One night in her hometown of Warner Robins, GA, 12-year-old Katie Causey sat on the couch next to her thoughtful, authentic, sweater-vest wearing mother. With a tinge of nervousness, she looked over at her. “I think I was mostly trying to prepare her because I knew that wouldn't be an easy pill for her to swallow,” she said.
That night, Katie told her mom that she was going to be an actor. “It wasn't, ‘I want to be an actor,’ it was, ‘I'm going to be an actor,’ she said.”
And that she did along with so much more.
She has starred in TV shows such as “The Passage,” and “Being Mary Jane”; plays such as “The Glass Menagerie,” and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”; and various other commercials/films.
Katie, now an outgoing and hard-working actor, teacher, and comedian living in Atlanta, GA is a person who loves to help others in her community grow.
She enjoys teaching improv and acting classes at local theatres including the Alliance Theatre. “I also run and host comedy nights and direct comedy shows at the Aurora Theatre. I do my best to see thought-provoking, exciting theatre in town and attend events in the community,” said Katie.
Her parents are incredibly supportive even though neither works in a creative field. “When they go to an event they like to show up extra early,” she said. Although working in the entertainment industry can be difficult sometimes, the support of her family encourages her to push through.
Now, Katie wants to support her students like her parents supported her passion. “I appreciate that they guided me with a supportive yet firm hand while I was growing up.”
Growing up in Warner Robins, Katie spent a lot of time on her own which gave her a chance to explore her creative side. “I was always pretending or drawing or reading,” she recalled. The youngest of three by five or six years, she was raised in a normal middle class family. She has two older brothers whom she adores. “One is a consultant in Atlanta who has a math brain to beat all math brains. He's one of those people who can multiply multiple digits in his head,” she said. Calming and thoughtful, Katie looks to him for great advice. Her fearless, trailblazing eldest brother is a writer in New York City. “He's written for a couple of TV shows up there,” she continued. “Currently, he writes for “FBI: Most Wanted.” Although she thinks he is incredibly hard-headed, Katie finds her brother adventurous and nurturing. “He makes an excellent tour guide on family vacations.”
With her natural sense of humour, Katie is not afraid to express herself. “I think allowing yourself to be creative and act upon that creativity is a honed skill and I was able to perfect that skill at a very young age.”
In elementary and middle school, Katie actively participated in sports and clubs. She first discovered her love for performing in a high school play. “It felt like I was about to leap into the unknown with both feet,” she said. “Before that I had done smaller roles in plays and musicals etc. but this was the first time I would be onstage with a ton of lines for an extended period of time. I remember standing behind the door right before my entrance listening to the audience and my fellow actors on stage. I was so excited and apprehensive about going on.” Like Katie, many of us get nervous about trying new things. Yet, she did not let her fears overcome her. “It's funny that the performance itself isn't exactly what is memorable to me. It was that 45 seconds of silence with myself right before I walked on stage.”
Since then, Katie has not felt the feeling of leaping into the unknown on two feet as much. That performance was only the beginning.
Even in college, Katie spent a lot of time alone. Acting was her creative outlet. She discovered her love for improv and teaching while studying theatre and english at The University of Georgia (UGA). As a freshman, Katie got involved in Improv Athens. “I heard about auditions from a friend and I went! Simple as that. I had done a very small amount of improv in theatre classes in high school but that's it. I knew I loved improv and also needed to make some friends because I was a lonely freshman,” she said.
“I met Amy Roeder, the grad student who created Improv Athens, and the rest was history!” Katie eventually became co-Leader of Improv Athens. Katie made a positive impact on the theatre community at UGA.
Her former acting professor, George Contini says Katie was responsible for Improv Athens going all the way to Nationals in the Improv competition. “She totally raised the bar. She was a joy to work with, smart, funny, and devilish.” He recalls having Katie in his Foundation of Acting class. “In fact one of my distinct memories of Katie was when we were doing open scenes and she played the devil hopping around with a red trident. She's so imaginative. She has always approached her work in two ways---first, she attacks what she knows she does well with gusto, second, she is always looking to better and advance her skill set.”
