The Actors Lounge

Fikile M Kani (Tech Baes ​Creator/Writer​)is a Lesotho born comedian/actor/writer from South Africa who’s a recent  graduate of the Grad Acting program at NYU. She has starred on several  hit TV shows including ​It’s Complicated​ (Mzansi Magic) Season 1 and 2,  ​Gold Diggers​ (E-TV) and ​Isidingo​ (SABC 3). Fikile also wrote for  broadcast television while in South Africa.

Tiffany Copeland is an actress on-camera and in the voiceover booth. Sheʼs a voiceover business coach, and host of the Black Girl Voiceover World podcast. Her clients include the Ohio Lottery, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Paramount Healthcare and more. She's also the founder of Black Girl Voiceover World, LLC, a 100% female owned voice consulting agency that trains, and connects African American voice talent with job opportunities.

Danielle Pinnock currently stars in the hit CBS  Comedy, Young Sheldon, the spinoff to the popular, multi-Emmy award  winning television series The Big Bang Theory. The single camera,  half-hour comedy was created by Chuck Lorre and Steve Molaro who  executive produce with Todd Spiewak and Jim Parsons and was recently  renewed for a third and fourth season.

Midwest native LaNisa Frederick is an actor, voiceover artist, and educator. She arrived in LA in 2017 and honed her craft in Chicago performing at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, the acclaimed Second City Chicago and performed worldwide including London and Singapore.

No stranger to the camera Frederick has exploded on the screen on Chicago Code, Young Sheldon, Chicago PD, Teachers, and the Emmy-nominated Brown Girls. As an accomplished voiceover artist, she has been behind the mic for clients like Teach for America, Comcast, McDonald’s, ComEd, and AT&T. A recipient of Edge Studio’s Voiceover Competition, LaNisa is also the voice in several major video games. Understanding this niche market, LaNisa trains and coaches actors on the business of voiceover with a specialty focus on artist of color who are new to the field.

LaNisa has worked with all ages in both traditional and non traditional education settings. Quitting her full time non-profit career in 2013 LaNisa worked a teaching artist, grant writer, program director, and curated arts based programming for incarcerated/recently released youth, those with severe cognitive disabilities, and those most at risk. Still passionate about education and access, she continues to provide consul to youth based organizations on effective, impactful programming and teaching styles. She is also currently an acting lecturer at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy College. LaNisa is a graduate of Loyola University (Chicago,BA), University of Essex (UK, MA), and the School at Steppenwolf. 

And most importantly, she is a new, first time Auntie to a perfect little niece named Elle.

Paul Hungerford studied acting and film making at Emerson College  in Boston, and continued his studies at the British American Dramatic  Academy's summer in Oxford, England, playing Oliver in As You Like It  and Claudio in Measure for Measure. Once in Los Angeles, Paul has  performed on stage, film and TV for the last 25 years. He has been seen  in over 50 commercials, and in between, on such television shows as  Grey’s Anatomy, Dirty, Sexy, Money and recurring roles on Bravo’s  Significant Others and Disney's Coop and Cami Ask The World. Paul’s film  credits include Stark Raving Mad, Trouble is my Business and Hate: A  Comedy. (Winner of Best Short Film, at the Aspen Comedy Festival)  His  voice over work includes Blizzard Entertainments: World of Warcraft:  Mists or Pandaria, and the animated short, Nougat. (Winner of Best Short  at the late night series at SXSW Film Festival)  Paul is a proud main  company member of the award winning improv theatre company Impro  Theatre.

Stunningly beautiful and charismatic Javicia Leslie lights up the  screen on her breakout role on "God Friended Me" (Sundays on CBS). The  German born, beauty is captivating audiences with her first role as  series regular alongside Joe Morton and Brandon Micheal Hall. "God  Friended Me," is a light, hour-long procedural from "Alcatraz"  co-creators Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt. The show is a humorous,  uplifting series that explores questions of faith, existence and  science, centered on 'Miles Finer' (Brandon Micheal Hall), an outspoken  atheist whose life is turned upside down where he is "friended" by God  on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent for change in the lives  and destinies of others around him. Javicia plays Miles' sister, Ali,  encouraging and mending the relationship between he and his father,  'Reverend Arthur Finer' (Joe Morton), the reverend of Trinity Church for  the past 25 years. The series, airing Sundays at 8pm, is one of CBS'  hottest new shows and already renewed for Season 2. As if that wasn't  enough to keep Javicia busy, she's also starring as the ever so sassy  Paris on Carl Weber's "The Family Business" (BET Tuesdays 9/8c)  alongside Ernie Hudson.

