Shelby County High grad makes Hollywood debut
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 20, 2007
A Columbiana native might have found her big break in Hollywood, all while taking part in a new media movement.
Things like YouTube and blogs, once thought of as
just fads, are now attracting some big names.
Michael Eisner, former head of Disney, is launching Vuguru, an independent studio to produce and distribute original programming for the web, according to the New York Times.
Vuguro&8217;s first major project is an 80-part series called &8220;Prom Queen.&8221; Featured in a recurring role will be Shelby County graduate Lindsey Kateland Carr.
&8220;I&8217;ve been really, really lucky,&8221; said Carr, 20, known to publicly as Kateland Carr.
Carr is playing Michele, a popular high school girl who is close friends with lead character, Nicky.
The series debuts in early April. Each episode is ninety seconds in length, but despite the short time it is sure to &8220;hook you in,&8221; said Carr.
Carr moved to Hollywood in June of 2004, just two weeks after graduation.
During high school, she participated in the drama program and her passion for the arts grew so much, that by her junior year she dropped most other activities to focus on acting.
Her first major break came after a chance encounter on an airplane during a family vacation. While flying to Las Vegas, Carr met the relative of talent agent Jan Luker.
Phone calls were made and a few months later she traveled to Hollywood to audition.
Some would-be stars spend years in &8216;Tinsle Town&8217; just trying to get an agent, much less worrying about a gig. But before Carr even left the heartland she had an agent and a big step up on the competition.
She has appeared in a few commercials and was a featured extra in the Bad News Bears, staring Billy Bob Thornton.
Carr currently lives just outside of Burbank.
&8220;I&8217;ve been out here three years and moved like seven times,&8221; she said.
According to Carr, missing family and the constant turn-around of an actor&8217;s career are the scariest part about her experience.
&8220;It is unsettling, there is no sense of stability,&8221; said Carr. &8220;You really have to want it (and) work at it everyday.&8221;
Despite the hardships, Carr said she enjoys her work and has high hopes for the project&8217;s success