Back in 2012 I auditioned and landed a part of a Sarasvati theatre production called “Immigration Stories”. The experience made me realize that as much as I think I will always be a film actor first, I do enjoy the stage and the unique challenges of a live performance. The best part of being in that show though was not my budding love for the stage, it was meeting my cast-mate, Samantha Walters. Sam and I were the odd ones out in terms of age, and experience. Our cast was comprised of immigrant women who had never acted before and who were there to tell their stories of when they first came to Canada. Sam is a seasoned actor with years of intensive training and I, as well, had come from a good amount of training and experience on set. I think this similarity connected us right away. We both had to exercise a lot of patience while the other cast members learned the basics of acting and performance. We also were the only non-immigrant women in the cast that had to bring our performance to life without it coming from a real experience. Over the next 2 months of rehearsal, I immediately noticed that Sam was not only a talented actor, but that she was an incredibly hard worker. She was always prepared, organized and ready to go. She was also full of energy, ideas and creativity. This along with her patience, made me think “Sam would make a great Instructor!”.
Expressions Film Studio was celebrating its first year and I was slowly beginning to expand classes and the curriculum. I asked Sam about teaching and she was over the moon excited about it! I told her all about the studio and what my vision was for Expressions and Sam was 100% on board. She began teaching for us in 2012 and was our first Instructor hire!
I work on my intuition and my skills in recruitment from my HR education, so to be honest, I wasn’t surprised that Sam ended up being an excellent Instructor. What did surprise me though was the amount of passion she brought forth to the position. Sam always took initiative and far more on than she had to. She added to the lesson plans by coming up with exercises, games and different ways to teach the fundamentals. At the premieres, Sam fully coordinated and supplied all the props for the photo booth, which was a huge success! These are just some of the amazing things Sam contributed to Expressions while she was here. Her love for the arts, for acting and for teaching kids was always apparent and very much appreciated.
In 2015, Sam informed us that she was applying to a Speech Pathology program in Ontario at the prestigious University of Western. She told me how working with kids and seeing how much communication is essential for confidence, self esteem and for self expression made her realize that a career in speech pathology would be fulfilling and in line with what she is passionate about. Sam is a very determined, smart and ambitious young woman. So I knew when she said she would be taking the prerequisites and applying, that she would be giving it her all and nothing less than the best grades, the best application and the best attitude would be set forth. Once again, my intuition was correct! Sam was accepted into the Speech Pathology program at Western, which by the way is a very applaud worthy achievement considering how competitive the program is!
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ie, I was excited for Sam, but both Neil and I knew we were losing an integral part of our studio. We knew Sam is one of a kind. She gives nothing but her best in all that she does and quite honestly, I have never seen such amazing work ethic as she demonstrated. Sam has mentioned that when she is done her program she would love to incorporate what she is learning to the arts and to acting specifically. She hopes to return to Expressions some day and open a division whereby she will work with kids who have speech impediments, or other speech related issues and help them succeed in performance arts and in life. I can tell you without a doubt, that Neil and I will excitedly have Sam back at Expressions with open arms! We have benefited so much having her input, her ideas and her gusto for life and for acting. We know she made a very positive impact on the students she taugh and did a great job in promoting the studio and what we stand for.
