Vincentian-Canadian Actress Nneka Elliot Is Living Her Best On Screen Life
American Gothic. Orphan Black. Designated Survivor. Shazam! The Boys.
Those are just a sampling of the film & tv productions Vincentian actor Nneka Elliott has been credited in since 2014. If you're from Toronto, you know Nneka as a long time weather anchor, and now beauty writer who is still living her best on screen life sharing her expertise on daytime lifestyle shows & at events when she's not acting.
Nneka Elliott is a shining example of an actor treating their career like a business and eliminating downtime by creating her own opportunities.
She most recently debuted her limited series web show #thatfirststep, "celebrating women who have made first steps towards something scary and encouraging others to do the same". The series marries empowerment with beauty, living on her website with bonus content in her Instagram Stories.
Nneka's approach to her brand is a case study on how actors can use an existing skill to drive their own projects while growing their acting careers. Some may fall into the trap of thinking, "well she was in the media, so it's easy for her". That's a falsehood that doesn't account for how challenging being a woman of colour in a large market like Toronto can be, in any industry, yet alone media.
Before she even left her job at CP24, Nneka was charting her own path as an actor. What she did do, is use her skill as a journalist to land roles that calls for that skill. This is something actors who have a unique skill that can set them apart for a specific role, should do.
Last week, a Caribbean chef who's interested in becoming an actor reached out to b/dscvrd for advice on how to break into acting. Our advice: pitch your chef services to morning/daytime shows as an expert to gain on screen experience, and start your own show, on IGTV then YouTube. Actors without experience can build a resume and reel for themselves by taking a stab at content creation. Take a chance on yourself, first.
Our chef friend may not want to be typecast as just a chef in productions, but it's definitely a skill he can lean on at the start. So, what he'd do next is study. Working actors know they need to constantly train. With all her on screen experience, Nneka does actor training at Armstrong Acting Studio & Second City and she highlights that in the bio of her Instagram account dedicated to acting, signalling to a casting director who may visit her account that she's about this life.
Career building in creative industries is often about momentum. Brands, productions, other creatives want to work with someone who is already doing the work. It's not about staying busy either. What Nneka has done well is seek and create opportunities that are on brand, whether in the acting or beauty/lifestyle world. You can find her on the Marilyn Denis Show, CHCH Morning Live, hosting at Shea Moisture's Toronto Pop Up event, and writing on CBC Life.
Aspiring Caribbean actors, define your brand, and live it. Acting may be just one part of how you show up in the media, think expansively, create the career you want by strategically eliminating downtime.
More love to Nneka Elliott for showing up in her #blackgirlmagic everyday, living her best on screen life, and representing for women from St. Vincent & the Grenadines and the Caribbean. We're excited to see what film or series you land next!
Photo from: nnekaelliott.com. Follow Nneka Elliott on YouTube, Twitter & Instagram
