Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Ceesay.
Karen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I came out the womb as an actress, but I started training when I was ten years old at Freedom Theater in my hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Spelman College brought me to Atlanta, where I graduated with a BA in theater. After graduation, I worked in the hospitality industry as an Audio Visual technician while deciding whether or not to get back into acting. I met my husband three years later, working at the Marriott Marquis. I started volunteering with Women in Film Atlanta (now Women in Film & Television Atlanta or WIFTA) by setting up the AV for their meetings. I made it onto the board, where I started doing work on the ground for Atlanta’s (then) growing entertainment industry. Once I made the decision to officially get back into acting, I started taking classes again, which led me to Whole World Theatre, where I started training in improv and became a mainstage member a bit later.
From there, I locked down an agent and start auditioning, which at the time, was pretty much just corporate/industrial work. Everyone kept saying, “The work is coming…” but to work in film/TV, you still had to move to LA or NY. That was my plan until we found out we were “expecting,” so I stayed in Atlanta. Since then, Georgia has BOOMED and I have been fortunate enough to take advantage of the opportunities that have blossomed in the years since. For that, I am THANKFUL but it took a lot of time, a lot of training and a lot of patience to get to where I am now.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No one’s road anywhere is ever smooth, especially not in the entertainment industry. The constant struggle is balancing your life – that could be regarding work and family or health or time management or travel, etc. – it’s different from person to person. But the common struggle most artists deal with regularly is, was and will always be financial. It’s nearly impossible to make a living as an artist even many years in, let alone when you are starting out.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an actor/writer/mom working in the Southeast. I generally work in television and film but have also done a lot of voice-over work over the years. As an actor, I’ve been fortunate to work on many popular shows, most notably – Stranger Things, Greenleaf, Black Lighting and FIVE seasons on The Walking Dead. As a writer, my partner and I currently have a project in development at Freeform with Laurence Fishburne’s company Cinema Gypsy.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Given our current global crisis, we’re all in wait and see mode. COVID 19 has affected everyone, the entertainment industry especially. There has NEVER been a time when all production has stopped. On a show like TWD, there can easily be 100+ people on set just doing background work, that’s not even the stars, producers, directors, and crew. Social distancing will affect every aspect of our jobs. So, the big change I’m looking forward to is going back to work, but who knows when that will be. I do feel more prepared for this uncertainty than most because I never know what’s going to happen from day to day, month to month, project to project. I have been using this time to finish other scripts as well as transition my class with Atlanta Film Society to an online format.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.karenceesay.com/
- Email: info@karenceesay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenceesay/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenceesay
- Yelp: http://zscentertainment.com/karen-ceesay/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1957798/?ref_=nmmd_md_nm
Image Credit:
Dheeaba Donghrer
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