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Hightown

21 Monica Raymund on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

Monica Raymund
Monica Raymund 1920 960 Alyshia Ochse

You Can Shape A Choice, You Can’t Shape Nothing

A graduate of The Juilliard School, actress, director and producer Monica Raymund continues to expand her repertoire and pave the way for new female voices in Hollywood. Her creative choices and strong points of view break the mold of how women of color are perceived in front of and behind the camera as she brings to life stories from a fresh and timely perspective.

Currently, Raymund stars in the second season of the Starz hit crime-drama series, HIGHTOWN, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The series follows Jackie Quiñones (Raymund), a hard- partying federal Fishery Service agent who has her free-wheeling life thrown into disarray as she finds herself at the center of Cape Cod’s gruesome heroin epidemic. In Season 2, Jackie joins forces with Leslie, the only other female cop on the force, to bring down major dealer Frankie Cuevas, the man Jackie holds responsible for the death of her best friend, Junior. Through it all, Jackie continues to walk the tightrope of sobriety that she struggled through in Season 1.

Behind the camera, Raymund was part of the inaugural class of Female Forward, NBC’s initiative aimed at increasing female representation in the director’s chair. On television, she directed an episode of HIGHTOWN for the new season and recently wrapped production on directing the Season 4 finale episode of USA’s THE SINNER as well as an episode of LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME. Last year, Raymund directed episodes of CBS’s FBI, and in 2018, she directed an episode of LAW & ORDER: SVU. Lastly, in 2016, she directed the short film TANYA for the Hidden Tears Project, a non-profit media company developing content to bring awareness to sex trafficking.

Raymund is perhaps best known for her role as ‘Gabriela Dawson’ spanning eight seasons on NBC’s hit series CHICAGO FIRE. As part of Dick Wolf’s popular “Chicago” franchise, the series follows the personal and professional lives of the firefighters, paramedics and first responders working at the Chicago Fire Department. Raymund received an Imagen Award for “Best Actress, Television” in 2013 for her performance, and was subsequently nominated an additional three times. Her additional television credits include Michelle and Robert King’s THE GOOD WIFE, Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green’s BLUE BLOODS, David Pasquesi’s SPECIAL SKILLS, and a 3-season arc on Fox’s LIE TO ME opposite Tim Roth and Mekhi Phifer.

On the big screen, Raymund has starred in Nicholas Jarecki’s thriller ARBITRAGE opposite Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, as the lead of Stephen Elliott’s drama HAPPY BABY opposite Bill Heck, and in Mahesh Pailoor’s BRAHMIN BULLS.

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“I believe that the power of ‘no’ is just as important as the power of ‘yes.”

“You can shape a choice, you can’t shape nothing.”

“There’s no right way to become a professional actor.”

VIDEOS:

Guest links:

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Show Links:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Lizzy Dalla Betta
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
009 James Badge Dale On That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

S2 009: James Badge Dale
S2 009: James Badge Dale 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Perfect is Boring: Winning with Your Imperfections // Lessons in Long-term Relationships With Yourself, Your Art, and Your Team

James Badge Dale is an American actor known for his early work in the 1990 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies, and his roles on the popular Fox TV series 24, HBO’s The Pacific, and AMC’s Rubicon.

James was born in New York City to actress Anita Morris and actor/choreographer Grover Dale. At 10 he was picked out of his 5th grade class in Wonderland Elementary School to play Simon in Lord Of The Flies. After five months on location in Jamaica, he returned to California and took a pause from the industry. He pursued hockey and played as a goalie at Manhattanville College until an injury prevented him from playing. This break from sports re-ignited his passion for acting and he decided to move to NYC to train as an actor.

Since then, and in addition to working on several award-winning TV series, he’s been in multiple feature films including The Departed with Jack Nicholson, Iron Man 3, World War Z, The Lone Ranger, Parkland, and Only The Brave. Currently you can watch him starring as Detective Ray Abruzzo in STARZ’s new crime drama Hightown.

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“If you’re acting, it’s not a part time thing—it’s a full-time thing.”

“It’s the only time in life when being reactive is actual damn good.”

“I don’t want to live this way: where my own self-worth as an individual is based on these auditions.”

VIDEOS:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Lizzy Dalla Betta
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
007 Atkins Estimond On that One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

S2 007: Atkins Estimond
S2 007: Atkins Estimond 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

How to Make It in Atlanta

This year, Atkins is set to star in Jerry Bruckheimer’s upcoming drama series, “Hightown” (STARZ) alongside Monica Raymund and James Badge Dale. Set in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the series follows a hard-partying National Marine Fisheries Service agent, Jackie Quiñones (Raymund), whose life is thrown into disarray when she discovers a body on the beach – another casualty of the opioid epidemic. She is convinced it is up to her to solve the murder, putting her at odds with Cape Cod Interagency Narcotics Unit sergeant, Ray Abruzzo (Dale). The two of them, along with everyone else connected to the murder, circle each other, and as their lives crash together. Atkins shines as Osito, a hardened gangster, who is of Haitian and Dominican decent, and has a soft spot for his solider-in-training, Junior (Shane Harper). “Hightown” will premiere on STARZ on May 17, 2020 and was also a SXSW Festival selection.

Atkins is also known for his role as the eternal optimist, Gerson, in AMC’s and Paul Giamatti’s critically acclaimed dramedy series, “Lodge 49” opposite Wyatt Russell. Additional television credits include FOX’s “The Resident,” Crackle’s “StartUp,” Playstation Network’s “Powers” and ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.” On the film side, his credits include Roadside Attractions’ “Trial by Fire,” Samuel Goldwyn Films’ “Lila & Eve” and his film debut in “Dumb and Dumber To” opposite Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.

Born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and raised in Atlanta to Haitian immigrant parents, Atkins originally pursued a career in music, playing guitar in a band, while simultaneously booking roles in “Dumb and Dumber To” and Lifetime’s hit series’ “Devious Maids.” He returned to school, enrolling at University of North Georgia majoring in Theatre, while continuing to book roles in film and television. He eventually decided to pursue acting full time and has been working ever since. Atkins hopes that by increasing his visibility that he can inspire more Haitians to pursue a career in the entertainment industry and ultimately be able to tell stories about Haiti and its rich culture.

While we are all currently practicing social distancing, Atkins has taken to his Instagram stories to perform (singing and playing guitar) and is accepting song requests.

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“The biggest advice I would give in self-tape is to be bold. Learn the rules and then decide when to break them.”

VIDEOS:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Alysia Livingston
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
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ALYSHIA OCHSE

Los Angeles-based actress, bestselling author, host of That One Audition podcast, entrepreneur, & mother.

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