Life and Work with Sydney Gates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Gates.

Sydney, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It has been a long journey with my acting. Since I was a kid, I was in love with performing. My mum would tell you I would stand in front of the TV and mimic commercials and shows. Growing up, I lived in a suburban neighborhood and when the families would get together on the weekends, I would get some of the other kids to help me put on a little show for the adults. Just any time I could make someone laugh or act for someone I would. In my family, I am definitely the one who will do anything to see them laugh and have a good time, I’ll do an accent and act so silly and stupid just to make them smile.

As I got older and went into high school, I found out about the theatre program and was a part of that for the last three years of my schooling. In theatre, I just fell in love with the live audience and feeding off their energy during the performance and from there I knew acting was something I could never give up. I moved to Atlanta as soon as I could! Lol, I was working and living in the city the summer before college started because I was so eager to be in Atlanta and on my own. I’ve always moved fast and wanted to make things happen fast. I went to college for Film & Video at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. I was in college for two and a half years, before I decided that I needed to stop wasting time because I wanted to be acting in from of the camera instead of studying and working behind a camera. I knew I only had time to take two things seriously, and I had to work to maintain living in Atlanta, so I chose my acting over school. I then started taking weekly classes at The Professional Actor’s Studio in Buckhead. I studied there for over two years and performed in 3 of the Industry Showcases they put on there. Now, I am currently studying the Meisner technique at Insight Actor’s Studio with Beth Becka. I have done many short films, a few commercials, web series, a couple of Tv shows, and I do voice over as well. I use to be in such a rush with my acting because I knew how long I wanted to really get into it and I wanted to make up for lost time, but I soon realized it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I know for a fact I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life, and of course I still have an urgency about it, but I have learned to enjoy the journey more. I have no worry about whether or not I’ll be successful.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
What would constitute a smooth road? Everything is readily available to you? Are you getting most of the parts you audition for? Getting an agent super early in your career and them having a ton of auditions for you off the rip? That is not me… or most actors I know, lol. I still believe I’ve had a smooth road, even though my road consists of a million NOs from auditions and callbacks, traveling to different states to still not get a part, not having representation, which has been partially my choice, and a lot of other trials and tribulations. I would still say I’ve had a decently smooth road. I love what I do, so nothing can stop me. I’m pretty hard headed and when I’m faced with anything difficult it makes me want to do it so much more, so when I get a no, I brush it off and I continue to work my ass off. I’ve also learned, the more serious you take yourself in this industry, and the more pressure and time limit you put on yourself, the more miserable you will be! ENJOY THE JOURNEY! That goes for life in general. I know my journey will be long and tiresome, so if I didn’t truly love what I do, then I am pretty sure I’d completely lose my mind in this industry!

Some advice, don’t be an actor if your goal is to be rich and famous.

Women: don’t accept the dumb, degrading, simple roles… you are better than that. Wait for a better project to come along that is really worth putting your time and energy into.

Also, you should never have to pay for your agency. If they tell you that you have to pay them to be signed, or you have to take their specific classes with their agency, or anything that costs you to pay them out of your pocket, IT IS A SCAM. Your agency gets paid, when YOU GET PAID from booking work. There are so many scamming photographers, agencies, classes, etc out here now. Please do your research.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I don’t think I have a certain style of acting, maybe someone else might think differently when watching. And I enjoy working on and watching anything that interests me, and that always changes, so I don’t dismiss a movie or show just because it might not be the genre I am usually interested in watching. I typically enjoy drama, comedy, horror, suspense, and the occasional non-cheesy romance movie.

I am different from other actors simply because I AM SYDNEY GATES. No one else can be me better than me. I’m never going to say I am better than someone else because I always think there is room for growth no matter what and no one can be the best. But I know what parts of myself I need to work on and I know what parts of myself are really strong, and knowing myself well makes me an asset. I continue to grow and challenge myself all the time, and I never get too comfortable. I am really funny, and I am very outspoken. I will act so stupid just to get a laugh, and I express myself however I feel like and I don’t even care what anyone thinks, and that definitely sets me apart.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Advice for finding a mentor/acting coach or class would be audit as many as you can! There are so many acting classes and coaches in Atlanta and the surrounding area now that you have a lot of options. Find someone who works well with the way you learn, because everyone is different. Ask the coach every single little question you have when you go to audit, make sure you really understand what they are about before you start spending your money with them. I am thankful that the first place I audited and my first coach, Angela Davis, was a great match for me. I learned so much from the time I spent with her, and even when I knew it was time for me to check out other places and coaches she was very supportive. The studio I am at now, Insight Actor’s Studio actually doesn’t allow auditors to sit in on the class in progress. The coach, Beth Becka, teaches in a small and intimate studio space and she wants her class to be a safe place to come and work on things where you feel comfortable practicing and being vulnerable. At that point, I am at with my acting I don’t care about messing up in front of people and I am not embarrassed easily, but for some others, they like knowing random people won’t be in and out watching them perform and mess up. So, instead of auditing her class in progress, she sat down and talked to me for about an hour and a half. I asked her all the questions I had, and she asked me what I was trying to get out of her class to make sure she thought I was in the right place as well. I thought that was great, and really loved what she told me about her class and how she operates. I weighed out my options and checked out other Meisner classes in the area, and I decided to sign up for her 6-month Meisner Technique class… I love it so far! Taking the time to get to know your coach and their teaching style is key to finding the right class for you.

Contact Info:

• Email: gates.sydney@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneygates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydney.gates59103

Image Credit:
Jarek James, Kamerin Stroud

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.