In this episode, I'm catching up with Actress, Writer, Educator, and Entrepreneur Ciera Payton! She talked about her amazing role on Tyler Perry's The Oval on BET, what sparked her interest in acting, and so much more! Also Author Melkeya Horne read an excerpt from her book No Money NO THANK YOU! in the INTRO! Enjoy!

On this episode of SHP we sat down with actress, writer, social activist and entrepreneur Ciera Payton. She does it all. She's worked on several Tyler Perry projects like, "Madea A Family Funeral" to the TV series "The Oval" on BET. But her journey wasn't always easy and Ciera shares how she went from waitressing to booking her first major role alongside Steven Seagal, dealing with Hurricane Katrina and how she is a firm believer that roles that are meant for you will find you. This was a great conversation that was empowering, inspirational and something any struggling actor needs to hear. 

Follow her:

www.instagram.com/cierapayton

Follow us:

www.instagram.com/survivinghollywoodpodcast

www.instagram.com/johnnyreydiaz

www.instagram.com/theaustinarnold

www.instagram.com/aarontarnold

Ciera Payton is an accomplished actor, writer, social activist and  entrepreneur hailing from the city of New Orleans. After Hurricane  Katrina, Ciera and her family relocated to North Carolina where she  graduated with a B.F.A. from the University of the North Carolina School  of the Arts. While still enrolled in school, Ciera landed the female  lead role opposite Steven Seagal in Flight of Fury.

Since her  breakout role, she has shared screen time with many talented artists  including Viola Davis, Nicholas Cage, Kevin Hart and Josh Brolin. Past  credits include USA Network’s Graceland, Bad Teacher on CBS, and Spike  Lee’s Oldboy.
As a writer and solo performer, Ciera created and  performed her one-woman show, Michael’s Daughter, a piece detailing her  compelling journey of growing up in New Orleans to her present success  in Los Angeles through a series of letters with her incarcerated father,  Michael.

While dedicated to her acting career, Ciera also  manages to and time to contribute to her local community. Her dedication  to arts education in underserved communities led her to create the  non-profit organization The Michael’s Daughter Foundation, which  provides an annual theater and media arts summer camp for youth impacted  by incarceration. Her contribution was recognized by the City of Los  Angeles’ Mayor Garcetti and Councilwoman Nury Martinez, as she was  rewarded the 2016 Pioneer Woman Award.

A free-spirit, Ciera  enjoys boxing, painting, cooking and most importantly, dancing! She  continues to have an unwavering commitment to always be her best,  challenge the limits of everything she does, while always remaining true  to herself.

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theactorslounge/support

Clear backpacks, gator-laden bayous, and an absolutely extraordinary story of Hurricane Katrina come to you this week courtesy of the radiant Ciera Payton (“She’s Gotta Have It”), whose teenaged medical knowledge was of the “Anaconda” variety.

Come see Janet at PodX in Nashville from May 31 to June 2! 

Hosted by Janet Varney.

Edited by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun.

Let's talk about the true ups and downs of Hollywood. Ciera shares it all and is brutally honest. She also talks on the current diversity push in casting and how it as effected her career. Find Ciera here: http://cierapayton.com/ And of course find 1BA Sam here! www.onebrokeactress.com/

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/one-broke-actress-podcast/support

Actor, Director, and Entrepreneur Ciera Payton shares a personal story growing up in New Orleans leading, the vulnerabilities and spirituality of storytelling and openness about her incarcerated father leading to the creation of a solo theatrical performance, Michael’s Daughter.

Calling New Orleans, LA home, Ciera Payton discovered her artistic interests early in life, and has spread her wings, landing in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles, CA.

After obtaining her BFA in Drama Acting from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 2008, Ciera returned to New Orleans, continuing her work as the Associate Director of ‘What Girls Know’, a theater program dedicated to empowering inner city teenage girls. Using theater and acting techniques to enable girls to find their voice and inner strength, appreciating a unique connection with the youth under her tutelage, would confirm within Ciera her role as a mentor. She has gone on to form alliances with organizations such as ‘Girls For A Change’ and ‘Step Up Women’s Network’ to increase her impact on under-resourced youth, both nationally and globally.

Today, as she continues to add to her résumé works such as Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ (2013), USA Network’s ‘Graceland’, TNT’s ‘The Closer’, ‘Torchwood’, CBS’ comedy, ‘Bad Teacher’, co-produced by Cameron Diaz, and many other works, Ciera enjoys her primary residence in Los Angeles, but is sure to be boarding a plane to New York and New Orleans, now earning the name “Hollywood South”, any day of the week.

In a time when beauty is defined by supermodels, success is defined by wealth, and fame is deified by how many followers you have on social media, Lizzie Velasquez asks the question how do you define yourself? Once labeled, “The Worlds Ugliest Woman,” Lizzie decided to turn things around and create her own definitions of what she defines as beauty and happiness.