting classes, learning lines, reading books on acting, performing standup at open mics, etc. All of those little things are part of living the dream. It is something I try to remind myself when I worry about whether I appear successful to others. I am grateful to finally have full confidence in myself and my craft. I don’t believe any other path would have led me to where I am now, and I would not wish to be any other place in my journey.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an actor, a comic, and all around a very dramatic person.I teeter a lot in between establishing myself as a creative individual with a unique voice and also not being pigeon- holed into a specific “type”. I feel so lucky to be able to put on so many different “hats” as a creative. I’ve played the heartless manipulator, the raunchy best friend, the innocent victim, and my personal favorite; “woman with dog number 2”. Even as a comic, where I am writing for myself, I am putting on a hat of someone totally unhinged and sarcastic. It’s an aspect of me but not all of who I am. I first started acting by participating in student films and local theatrical productions, once I felt like I had some experience, I was able to secure representation. It has been about four years since I began my journey and I am currently working on some feature films as well as commercial work. Comedy came later in the game and is something I am relatively new at. I have been a member of two sketch comedy groups in the past. Taking classes at the Villain theatre in Miami really helped me to develop confidence, and my own voice as a comedic performer. Since then, I have been able to perform in shows around Miami and further develop my material. Although acting is a business, My biggest indicator of the next project is what will be the most fun and the most challenging. I believe that if you’re not having fun, the audience is not having fun. If you’re not being challenged, the audience is not going to be engaged. I put my entire heart into everything I do and that is what makes my work speak for itself.

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

From the outside, getting started in the entertainment industry seems like the hardest part. I’ve had a lot of friends express to me that they have always dreamed of acting but have no idea where to begin. Facebook groups are a great resource to find castings in your area that don’t require experience. I mean, of course be careful and vet anyone you see on social media. Submitting to acting projects on websites like actors access, and casting networks is great, but there are so many people on those sites that it can take months to get an audition. I learned the hard way. Connecting with like minded artists on social media helped me to book my first roles in short films, and make my very first industry connections. Some of these people ended up booking me for more, larger projects as our resumes grew together.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

I love hearing stories from others about their relationship with the work I’ve done. I had a man from Ohio message me on instagram to tell me that he and his partner are huge horror fans and bonded over watching HIDEOUT. Some of my favorite moments with my own partner are us freaking out over movies together, so the thought I could play a part in providing that experience to others filled my whole heart. Even small things like someone coming up to me after a stand- up performance to tell me that they had a rough day and something I said made them laugh. The fact that I could possibly play a part in bringing people together or lightening their day is all that I need to keep going in this profession.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katielyonstalent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katielillianlyons/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katie.lyons.9847/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-lyons-092b34173?trk=people-guest_people_search-card
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAV9Ap2-k0Ys4tqgfAMIIVQ
• Other: Tik Tok: @katilyons

Image Credits
Paige Zauner, Linsey Klein, Allison Mccoin, Kris Roselli