We were lucky to catch up with Shawn Huff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Having been an actress for 30 years I’ve lived and worked through very changing times in the industry. Technology and Social Media have had a huge impact on the entertainment industry. Both good and bad. Technology has changed the way actors audition, the way directors and producers make films, the editing process of media, the introduction and utilization of AI…there are endless ways we have all pivoted.

As an actress, before technology really kicked in, we always had in-person auditions…many per week. Often you would change out of your trunk full of clothes for multiple castings in a day, driving from one to another all over Los Angeles. You had to be unbelievably prepared because your ‘shot’ was perhaps 2-3 read-throughs with a casting director or casting director’s assistant, hoping they saw something unique in your performance as 15 other actors waited in the waiting room for their turn. It was much harder, more nerve wracking, more time consuming but I feel an actor who got in the door had better chances as they couldn’t see as many people. Now, post Pandemic, most auditions are still self tape, at home or in a hired studio. The casting directors and producers can see so many more actors because the submission process is virtual. You still must prepare and do your best, but you have lesser high stakes because you can film multiple takes in your home studio, fixing light, your performance and your choices as you go along. So you see, there is good and bad. I do miss the more personal aspect of the casting process.

Social Media on the other hand has become an important tool in promoting oneself as and actor-model-creator. Agents now want to know how many followers an actor has before signing you as it’s important for their marketing of you. This becomes a whole other responsibility in your work but such a great way to get yourself out there, get your work seen more and an opportunity to create on different platforms.

Social Media has also provided virtually free advertising globally. In businesses such as event planning or fund-raising social media is an invaluable tool to those starting out or those on a smaller budget. It has enabled the small business person to grow without the huge overhead of paid advertising.

Shawn, 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 my career at the age of 15. I was discovered by a French modeling agent while in New Mexico and after much convincing of my parents I moved to Paris to model. I spent a year in Paris and working all over Europe, I then went to Milan for another year, ending up in NYC where I spent the next 3 years modeling for Ford Models. I did everything from editorial for Seventeen, Health, Vogue and Glamour to advertising campaigns for LOreal, Physician’s Formula, Levis, Noxema and many more. I had a blast and truly was able to travel the world. While in NY I was scouted by LA Agent, Nina Blanchard. Nina convinced me to come to Los Angeles because she thought I would do well in commercials. I moved out West and that’s when my new career as an actress began.

I was fortunate to do extremely well in commercials. My look was marketable at the time. My first year in Los Angeles I did 15 national commercials. Of course I was hooked and I loved Los Angeles. I started taking acting classes immediately. In those times there was a real stigma to ‘models turned actresses’ unlike today, so to curtail that I really jumped in to study. I loved classes, they opened up my world as an actress. It was during this time that I also met my husband, a fellow actor, film director and writer, Brent Huff.

Acting proved to be MUCH harder than the modeling world. It was highly competitive and I was definitely very GREEN. I had A LOT to learn. After having so much success commercially it was eye-opening to audition against well-trained, confident and seasoned actors, many that had been doing it since early childhood. Fortunately for me there was an abundance of auditions for young ingenues so I did have opportunity. It took me 134 auditions, yes, 134 to book my first role. I was so close to throwing in the towel but so glad I didn’t. That first job was a mini-series for NBC, The Secrets of Lake Success. It was uncannily similar to Dynasty. The filming was such a blast and a great learning platform for me as we shot for 2 months and had a large, ensemble cast.

I continued to study and started booking more. I was fortunate in that I was also married to an actor so we worked on our auditions together. My husband was writing his first film during this time. We decided that we were going to make this film ourselves, as in I would be a producer and actor and he would direct and act. We invested our own money up front and then signed on a name actor and were able to up the budget with investors. It was an amazing experience. We shot the film in Big Bear, CA at a Bed and Breakfast in 13 days. It was incredibly intense, stressful and fun. It was a great and important role for me because my character really had some weight to her.

I went on to do my first television series for ABC called ‘McKenna’. This was an ensemble show about a family of outdoor-outfitters in Bend, Oregon. We shot 18 episodes in Bend. It was such a great experience as an actor because I got to work with new guest stars each week and we were lucky enough to do all the outdoor sports Bend had to offer from dog-sledding, fly-fishing, rock climbing to white water rafting. I really thought that series would go a long time as it was well produced but ABC had other plans. I did get signed to a development deal with ABC after McKenna ended and went on to work in other shows for the network.

I’ve been lucky enough to do many independent features and television roles. I’ve played a trained assassin, a conniving murderer, the matriarch of a powerful family, a diner owner, many-many wives even the wife of a polygamist. Every role was fun to jump into and figure out.

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Have you ever had to pivot?

As an actor you have busy times and a lot of not so busy times. It’s imperative in the new paradigm of the entertainment industry that creators diversify in their career. Gone are the days of solely being an actor, director, model etc. Not only is it necessary, but finding other outlets, projects or passions keeps you excited, busy and relevant.

I found myself wanting to do something outside of the industry. I’ve always been very involved in entertaining and event planning and I had the opportunity through a friend to plan and host a large scale event for a non-profit benefitting young girls with a rare disease called Rett syndrome. The non-profit is the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. The first event was held in downtown Los Angeles at Patina Restaurant and the Los Angeles Library grounds. There were 350 in attendance. We had live and silent auctions, multiple chefs from Food Network and live entertainment. The night was a big success and we raised over our event goal for the foundation. The event became an annual gala and we held the next two years at The Petersen Automotive Museum.

My husband and I developed deep relationships with many of the families of the girls suffering from Rett syndrome. Brent and I then started producing fundraising films and informational films of the girls and families. I stayed with the foundation until around the time the pandemic hit. We still, however are active in the community and donate our time to the cause at events each year.

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

I wish the internet was used more when I was starting out as it has opened such worlds of information for actors, models, creatives and fundraising. The internet and social media gives us contacts, ideas, information…so many tools right at your fingertips. We are light years away from having your pictures printed and dropping them off or mailing to casting directors. There are so many sites or platforms a creative can represent themselves on for exposure.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shawnhuffstuff
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawn.f.huff/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-huff-b7b1a613/
• Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0400229/?ref_=nmmi_ov