The Actors Lounge

Actor and filmmaker Damien D. Smith is a lifelong storyteller. With more than 15 years of experience in theatre, television, and film, Smith is driven by both a responsibility to shed light on injustice and oppression and a deep-rooted passion for community, faith, and social activism. This empathy was sparked and fostered by his grandmother, who raised him in St. Louis, Missouri. Because of her influence, a message of acceptance and love to humanity is central to his work.

Damien uses art as a tool to address sexism, racism, and bigotry and to shed light on the issues that affect communities that are historically underserved and undervalued. He explores themes such as mental illness, sexual abuse, and environmental racism in his work with the goal of engaging audiences in meaningful discussions on the subject matter.

In addition to pursuing these themes in his work in theatre, film, and television, Damien lives these values through volunteer work and activism with a host of nonprofits across the country. His work in the community focuses on exposing young people and people of color to the arts, including work with Boys and Men of Color, teaching Film and Social Activism at California You Think.

Smith’s stage and television credits include the NAACP Theater Award-winning production of “12x9,” and most recently the television series “Snowfall” on Fx Networks and “The Purge”on USA networks. His directorial debut short narrative film entitled ABOUT THAT..., a powerful look at love through the eyes of a mentally disturbed young man won the Arts with Impact film Award.

Smith’s last short film Daddy’s Big Girl won the Gentleman Jack Daniel’s Reel to Real Filmmaker of the Year Awards.

Acting Coach, Louis Stancil, saw the need to help talent better understand the entertainment industry. Through his talkback platform and with the help of top industry professionals, he has helped elevate the careers of  countless talent across the country. Born and raised in

Most recently, Louis coached Meek Mill in Overbrook & Sony's highly anticipated film Charm City Kings, a Netflix adaptation film. Louis was the Casting Director for a Pilot Presentation executively produced by Lil Rel Howery (Get Out). Louis Stancil is the CEO of LS Studios Atlanta, LS Studios Los Angeles and is a Celebrity Acting Coach.

Linara Washington was born in the little town of Beaufort, SC to a beautiful Brazilian woman and an American son of a preacher man. Her mother spoke no English at the time, which has given Linara the added benefit of being fluent in Portuguese. She attended the prestigious University of Chicago where she started her courses as a Pre-med Biology major. But, as with all things that are meant to be, she soon found herself participating in the campus’s theater productions and eventually took her MCAT money and purchased headshots, and did not tell her parents until graduation day that she was going to pursue acting.

Linara’s gutsy move proved to be the right one; she has had the pleasure of working at a number of Chicago’s most acclaimed theaters including The Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, and the Tony Award winning Victory Gardens. She has appeared in over 50 commercials nationally and internationally. A supporting role as Keisha, the cute and sassy receptionist in Barbershop 2 motivated her move to Los Angeles where she immediately landed recurring roles on American Dreams and E.R. Linara has since guest starred on hit shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Madame Secretary, NCIS, Station 19, Code Black, CSI, The Defenders, Touch, Ghost Whisperer, and many others. Feature film credits include working with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and acclaimed director Marc Forster on Stranger Than Fiction, and performing opposite Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini in Killing Them Softly. She also starred in the award winning, Kings of the Evening with Lynn Whitfield, Glynn Turman, and Tyson Beckford.

Linara is currently working on Casting The Net, an original series for a new streaming service due to debut in November. When she’s not on set, Linara enjoys spending time with her 5 year old daughter, director/writer/producer husband Andrew P. Jones, and their two crazy cats.

Sheila Jaye is a trained actress for film and television, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Originally being born in Flint, MI, she spent a great deal of her childhood being raised in Atlanta, GA. It was there where she discovered, and honed her craft, by performing plays at the Southside Theatre Guild. It was there where she also discovered her knack for writing and producing, by co-producing her first stage play. Eventually Sheila became a graduate of Georgia State University, receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Film and Video Production, with a concentration in Theatre. In addition, she studied with notable acting coaches throughout the Atlanta area: Kristen Shaw( B4H, Kristen Shaw Acting Studio),  Lalanya Masters(Alchemy of Acting), BJ Winfrey(Creative Studios of Atlanta), and etc.

Sheila has a intriguing and intense personality, and can attribute growing up in Atlanta, for her southern charm. She has gone on to be apart of various film, and theatre projects, having supporting and lead roles. Most notably, she can thank her training techniques she pocketed, from the well know Robey Theatre Company, in DTLA. It helped her get casted, and film for the supporting role of Aya, in the afro-futuristic film, Mino. Mino was written and directed by Ashunda Norris. This film is currently screening at film festivals. In the southeast, (Afrikana Independent Film Festival) and the midwest (Gary International Black Film Festival). Sheila is also super excited to have written and produced her Sag-Aftra indie project called, Jane and Marlow. The pilot is due to be released before the end of the year, and is also currently working with her writing team, to write the full episodes for the first season.

Daytime Emmy Winning Actor, Terrence Terrell was raised in the small town of Cleveland, Mississippi. He displayed an affinity for entertainment at a young age. As a child, he would entertain anyone who would watch and listen. The 80's hit "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown was one of the first songs he sang, danced and even performed to. "I don't know what it was but there was something about it that made me just want to move" recalls Terrell. Throughout his teenage years, he was bullied, but coped by turning the negativity into humor. As an adult, Terrell moved out of Mississippi to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a dream of acting and writing.

