For those of you that know me, I’ve had my heart set on California ever since I was 13 years old. No matter what, my goal was to move there someday.
I had plans of moving to California pre-pandemic before I graduated high school. I was in the process of auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance and was planning on heading out there straight out of high school. The pandemic obviously hit, the show was canceled, and all of my plans fell through.
I started taking acting classes throughout quarantine and fell in love with it. I had one (zoom) teacher who was teaching from Atlanta and would always talk about the jobs he was working on and movies he was filming. I figured if he was making a career out of it in Atlanta, it could be another avenue for me if I didn’t go to LA.
I still began to make plans in 2021 to move to LA. Got my headshots done and spent a week in LA looking for places and even found/met my future roommates. Because the pandemic and restrictions were still in place, those plans eventually fell through as well.
I continued to take acting classes over the past two years and everyone I talked to: casting agents and teachers in Ohio, all said (for me in particular) to definitely go to Atlanta over going to LA for acting. They said there is just a smaller community but just as much opportunity there and I could have a better shot. Right now - I really want to work on training and building my acting resume. Atlanta is the perfect place to do that for me especially since I don’t have any experience up to this point. Acting opportunity is one of the main reasons I chose to come to Atlanta over LA. I don’t know if you guys realize how many movies film in Georgia but EVERYONE is calling it the next Hollywood. :)
In regards to dance - it’s happening down here! It’s a lot of hip hop (which I need LOL) but it’s so fun. The training is INSANELY amazing and the people are so kind. It’s totally different from LA but in the best way. It’s definitely not a fit for everyone but I think it’s perfect for me. My goal right now is to take as many classes as I can and network as much as possible. The more dancers, teachers, and choreographers you know, the more likely you will get hired. :) I still have a LONG way to go in that department. I do give myself a lot of credit though moving here versus LA for dance because I have a lot more connections in LA than I do here. (I have ZERO here LOL. But I’m working on it!)
Atlanta is also closer to home, CHEAPER than LA, direct flights everywhere, and if you haven’t realized yet, stuff is starting to film all over the country - not just LA. The movie I just filmed in October was filmed in Charlotte. :) Stuff is starting to spread out and I’m hoping the opportunity is here for me! Just have to find it! I also have an acting agent in Ohio where I could easily fly/drive back to Ohio for those opportunities.
I made sure to really do my research and make sure this was the right fit for me. I visited for a week in October and reached out to anyone under the sun that I thought may even have the slightest connection to Atlanta or knew anything about it. Dance wise and just city wise in general. I made countless phone calls, DMs, my parents made phone calls and texts to people to find out anything I possibly could before visiting the area. I wanted to guarantee that I had the best week visiting and give myself a feel of what my life could be like. I must’ve done a really good job because during the week I was here, I absolutely fell in love with the vibe of this city.
In only my first month here, I already feel like this was a really awesome decision for me. Sometimes the most popular route isn’t always the best for you. I guess we’ll find out within the next year or so if it truly was the right decision for me!
If y’all have any other questions about Atlanta about my move or about what I’ve already come to love in Atlanta, please comment below! :)
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