Another former acting professor, Kristen Kundert-gibbs says Katie was a strong leader in the department. “She was very funny and a really hard worker.” In a film Katie made, she recalls playing Katie’s mom: “All I actually had to do was pose for stills in family pictures but it was lots of fun. She was very gregarious and outgoing. Always happy and with a great attitude.”
So, what motivates Katie Causey to work hard? One phrase keeps her going: “Why not me?” She tells herself, “I know that I am good at my job. I know that I am taking the proper steps to achieve my goals. So why not me?” Hear that, believing in yourself is the first step towards reaching your goals. So, why not you?
Although she is happy with her current success, Katie knows that she still has a long way to go. “It's still hard to guide your own ship in this world,” she said. “The most difficult aspect of working in the entertainment industry for me is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. I remember graduating from college and thinking, "I'm ready! Let's do this!" And first of all, I wasn't ready, but secondly, I learned very quickly that breaking into this industry takes time and intense dedication.”
She is still learning how to be her own boss. She is humble and self-aware.
She has reasonable expectations of what success looks like for her. Although she gets frustrated, she uses it as motivation to move forward. “If you're frustrated that's good. It means you care and that you are not satisfied with your current situation. I think I would start worrying if there was a day when I suddenly wasn't a little uncomfortable with where I am.”
Being uncomfortable is not an excuse for giving up, at least for Katie it’s not.
Her advice to those looking to pursue their passion is to find a mentor. “Find someone in your industry who is doing the work you want to do and talk with them! Make strong connections with people and be a human not a networking robot. Your bubble gets smaller and smaller as time passes,” she said.
Katie looks up to Emma Watson because she lives intentionally. “She also seems to be good at being happy, and existing in the moment which is something I think most people struggle with.”
She also encourages people to surround themselves with people who are better than them. Her best friends keep her sane and teach her new things everyday. “I like to learn from my friends and see them excel in their element,” she said. “My friends have to have a sense of humor and luckily they are all hysterical,” she added.
Katie is invested in lifting up other people. “I love seeing people get better at their craft. I love sharing what I've learned with other people so their road can be slightly smoother than mine was.”
She points out that people do not have to pursue their passion professionally. “Do what makes you happy. We are not beholden to the job we choose when we are 23 years old. If you don't try a thing you will never know if it could've worked out. Take a class, get on stage, create your own work, find some like-minded friends, do the thing,” she said. “If it is a giant disaster then stop and do something else.”
With the ongoing situation with COVID-19, Katie is still optimistic about the future. Currently, she plays Animal Crossing with her friends during her free time. She is also rereading Harry Potter for the 5th time. She continuously finds ways to stay energetic and happy. “COVID-19 killed pretty much all of my current and upcoming projects. I imagine when things get moving again I will be coaching on The Walking Dead again for season 11 but who knows when that will happen? For now I'm using my time to take a few workshops, fix up my materials and breathe. I usually work myself ragged so I am trying to remember to use this time in quarantine as a much needed break,” said Katie.
As Katie looks towards the future, she wants us to know that she is still creating her success story. “I am doing well for where I am currently in my career, but I still have a long way to go.”
After all these years, that bright blue-eyed 12-year-old girl is still living inside Katie as she continues to work hard towards her dream of being an actor.
Source List
Causey, Katie. “Katie Causey Acting Reel.” Vimeo, 9 Mar. 2020, vimeo.com/370153815.
Causey, Katie. “Katie Causey Personal Website.” Katie Causey, www.katiecausey.com/.
Stories, Local. “Meet Katie Causey.” Voyage ATL, Voyage ATL, 17 Apr. 2019, voyageatl.com/interview/meet-katie-causey-katie-causey-atlanta/?fbclid=IwAR3wWDjLLHpVFdCwUIHmCPNeNSUy_qDUYyYBzoV3slOQHMgkIVz77jELkb0.
Images: Courtesy of Katie Causey.
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