Conversations with Atlanta's Movers and Shakers, Actress, Host and Personality, Kim Lockett
A few weeks ago, we were fortunate to have a conversation with Actress, Host, and Personality, Kim Lockett!
Atlanta Film and TV: Can you share about who you are, and what you do in the Atlanta Film and TV industry?
Kim Locket: "I am Miss Kim Lockett. Actress, Host, Personality, voice-over artist, cool best friend. My most recent project is as the mother of the star of Nick’s House, Nicholas Buamah, which you’ll hear more about soon!"
Atlanta Film and TV: Can you take us on your journey from how you started, to where you are now?
Kim Lockett:"Early on I was interested in acting, and I always had a bubbly personality. When I was twelve, I remember my church putting on the play EveryMan, and I played Jewels and Riches. I remember how excited I felt when we prepared and had rehearsals, and I had my flashcards with my lines. I remember putting on the show and not being afraid. Even when I was performing, I felt good! Fast forward to my senior year in high school. I took a beginner's acting class and fell in love, and kept pursuing acting.
I took classes at a Community College and got my associate's degree. After that, I transferred to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and studied at Mason Grove School of the Arts for about a year. That is when I knew acting was what I wanted to do! I left school and put my bachelor's degree on hold. After that, I worked a day job, and pursued acting. My mom would take me to auditions, and I was put in touch with a casting director in Connecticut. From there, she helped by putting my resume together and sending me on casting calls. I moved to the New York/New Jersey area, still pursuing my career. I did some background work, small corporate industrials, and commercials. After my mom died in 2016, I decided I wanted something fresh and new. So I moved to Atlanta, and I have been going strong ever since!"
Atlanta Film and TV: When you moved to Atlanta, did you start over?
Kim Lockett: "When I first moved to Atlanta, I had to start fresh, and didn’t have an agent upon moving here. I had to get a day job to stay afloat. I had to start over by doing background work. I utilized Backstage during the beginning of my career and found some small gigs and commercials on my own. I was already in the game and knew how to maneuver. But, I had to start from scratch once I relocated to Atlanta."
Atlanta Film and TV: Can you talk about your experience of getting work as an actress, without a Talent Agent?
Kim Lockett: "I am originally from Massachusetts. My first commercial was with a grocery food chain, and they put me in touch with the casting director, who got me a lot of jobs with corporate industrials training videos and small commercials.
A lot of people did not see them because the company owned them, or only the employees who worked for those companies would see them. Early in my career, I was not an A-list actor. I was, however, working and getting a check! There’s work out there, but you have to find it, and you have to know how to make the right connections to get that information."
Atlanta Film and TV: Did your parents recognize your love of the arts, and what did they do to nourish that gift?
Kim Lockett: "My mom understood it a little early on by letting me be myself. My mom let me talk around the house, recite lines, and sing. My dad saw it early on too, but he was more like, you need a 9-5, and job security. As I got older and started to book more projects, he would see the commercials and say, “This is okay! But they’ve always been supportive and let their friends and our church family know what I’m doing. Since my mom passed, my dad has picked up that extra slack to keep me supported, which I appreciate. He reminds me of how long I’ve been on this journey. The passion I have and tells me to keep pushing!"
Atlanta Film and TV: If I could travel back in time and speak to 18 year old Kim, and tell her about all the wonderful things she would become, what would you least likely believe to be true?