Connect
To Top
Local Stories

Check Out Amar Atkins’s Story

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amar Atkins.

Amar Atkins

Hi Amar, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a single-parent household led by a wise, compassionate, and God-fearing mother. My mother, Denise Packer, instilled in me core principles and values such as the importance of being rooted in God, believing that I could do all things through God who strengthens me, walking in compassion, and always being a help to my fellow man. With this upbringing, I began my service work in ministry. At seven years old, I delivered my first sermon at Open Door Ministries. At twelve, I began singing with the youth choir, RocNation, and eventually became a youth praise and worship leader at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of the late Bishop Eddie L. Long. From middle school though high school, I was blessed to be molded and guided by so many inspirational and influential figures. This spiritual and soulful leadership training prepared me as I became the first Mister Miller Grove High School, a position that allowed me to become a student-ambassador for the Lithonia area. This opportunity lit a fire under me and I fell in love with educational and community outreach. I took this passion with me as I became the first person in my immediate family to go to college. I attended the unsinkable Albany State University, a Historically Black College and University, and studied Speech, Theater, and Mass Communication. While there, I immersed myself in the creative/performing arts and joined many community/educational outreach organizations such as serving as Mister Albany State University (2011-2012), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (Belford V. Lawson Winner), Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, The National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts (President), concert chorale/chamber singers, and was a director of The Anointed ASU Gospel Choir. As Mister Albany State University my campaign was entitled: “The Impact Movement, The Time Is Now!” My platform centered on helping individuals become the change that they wanted to see now, in order to see the progress of that change tomorrow. My platform reflected my divine purpose. I created and spearheaded initiatives on the local, national, and international level. Having a clean water well built in Sudan, Africa, creating a scholarship for underprivileged youth, and leading a march across the campus for MLK are collegiate highlights.

I then attended Louisiana State University where I received my MFA in Acting. While there, I was a part of their new two year MFA program, year round. I was the only African-American male student in the program, I taught my own undergraduate acting course for two years, and starred in their equity theater shows. Zero to little sleep, indeed! During my last semester, I was offered the opportunity to began artistic ministry work at the world largest Christian theater, Sight & Sound Theatres in Lancaster, PA. In order to do it, I had to graduate early, write my thesis, and do months of schoolwork in a month. It’s nobody but God because I still don’t know how I found the strength and energy to complete it in time, but I did! I moved to Lancaster, lived amongst the Amish, and made history as the first Actor of Color to ever portray The Archangel Gabriel and The Angel of the Lord there. While both huge responsibilities, my years of ministry work and artistic training prepared me for the moment(s). I will never forget the spiritual and artistic impact that these assignments afforded me and audience members. Audience members traveled from all over the world to see the productions, so representation within these roles spoke volumes. I’m so grateful!

I then moved to NYC and joined the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-Award winning Broadway company of The Color Purple Revival, Mister Understudy, on their first national tour directed by John Doyle. This very show inspired me to move to NYC, so joining it as a non-union actor, fresh to NYC, was such a testament of God’s favor and provision. After Color Purple, I jumped into film, tv, and national commercial work. I was blessed to shoot two films, four television shows/pilots, and five national commercial spots. After that, I jumped back into the world of theater working alongside Taraji P. Henson, Nicole Scherzinger, and Harry Connick Jr. as The Rooster Standby in NBC’s live Broadway production of Annie directed by Lear DeBessonet. What a time! I then came home to Atlanta and made my Alliance Theater debut in Toni Stone (Elzie/Mother) directed by the sensational Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. I then returned back to NYC and made my Off-Broadway debut. I opened the Public Theater’s, Shakespeare in the Park, production of As You Like It as Duke Senior directed by Laurie Woolery starring Tony-Winner Shaina Taub. This led me to an opportunity of a lifetime…being cast in The Public’s first workshop of Hells Kitchen. I provided origination work for the roles of Davis and Ray, and I got to work directly with the incomparable Alicia Keys, Adam Blackstone, Camille Brown, Michael Greif, and Kristoffer Diaz! I continued to do origination work for The Public, working with Benjamin Velez in their workshop of The Tempest as Antonio. I provided origination work for York Theater as well. After that, I was cast as Larry in the first post-broadway regional production of Fat Ham at The Huntington directed by Tony-Nominee Stevie Walker-Webb. After that, I was blessed to travel the country telling a story about love, as the Standby for Harold Zidler, Toulouse-Lautrec, and The Duke in Moulin Rouge the Musical directed by Alex Timbers. At that time, out of 7 companies world-wide, I was the only actor afforded the opportunity. A dream come true, indeed!

