Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelle Ramos.
Hi Chelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first taste of performing came when I was just three years old at a dance recital. As the thick red curtains began to close, I wasn’t ready for it to end—I pushed through them and kept dancing as I was waving to my mom who was video taping me. From that moment, my parents knew performing was in my blood.
They enrolled me in dance classes throughout my childhood, and I continued into my teen years, eventually teaching at a studio in Pensacola, FL. Choreographing and creating became my favorite part—it was a way to bring people together and express imagination through movement.
Then came the acting bug. During a family vacation to Orlando, my sister and I stumbled upon an open audition at Universal Studios for an Egyptian Mummy Princess. I walked in with my Fedex printed headshot. The director needed to see that I could move so she gave me some direction on what to do. I was a great listener and just did exactly as she said. Everything she said felt very foreign but I just had fun with it and did what I thought an Egyptian Queen would do. Three weeks later, while working full-time as a dispatcher back home, I got the call—I booked it! I put in my two weeks, packed up, and moved to Orlando. (Freaking out, obviously.)
At Universal, I fell in love with performing for audiences, but soon found myself drawn to TV and Film. When I watched some of my favorite shows, I thought “well I want to do that.” So I began training seriously at Art’s Sake Studio, learning to use my voice, body, and emotions to connect through scene work. After two years, I moved to Atlanta—which was the beginning of the acting boom in the Southeast—to pursue acting full-time.
I signed with an agent, started working, and the rest is history!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not—but it’s been the most rewarding journey for my growth. Some of the biggest challenges I faced were breaking old habits from my dance background. As a dancer, everything is big—facial expressions, body movements, energy. But the camera picks up even the smallest details, so learning to adjust to that took a lot of practice.
Another challenge early on was comparing myself to others. It’s different from dance. In dance, you develop a “works” mentality. If you practice the choreography enough and putting your own unique flavor to it, it’s easier to get noticed. In acting, audiences gravitate to emotional authenticity through dialogue. You want to be happy for your friends, but you also want to play in the sandbox too. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-sabotage.
It wasn’t until I started embracing who I naturally am that things began to shift—and I started to work. As creatives, it’s easy to get attached to what we think will make us happy, but learning to detach from those expectations was such a profound lesson. I still want those things, of course—but not being shackled to them has allowed me to truly enjoy this industry without becoming jaded by it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think what I’m most proud of is following my heart with a beginner’s mind. If I had stopped to research every step on how to quit my full-time job as a dispatcher, accept a job I’d never done, and move to a place I’d only vacationed, fear would’ve set in—and I probably would’ve talked myself out of it.
The funny thing is, acting wasn’t even a dream of mine at that point in my life! I was really just going off intuition and a “this could be fun” attitude. I think subconsciously, I just wanted to see what I was made of. And while having that beginner’s mind is important, I also believe in being smart and having a plan for survival. Since I’m a scrappy gal, I figured things out as I went—soaking up every little success and failure along the way.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I have been loving the DOAC (Diary Of A CEO) podcast.
I’m really interested in keeping a curious mindset. When I feel stuck or trapped in one way thinking, I have to zoom out and see where I’m not free to choose. That is a constant practice. Resources that help me stay curious are anything Neville Goddard, Joe Dispenza, Abraham Hicks and my sister and husband.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @chelleramos24
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelleramos24
Image Credits
Photographer: Prince Jones
Makeup Artist: Danielle Chrysohoidis
