Meet Arlene Victoria Conrad | Author, Actress, Filmmaker and Mental Health Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arlene Victoria Conrad and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arlene Victoria, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in a very intellectual family; one that always taught me that the best way to be prepared for life was through education. And my parents were right, I loved reading, science, history… I loved to learn. But I realized early on that life had to be experienced in other ways, ways that education and information wouldn’t help you understand. Art is what helped me to understand and navigate through life.

As a kid, it was writing my own stories and acting them out; it was being inspired by Wishbone to read the classics. It was understanding that life is felt and that art is life. I wrote poems to find ways to express sadness, anger and frustration when I couldn’t find the words to speak. I wrote poems when I was so ecstatic that I could barely sit still. By reading my poetry to others, I learned that my words didn’t just express my thoughts, it gave others a way to express theirs. Words are powerful.

When I grew up, I pursued a career in mental health and I brought art with me. I taught my clients ways to tap into their emotions and redefine themselves through words. However, I wasn’t done with my own art. I began acting to learn and express humanity in skin that wasn’t my own. And in that, I found the value in sharing how experience shapes you. In 2017, I released THE WEIGHT OF MY SOUL, a poetic journey that detailed many of my highs and lows. I performed various pieces at Open Mic’s around Los Angeles. In 2024, I released ELIJAH’S MIGHTY HEART, a book illustrating child loss, love and grief in equal measures. Life has taught me many things, but the main lesson was that Art Saves Lives.

Its hard to think of this as a career. For me, living and creating is a way of life. It’s how I move through the world. Its how I see beauty and pain. Its how I understand humanity. I am Art.

I have been very blessed in my career to have been featured in films on Lifetime Movie Network as well as popular shows such as Insecure and most recently, Yellowstone. I have an amazing team of Agents at Peter Kallinteris Agency and stellar management with Ignite Elite Artists. It is great to have talented, driven and kind people who believe whole heartedly in your artistry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Being an artist is not easy. I write, I act, I create from my heart because I know the impact it has on society and culture. I have always been a writer, crafting stories as a young child to share with my family. Many of the poems in my book The Weight of My Soul were written while I was in college, trying to make sense of the world around me. As I got into acting and more immersed into mental health, my art shifted from just being a creative outlet to becoming a statement to how I saw the world and my place in it. The first pilot that I wrote was about my experience working in an in-patient psychiatric hospital and how it impacts the patients as well as the daily lives of the staff. I knew first hand how all consuming it was to be responsible for the well-being of vulnerable patients.

I created Le Bon Temps Productions to create projects that spoke to me. I have a few projects that I am currently working on, including pitching a streaming series called SIGHT/UNSEEN about the aftermath of child sex trafficking. I have seen so many takes on trafficking, but my own experience working in anti-sex trafficking education taught me to look at the problem and say, “What comes after?” SIGHT/UNSEEN focuses on what happens to these children after being “saved” from their trafficker. I am also raising funds to produce a film called IN THE END, IT’S ALWAYS ALRIGHT about the struggles of child loss and mental health. I am looking to partner with investors to help me bring this project to life.

ELIJAH’S MIGHTY HEART is the project closest to my heart, as it celebrates the brief life of my son, Elijah. There is so much pain in losing a child, its unbearable. Unfortunately, so many families have felt this loss…but grief is uncomfortable. With ELIJAH’S MIGHTY HEART, I hope to open the door to healthy dialogue about grief while helping families heal. I hope to have this book placed in hospitals across the world and in the hands of family and friends who need it. Elijah is my blessing, and through this book, he lives on.

Life is love, grief is love. Art is the expression of life. In every painful moment, there is a lesson to be taught that can help heal others. Creating these projects have given me a way to connect in a human way, through experience and empathy. I want to be able to shape culture and encourage growth with my story. If I leave the world better than how I found it, I’m satisfied that my work is done.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m from New Orleans, so my best friends, Rachelle and Ronnika, would have to be given the best experiences that LA has to offer. A mix of culture and elevated living. They are both creative, intelligent women who enjoy beauty, art and food. I would definitely take them to the Broad Museum and the Getty for a day of art and conversation. We would spend our days hiking through the mountains, then have dinner at The Green Room in Burbank for drinks and mountain views. I would take them to Leimert Park to see the beauty of Black LA Culture.

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 owe my existence to my family. My parents, Larry and Delores, have spent their lives surrounding me with love (sometimes tough), encouragement and experiences. They saw who I was from the moment I could talk and encouraged me to use my voice, that my ability to create was a gift that would take me far in life. As beautiful as life is, it’s difficult. But my parents, they remind me that nothing is out of reach for me.

Ariane, my sister and best friend, is the hand that holds me up when I try to give up. She has unwavering faith in me, and I don’t take that for granted.

I owe this current incarnation of myself to Elijah Pierce Minor, my son and Guardian Angel. He was in this world for 6 days, but he changed it for the better. I am his legacy and I will live the rest of my life making him proud that I am his momma.

Website: www.arlenevictoria.com www.lebontempsproductions.com

Instagram: @ArleneVictoria @Lebontempsproductions

Image Credits
Molly Pan
Daniel Rhone
Steve Escaracega
Esa Stallworth
Gina Kornfeind