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

Myah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

As a creative, I am constantly taking risks. From the macro level of choosing an unstable career, to the micro level of how to say a line in a script. Without risk, there is no reward. It’s a constant in the stock market and no different in the creative field. Perhaps my biggest risk was moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

I always loved acting but never thought it could be my full-time job. I went to undergrad for a safe major to have job security. The jokes on me because the universe had another plan. After graduation, a professor of mine offered to give me feedback on a play I had written for class. After our chat, I ran into another old professor in the hallway. She asked if I could audition for a show she was taking on the road in a week. I of course said yes. This was risk number one.

The show led me to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. At the festival, there was an opportunity to perform a monologue in front of a panel of individuals from different theater companies, film programs, schools, etc. I almost didn’t do it. I hadn’t prepared a monologue. Heck, I was the only new member of a cast who had done the show. I had learned the full production in a week! Nonetheless, I took risk number two. I decided to perform a monologue from a short film I was writing. Enter risk number three. Most actors performed well-known works, I decided to workshop a very personal work of my own. To my surprise, it was a hit! I was accepted into multiple programs, one of which was a professional acting conservatory.
When I got my acceptance into the program, they asked if I wanted to attend their New York or Los Angeles locations. I chose Los Angeles. I had six months to say goodbye to the idea of safety and take a risk trying to act professionally.

Once I began the program, the most common notes from my teachers were that I was afraid of taking risks early on in my scenes. At the end of every semester, the heads of each department would have students come in one by one for an evaluation. It felt like a scene from a movie. I could always crush it the third or fourth time, but never the first. I remember holding back tears during my final evaluation, one of my favorite teachers told me “Myah, trust yourself. When you take risks in your work they are FANTASTIC! When you get an audition, take the risk in your first take.” That advice has stuck with me and it has paid off.

I am now signed with an agent and a manager, I audition several times a week, and I make money acting. This is all because I believed in my abilities and took little leaps. Long story short, take the risk.

Myah, 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?

My name is Myah Daniels and I am an actor, writer, director, and producer originally from Northern California. I received my BA in Communication, Professional Writing, and Theatre from the University of California, Davis. I received her MFA from the Stella Adler Art of Acting Conservatory LA.

THEATRE: The Bluest Eye, In the Blood, Twelfth Night, Click, Swimmers, Josephine.

TV/FILM: What The Heck is Going On, Genesis X, Beautiful Bodies, Supper.

PRODUCING: Dutchman by LeRoi Jones, Leo Rising Theatre Company (Anthony Meindl Theatre).

DIRECTING: A Family Ritual by Myah Daniels, Leo Rising Theatre Festival (Art of Acting Studio), The Colored Museum (Art of Acting Studio).

I am currently working on producing my first short film, as well as finalizing my first TV pilot script.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Are these still a thing?

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle changed my life. I think anyone who has read this book will tell you the same. This book helped me get back to the present moment and unlearn previous behaviors of mine that were holding me back that I didn’t see before. Presence is everything, especially in the acting world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.myahdaniels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmyahdaniels/
• Other: Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/myahdaniels

Image Credits
Molly Pan