Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Vazquez.
Hi Kendra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Well, my story started 22 years ago here in Atlanta, GA where I was born and raised. I lived in an area called Powder Springs until I was four and then moved to a small town, Canton Georgia. Growing up, I was very athletic and participated in competitive gymnastics, softball, dance, track and field, pole vaulting, and recently stunting and highwire. However, I would have tried every sport in the book if I had enough time. Even when I wasn’t at any sort of practice, I was outside playing some type of sport with my two brothers and friends which instilled a competitive nature in me. I was never the type of person to sit still for too long because I always had to be doing something to keep myself busy. In the rare times when I wasn’t outside being active, I loved watching Disney channel’s “Hannah Montana” and I remember being inspired and thinking that I wanted to be on TV just like Miley Cyrus one day. In fourth grade, since both of my parents worked, I would stay in the after-school program until they could come get me. This is when I discovered the drama club. It was then that I was cast in my first play called “A Wright Royal Mess”, and I played the queen. I absolutely fell in love with acting. I was that person who memorized everyone else’s lines just to make sure nobody messed up, which looking back, explains my current passion with directing actors and productions.
It wasn’t until I was about 13 that I finally built up the courage to take my first acting class. I took acting classes all while I was trying to balance school and gymnastics 3-4 days a week, which was never easy, but totally worth it. Once I entered high school, everything got harder and more confusing. My family didn’t know anything about the acting industry or where to even help me to start. My parents also weren’t the most supportive of acting at first, but they eventually came around. I ended up taking a break from gymnastics which was the sport that I loved the most, so that I could try and focus on acting. After 3 months out of gymnastics, I was struggling to figure out the ins and outs of how to get going in the industry, so I decided to go back. This was my way of giving up for a while. I did gymnastics for about another year and then stopped again. I felt like I had no one to help me figure out what to do, and I remember my parents feeling helpless too. I decided to try some new things, I did dance, pole vaulting, and track and field to pass the time during sophomore year. I also got my first job as a gymnastics coach, which I still do to this day. During my sophomore year in high school I decided to take some more acting classes because I missed it so much. But I had little to no confidence, so it was hard for me to stay consistent. I was doing acting classes on and off throughout high school. Then, during my senior year, I decided to dual enroll in college.
After graduating high school, I tossed around the decision to stay in college or quit to really focus on acting. I still didn’t feel like I knew enough about the industry to take it on by myself, plus I was very shy. So, I decided I was going to stay in college and at least get an associate degree in business. Those semesters were very tough. I struggled with a lot of things internally and because of my quiet and shy nature it was hard to meet people. I felt very alone. I really thought I was going to drop out, but after I finished my associates in business, I made a pivotal decision to go for my bachelor’s degree and I changed my major from business to film production. It was one of the best decisions that I could have made! That decision helped me meet people in the industry I strived to be a part of, and it helped me come out of my comfort zone. I graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in film & digital media, with a production concentration and a minor in business.
Since then, I started my own production company TKV Productions and have directed and produced multiple short films, some of which have won awards. It was also around this time when I was slowly coming out of my shell that I decided to try stunt classes at Atlanta Stunts. The first stunt class I went to I tried the highwire and I automatically fell in love with it because it reminded me of gymnastics. I am working as an actor now and have been in multiple films and a TV series all which can be found on my IMDb. Through acting classes, stunt classes and college classes I’ve met a lot more people that have helped me along the way and I am very thankful for that. God and prayer have helped me tremendously along the way. I see now in hindsight how everything that I have done in sports, school and acting are all tying together to create my brand as an actor and filmmaker.
Lastly, I am working on building my team. I have been led so far by some amazing people in the industry including my acting instructors, my acting coach Jeff Rose, and my business manager Sharon Rene from The Actors Avenue. I am seeking commercial and theatrical representation in the southeast. Going forward, I strive to meet more and more industry professionals by producing more films, booking more acting projects, and going to festivals. Ultimately, I hope to work not only as an actor, but I would also love to excel in stunt work, performance capture and work behind the scenes as an established producer and director. It is an exciting journey, and I am so thankful to finally be on my way!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road for me. I struggled with a lot of different things to get to where I am today, a lot of which I have never talked about with anyone, and most of them I still struggle with today. I’m a very reserved person and don’t like telling people a lot about myself because for some reason that scares me. But one thing I struggled with a lot was confidence. My confidence in myself has held me back more than anything else. There have been workshops, classes and many more opportunities that I have passed up on just because I was nervous and I feared what other people might think about me. It took me years just to build up enough courage to take an improv class because it scared me like crazy. But, after I finally took the class I grew not only as an actor but as a person too. I realized that if I’m doing what I love, it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Making a fool of yourself and feeling weird and awkward is just part of this industry. You have to laugh at yourself sometimes and know that it’s okay to make mistakes.
Another thing I struggled with was body image, which came from my lack of confidence. I started to pick apart the way I looked and started comparing my body to everyone around me. Being a gymnast, my body was different. I had a very short stature compared to other people and a very bulky, muscular build. I wanted skinnier thighs so bad. It was hard not to compare myself to other people who had taller and lengthier legs than me. But recently I’ve realized it’s what sets me apart from other people in the industry, and although it isn’t easy sometimes, I’m learning to love myself more and more every day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an American actor, filmmaker, and athlete, and am know for my short film Panophobia, which is definitely what I am most proud of. I wrote, produced, directed, and edited that film within a 2-month time frame while I was also completing multiple other college classes. I think that’s also what sets me apart from others. My determination keeps me going which is something competitive sports taught me well. I don’t like giving up even when problems arise, that just motivates me more. I am also known for Assumptions, Let Me In, and mirror image, all of which I acted in. Lastly, I’m excited to have some more projects in the works and cannot wait to share them soon!
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk taking is something I wish I would have been more confident to do from the beginning. If I would have had enough confidence in myself to take risks and do things that scared me, I wouldn’t have felt so helpless for so long. For me, even though it was the decision that helped me the most, I think the biggest risk I took was changing my degree from business to film production because I knew how hard this industry was to be in. However, sometimes taking risks could be facing the things that scare you the most, like changing my degree to something that I knew would be harder or taking my first improv class, but sometimes when you finally take those risks bigger and better things come from it, even if it’s just learning and growing. I think especially in this industry, risk taking is a huge part of it. Acting is tough, and nothing is guaranteed, but we just do it because we genuinely love what we do. Nobody becomes an actor because of how great it pays, they become an actor because of their love for the craft. So, taking that risk can be scary especially starting off as a new actor in the industry. I also think risk taking is part of auditioning as an actor. Sometimes you must take risks when making different choices about your character because you never know how others are going to react to the choices you make as an actor. Risk taking can be scary and it isn’t always easy, but sometimes you have to take risks to do the things that you love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thekendravazquez.wixsite.com/thekendravazquez
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekendravazquez/?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007866797557
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_qPKCY3OORNodHP5NUkUg
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10843539/
Image Credits:
Picture credit: Scott Dentinger, Megan Trammel, Dorothy at dawn photography, Emily Freeze, Caitlyn Mimms, Sharon Rene
