Meet Deja Porter | Actress

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

Hi Deja, how do you think about risk?
I think risk taking is fundamental for success especially when trying to make it in the acting industry. A lot of times the people around us don’t want us to take risks because it can be scary. I think we’re all afraid of the big “what if?” If more of us were willing to bet on ourselves and reframe our mindset to focus on “What if everything went great?” instead of “What if I fail?” A lot more people would be happy with their lives.

When we don’t take risks we play it small and limit ourselves. I’ve been able to grow as an actor and as a person because I’ve taken repeated risks. Moving to Los Angeles from my safe hometown half way across the country with barely any money was super risky, but I believed in myself and loved acting enough the risk didn’t matter. If I kept asking myself about the possible risks I probably would still be back home living the same life.

Every time I put my self out there and post some of my art or submit myself for a project I’m taking risks. My anxieties are always at the top of my mind “What if it’s not good enough?” Every time I have a take on a character that might not be “what they’re looking for” that’s a risk. Every time I invest a pretty penny into a new class or a new headshot photographer it can be a risk, but we have to invest ourselves in order to get that investment back. I think especially with money it can be hard to take chances, but I’ve had to change my scarcity mindset when it comes to money and I’ve learned if you invest into your passions the universe finds a way to keep more money coming back.

Being a risk taker has made me a happier person and its helped me manifest a lot of wins.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an actress- although I am trying to expand and learn more about the film/tv as a whole and take on different roles.

I think what helps set me apart from others is my unique life experiences. The wide variety of things I’ve gone through and witnessed in my life so far really help me as an actress to be able to understand things on a deeper level and stay grounded in my performances. I think people with limited experiences don’t have as much to pull from. So in a way my traumas have helped me in that sense.

My most recent acting milestone is signing with an agent and a manager. Getting signed was on the top of my 2022 vision board. I think some people think that’s the first step, but getting to that point took about a year and a half and a lot of work for what a lot of the time was very little pay. It was not easy at all. I had to overcome a lot of rejection and long restless days. I would work my 9-5 overnight and then do my auditions, classes, and shoots during the day. Sometimes I wouldn’t sleep for 48 hours. Sometimes I’d have to spend money on class and I’d have use a credit card to pay bills. All of that is worth it though because its always paid off. I think what kept me motivated was making a point to express gratitude everyday and remembering why this journey is so important to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Elysian park for a hike, Santa Monica pier to have a picnic at the beach, The Grove, Santee Alley, and The Americana at Brand to shop and hangout, Mardi Gras Tuesday, Saddle Ranch, and Cheesecake Factory for food, and Cupcake Theater to see a play. I still have a lot of exploring to do myself so my list is going to be forever changing and growing.


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?
I’d like to shoutout Wendy Alane Wright and her course “The Hollywood Winners Circle Academy” I started watching Wendy’s youtube videos when I was a teenager living in Kansas. Her along with other Youtube content creators helped me realize that being an actor was an attainable thing. People that I would talk to where I lived kind of acted like being an actor was something that “other people do” and like something rich people just got “lucky” and fell into. and they would give me all sort of advice that was just plain wrong.

Wendy’s videos gave me very tangible steps when it came to starting out as an actor and how to get where I want to be. It was paramount to have someone that was in the industry and knew what they’re talking about to wade through all the extra noise out there. I took her course as well and it helped me have an easy to follow road map to structure my career. I’ve been able to utilize educational resources and guest speakers in her classes and online groups that have been so informative.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dejag.porter

Other: Making Stars Talent Agency: desinicolemsa@gmail.com Tandm Talent Management: Katherine@tandm.rocks