Drive, passion and beauty is personified within Lena Anthony. This Philadelphia Native has taken the Los Angeles acting scene by storm since her emergence a few years ago. As a young girl, Anthony knew she would be successful. She’s a Penn State graduate, communications and theatre major. Anthony has starred in several Independent films and TV shows. Her latest film project ”All In” will be in theatres late 2019. Anthony has spent the last two years building as a writer/producer. With much new content in her portfolio, Anthony presents SOULFUL SUNDAZE and 3SOME as her entrance into modern television as a triple threat actress, writer and producer. Lena Anthony studies at Identity School of Acting. According to deadline the #1 school in LA that emerge from the UK. She will be making history as the first class to graduate this year. John Boyega, Letitia Wright & Damson Idris among patrons of the new LA drama school.

IG: @lenaanthony_

Tray Chaney (Saints And Sinners, The Wire) , a multitalented artist/entertainer who first began performing at the age of 8 as a rapper/dancer, is best known for his role as “Poot” on HBO’s original hit series The Wire. He made his first film appearance in 2003’s Head of Statewith Chris Rock and Bernie Mac, followed by roles in The Salon(co-starring Vivica A. Fox) and Streets(co-starring rapper/actor Meek Mill). Tray later had the opportunity to star in rap artist Bow Wow's chart-topping video “My Baby,”featuring the multi-platinum R&B group Jagged Edge.

In 2006, Tray debuted as an author with the release of aninspirational autobiography entitled The Truth You Can’t beTray. And in 2017, he starred in and produced the movie love story 6 Hearts 1 Beat which landed a distribution deal with PUREFLIX . Tray's latest creative venture entails stepping into the world of music as a writer, producer, and rapper. His original song “Self Made Star” is featured in the film Jamesy Boy,which he also stars in alongside Ving Rhames, James Woods, and Mary-Louise Parker. Most recently in 2016-current Tray landed a series regular role on Bounce TV original series Saints & Sinners as the character "KENDRICK" filming in atlanta ga. Tray, a Maryland native, uses every minute to hone his talents as he continues to innovate and entertain.

Nadia Flamenco is an actress, producer and filmmaker known for Good For One Free Hug (2018), Millennial Dating and K.C. (2018). She talks about how she got her start at 4 years old in El Salvador to eventually moving to the United States and reinventing herself and career. Check out her story.  

Judi Johnson discovered her love for entertainment as a young girl in Jamaica. Watching her eldest sister compete in the “Miss Jamaica” pageant ignited in her a passion for the runway, inspiring her to emulate the glamour models she saw onscreen and in magazines.

At the age of 14, the still-shy Judi received the opportunity to become what she revered with her first modeling job. Gaining confidence with each gig, Judi’s modeling career reached a new peak when she was featured as a “Rising Jamaican Model” in The Caribbean Magazine. Shyness all but vanished; Judi turned her attention to acting, beginning lessons to immerse herself in developing her craft.

Since then, she has worked in several Film and Television productions. Landing role on BET’s T'he Game', CW’s 'Vampire Diaries', MTV’s 'Single Ladies' and supporting roles in original TV Movies such as 'Hear No Evil', 'My Other Mother', 'Lyfe’s Journey' and 'My First Love', all airing on various Networks. By her persistence and determination to be successful, Judi landed her first and second Feature Film as the leading lady in 'What Love Will Make You Do' alongside Darrin Henson and 'Last Night' alongside Danny Gavigan. Johnson worked hand-in-hand with Channing Tatum and Jada Pinkett-Smith in Magic Mike XXL and later as Faun in Tyler Perry's 'If Loving You is Wrong' on OWN.

In addition to a thriving acting career, with her husband, Pierre Johnson, they own OakTree Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based multifaceted production company dedicated to developing creative content, producing independent and studio films. They strive to create thoughtful, intelligent and unique entertainment.

Of all of her accomplishments, Judi insist that motivating others to live their dreams is the most rewarding element of her journey. She believes we are all connected and continues to live her dreams as she reminds others to “Live Alive”.

Kiah Alexandria Clingman is an actress and producer from Cincinnati, OH. A 2015 summa cum laude graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., she received a degree in Communications with emphasis on Advertising and a minor in Theatre Arts and History. During her time in undergrad, she had the opportunity to study theatre in London, England and was selected to play Laura in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Her love for acting took her to New York where she studied at the Maggie Flannigan Conservatory Studio. She has also studied with Sara Mornell, Matt Stanton from Dad’s Garage, and Catherine Dyer from Drama Inc.

Kiah is well-known for her supporting role in Black Lightning and will be seen in Undercover Brother 2 premiering later this year. She played the lead role, Chanel, in Black & Sexy TV’s series, Doing It Wrong, which premiered on Black & Sexy TV’s paid subscription service as a part of their HBCU initiative.

Not only does Kiah thrive in front of the camera and stage, she loves working behind-the-scenes.  Her production company, KiahCan Productions LLC, was founded in 2018 and with it, she has produced and cast for 7 short films, 1 pilot, 2 webseries and 1 music video. She is currently producing and has a lead role, CAMI, in the newest web series Outlandish. She also is the lead, OLIVIA, in the web series, Thick Skin.

The series she is producing now, Outlandish, has over 250k views on YouTube and is steadily growing. She is currently working hard to prepare for a successful Season 2.

Having worked at FOX Sports, HBO, Viacom (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Spike & Logo), and Weber Shandwick, she has acquired a vast array of skills that have prepared her to take on the entertainment industry.

She is working hard to combine her writing, performing, and speaking abilities in preparation for a successful career in film and television.