Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Tozer.
Hi Abby, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story– well, I moved a ton growing up and don’t consider myself from anywhere yada yada yada. But after a four year stint in Paris in middle school and high school in The Woodlands, I found myself with quite a mixed cultural identity, a young woman beyond my years which I wouldn’t come to appreciate until later (about now). I then went on to find myself graduating from UC Berkeley with a Neuroscience degree but wanting to pursue a career in Acting. I’m a woman of dichotomies. That was the Spring of 2020. We all remember what happened next. But what happened next for me wasn’t what I expected. I ended up moving home to The Woodlands Texas, and for better or worse, the film industry was much less impacted there than other places in the world, creating an opportunity for me, my first chance to enter the industry. I quickly dove in, getting representation here in Houston, getting roles in short films, then feature films and getting SAG eligible. Then by the end of 2021, I had a real taste for the industry and felt ready to tackle Los Angeles. The second I moved here, I knew I wanted more autonomy than the entertainment industry felt ready to give me, so I started my own production company. I ran A2C Entertainment for over 3 years with my producing partner Connor Angus. I learned how to write, direct, produce and star in my own short films, how to make them from the ground up. It was an incredible learning experience– and all the while I auditioned and worked in the Houston market, flying home for commercial and theatrical bookings with my wonderful reps at Pastorini Bosby. Here I am 5 years later on the precipice of directing my first feature film (that I wrote), about to shoot my first TV role as an actor, and finally feel like I have a tiny grasp on producing. It takes years, but it’s SO worth it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. 99% of acting is being told NO either to your face, via email or just straight up ghosting (which also means no.) I’ve gained an extremely thick skin, and ‘no’ is just par for the course. I’ve learned how to get overly excited for the YES and how the NO has nothing to do with me. Directing has helped me with that. When I don’t get chosen for roles, it has nothing to do with me. It might be my eye color, timbre of my voice, height, the sweater I wore. Any myriad of tiny details that aren’t what the creator imagined throw my chances right in the gutter– and that is ayokay. That’s been a big lesson for me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an actress, writer, director and producer who also runs my own production company – No Good Movies. So in short, a BIG time multi-hyphenate. That’s the only way to swing it these days– either do it all, or seemingly don’t do it. Something that I think sets me apart is my inexhaustible work ethic. I have so much passion for this career that it has never felt like work to me, not for a second, not a moment in my life. I love storytelling, writing emails, yelling at people on the phone about my projects, dressing up in fake mustaches, rushing across town on the 405 to audition for thirty seconds for an Applebee’s commercial. I love it all, and I can’t stop.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Drive. I believe anyone can make it in entertainment, you just have to be the last one standing. Keep auditioning, keep writing, keep creating and eventually you WILL be recognized for it, just don’t let the industry beat you down. BE the last one standing.
Pricing:
- $75 – Private Zoom session with me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nogoodmovies.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyktozer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbytozer825/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-tozer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abbytozer
Image Credits
Alyssa Kearney
