Meet Alana Webster | Actress/Writer/Creator

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

Hi Alana, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Commitment. Plain and simple. Creative careers are wildly fulfilling, but not always easy. There are a million small steps along the road to my larger goal, and the key for me has always been staying fully committed. Committed to a creative career full of unknowns. Committed to always doing the best work possible. Committed to my journey, and resisting the temptation to do what others are doing. Reminding myself of why I chose a career as an actor, and feeling that jolt of excitement helps me stay focused and dedicated. I believe that commitment is a practice similar to meditation or gratitude. I have to do it every day to keep my creative fire burning. Flexing my commitment muscle by being fully invested in the career that I have always wanted is the most important factor behind my success

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actress in front of the camera, behind the mic, and on the stage. I love story telling, and helping people escape their reality via entertainment. When I’m performing, I feel like I’m being of service. Who doesn’t want to escape into art once in a while?
Growing up, I always had a flair for the dramatic so acting was the path that felt the most right. I’m also a native Angeleno which meant I grew up feeling the energy of the Entertainment Industry all around me. No other profession felt as fulfilling as stepping into the lives of other people and living in their reality. I’m also an only child so playing characters felt like I was hanging out with friends.
I attended Ithaca College, and post graduation, I threw myself into auditioning. I had some nice success with bookings in the beginning, and then crickets! It took me a while after that to find my groove and sink into the types of roles I was being called in for. The bookings were not coming as quickly as I wanted them to. Was I bummed? Yes. Was I going to give up? No way! I examined my options and my strengths, and made the choice to pivot away from on- camera for a while to learn all about the Voice Over acting world. It was the best decision I ever made. I took as many classes, workshops, and coaching sessions as possible. I offered to help with castings and sessions to get lots of exposure to the craft. I learned that I had to let go of how I wanted my career to look, and embrace the opportunities that were in front of me. After a few long years of committing myself to learning the skills of Voice Over acting, I started booking work again. I can be heard on shows such as The Chi, All American, All American; Homecoming, Will Trent, SWAT, Mayor of Kingstown, Found, and Abbott Elementary. I’ve done animation work on projects like Space Jam 2: A New Legacy, Arcane, and Fearless. I have also done on camera commercials and radio spots for major fast food companies like Taco Bell and KFC, and have performed on stages across LA. I was beyond grateful to have Voice Over skills and training because I was able to work during Lockdown (a blessing I did not take for granted). My journey to my acting career was not what I thought it was going to be, but I learned to stay committed and never give up. Where there is a will, there is a way. There is also A LOT of content being made today, which means a lot more casting opportunities to go around.
I also learned to never stop creating. While working my way to an acting career, I created a web series with my Creative Partner, Kacy Owens Rogers. We wanted to create the show that we wanted to watch featuring Black female leads determined to create the life that they want on their own terms. We wanted to make a feminist web series with an all female crew, and that is exactly what we did. The Madams is a web series about two sisters seeking agency in their lives so they start a very sexy business. We wanted to create a project where we showed Black female entrepreneurship, Black female bodily autonomy, and Black women being successful respectability politics be damned! Working on The Madams taught me what I am capable of creatively and to not worry about where a project will end up. Just make the damn thing, and the art will find its home eventually. What’s important is putting new and original ideas out into the World.
While acting will always be my first love, I have a lot of experience hosting as well. It comes naturally to me, and I love doing it. I generally write all of my own material. In the early 2020s, I had an intersectional feminist podcast called Black and Yellow that I created and cohosted with a friend of mine. I loved doing the show. Everything from the writing, research, structuring the episodes, booking guests, recording, and helping with editing was incredibly fun for me, The show ended a year and a half ago, but the hosting itch has not left me. I host NEO Fest for NEO Ensemble Theatre, and am in the process of creating a new podcast with a friend. I can’t say too much about it, but we are thinking about doing some beta testing at Burning Man before recording episodes to publish. I am very excited about this new project.
I’m a passionate performer who loves working in collaboration with others. My story is all about determination, tenacity, betting on myself, and not being afraid to pivot of it means getting closer to the career that I want. I act. I write. I host. I create. If you have a project that needs any of these roles filled, I want to work with you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
All good days in this city start with a killer breakfast. Azay, Kitchen Mouse, and Maxine’s are some of my favorites. If coffee is all you need to get going, Habitat Coffee Shop, Jurassic Magic, and Go Get Em Tiger has you covered. The Cow’s End has the best cold brew in town.
