PLEASE WELCOME ANOTHER EXTREMELY INSPIRATIONAL AND TALENTED LADY WHO SEEMS TO HAVE IT ALL -
INTRODUCING CANADIAN ACTOR
AMANDA WOOD
1
Please tell us a little bit about your background;
A: I am a Canadian singer/songwriter from Vancouver, B.C.
I have always had a passion for entertainment and travel. I went to the University of Victoria on
scholarship for acting and musical theatre. I moved to Vancouver to pursue
acting in tv and movie and also started performing at local jazz clubs. Before
I knew it, I was booking International Jazz festivals and started recording my
own albums. I have now just completed my
first major studio album, having worked with world famous jazz musicians like
the Jeff Hamilton Trio and John Clayton Jr. It has been a dream come true. I am
currently singing in Hong Kong and performing around Asia.
2 Did youu want to be something else when younger?Have you always wanted to be in entertainment or did you aspire to be something else?
A: My dream has always been the same since I was a little
girl as young as kindergarten. I have
always wanted to entertain people and bring them joy through the arts.
3
Are any of your family or relatives entertainers?
A: My grandmother was an amateur opera singer, and we
believe that is where my talent came from.
4 You are an exceptionally talented young lady – being a
model, actor, musician, photographer and stylist. Are you formally trained in all of these?
A: I was scouted
at young age to start modelling professionally and I took lot’s of fun
modelling courses on how to walk on the catwalk and how to do professional
photo shoots. I always loved the chance
to get all dressed up! I always thought
it was a lot of fun and never took the modelling too seriously. I have been
training as an actor and working professionally since I was 14. The same goes
for music and I inherited my Mothers passion for photography and started taking
classes in high-school. I have a passion for design and style and have had the
pleasure of styling my own photo shoots as well as other friends projects.
5 Are you managed professionally or do you represent
yourself?
A: I work with multiple agents from around the globe, but
have non-exclusive agreements with all of them. I am currently looking for the
right partner in a manger to help me take my career to the next level. Things
are so busy that I literally need someone to help “manage” things. I’m excited to be at this stage in my career,
but am careful to wait for the right person to partner with.
6 Do you write your own songs and/or write for others –
or neither?
A: Yes, I love
to co-write songs for myself. I am very
social and love the opportunity for collaboration. My new album features 6
original songs, 4 of which I co-wrote.
Including the title track, “My Love.” I spent time in Nashville writing
with some of the best songwriters in the world. It was a very inspiring
experience.
7 Have you ever worked with any very big names – other
than your own, I mean? Would you be able
to tell us about that?
A: Yes, I have been very honoured to perform with David
Foster on multiple occasions. He is from
the same home town of Victoria, B.C. and I have always looked up to him as a
mentor in the music industry! Michael
Buble was kind enough to call me and give me some life changing advice about
whether or not to accept a record deal. I’ve work with the multi Grammy award
winning Jeff Hamilton (Drummer for Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett)
Tamir Hendleman (Barbara Streisand’s musical director and pianist) John Clayton
Jr. (Bass player and arranger for Paul McCartney, Michael Buble, Diana Krall)
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach (Trumpet player and Juno and Smooth Jazz Award Winner )
Miles Black, Jodi Proznick, Rene Worst are all incredible and award winning
Canadian Jazz musicians.
8 Have you ever appeared, with any of your talents, on
TV, film or stage?
A: Yes, I’ve been very blessed to perform in many
professional productions of both theatre and musical theatre. As well I have
many on camera acting credits. I have
not been as active with acting in the last few years, because my music has been
taking me all around the world. It’s
tough to get into the audition schedule, when I’m always out of town. Something
I’ve really enjoyed is voice over acting.
I do animation, video games, radio and tv ads, narration and
on-hold. It allows me to combine the
talents of my voice and acting abilities. You can see my full acting resume and
samples of my voice over demo reels on www.AmandaWood.com
9 Who and/or what are your inspirations?
A: My inspirations are my parents, my husband and the
beautiful surroundings of my home in Vancouver, Canada. I am very inspired by the ups and downs of
great love stories and also in the acts of kindness we see sometimes in the world. I am inspired by International travel and the
exploration of different cultures.
10 Have you ever been bullied?
A: I have, and it was a terrifying experience. I was hazed at the age of 15 by the older
boys and girls who were graduating from high-school that year. It was a
confusing experience, because we were being told that it was an “honour” to
chosen as the next “cool kids” but it was humiliating, physically painful and
degrading. We experienced being rounded
up like cattle, dangerously thrown into the back of an open aired truck bed,
hog tied, pelted with eggs at close range, covered with kitchen condiments,
forced to drink motor oil, forced to do all sorts of terrible things. At the
end of it we were left there and forced to walk for kilometres back up a steep
hill covered in a stinky mess, eyes stinging from the tears and a head full of
questions with no answers. I’ve also
experienced the pain of not being accepted or gossiped about, but I have also
always tried to stand up for those being bullied and whenever possible I have
tried to be an example of strength and a safe place for other kids to come to
when they feel they are being bullied.
As my self-confidence grew, I asserted myself and defended others
whenever the opportunity presented itself.
The other major experience I had with bullying was when
someone kept vandalizing my car. I was
friends with everyone at school and couldn’t imagine who would do this to me. I
had worked really hard for my little “Sprint” and was devastated when I came
out late in the evening after theatre rehearsal to find my car totally wrecked
in the parking lot. I remember the sun
was setting and my car was the only one there.
