Today we’d like to introduce you to Arischa Conner.
Hi Arischa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started performing at a young age as a singer. I sang in a jazz band in college and in various wedding show bands for about 15 years. I loved it, but it was a little hard on my knees. I acted a little bit in college, but the acting bug really bit me later on in life. My first theater performance was Smokey Joe’s Cafe….and I fell in love with the stage. I joined a theater company, W.O.W. Productions, with African American women CEOs Tangie Beaty and Donna Johnson. Through W.O.W. Productions, in association with Maverick Movies, I was featured on a nationally distributed DVD of the stage play, Yesterday is Still Gone, written by Tangie Beaty. After that, I started researching everything I’d need to do to book more acting jobs. I got some headshots done, created some video clips of different scenes with friends, edited the scenes into an acting reel, and submitted them to some agencies in the Southeast. I booked the very first job I ever auditioned for with my first agency, Coastal Talent. It was on the CBS Saturday Morning Show, Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Hidden Heroes. I started taking classes, working hard at the craft…and the rest is history.
A few years into my acting journey, I met my incredible manager, Natarsha Garcia of AGI Entertainment at an industry bootcamp. She introduced me to my agents, Joy and Jayme Pervis at JPervis Talent in Atlanta and Nick Roses at Pantheon Talent in LA. I love my team! They have put me in position for some amazing opportunities and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road for me. Not at all. It was actually kind of hard. In the beginning, I got a lot of nos. I started to think that maybe I was too old, my time had passed or maybe I didn’t have those Hollywood looks that casting was looking for. There was a time when I was so down on myself I wanted to quit. Also, I was teaching full time and I couldn’t always do my auditions, so that was a struggle. I really had a shift in my mindset when I met one of my acting coaches, Christine Horn. Working with Christine and working toward changing my mindset was a real game-changer for me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Presently, I am a full-time professional working actress. I decided I wanted to pursue my dream of acting full-time before I turned 50. So after 20 years in education, I took a leap of faith to pursue my dream full time. I have done national voice over work for Under Armour and Stitch Fix and I’ve done commercials for both the Georgia Lottery and Bojangles. Presently, I am recurring on two shows that are streaming on Hulu and AppleTV Plus. I am a recurring guest star on Dopesick, a Hulu original, as Leah Turner alongside Michael Keaton and Will Poulter. I am also a recurring co-star on Swagger, an AppleTV original created by Reggie Rock Bythewood starring O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and Isaiah Hill on AppleTV plus. My character is Apocalypse Anne, and she has a message to share with her community.
What I’m most proud of is my perseverance. I’m proud of myself for not giving up. I continued to work hard and work on myself. I now realize that I am enough. There’s no one else out in the world like me, and that’s what sets me apart from other people. I hope that every actor realizes that they are enough, and their uniqueness is a gift.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love collecting Ukuleles and other musical instruments. I have four ukuleles that I’ve been playing off and on for a few years. Whenever I have to travel for work, I love to take my Baritone Ukulele with me when I can. Practicing and playing bring me so much comfort and joy. I love my Ukes!
Contact Info:
- Website: arischaconner.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/arischaisastar
- Facebook: facebook.com/arischaconner
- Twitter: twitter.com/arischaconner
Image Credits
DKTurner Val Tannuzzi