For the last 17 years, I have been blessed to render art all around the country and abroad. From community theater to film/tv, I have created impactful art. I’ve shot two additional national commercials, two world-wide commercials, and three other television shows/pilots as well. Who would’ve thought that a little African boy running around the house singing neo-soul/jazz music would make history as the first person from his high school, undergrad, and grad school to perform on such high artistic levels? In March of 2025, I made the decision to leave Moulin Rouge and NYC to spend a season here in Atlanta taking care of my family and pouring back into the arts scene here. I am the paternal caregiver to my amazing nephew, Cameron Packer, who is autistic.

Most recently, I starred as Ronnie in Rural written by Tiffany Roshae and directed by Rhavynn Drummer. You can also catch me on Episode 6 of HBO’s The Chair Company starring Tim Robinson directed by Andrew DeYoung. Grateful, Truly!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve faced many struggles, internal and external. From insecurities to narcissistic abuse to almost death… I’ve weathered many storms and injustices.

Since childhood, I’ve battled with body dysmorphia. Growing up in the south, I didn’t know that I had it. No one talks about this. I just knew that no matter my size, I never felt good enough. This skewed way of seeing myself heightened as I ventured into the entertainment industry. I was constantly comparing myself to others, switching diets, taking supplements, and trying different workouts so that I could look appealing enough to casting and creatives. Entertainers and artists are their brand. How we look determines everything, especially employment. It took years of being on this self-imposed hamster wheel of judgement for me to realize that my eyes needed to appreciate the beauty that stood reflected, reflected from within, before I could expect anyone else to. For until then, how I saw myself would be contingent upon how others saw me. So I stopped self-analyzing and instead decided to give my holistic body rest. Rest in the knowing and believing that my body was good enough because I was good enough. And through this viewpoint, this lens of life, a shift was made to which availed an aligning from within. An aligning that connected me even more to the power of God’s love from within, self-love. Through self-love I was reminded that my gifts and talents don’t have a visual they just have a purpose, and as long as I choose purpose…God will avail opportunity.

Another struggle that I had to persevere through was my natural ignorance of how to get into and survive within the entertainment industry. As mentioned earlier, I am the first person from my high school, undergrad, and grad school to achieve some of the things that I have. Due to this, I didn’t have a guide. I just had faith in myself and faith in the guide of my life, God. My creative and spiritual journey has been an ever-evolving testament of supernatural faith meeting opportunity. One foot in front of the other, moment to moment, I’ve learned, and as I’ve learned, I’ve grown! And as I’ve grown, I’ve reached back to help any and all who are willing to receive.

Last year, while touring the country as the Principal Standby in Moulin Rouge the Musical, I faced two huge injustices. I was betrayed and falsely arrested twice due to falsified police reports. For six months while touring the country, I was dragged through courts, lost thousands of dollars fighting for my freedom, and had to ultimately make the decision to walk away from everything that I built in order to free myself from narcissistic abuse. Narcissistic abuse is another thing that I was ignorant on. I didn’t know that some of the trauma that I experienced from childhood up to that moment, was forms of such mental/emotional abuse. As painful as the experience was… I refused to let it steal, kill, or destroy my passion and purpose! So I anchored my faith in God and in the truth of my innocence, and I was saved twice! It was a difficult six months, but nothing beats the freedom and peace that met and continues to meet me now that I’m on the other side of it. I’m forever grateful to God, my mother, my therapist, and my soul tribe! Since then, I’ve been on a healing journey detaching from the trauma to which was rooted from my experience(s). While an injustice, I chose and continue to choose peace and forgiveness. For evil begets evil, and if I choose choices and actions to which destroys another person(s), then I’m no different from that to which tried to destroy me. I gave everything over to God and due to it…God guided me through all of it. I am a proud surviver and I now know the value of my love, who/what is deserving of it, and how to survive and conquer narcissistic abuse. All things to which I’ve taught and will continue to teach others.

