We were lucky to catch up with Samiya Allen-Grahsn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Samiya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I’m building a legacy that I hope and pray my family would be proud of. They have supported me in all my endeavors especially being an actress, and that’s quite honestly a blessing. I think when I’m gone people would say “Wow Samiya was just so lovely and kind and always a hit with the parental figures and she loved Jesus! She also was very funny but if you told her that she would never believe you, it would always be a shock to her.” And honestly it always will be. Humility is everything to me and I always want to walk through this life being humble. And I hope people remember that about me. And they choose to be humble themselves.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Before I was even a thought to my mom, I believed God planned for me to have a career in entertainment. When my mom was pregnant with me in college, she told me that during her math class, I would never move and always slept; however, in her Shakespeare class, I would be wide awake, as if I, a tiny baby in her belly, was totally invested in what the professor was teaching. Recalling that story as a young girl was hilarious back then. Still, as a young adult, I recognize its’ significance to my life in the present and future.
My decision to start a career in the entertainment field began with the 2006 American musical drama film Dreamgirls. From age four, I knew every line, song, note, and breath of all the characters in the masterpiece. To this day, it is still my favorite movie.
Dreamgirls changed my life in more ways than one. When I was 6 years old, I had the opportunity to perform the song ‘Love You I Do.’ I spent weeks rehearsing for this performance. When the time came to perform, I fully choked, metaphorically and physically. Picture a 6-year-old black girl in the elementary school cafeteria singing ‘Love You I Do’ but can’t sing a word of the song out because tears and snot are falling down her face. All you heard through the speaker were my wails from crying so hard because I had stage fright. It was not a pretty sight. After that horrendous moment, I promised myself that I would never embarrass myself like that again, and the next time I stepped on a stage, I would get through the song.
When I made that promise to myself, I did not know the day would come so soon, but I rose to the occasion. And I am telling you, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ was the perfect redemption song, and I got through it. You could not tell me I was not Jennifer Hudson or Jennifer Holiday. I had the little red sparkly dress, the fluffy scarf, and the baby heels that expressed the beauty and power of Effie at that moment to prove it. I got through the song without crying and felt confident while doing it, even though I sounded terrible. There’s a video of my final moment of the performance, and I can objectively say I’m so happy I fell in love with other parts of entertainment, like acting, casting, and behind-the-scenes.
As a child, I was always fascinated by questions like: How does the job of a casting director get done, and how does the story get told? I would watch shows like Pretty Little Liars or Girlfriends and think no other actors could play these roles. The casting director did a phenomenal job picking actors who worked so well together. That conclusion led me to be curious about how actors work together. I started small and looked behind the scenes at Disney stars on Disney shows like Wizards of Waverly Place, Shake it Up, and Ant Farm. Those videos had one thing in common: everyone working on the project looked like they were having fun. From that moment on, I knew the entertainment industry would be in my life somehow. I didn’t care if I was an actress, a director, a casting director, or an agent; I just wanted a seat in the room.
Being at Savannah College of Art and Design has opened doors for me that are unimaginable to some. As an acting major, I’ve had the opportunity to explore acting and casting as a casting office intern at the SCAD Savannah Casting Office. The only university to have its own casting office. Learning the technique of a good self-tape, analyzing the characters in the script, finding actors, and keeping the director’s vision in mind are a few of the tasks casting directors have to do, and I love them. As a casting director, you must love actors, which means you must love people, and I do. Collaborating with other artists is my favorite part of the entertainment industry.
My life’s calling is to connect with as many people as possible with love. The best way I can do that is through the art I make with others for the world to see. If I get to connect, then I’m doing life right!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
At this stage of my life, my market right now is the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Acting Department. I would say the my career as a SCAD Acting student has been quite amazing. I’ve gotten the opportunity to be a part of four stage productions and one television production with SCAD as an actress. I work in the casting office and I try to connect with professors I’ve taken in class and also professors I haven’t taken. You have to be eager and ready to learn and you must be okay with taking a note, especially as an actress. When I show up for class or auditions, I’m always prepared and ready to go. I think it also helps to be kind and a good person. I try to bring sunshine everywhere I step and yes it’s hard some days but like the beautiful Tabitha Brown says, “Even if you can’t have a good day, don’t you dare go messing up nobody else’s here, okay? Love you, bye” I live by the quote and that has helped me in this market for sure.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’ve been applying to the same internship for the past three years and I’ve gotten denied every single time. In hindsight, I should not have applied the first time because the internship was only meant for students attending Historically Black College Universities (HBCU), however my roommate at the time applied the year before (who attended SCAD with me) and participated in the internship. She was the person who encouraged me to apply, and I did. When I was denied the first time, I was sad for a minute but I said to myself we’ll try again next year. When the applications for next year rolled around, I decided to attend a workshop with the company that gave tips on how applications could stand out. And I took those tips and still did not get accepted into the internship, and that second time stung a little more than the first time. However I said to myself, we’ll try again next year. I applied this past year and answered all the questions from my heart and still was denied. But this time I reminded myself of the saying, “what God has for me will never miss me.” And when things get hard or it feels like you’re hitting a brick wall that word of encouragement always gets me through.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @samiyaallengraham
Image Credits
SCAD Maya Culian Val Tannuzzi