Buzz Interviews Chantal Casutt of Spirited Lights Studios
Growing up I always loved theatre, movies and TV shows, however, as I lived in Switzerland it never occurred to me that working in entertainment could be an actual job. Switzerland is a country that while valuing the arts, doesn’t necessarily encourage creativity or creative jobs and so becoming a professional actress never even crossed my mind.
After high school I moved to the UK to pursue a BSc degree in Management and Marketing in one of the country’s top schools. I loved my studies as marketing revolves around storytelling and analysing people (both psychologically and sociologically), which in many ways is exactly what I do now. It also made me realise that telling stories is what I want to do for a living.
In my third year of university I moved to London for twelve months where I worked as a product manager in a large, well-known beauty company. For the first time in my life I was living in a diverse, cosmopolitan city that had everything to offer and so I jumped at the opportunity to take acting classes. Within a couple of weeks I was hooked. I would commute every weekend and sometimes after work to take as many classes as possible as they gave me such creative fulfilment that I couldn’t get from other things in my life. During this year I also started doing lots of research and stumbled across New York Film Academy. I ended up attending their information session and decided to apply to one of their summer acting workshop programs. I figured it would be a great test to see if I liked the school and if I could see myself acting professionally.
The workshop ended up being one of the best experiences of my life and so I auditioned for NYFA’s One-Year Acting for Film program. I got in on a scholarship and in late 2019, after completing my BSc, I flew to L.A. to start my dream.
Since graduating NYFA I’ve been constantly auditioning, acting in numerous short films and web series, and building relationships. I’ve been lucky to have worked with some wonderful, incredibly talented people who have taught me so much. I also enjoy working behind the camera, especially writing and producing. I recently completed my first feature film script “Against The Current” that I hope to produce in the near future and also co-founded my own production company called “Spirited Lights Studios”. We are currently writing and producing several short films and also working on a music video for a well-known actor and musician.
It’s been an incredible journey and I feel like I learn something new every day. That’s probably what inspires me most: the constant movement forward, being proactive, creating your own opportunities and having the privilege to collaborate with such talented people. I cannot wait to see what the future holds!