Meet Karen Cassady | Content Creator/ Actor/ Improviser

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

Hi Karen, why did you pursue a creative career?
I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I tried different things after I graduated college and had a corporate job for several years but I would basically work another full-time job in the arts after my day job. Nothing has ever been as fulfilling to me as entertaining and making people smile/laugh. So, I told myself one day that I much rather be freelance in the arts and live paycheck to paycheck than work a full-time 9-5 that I wasn’t passionate about.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a freelance artist for several years now. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, I lost every job that I had booked through the end of the year. It was a low point for me and I knew I had to find a way to keep people laughing and to keep myself sane. I started posting silly videos on TikTok. I realized how much I was enjoying it and how this could be an opportunity for me to post anything I wanted that made me laugh. For months I was posting RomCom spoofs. I would spend (no exaggeration) 6-7 hours a day filming the RomCom series in my one-bedroom apartment portraying 20 different characters. I had a blast.

One day, I decided to post a teacher character that I felt a lot of people could relate to. It was, “Teachers when students are talking during class.” I woke up the next morning to that video going viral. That’s when my entire world changed. From that point on I continued “The Teacher” character and school scenarios. At first, I thought this was just a fun thing to do while I waited for the world to open back up. However, it quickly became something way more. I started receiving messages from teachers from all over the world talking about how they finally felt seen and understood. I was getting messages left and right saying that they “had the same teacher”. The best part was when I started getting followers (especially teachers) reaching out saying that these videos were helping them get through a very difficult time. I was blown away that it made such a difference and that’s the moment I knew that I wanted to continue doing this. If one of my silly videos could even turn one person’s day around then I was doing something right.

I started realizing how hard educators work with very little in return. The amount of stories and suggestions that I receive from teachers that are based on real-life events at their school is shocking. I want to continue my teacher series for them.

After my page started gaining momentum, brands started reaching out to me about advertising for them. I was so new to this whole world that I wasn’t sure how to handle it. There were a lot of challenges in the beginning when it came to advocating for myself and making sure I wasn’t being taken advantage of. You have to know your worth and value. Eventually, someone recommended me to a Social Media Agency and I have been with them ever since. Being a full-time Content Creator absolutely has its challenges. You also have to deal with any negative comments or hate you might receive from viewers.

I think back to where I was before all of this started. I’m incredibly grateful. I keep reminding myself that I much rather bring joy into this dark world than do a job that I don’t feel fulfilled in. I’m all about spreading positivity and not taking yourself too seriously.

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?
Oh, That’s tough!

If this friend was into the outdoors then I would first take them on some trails or nature walks since there are so many beautiful places in the area. Let’s say we start with a morning hike to the top of Arabia Mountain and see the beautiful views! Next, I would take us to Muchacho off Memorial Drive which serves coffee and tacos. It’s covered in plants and the windows open up garage-style so you can enjoy the weather. After that, we would take a coffee to go and start walking on the Beltline and check out all of the graffiti art along the way. Maybe take a little pit stop at Honey Bubble to get a boba tea. Then they could rent a Bird scooter (I’ll run behind because I’m scared of Bird Scooters) and zoom back down to Krog Street Market where we would grab lunch at Recess where they have veggies/grain bowls and a delicious pastry at Little Tart Bake Shop. I might be sweaty from trying to catch up to their scooter but I’ll still have fun. We’d probably have to take a breather at that point anyway since we’d be in a “food coma”. We could walk around Inman Park (they might have to carry me at this point) and see all the old beautiful houses and end up at Inman Village Pocket Park to watch the Koi, ducks, and turtles. Later that evening we would grab dinner at Ponce City Market at Bar Vegan, dessert at Five Daughter’s Bakery where you can get their “hundred layer donut”, and then catch the 8pm improv show at Dad’s Garage Theatre in Old Fourth Ward!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Dad would be my number one. He was the funniest person and was so unapologetically himself that it made other people want to be around him. He’s absolutely the person I get my sense of humor from.

I’m also extremely thankful for Dad’s Garage Theater Company in Atlanta, GA. That’s where I’ve been doing improv comedy and scripted shows for the past 13 years. My confidence in my work and talent has grown because of the people there. They helped me harness my talent by collaborating on characters that challenged me as an artist and strengthened my skills. I’m so incredibly grateful for all the opportunities that have come from my relationship with Dad’s Garage.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/karendcasss?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@karendcasss?si=TslNuFO0uPi9L3Mq

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karencassssss?_t=8fTCEzXXkpn&_r=1

Image Credits
Headshot – Stacey Bode