As if that’s not enough…while fighting for my freedom against injustices and trying to keep my job… Onyx, my miniature schnauzer, was afflicted and almost died from a malignant terminal mass, bone cancer, on his skull. The spiritual warfare was one thing, but now my sweet and loving dog is dying before my eyes? It felt like I was hit with a tornado, hurricane, and earthquake at the same time. I was barely hanging on, now this? I knew God wouldn’t put more on me than I could bear, but this…this was the breaking point! As heartbroken as I was, I knew that I couldn’t let it uproot my faith. I refused to believe that this would be his demise. So once again, I chose to have supernatural faith over fear! The surgeons told me that surgery and continual radiation was the only option, but I refused to accept that! So one night after my show in Toronto… I cried out before God with Onyx in my arms. In the midst of my petition, I felt this heat fill my heart and all through my body. My hands felt like I had hot coals in them, but I didn’t feel pain… just an extremely warm peace. A peace that passed and continues to pass all understanding. It enveloped and consumed my entire body. After this profound and divine spiritual encounter, God gave me instructions to do and told me to specifically lay hands on Onyx 3 times a day for a week. Within a week his mass began to reduce! I continued, as instructed, and his entire mass subsided in two weeks! A year later, Onyx is alive, healed, is vibrant in energy, and is a living miracle and testament to what is possible with God!

On this journey call life, I’ve gone through so much! Often times, I wondered, “Why me, what did I do to deserve what I experienced!?” It took me stepping outside of the test(s) to see the testimony that was now availed. For how would I be able to heal and enlighten others on how to choose love, light, and peace if I didn’t experience hate, darkness, and chaos? How would I be able to speak on how to destroy generational curses and self-imposed limitation if I didn’t grab it by the horns myself? How would my inner child ever feel safe, if I didn’t grant him peace? How could I speak of letting go of what no longer serves you and finding forgiveness if I didn’t do it myself? Everything served a purpose. I just had to go through the pain, the experience(s), in order to receive the remedy. A remedy that would not only bless me, but others as well! Every heartbreak was just a breakthrough waiting in disguise for me to meet it on the other side. I just had to go through it in order to become the man, artist, and healer that I am today! And for that, I’m Grateful!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a first-generation Ghanaian/Nigerian-American earth angel, energy healer, and multifaceted creative artist. I am a messenger of love, light, and peace. I am a Life Path 11. My purpose is rooted within rendering my creative and spiritual gifts to this world in order to help make it a better place. As a multifaceted creative artist, I’m skilled and trained in the performing, visual, culinary, and holistic arts. As an earth angel, I have the spiritual gifts of compassion/empathy, healing touch, and profound discernment/wisdom due to my connection to God. No matter the medium, I use my gifts to aid in spreading as much love, light, peace, healing, and enlightenment as possible. Day to day, moment to moment.

As a man, I’m known for my leadership, healing energy, intelligence/wisdom, heart, and smile. As a creative, I’m known for my versatility and artistic impact, no matter the medium.

I am most proud of the man/artist that I am today, who I’ve become. That despite everything that I’ve faced, I’m still here, still standing, and still in purpose on purpose! A purpose that is in co-creation with God. My journey has been arduous, but I’m so grateful! For through it, I’ve blossomed into the highest and best version of myself, one that makes my inner child proud and safe.

What sets me apart from others is my divine purpose and light, it roots and anchors all that I do and seek.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the examples of Black Excellence found in Atlanta. There’s an inspiration and hospitality here like no other!

I dislike the traffic and roadside construction. It’s gotten better, but we got a ways to go lol!

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Local Stories