ANGELA LANDIS: From small town girl to creative genius in the entertainment biz.

Becoming Wilkinson

IN ANGELA'S OWN WORDS:

I was in the 3rd grade at an elementary school in rural Oregon, when my teacher Mrs. Peterson gave me the lead role of Little Red Riding Hood in the school play to help me overcome my paralyzing shyness. It worked. If she saw me now, she’d ask me to stand down and let someone else take a turn.
Following my 9-year-old acting debut, I auditioned for a nearby musical theatre company with my mom & brother. They were both cast in the chorus of ‘The Music Man,’ and I was asked to stay off-stage and run the spotlight. My lack of singing ability stalled my career as quickly as it started.
The acting bug didn’t strike again until a modeling gig for a cheerleading uniform company helped me land an agent in Portland. From there came a handful of commercials and lots of dinner theatre.
I didn’t exactly sprint out of the gate, but I did count my blessings early with a fun role in a Robin Williams movie and a guest-star role on ER, …oooh, maybe I’ll meet Clooney!
Then there was a big writer’s strike. It went on so long my agency shut down and I was, as they say on set, ‘back to one.’ (Disclosure-I was and am in full support of my fellow union workers!)
Waiting for the phone to ring sucks, so I took matters into my own hands and produced a staged play at a small black box theatre. Surely, if I spent all my hard-earned waitressing dollars on theatrical rights, stage rentals, and hard-to-find props, I’d be discovered.
When that didn’t work, I decided to by a camcorder and take a film class at the community college. I wrote a short film about the perils of being a struggling actress and managed to convince some friends to help me make it. My mom was even in town and worked as a free cinematographer.
The countless short films and web series may not have been seen by Spielberg, but they sure were a blast. And learning about every stage of production and every job on set paid off in ways I’m still benefitting from. Both in working knowledge & connections.
I won best comedy writing awards, best comedy actress awards, and best indie film awards. I got to play all three Kartrashian sisters, Elizabeth Taylor and even dropped my first single complete with a music video. If only auto-tune had been around for that early musical audition!
The skills behind the scenes have helped me find a ‘day job’ that allows me to share my talents with the local non-profit, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, where I develop and create edutainment that raises awareness and makes a difference in people’s lives. Some of the scripted works have received multiple boundary-breaking and innovation awards.
Along my journey I met the uber-talented Laura Lee Bahr, who wrote and directed a feature for me to produce and star in alongside the cutest dog in the world, who happens to be mine. It was truly an art-imitating-life story about an actress, moonlighting as a dog-walker who must save an adorable Maltese from some crazy Hollywood characters. We overcame the typical odds of an indie film and secured both national and worldwide distribution. #humblebrag
I’ve schmoozed as a TV Academy member, performed my set on famous comedy stages and finally got to go to the Emmys.
I should probably add some more celebrity name dropping and list the high-profile credits, but this bio has gotten a little too long so you will have to click on the resume button on my website if you want to see those.
I’m grateful to be able to pursue the things I love and build fabulous relationships along the way. While I may not have my series regular role…YET, I’m certainly living my dream.
More info and to contact Angela: http://www.angelalandis.com
Photo credit: Danette Mitchell
Music courtesy Zakhar Valaha/Pixabay.
To contact Wilkinson- [e-mail]