Caitlin Stryker

I attribute my success to showing up in spite of fear and challenging myself to constantly move beyond my comfort zone. I work in Entertainment but I am not a true extrovert, I'm comfortable at home alone with a book. That being said, I love acting. Now, when I started acting I thought it would be a great way to hide, but as my career went along and my training went deeper I realized that acting, being an artist of any kind involves revealing your true vulnerability. I contemplated quitting when I made this discovery. But I continued in spite of it being uncomfortable because there was a tug at my core that pulled me out of my shell. I am forever grateful that I have followed this instinct again and again. Instinct alone doesn't translate into long term success, that's where intention and strategy come in which can be hard to pin down in an acting career. Creating my own work is has been the most successful strategy for growth and success in my career.

Be bold. I consciously took the time to ask people, elders, for their wisdom and "Be Bold" stuck out. Also, take the time to find your true essence and operate outward from there...most people don't take the time to consider who they are really and what paths best align with their true essence. This has shifted a lot for me recently because I have stopped wasting energy trying to be someone else. I am a genuinely kind warm-hearted person and I used to think this was a weakness. I mean how does that correlate with "Be bold"? But it does. Soft power is real. What matters is authenticity. Another piece of advice that has been very freeing is that "If you're not receiving at least 5 no's a week you're failing." This helps retrain the framework around rejection--a stalwart of not only entertainment but business in general--and makes it exciting to experience rejection instead of traumatizing.

Get busy making your own stuff. Create as much as you can. Gather a teamwork of friends to help you but do not sit and wait for "them" to say yes to you. Say yes to yourself. Empower yourself by taking action. I am especially speaking to the women out there when I say this, we need more female POV in entertainment because representation matters for how people see themselves in this life. It is easier said than done, but once you start you won't be able to stop. It's just about getting the ball rolling. Keep your costs down while doing this, your first short film should not cost $20,000.00. You'll never make another one if you start there, just grab your phone and shoot something. Work your way up from there. You're not a writer but you want to direct, then find a friend who is a writer. It's amazing what we can do now with all the tools available. The hardest part is simply believing in yourself enough to go for it. Once you start creating you'll begin to understand how the whole machine works. Everyone starts out working for free that's just how it goes, so don't worry about the money it will come.

The film and television business is going through a seismic shift. Budgets are shrinking and things feel very stagnant right now for most people. It is definitely a time to assess goals and pivot as needed. Shifts like this always present opportunities if you're open to trying things a new way. As they stand I don't love Verticals but maybe there is potential there for them to increase in quality? I am not a fan of social media, but maybe it's a chance to grow a personal brand and audience and create something new...I prefer to be optimistic and open to new pathways rather than lament that times have changed. I don't have answers yet, but I am definitely getting my hands dirty and checking it all out.

Work life balance is extremely important to me. I am a mom and I didn't have a child to not be there for him. This often means working after "bedtime" but that's fine because I love what I get to do for a living. A sense of community in my work and in my personal life is essential. I find community to be so enriching. I also think it's important to make time to get out into nature, it is very rejuvenating. I love a good forest bath.