Andrea's  artistic talents emerged at age 5 and even before celebrating her 16th  birthday, this Toronto born, Entertainer had already acted alongside  Hollywood heavyweights such as Diahann Carroll in The Natalie Cole Story  and Wesley Snipes and Dr. Maya Angelou in her directorial debut, the  critically acclaimed Down in the Delta. After wrapping up on the Disney  movie Cadet Kelly alongside Hilary Duff, Lewis soon spent 6 seasons on  the hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation and became known around the  world as "Hazel" as millions of North Americans tuned in each week to  watch Andrea in the Award-winning drama, which is ranked No. 1 in Canada  and the US. Lewis has garnered international attention from Degrassi  which landed her in the pages of Teen People, New York Times and  Entertainment Weekly magazines. After Degrassi, she went on to other  leading roles in on Showtime and Nickelodeon and BET. Taking her career  to another level Lewis started Jungle Wild Productions, where she  created the hit web series’ “Black Actress” written by and starring  Lewis and the fan favorite relationship drama “Beyond Complicated” both  seasons can be watched at youtube.com/AndreaLewisChannel.

NANA GHANA was named by Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine as "ONES TO WATCH" coming out of Sundance 2018, where her co-starring role in the film WHITE RABBIT premiered. As a writer/ director Nana Ghana has made her film festival debut at the Cannes film festival 2016, premiering her short film WATER WARRIOR , in 2017 ELECTING a short film that she wrote and directed which won her “Best Director" at the Oregon film fest. She just finished directing her documentary LA WOMAN RISING, which Rosario Dawson is producing. Ms. Ghana just wrapped her role as “Cheyenne" in LOST TRANSMISSION, playing opposite Simon Pegg and Juno Temple. She has just wrapped filming the Netflix original series WHAT/IF created by Mike Kelley. Nana Ghana also made her theater debut with Pelvic Floor, a play, written directed and starred by her along with seven other actors at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood in November 2017, and then in 2018 during the Hollywood Fringe festival Nana Ghana is an artist, with an appetite for life and experience and a deep curiosity for about human story, poetry and human behavior.

Lawrence Chau is a multi-faceted, multi-award-winning entertainer  with an illustrious portfolio spanning acting, hosting, writing,  producing and music. He has worked in Canada, Asia and now America.  Currently based in Los Angeles, Lawrence travels to various cities  around the world for work, particularly New York and Toronto.

Neal is a theater, television and film entertainer known for her many  roles in television series as well as the films Rosewood,  Scream  2 and Logan. 

Elise began her career as a dancer from an early  age, first in ballet and later musical theater. After she graduated from  Overton High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Elise  received a full scholarship to attend The University of the Arts in  Philadelphia and then moved to New York. She quickly landed roles in  musical theater and found herself traveling the world with various  touring companies, including a stint on Broadway in Maurice Hines'  production of Oh, Kay!, eventually finding her way to Los Angeles. 

With  many television credits to her name, Elise had regular series roles  in The Hughleys, SeaQuest 2032, All of Us, and Belle's. Other TV credits  include K-Ville, Scandal, and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper. She made her  film debut in the 1997 film Rosewood, followed by roles in How to be a  Player, Scream 2,  and Mission to Mars. She portrayed Gladys Knight  in Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, and in 2017 she played Kathryn  Munson in the Marvel blockbuster film Logan. She has also performed in  many music videos as well, including Chubb Rock's music video for Just  the Two of Us, Black Sheep's 1992 video for Strobe Light Honey, Father  MC's 1991 video for Lisa Baby, Aretha Franklin's 1998 video A Rose Is  Still a Rose and Vanessa Williams' video Work to Do.

Nominated  for an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture  for the film Hustle & Flow, Elise received an additional three  NAACP nominations, two of which were for Best Actress in a Comedy  for The Hughleys. As a producer, Elise has created and developed several  multimedia projects, including a reality show based on her R&B  group, "Assorted Flavors," a fitness and lifestyle brand, and multiple  feature projects and development deals.