Recapping… I did this in February of last year (2012), and got a few response, so I figured, a year-and-a-half later, with the site’s audience now larger than it was back then, that I’d try it again.

I know that a significant chunk of S&A’s audience comprises of actors, actresses, directors, DPs, editors, etc, etc, etc. Some are able to earn a paycheck utilizing their artistic and/or technical skills; others – and I’d say the majority – are what we’ve labeled the proverbial *starving artists*, working diligently, relentlessly, struggling to climb this incredibly steep hill, trying to reach some pinnacle of success – whether personal or professional. And still others exist somewhere between the former and the latter.

Where do you fall? And, as the title of this post states, what’s YOUR story, and would you like to share it with the rest of the world?

Think of it as an extension of the successful S&A Filmmaker Diary series we launched almost 2 years ago. I’m looking for your individual stories of struggle and/or success, regardless of what rung on the ladder you are currently on, after all, not only is S&A just a source for news, its goal is also to become a community of cinema lovers where we can all share/debate/discuss/learn/teach/commiserate/etc.

Here’s your chance. You might learn something; you might teach someone something.

What’s YOUR story? You can email me (obensont@gmail.com). You can submit your story in any format – written, or even documented on video. I’ll post as many of them as I can. Substance and presentation are key for consideration. 

And be sure to attach a photo (large size) for me to include, and if you have samples of your work, include them as well.

It could be a story about a current situation you find yourself in; or it could cover several days, weeks, months, or years of your career. It could be that you just want to vent your frustrations; aspects of, or people in this business that piss you off; aspects of, or people in the industry that encourage you. It doesn’t have to be all negative, nor all positive. We’re complex people, and so I assume our stories are as well.

In today’s post, actor Mykie Fisher shares his story:

My name is Mykie Fisher and I’m an Actor. 

I’ve been Acting about 4 yrs. now professionally in
Nashville Tn. with roles in television shows like ABC’s NASHVILLE, TVone’s FATAL ATTRACTION
feature films, and numerous commercials. Now let me go back to the beginning.

I grew up the oldest Son to a single Mom in the low income housing projects of Franklin, Tn. So as you can probably guess…we struggled! And as you also might guess..my Mom is one strong woman who
later brought us out of that situation with hard work.

I can always remember loving TV shows and wondering how they were made and how those
people playing those characters got those jobs, even at a young age. I loved it so much that
after shows like Diff’rent Strokes went off, I would grab my little brother and act out the scenes on a
tape recorder.

In 4th grade,my teacher gave me and another student an excerpt from a PBS after school special
to read in class. I remember her saying to me how good I was at showing the emotion of that character just
by reading that dialog. Right there is where I caught the”Acting Bug”.

From middle school all the way through high school, I did plays, talent shows, and even church plays.
Something about becoming someone else made me feel great.

Around my Senior year in high school I took a different approach to becoming someone else..drugs and alcohol.
Now I can sit here and run down a list of why I did it (peer pressure, etc.), but I won’t. I will tell you this: It took me down HARD! I spent the next 15 yrs. in and out of jail, rehabs and all-out terrible places.

Until I
decided ENOUGH!

In 2010 I decided to pursue Acting professionally. So I got myself cleaned up, remembered that passion I
had for it since the 4th grade, started training, got an agent, and start auditioning.

I want to say this to anybody out there struggling with addiction – it doesn’t have to be this way forever.
You are way stronger than what you are addicted to. BELIEVE ME, and trust and believe those dreams you had
as a kid before all the trouble, worries, and struggle started, are still there waiting on you to make them come true
and you still can…just look at me.