It’s really hard to have a bad meal in this town. There are delicious options at every price point in every neighborhood. I like to point out-of-town visitors towards cuisines they might not be able to get back home. My favorite suggestion is Colombian Food! A delicious cuisine that LA doesn’t have nearly enough of, but is totally worth a try. If you’ve never had it, I suggest changing that with a trip to La Fonda Antioquena. It’s on Melrose, and is the type of place that you’ve probably driven past 100 times and never noticed. The food is delicious enough that I look for excuses to put myself on that side of town. Another favorite recommendation is Peruvian food, and without a doubt, Mamita Peruvian Cuisine reigns supreme. Bar Chelou, Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen, Ubuntu, and Saffy’s all serve the types of meals that you’ll dream about. If you’ve got seafood on the brain (like me…all the time), there is no shortage of neighborhood seafood joints to choose from. The Lonely Oyster, Quality Seafood, Holbox, Found Oyster, Loreto, and Coni’ Seafood are all solid options. However, my heart belongs to L & E Oyster Bar. It’s my favorite place for a solo meal. The moules frites never let me down. If you’re looking for some cold mariscos on a warm LA day, head to Mariscos El Faro for some ceviche and tostadas. Their callo de lobina tostada should not be missed.
Frogtown Flea Crawl is the most exciting vintage shopping event in the city. It’s a flea market that winds along the LA River. No vendor at the market disappoints, and I always leave with fly vintage that I’m stoked about. There is delicious food and drink along the path to keep you energized and slightly buzzed. While you’re over there, bop across the street to The Left Bank and descend further into vintage and secondhand shopping bliss.
The Hollywood Bowl is the best music venue in the city, and my favorite place on Earth. It’s the perfect setting for a stellar evening. You’ve got entertainment, delicious food and drinks, and beautiful people all under a blanket of stars. What more could you want? The best part about the Bowl is that you can bring your own food. For me, that means hitting up Joan’s On Third and Vinovore on the way. The Woods is the best dive bar in LA, and a short jaunt from The Bowl. Head there post- show to keep the party going. Other solid bar options would be The Mermaid, Grandmaster Records, and The High Low.
I’m a theatre nerd, and Rogue Machine Theatre is doing some of the most captivating and thought- provoking shows in the city. This company has a knack for producing material that sticks with you days after seeing a show. Don’t believe anyone who tells you there is no good theatre in LA! They’re lying to you, or they just haven’t been to Rogue Machine yet!
Finally, LA can be exhausting. You’re going to want to grab a good coffee before braving LAX. Hit up Nam Coffee for a good Vietnamese Iced Coffee on the way out of town. Get the Egg Coffee and thank me later.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There is one organization and one individual that I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to. Without these radical humans, I would not be where I am today.
I’m the Actor’s Unit Lead in a wonderful band of creatives called Fierce Backbone. This group is an LA based, member- run play development company with a Writers Unit and an Actors Unit. This group of playwrights and actors is a collaborative organization committed to writing, developing, and producing new dramatic works. Their endeavor is to provide opportunities where the skills and artistry of its membership can flourish.
This group has made me a better actor, sharper script analyzer, and a confident leader. I believe that actors should be acting, but that belief is not always easy to turn into a reality in this town. You have to actively search out chances to perform between auditions and gigs. This artistic safe space gives me a plethora of opportunities to perform on a weekly basis. I’m constantly honing my skills. The wealth of work this group puts out gives me endless opportunities to explore different facets of my craft. I love being surrounded by creative story tellers who take big risks. It keeps me inspired and ambitious. A big part of my success is the love and support that this creative family provides. It’s the type of community I have always wanted to be a part of.
The other person who deserves recognition in my story is my supportive husband, Dylan Hart. He’s a statement jewelry designer who makes pieces out of borosilicate glass, and sets his pieces with diamonds or semi- precious stones. His brand is called HighLife Dyl Jewelry, and he makes all of his pieces by hand. His support of my career keeps me motivated to push for bigger projects, and his career as an artisan jewelry designer teaches me that there is always a new facet of my artistry to explore. He never lets me rest on my laurels, and loves me through the hard times. Since we’re both artists, there is a constant stream of ideas being bounced around which helps us both stay inspired and energized creatively. He has expanded my ideas of what art and creation can be. I love watching him work since our creative processes are very different. I always end up stealing a strategy or two from him to incorporate into my work. Having an encouraging creative as a husband is a fantastic gift, and definitely deserves recognition in my story.

Website: https://www.alanajwebster.com/

Instagram: @renegadeoffun

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-webster-actress/

Image Credits
Headshots: Jonny Marlow
The Madams Media: She TV