Meet Gabrielle Joan | Extras Casting Assistant & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle Joan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle, why did you pursue a creative career?
Being artistic runs in my family! My grandmother is an artist, she makes beautiful tapestries. What she does is a dying art form. My grandfather was an artist too, not only was he an art teacher, but he was commissioned to make monumental sculptures! I pursued Videography. I find the art of making a picture come to life very beautiful and rewarding. Whether that’s filming nature, parts of a city, filming animals or filming a person, the fact that we can make that come to life, instead of just taking a still photograph is pretty amazing to me. When I watch motion pictures, whether it be a film, documentary or just someone videoing their vacation spot with their phone, my mind immediately transports me to that place as if I were actually present at that set location. I’m also a huge day dreamer! I think that’s a huge reason why I pursued Videography as well. I have lot of ideas bouncing around in my head and one day, I’d like to see them come to life!

At the moment I am not working in Videography. I had one job that sucked all the fun out of it and I needed to take a break. Besides my current job, which is working for an Extras Casting company, I own a very small jewelry business called GJs Collections. I make handmade jewelry out of clay, glass and various metals. It’s still very much a start up business, and it’s a lot of work, but I thoroughly enjoy having a different creative outlet to design and produce some kind of art!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career has been all over the place! I started off with being a Videographer, then worked in the Promotions Department of a very popular radio station in Atlanta, then finally made it to TV & Film. It took me a long time to get my foot in the door for TV/Film and I gave up a lot! (Hence the random short term radio career..) I have learned that taking chances and failing is okay. Reaching out for help and advice is must a times. This career is really not for everyone, you are a contractor and you are the one who has to find your jobs, consistency is key in this career. I don’t think anything sets me apart from others. I work hard, I am respectful towards the people I work for, and I’m not afraid of constructive criticism, in fact, I welcome it. I think taking direction from someone who has more experience than you is always a blessing to learn and grow more. (In retrospect, maybe that’s what sets me apart….not everyone can drop their ego and take constructive criticism for what it is, which is learning a new way or doing something better. ) I am nowhere near where I want to be in my career, and I still sometimes think that I should find a more practical career. I remind myself how much I love TV/Film. I love story telling, I enjoy watching content being pieced together. The reward is definitely seeing the final product. Watching other creations come together is what keeps me going to reach my goals which is writing. Maybe one day you’ll see one of my scripts on the big screen!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a Georgia native, and Georgia is so much more than just Atlanta! I do not live in the city and I do not hangout in the city. Georgia has too much beautiful scenery that you can’t ignore. If you love being outdoors, here are some places to visit:

-Little Grand Canyon
-Indian Seats at Sawnee
-Etowah Mounds
-Brasstown Bald
-Helton Creek Falls (enjoy a swimming hole here!)
-Sweet Water Creek State Park
-Arabia Mountain
-Yellow River Park
-Vickery Creek Waterfall (enjoy a swimming hole here!)
-And so much more!

If you are a city person:

-Ponce City Market has some shops and good places to eat at. You can also enjoy a nice walk on the Beltline.
-Decatur Square has some great artistry shops and good restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All of my teachers from college really helped shape my craft. However, when I got out of college, I landed my first Videography jobs 3 months after graduation. It was scary and exciting! Melanie Constantino & Bob Poston are the owners of Legal Technology Services. They hired me without any kind of real experience and they helped me and guided me to perfect my craft. In the TV/ Film world, I have Heather Hylton Bivens, Creative Director of Hylton Casting, to thank for giving me the opportunity to work on TV and Film sets.

So, Shout Out to Melanie Constantino, Bob Poston, & Heather Hylton Bivens for taking a chance on me that led me to other wonderful opportunities!

Instagram: @gjs_collections