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

Hi Malinee , thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

Well I tried to start my creative career sooner when I was in my 20’s but didn’t get very far. I was also living in LA at the time. I wish I was able to succeed sooner, but am finding that timing is everything with my age and stage in life, Ironically being in San Diego now, it seems that being a “middle-aged Asian woman” has been helpful at the moment.

Malinee , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started singing, acting and dancing when I was around 5 years old. It was always a “hobby” until I tried to pursue it as a “career” in my 20’s when I lived up in LA. Unfortunately I didn’t get very far but now that I’m in my San Diego and “middle aged”, I’ve found that I’m getting a lot more work. I do acting, print and life style video modeling, voice over and spokesperson/Teleprompter work. I have an LA Commercial and Print agent (IT Model Management) and a San Diego agent for commercial, print, TV and Film (Shamon Freitas) who have been great in booking me jobs. As a creative I am a “storyteller” through acting but for all the corporate advertising work I do, I am able to portray certain characters for their business image. I am most proud of getting to the point where I can “cry on demand” as an actor, which was quite a hard skill to accomplish for me. What sets me apart from others is that I’m a “second act” actor now and I fall into the “middle age” category, along with being ethnic. I most proud of the fact that I have a strong voice over and spokesperson voice.

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

My journey as creative is constantly making me face resilience. Doors close all the time and rejection happens every week. The goal is to focus on the journey as the art and not think of booking the job as the end result. I have to enjoy the process and the art of being creative without expecting anything in return. Booking the job has to be a “bonus”. I also have to ignore why or what people say about me, my look, my acting skills etc. I have to focus on myself and be happy within and not taking any judgement or criticism from anyone personally. It took a long time to get here, but I think I’m doing good.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The people I meet and the experiences I have while on set are the most rewarding aspect of being a creative. I love surrounding myself with like minded people who share a passion and a vision for creativity. I also love seeing the process of it coming together from start to finish whether is the story of a film or even just a 30 second commercial.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.malinee.com
• Instagram: @malinee.churanakoses
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malineechuranakoses/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@malineechuranakoses

Image Credits
All photos by Emily Sandifer