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Photo courtesy of Queen Blake.
Acting , Interview , Success Stories

Success Story: How Queen Blake Mastered Casting Networks and Booked Mozzy’s ‘Open Arms,’ ‘My Mane Hair Problem,’ ‘House Party’ and More


August 30, 2024

Queen Blake found acting while chatting with a friend and never looked back. Since joining Casting Networks, Blake has booked project after project, working with major brands like Lyft, and across genres ranging from film to reality TV. The actor took time out of her day to share her experiences and advice for her fellow actors.

How did you get started as an actor?

I had a friend who was an actress and she was using Casting Networks. She told me how to do everything. She was like, “This is what I do.” And I’m like, “That’s a real job?” [As soon as] I found out[what I needed to do to become an actor], I started doing what she said.

You booked Mozzy’s Open Arms music video and an episode of the reality TV series My Mane Hair Problem on Casting Networks. Tell me about the Mozzy video first. What was the audition process like?

They were looking for [actors to play] prostitutes (laughs), and I’m like “I can do it! They’re not asking for anything too crazy.”

I just did an audition video of me dancing and telling a man, “Come here!” They called me back and said, “We need you to play the mom.” They started explaining to me that it’s a real dark [music video] and [the character] has a lot of problems like drug problems and stuff like that. I said I can do it, and when I got to set the next day, for eight hours, I did.

Queen Blake looking into the camera smiling. Photo courtesy of Queen Blake.

What was your experience like when you got on-set?

When I got on-set, I met [the actors playing] my husband and my child, and the producers, and everybody was nice. They were telling me about certain stuff I would have to do, like, I had to act like I was smoking a pipe. I had to put soda and stuff inside, and they wanted all this foam to come out my mouth. So, I was doing stuff like that in a lot of scenes. I was still a prostitute [in the video], so I was doing a lot of crazy stuff, but I had to put myself in the shoes of a person on drugs.

It was a good experience, and it really showed me that I could act, because I didn’t talk the whole time. Everything was just improv.

Let’s talk about My Mane Hair Problem. What was that experience like?

I got an email saying that I got chosen to be on the show, but [as] a standby. I was waiting, and every day they would call me and tell me, “We might need you.” When they finally needed me, it was around 8 p.m. around my birthday in December.

I was happy to be on the show to get my hair done. It was an all-night process where I had to be there at eight o’clock and leave at three or maybe six in the morning. They did my hair, cut it off and did everything to it.

What are some other successes and high-profile jobs you’ve booked from Casting Networks?

I also got booked in the movie House Party. That was the first [project] I booked. It was in 2021, right after COVID. We were still getting tested for COVID regularly.

I was on-set for two weeks. It was long hours and mostly at night. Some nights I would go in at 4:30 p.m. I would get off at six o’clock in the morning the next day, but it was nice. It was fun. We had a lot of good food options and I met a lot of people I still talk to today.

When I went to the movies on January 13, I saw myself on screen over and over again. I was like, “My God, that’s me! That’s me again!” I couldn’t believe it. Juvenile was there, and so were many other celebrities. It was a really nice experience.

Author’s note: Queen Blake recently learned that she is now SAG-eligible thanks to her work in House Party.

Queen Blake with the cast from House Party. Photo courtesy of Queen Blake.

What about Casting Networks keeps you coming back, and what features do you find to be the most helpful?

I feel like what keeps me coming back is knowing that Casting Networks has principal roles available that I could get booked for. Also, it’s cheap, like $29 a month.

I forgot to tell you about my Lyft photo shoot. It was supposed to be a commercial, but they ended up just doing a photo shoot. I got $500 and then they gave me $2,500, like, two weeks later because they used the footage. I only paid $29 a month [for Casting Networks] and I ended up buying a car with the money [from the photo shoot]. That’s what keeps me going. Dreams are coming true little by little.

What audition tips or advice do you have that you could share with your peers?

Try to be who you want the world to know. Be yourself.

For any auditions, I would say make sure your camera is [set up] right and horizontal. Then just make sure we can see you and make sure you know your lines. You can always have somebody read with you so that you’re not just talking to yourself. And just be confident and be that character, whoever the character is.

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Chris Butera is a voice actor specializing in commercial, eLearning and corporate narration voiceovers. When he’s not helping clients achieve their goals, he’s playing guitar and bass.



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