Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlae Riley.
Hi Carlae, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve always been quite a creative, eccentric, and intuitive person, starting from a young age. Everything I ever told my mom I would do, I’ve manifested into reality. This goes from being captain of the dance team on my first tryout, having little to no real experience dancing (Just countless hours of dubsmash and YouTube wormholes) all the way to roller skating professionally and being on tv. I started skating at the age of six, then more constantly at 12. I was homeschooled around this time, so it wasn’t much else for me to do in the area we stayed in. I’d go to the rink every Saturday night. I did this routine all the way up until I was 15, then started working at the skating rink. So instead of four days out of the month, was practically there every day. I told my family the idea of making money while skating, but no one really understood what I meant at the time. I did my first booking with HBO in 2019. I was 17 on the way to 18 and ever since, I’ve been doing content, performances, tv shows, music videos, commercials, and more!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There’s been a heap of trials and tribulations on this journey. The main one is staying to true to self. Within the skate community, I’ve always been younger than most of the crowd, I just had an earlier start than most. Starting from an even younger age all the way till now, I have also often been told how mature, wise, or stand-up I am. Basically, if “You’re an old lady in a young body”, was a person, so I actively follow my intuition. Skating is also not a constant job. I have figured out small ways to make it more consistent, but I’ve always had to keep a side hustle going for the “in between” times. A lot of companies put a net 30-45 days on pay or kind of give the runaround. I used to go underpaid quite frequently. Then, once the pandemic happened, everyone started skating as an outlet. This led to more people wanting to pursue it as a career. This trickled down to there being more options and people treating it as competition. This is when I reflect and distance myself. I have kept the same mindset on my journey and have led with pure intent so I feel as the universe looks out for me from time to time. God gives his greatest obstacles to his strongest soldiers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a jack of all trades. As far as skating, I have never been afraid to be different. I was the first female on an all-male skate crew. I have been asked to help create a dope all-female skate crew and am now one of the 4 captains on Cascade skating rinks official skate team (Cascade Dream Team). I have done work with and for Amazon, Nike, NBA Finals, BET, Usher, Doom Patrol, Disney, P-Valley, FaceBook, World Series, Flippers World, The Game, and more. So you could say most people know me for my skating ability, but there is always more to a story. I’ve done music the majority of my life. Singing at a young age and finding a new love for rapping over the past five years. I used to make clothes at the end of middle school and the beginning of high school. Later on, I realized I prefer to style clothes together rather than be the one to create them. So I now officially have the LLC for my clothing brand (dropping soon!) I draw and paint. I’ve drawn tattoos and logos for myself and friends. I was on the dance team for three years and the cheer team for 1 year. I do the majority of my own hairstyles, and I have done the hair of close friends, family, or just simply girls in need. I am most proud of the productions I’ve been blessed to be a part of. The name I’ve made for myself. Being able to say I have made every dream dreamt by my younger self come true. Being able to get to 21 and make new dreams to chase.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
For a long time, I was a “What if this? What if that?” type of girl. Always thinking of the worst outcome before the best. I did this for a long time as a coping mechanism to save myself from getting my hopes up. After MANY bumps in the road, I have become more of a risk-taker. This because tomorrow isn’t promised and we won’t know unless we try. For example, there was a time where I felt like I was stuck in a continuous loop. My career felt seasonal. I started making excuses like “maybe no one really needs skaters right now” or “maybe I’m not old enough”. When the real issue was I wasn’t pushing myself enough. I started making content outside of the rink, practicing how I used to when I worked at the rink, re-grounding myself and remembering why I started this journey. I woke up and changed my look. I learned how to do my make-up so it could be taken care of before being needed on set. I spent endless time perfecting certain moves and tricks. I started looking into the camera to keep my audience’s attention and make them feel as if I’m skating for them directly, but through a phone, laptop, or tv screen. I stopped looking for something to blame and started being the kind of person I wished I had to look up to.
Pricing:
- Instagram Promo starts at $220 (prices may vary)
- TikTok Promo starts at $150 (prices may vary)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Laezi
- Facebook: Laezi
Image Credits
Pic 1: (Group photo) Fulani G Jabari Pic 2&3: @ DjYoga.sk8npics Pic 4: @Tmcguirejr Pic 7: @_PointOh Pic 8: @Upsonreflections (Instagram handles)
