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

Rachael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

After working with my acting coach, Billy Montana, for about 1 1/2 years, Billy felt I was ready to interview with an agent. I was excited and terrified. It was through a Zoom session, and the agent was very nice. It was surprisingly fun. A second Zoom session was then set up, and I had to do some acting skits. Again, it was actually fun, and I was also allowed to ask questions. Soon after, I found out they wanted me to sign, and I was super excited! It took hard work to get there, but it is definitely worth it.

Rachael, 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?

When I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. At that time, we lived in Ohio. Soon after, I received an invitation to participate in a pageant and decided I wanted to try it. My mom thought it might help with my shyness and social anxiety. I actually really enjoyed the pageant – meeting other girls and being on stage. The company my father worked for went out of business, and we moved to Wisconsin, where I took pageant coaching.

During one pageant, I was a runner-up for photogenic and had the opportunity to go to the national pageant. There, we made great friends with another mother and daughter who told us about the casting site kidscasting.com. After we got home, I signed up and, to my surprise, was accepted by two designers for New York Fashion Week. After Fashion Week, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I took dance lessons and then aerial arts lessons, which I fell in love with and continue to do.

I was with a Young Actors Company and was always cast in the ensemble. My mom and I had a meeting with the director and were told that my autism would continue to be an issue for me in pursuing an acting career, and the ensemble was the best place for me. We disagreed and left the group. Through Kids Casting, I did get cast as an extra in a few short films.

About 2 years ago, during a photoshoot for Supermodels Unlimited, my photographer said, “I hear you are interested in acting.” I said yes, and he told us he taught acting coaching and that his daughter is a successful actress. I started coaching with him, and after about 1 1/2 years, I have now signed with the Polygon Group talent agency. I want people to know that if you have any kind of disability, you should not let it hold you back and give up on your dreams.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had met my acting coach, Billy Montana, earlier on. Additionally, there are some really good casting sites you can sign up for without an agent: kidscasting.com, backstage.com, actorsaccess.com, projectcasting.com, castingnetworks.com, castingfrontiers.com.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I would have to say it is when someone tells me how much they enjoyed a performance I did or that they were having a bad day and my performance brightened up their day. It is very rewarding. I just really enjoy performing, whether it be acting, modeling, singing, or aerial arts. It brings me a lot of happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rachaeldunbeck.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cursed_rachael?igsh=MWxvNTF1ZHJwbGhpeg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopefulmodel?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cursedrachael?si=izGchhFSqzi45GE8

Image Credits
Punk rock pictures, tye dye dress, orange dress, flannel shirt pic, Billy Montana photography Black dress photo by Katrina Girtakovska Bright blue shirt and guitar pictures by Laura Sioux Cianciolo Black dress by Mila Hoffman Couture Purple Dress by Jaylani’s Boutique