Meet Amber Garrison

We were lucky to catch up with Amber Garrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Amber with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Growing up, the idea of college was always drilled into me. There hadn’t been anyone in my immediate family that had finished college, so my parents were always vocal about wanting me to pursue my education past high school. They were never pushy about it though, which I feel made me more keen to the idea of going. When I decided I wanted to work in the entertainment industry, I was unsure of how my family would react just because it’s unfamiliar, but they were all supportive. I feel like my work ethic initially came from the support of my family, because I think I would have felt somewhat discouraged if they tried to talk me out of my dreams.

However, I don’t think I truly understood what it meant to have work ethic until the pandemic hit. I was in college at the time pursuing my Bachelor’s degree, I had just finished my general education courses around the time we went into lockdown. Since I was pursuing film, a lot of the courses dealt with production and needed to be in person but with lockdown that was impossible. Although it was a tough time, I gained a new level of determination to finish my degree a year early and apply for graduate school to get the film courses I needed. When I started graduate school, there started being outside voices trying to tell me that I would be better off finding a more secure career route, which made me want to work even harder towards my goals. I also can be stubborn, so when someone tells me I can’t do something, I want to work even harder to prove that I can.

My work ethic today definitely comes from my determination and a hint of stubbornness, because once I’ve set my mind to something I will work towards it and any setbacks I may face I take as a learning experience and continue to pursue what it is I’m chasing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Now that I am graduated, I have been challenging myself creatively as I find my footing in the industry. I recently had a script place in a competition to be produced by an Oscar-award winning production company, which was super exciting as it was my first time testing out the competition circuit. I plan to keep my focus on refining that script and hopefully get it produced within the next year. There are a few other stories I’m wanting to tell, so I plan on getting a few more scripts written by the end of the year and also get those sent out for funding.

I also have been working as a panel videographer for a tv show and movie convention company called Epic Events & Entertainment for a little over a year now. During these conventions actors participate in q&a panels, which I record, as well as meet fans and sign autographs! I just worked a convention in Chicago where the cast of Grey’s Anatomy attended, which was so surreal because I have been watching that show for so many years. In October I’ll be heading to Georgia to work a Stranger Things event, then in December I’ll be working.a Vampire Diaries one. Epic has given me so opportunities and took a chance on me while I was still in school, which I will forever be grateful for. One thing I am very vocal about is how much I love seeing women succeed within the industry, and the entire Epic team is made up of woman and I admire that so much.

This is still in the early stages, but a friend and I are starting a podcast which I’m super excited about. We both admire all aspects of the industry and decided to create a platform to discuss what it is like working in the industry and getting a start in it. Our goal is to invite people within the business on to share their experiences!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Learning to advocate for yourself is so important and can open many doors. I am a fairly shy person, so this was a hard one at first. The industry is competitive, but putting yourself out there can lead to so many opportunities that you wouldn’t know about if you don’t try!

Trying to surround myself with people who truly support me and weed out the ones that discourage me was something I had to learn over the years. Overall, it is up to you to ultimately go after what you want, but having people in your corner makes the wins even more exciting and the losses a little more bearable.

Something that I am still learning is that it’s okay to still be figuring out what you want to do with your career. I feel like so many people have this mindset after they graduate that they need to have it all figured out, but I’ve had to learn that it’s okay not to. I went into college thinking I wanted to do one thing in the industry and then came out of college wanting to a million things.

For people starting out on their journey, it’s okay to not have it all figured out right away and there’s no time limit on figuring it out. After all, it your life you should do what makes you happy! Surrounding yourself with people who want what is best for you will make figuring these things out a bit easier.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

As I had mentioned my parent’s have always been supportive of my choices, even as a child they never tried to sway me towards a certain career, they were very good about letting me express myself. However, my dad passed away when I was young and that was the most impactful moment of my life. I define the time of his passing as the moment I knew I wanted to work in the Film and TV industry. I watched many shows and movies during this time as an escape from reality and I grew to appreciate the way I was able to have temporary breaks from what was going on in my life. After that, I had grown to admire storytelling and decided I want to do the same for others that may be experiencing what I was going through. Since then I have never second guessed what I wanted to for my career. Although his passing was a difficult time, he is the reason I am where I am today.

As for my mom, her continued support has been impactful as she doesn’t question my career path, she encourages it. It’s nice that I am able to tell her my accomplishments and she is proud no matter how big or small. I’ve had quite a few people question me and my career moves, but she has never been one of them, which I am grateful for.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambergarrison_/

Image Credits

Caitlin Roark for the two photos of me holding the paper!