We were lucky to catch up with Koby Kumi-Diaka recently and have shared our conversation below.

Koby, 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 always a big movie buff from the time I was in elementary school. I grew up watching movies and tv series regularly with my dad, which is where my affinity for film came from. When I was in fourth grade, I landed a leading role in the school play, which was done once a year. I remember how much fun I had playing the character and getting lost in the world that we created as kids. After the last scene of the play, there was a standing ovation from the audience which made me feel a connection to everyone in a way that I can never forget, and that is when I knew I was destined to become an actor.

While growing up, I was involved in all types of artistic endeavors dealing with the performing arts, one main thing that I was very passionate about was dancing. I was part of a breakdance crew all through middle and high school, we would perform at house parties and local events. Although the love that I had for performance was expressed through dancing, acting was still at the forefront of what I truly wanted to do. I took acting classes throughout high school and college and was involved in several plays.

The turning point came when I got the chance to move to Los Angeles with a group of 19 other actors. I was involved in a training program where all 20 young actors met up multiple times a week to study scripts and hone our craft, which was to get us ready for the big showcase in Los Angeles upon arrival. The Showcase in Los Angeles included over 30 different industry professionals ranging from casting directors to managers and agents who were looking for new clients.

After going through the program that helped me move to Los Angeles, I was signed to my first commercial agent. I started the process of self submitting for student films and independent projects, the journey had officially began. A few years after being in Los Angeles and doing a handful of student films, I booked my first national commercial, then a few months after that I got my first TV credit on CSI:NY as a co-star. I upgraded my agent and manager representation gradually as I booked more and more TV roles over the years until I got to the position that I am currently in. I’ve booked roles on CBS, TNT, HBO and Netflix.

The main thing for me was to stay focused on the goal, which was always to become a working actor in film and television. I made the necessary sacrifices and kept learning, studying and refining my craft. Also, I kept on learning about the business of Hollywood in order to understand how things were done.

I strive to give back by sharing the knowledge I’ve gained from my own journey with other aspiring actors. I’ve helped several people get representation by connecting them with agents and managers who I have relationships with. Overall It’s been a blessing to work as actor over the years and I plan on working for many more years to come.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I will never forget my first acting workshop, it was with a big-time TV casting director, there were about 30 people in the class and we each had to do a cold read of a scene in front of the class. When it was my turn to read the scene, I was so nervous that I was shaking like a leaf and could barely read the lines because I couldn’t keep the paper still! After the workshop an older, more experienced actor came up to me and gave me an encouraging pep talk about how I had potential but needed to focus more and take things seriously, I took his advice and over the years I became much better and booked several appearances on different TV shows.

The relentless drive to just want to win constantly pushed me past all of my fears, whether I was doing a play on stage, an audition for a TV show, a movie, or I was actually on set. My first few years I didn’t have a car so I was always on public transportation, I would force myself to talk to at least 5 strangers a day, this was to perfect my communication skills and to build natural confidence. Every morning for years I would read affirmations in the mirror to solidify my worth, I even did stand up comedy workshops to add more diversity to my skills sets as an actor.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am an avid reader and have a collection of books, one of my favorite pastimes is sitting in a quiet room or going to the park to read, specifically non-fiction books that have to do with self development. “The Magic of Thinking Big.” by David J. Schwartz is one of my favorite books which helped to unlock the potential within me in so many ways. I read Mr. Schwartz book several times and did the exercises at the end of every chapter over and over. One of the main takeaways from the book that really impacted me was the chapter about action conquering fear. It is in the doing of things that the “magic” happens and the fear disappears.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kobyofficial
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/officialkoby
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kobykumidiaka
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/officialkoby

Image Credits
GroupActorPic (Picture of me hanging out with fellow actors, Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, and Joe Mazzello). ScorpionCBS (Picture or me in episode of season 4 of “Scorpion,” with fellow cast mates, Katherine Mcphee, Ari Stidham and Robert Patrick.) DWPsetpic (Picture of me in episode 2 of season 3 of “Dear White People,”with actor “Blair Underwood”). PoliticianNetflix (Picture of me in episode 4 of season 1 of “The Politician,” with actress “Lucy Boynton”).