Let's Talk Punk with Amanda Megan
Interview By Lisa-PunkrPrincess
Punk Globe: Hi thanks for chatting with us. Can you give us a little Amanda history?
Amanda:Well, I first found a love for horror and film when I was a child. Whenever my uncle would babysit us, we always watched Indian Jones, followed by Tales from the Crypt. The Nightmare on Elm Street is my favorite franchise. My first role was a film called Samhain from Gravestone films, you can find the movie on youtube. I started modeling after my divorce to try to get some confidence back. I wasn’t always covered in blood but when I made friends with Jay Overdorf, the owner of Black Cherry Photography, we found a way to do both and we’ve been best friends ever since! That’s my very short life synopsis lol
Punk Globe: What got you into modeling/acting?
Amanda: Ohh I got ahead of myself here lol I started modeling in 2018, after my divorce. I had just moved to a new area and wasn’t feeling very confident or loved or just .. good in general. I used this as an outlet to network and make new friends and most importantly a way to love myself again. The acting came along around the same time frame when a friend from high school reached out to me about a film he was making, Samhain. It almost didn’t get made at all but I had that feeling like we HAD to do it. And then we did, and ever since we’ve all been networking and making more art, getting better each and every time we do it. I participated in the theater program when I was in High School too.
Punk Globe: What projects are you currently working on?
Amanda: I am currently working on Sabilla Six with Shannon Atkins, as you know, as her AD and as an actress. I am also working on These Things with Matt Anderson as his Intimacy Coordinator. I’m also looking forward to a few things with Matt Burns – Head on the Writers Block, Vicious Valentine, to name a few. I’ve Got a few other projects that I can’t say too much about just yet, but I promise to spill the beans as soon as I can. We are also in pre-production for my first project, “Black Sheep”, under Dancing Demons Media Group which is my production and film coaching company. Everyone involved is super excited for that one!
I’m really excited to be back in front of the camera soon too, I’ve been missing that feeling!
Punk Globe: Who are some of your favorite indie actors?
Amanda: oohhh!! This is a tough one, there are so many. I loved working with Angel Bradford on Night of the Axe, we were instant friends and she is such a beautiful spirit. Jessa Flux is one that is on my bucket list to work with. Chanda Rawlings and Kay Leahy are some of my other favorites to work with. I work with Jesse Green and Russell Sage Patrick often – they are wonderful, safe people to be around! Darien Rothchild and Kristiana Santiago are both super talented and super fun people to be around. Mel Helfin is also on my bucket list to work with. Shannon is one of my best friends so I love when I get the chance to work with her. Like I said, there’s so many, I could probably fill up your entire magazine with the people I love to work with lol
Punk Globe: Tell us an inspiring moment you have had.
Amanda: Hmmm that’s also a tough one. I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at Carolina FearFest. Seeing a room full of complete strangers with similar interests supporting each other, no drama,no
B.s.,no problems was nice. I also had the opportunity to meet a woman who fostered and adopted disabled children. It really made me feel like wow, there are some good people left. Seeing the way some of those kids, or even just the attendees in general light up at some of the vendors and events was a warm reminder of why we do the crazy things we do.
Punk Globe: Who are some of your favorite indie bands?
Amanda: I’ve been following Heroes Unsung, Chatterbox, Jimmy Swope, and Brenden Starr recently. I really relate to all of their music. I just saw Brenden perform recently- such a good show! They have a new album coming out in August. One of my best friends out in California – DJ Patton- is in a few bands too so I try to support them as much as possible. Shawn Bare Nelson is a really good friend of my family so we go see him play as often as possible. Same for Natalie Ness. You can find both of them on Spotify.oh! And Karen Culi! I met her on the set of Anna Key and am obsessed with her song called Mind’s Eye. I’m sure there are more that I follow, I just can’t think of them right now lol I’ll be sure to send you a more thorough list later!
Punk Globe: The most fun role you have ever played, and why.
Amanda: The most fun role I got to play was for the movie Crickfoot, created by Bone Jawnson. It’s a mockumentary style film. It was so fun because we weren’t really given a lot of direction. We basically got to put our crew together and come up with our own skits to send in for the film. I had the pleasure of working with Ricky Bredenbeck on our short for this. We really got to collaborate and let our creative colors just fly. It will forever be one of my favorite experiences.
Punk Globe: In which area would you like to improve as an actor?