It had been keyed all over the wind shield wipers were ripped off, the
antenna broken and the word SLUT was keyed into the hood. I was paralyzed with
fear and shock. I was so humiliated to
drive the car home. I was so embarrassed for my parents to see the car and to
in any way think that the word slut held any truth. I didn’t even have a
boyfriend at the time and was a “good girl.” So the sting of that word cut
deeply. I had to raise the money to fix
the car through bottle drives and extra work and the day I brought my newly
fixed car back to school it happened all over again. I was devastated and the
thing that hurt my feelings the most was that I KNEW that other kids must have
witnessed it or knew through the rumour mill who had done it. About 8 years
later I received a facebook message from an old school mate apologizing for her
actions and confessing to it all. She
shared with me that she felt uncontrollable jealousy for my success in the
dance and theatre programs. She shared with me that she came from a broken
family where alcohol was destroying everything.
She was so angry at the time and used me as a target for her
frustations. We have since completely
mended everything, I shared with her how humiliating the experience was and
after she apologized I forgave her. It
was a tremendous weight off of both of our hearts. We are now supportive facebook friends and
enjoy being in each others lives.
11 Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that
the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat
this problem?
A: I have friends whose kids have recently experienced
threats and acts of bullying and I have to say that the schools handled the
situation with incredible speed and they took it all very seriously. The tough thing is that we deal with it as
adults, but we need to remember the complexities around child psychology and
the hierarchy of the schools. It all
needs to be handled swiftly but also with a sensitivity to what is going to
happen after the kids are protected.
Unfortunatley there continue to be tragic cases of
bullying and two examples from my neck of the woods that will always stay with
me are the tragic murder of Reena Virk by her classmates and the silence of the
student body that followed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Reena_Virk
And the more recent events of Amanda Michelle Todd (born November 27, 1996, in British
Columbia)[2][3] committed suicide on October 10, 2012 at the age of 15 at her home in Port
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to her death, Todd
had posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flash cards to tell her
experience of being blackmailed, bullied and physically assaulted. The video
went viral after her death,[4] resulting in international media attention. The Royal
Canadian Mounted Police and British
Columbia Coroners Service launched investigations into the suicide.
I have become friends with Amanda’s mother and we are
hoping to work together on an event where I can sing and we can raise funds and
awareness for the Amanda Tood Legacy Fund. http://amandatoddlegacy.org
12 What more do you feel the above could be doing to
either try to decrease this problem hugely or eliminate it altogether?
A: I think
sadly, bullying is a part of our human DNA.
It’s the “jungle” part of our reptile brain and only through
compassionate thinking, evolved and informed actions and excellent leadership
both at home and in the school systems can we hope to have both young and old
choose the higher road. If only we could
all follow the golden rule of “Treat others the way you would like to be
treated.”
The part of
the equation that is new and I’m not sure how we are going to handle it is the
cyber world. When I was going to school
we didn’t all have cell phones and facebook. We didn’t have access to Twitter
and photo shop. A rumour or embarrassing incident would erase with time or the
latest scandal in the hallways of the school. But now, once something is posted
it lasts forever…and that is a very long time.
There is always more that can be done. We must continue to honour those that have been bullied in the past and to acknowledge the reality that this problem is not just going to “go away.” We must all do what we can and it starts on a macro level in our own backyards, homes, schools and work places. Being a part of a community really helps. Reach out and get to know one another. You are surrounded by loving and kind people, you just need to get to know one another.
13 On a personal level, what do you feel you would like
to see being done to help in this fight?
A: I think there need to be more anonymous options for
bully reporting and more positive examples of “cool kids” showing leadership in
their acceptance and protection of everyone. This starts with great training in
the home. There really needs to be a zero tolerance in all schools and work
places.
14 What is on the agenda for 2014?
A: I will be heading home after a successful tour of
shows in Hong Kong in April. I have
concerts and International festivals scheduled in Vancouver and all around B.C.
Other shows throughout the summer and fall are scheduled in Toronto, Washington
DC, Las Vegas, Mexico, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Thailand. I will be
releasing more videos from my latest albums on my youtube channel www.youtube.com/AmandaWoodMusic and will
also be officially releasing my Christmas Album online in November 2014!
15 Do you have a special message you would like to share
with the world?
A: There is so much beauty in the world. Find a way to honour what is within you
through your own passion and do your best to leave the world a better place
than you found it. Love yourself and
then take that energy and spread it amongst all you meet. Travel and explore
both internally and internationally. We only get one chance at this life, make
the most of it.
16 Is there anything further you would like to add?
A: I feel blessed and filled with gratitude to be able to
do what I love for a living and for the opportunity to spread joy and love through
my music. I hope that I will one day
meet you (the reader) and have you be a part of my audience. Remember to always
stand up for yourself and those around you. Do not be afraid to be different
for it is your uniqueness that allows you to shine most brightly.
17 Do you have any links you would like to have included
with this interview?
A: I am an
ambassador for the RAW beauty movement.
Please follow this link to see photos of me with no makeup and my
interview. I hope this is empowering for young women!
Please visit
and follow me on the following social media links:
My New ALBUM “My
Love” - Mixed and Mastered at Capitol Studios in Hollywood!
