Her Story
About Paulette
I spent 47 years working in the medical field for doctors, handling all their credentialing and government paperwork, which is where I first became a notary. When the film industry came to Atlanta under Governor Deal, my husband and I got into acting and background work. We did independent films to build our reels and get experience, and eventually got agents in both Atlanta and Knoxville, Tennessee. We worked together as a couple for about 20 years, doing commercials, background work, and shows for the ID Channel. It was so much fun - we had a gang of friends we hung out with, and we loved the long days on set where they feed you and you make friends. After my husband Dennis passed away 4 years ago, I realized I could use my 40-plus years as a notary to become a mobile notary. I joined the National Notary Association and now I do loan signings and other notary services - I'm on Google and Yelp. I also got ordained so I can perform weddings. I live in the North Georgia mountains near Helen, Georgia, and I do weddings by waterfalls, at Tower Mountain where you can see the mountains in the background, and in a little chapel. I hear people's love stories and help them celebrate their special day. It's become a nice little cottage industry since a lot of probate judges don't do this anymore.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Paulette
01What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in the acting and background work field is getting a job. It's very difficult to get an agent in Atlanta, and you have to do independent films to get experience and build a reel. You need professional pictures done too. Atlanta doesn't have a union, so they can pay people what they want to, and the real stars come from LA - everybody in Atlanta thinks they're gonna be a star, but that's not gonna happen. The industry has calmed down a little bit from its boom, and some of my friends that still do that work are not getting much work anymore. When I worked as a couple with my husband, we would get jobs together, but now it's just me, so I don't get as much work.
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