Amanda: I haven’t been in front of the camera much lately, so I feel like I could use a refresher on all of it lol For me, it’s all about getting out of my own head. The last time I filmed, I was super nervous and it took me like 3 takes just to warm up. The cast and crew were fantastic, it was just a me problem lol. I think there’s always room for improvement. I love being able to bring a new character to life, so I think really personifying their traits would be a good way to improve and really bring the character out.
Punk Globe: What character have you played that you can relate to the most?
Amanda: I related to Sami Frees iz Samhain alot. Sami turns out to be more of a badass than a damsel in distress and I’ve always viewed myself that way. I also identified with Beth In Open House a good bit, I tend to be very professional at work but have a wild side at times.
Punk Globe: What are some of the difficulties of the acting business?
Amanda: All of it lol But it’s worth it in the end. It can be difficult when you’re trying to raise funds, or when you have a large and talented cast – because they’re all getting booked for other things, so scheduling can be frustrating at times. And you definitely gotta have a thick skin in this business. People are always going to have opinions about you and what you’re doing, and you have to be really secure in yourself and not give in to the drama. It’s a lot of moving pieces and people to coordinate so it can get overwhelming at times. It’s important to surround yourself with the right people, the right team. You may think you can do it yourself, but you can’t. Well at least, you won’t want to for very long lol.
Punk Globe: What have you learned from the directors that you have worked with throughout your career?
Amanda: One of the things I learned from Matt Anderson is how important pre-production is. How to organize and coordinate everything, doing so ahead of time and as thoroughly as we did really limited the on set headaches we had to deal with.
I learned from Mark Cantu – I was an extra in Massacre Academy- how important it is to listen to what your cast is saying. I didn’t get the opportunity to work with Mark directly but some of the actresses spoke highly about changing a fight scene that they were uncomfortable with. I’ve had the opportunity to work with other directors like Justin Adams, Shawn Wright, Wade Brown, Mark Byrne, Dave Castiglione, Matt Cannon, Shannon Atkins – to name a few. I’ve learned something from each and every one of them and have made really good friends with all of them too. I’m excited to work with other new directors in the future too!
Punk Globe: Do you ever think that you could have done a bit better in any particular role?
Amanda: OH all the time. We are always our own worst critics. “Why did I make that face”. “ooo messed up that line”. “That outfit makes me look so fat” Etc.
Punk Globe: What sort of acting roles do you hope to be performing in the future?
Amanda: I’m really excited for a role with Shawn Wright in his next film Spirit Board. It’s a very dynamic character and I love a challenge. I need to show a large emotional range and really depend on the crew for some of the really neat special effects. Any role that’s different from my daily life, I look forward to!
Punk Globe: What advice would you give to aspiring actors?
Amanda: Don’t give up. Keep networking. Set and keep your boundaries, don’t feed into the drama, the negativity. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t listen to the haters- including your own brain. Take the classes, make the connections, ask the questions. And most importantly, remember where you came from. You wouldn’t be where you are without your supporters and fans, and you won’t go anywhere else without them either.
Punk Globe: Where can we find some of your projects?
Amanda: You can find Samhain, Dead Before Desk, Alone, and Season’s Bleedings on YouTube. You can find Night of the Axe, Miscalculated, Massacre Academy on tubi. Open House and Blue Hole are premiering in the Lehigh Valley area in the middle of July. You’re Mine Now premieres that same weekend on youtube. Uhmmm… I’m not sure what else is available or where but our supporters are always welcome to ask!
Punk Globe: Any shout-outs?
Amanda: First shout out to my parents for putting up with – and more importantly supporting all of my weird hobbies. They don’t even blink when I come home covered in fake blood anymore lol
Shutout to Matt Anderson for taking a shot on me with Anna Key! We had a great time and I’m so proud of what we accomplished with that project. Shoutout to the entire Anna Key cast and crew for their hard work and dedication on thay project. The film just won its first Best Drama Feature Award.
Shoutout to my personal trainer, and one of my best friends, Devil Megan – and all of my gym friends- for listening to me lose my mind twice a week while simultaneously keeping me healthier than I was the day before.
Shout out to all of my other best friends for keeping me sane and supporting me and not letting me give up – Shannon, April, Heather, Kylie, Krista and Brian, Stephanie, Rob, Russell, etc…
My tribe knows who they are and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.
Punk Globe: Thanks for chatting with us, and thanks to all the readers.
Amanda: Thanks everyone! Love you all bunches!!
