Meet Ella Cannon | Actor & Co-Founder of Midnight Madhouse Productions

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

Hi Ella, what do you attribute your success to?
The first thing that popped into my head was ‘others’. Obviously I think my own persistence and passion for what I’m doing has been essential, and without that, I never would’ve made it to my starting block. But being prepared and excited made me a magnet for others, who in turn wanted to either support my journey or be a part of it. I’m surrounded by incredible people that I credit daily for my successes and that truly has made all the difference. It’s something I love so much about the entertainment industry, it’s a traveling circus and the only way we can move forward is by getting together and performing our respective ‘acts’ to make the show complete. We have to catch each other, and so how you treat these people and how you show up to work alongside them is essential to not just the success of the finished product, but to your own success moving forward. I’m very grateful for my production partner Jenna, who started Midnight Madhouse productions alongside me when we optioned our first book ‘The Tin Ticket’ for series development, because it’s been infinitely less scary stepping into a new adventure with someone by my side every step of the way. On another note, I also believe that in order to succeed in a meaningful way, you have to have a voice. I remember a director once told me ‘we could build hospitals with the amount of money it takes to make a film, so what you’re trying to say better matter’, and it really stuck with me. When you know what you’re trying to contribute, and you believe in it, it’s infectious, and success will undoubtedly become a byproduct of that.

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.
It was all persistence, passion and a sprinkle of insanity for me. As a young child I was immediately drawn towards storytelling. I hijacked our family camcorder to film myself reading books or putting on plays or singing to my family and I just don’t think there was ever going to be another path for me that made sense. I’m from a small town a couple of hours outside of Melbourne, Australia and I grew up on a farm with my wonderful family. I really didn’t have any performers in my circle to guide me through my journey. so I really had to figure it all out myself. And I did. I started traveling hours to go into the city and take acting classes, I formed a ‘once a week’ workshop at my place where creatives could meet and we could film scenes and practice our art, I got signed with my first agent, and then booked a couple of little jobs. Then my US manager found me and LA came into the picture. I worked hard to secure work papers and I made the move with no guidance and very little money. I did whatever job I could find to be able to pay for acting classes and when I couldn’t, my place of study saw how dedicated I was and they let me keep coming anyway. I was going from auditioning at Sony studios and Warner Brothers and Universal sometimes 3 times a day for HUGE projects, and then I would go and clean someone’s apartment to pay for my dinner. The Hannah Montana of it all. I believe this journey sets me apart because in this arena ‘life’ is often the best teacher, and I have such a deep well to pull from. I had to push through so much fear, so much homesickness and so much rejection and uncertainty every single day to stay on this path.. but I did, because I so deeply believe that it’s who I am and what I’m supposed to do. Eventually, it all started to pay off, and now I’m living the life I dreamed I would have back then. I’ve worked projects like the Netflix original Trees of Peace that will forever be a source of deep accomplishment for me and keeps me on track whenever the journey feels heavy and my legs start to wobble.

Of course, I will never feel ‘done’, I’ll always want be reaching towards the next level, especially now as I also step into a creator’s space, but it’s important to reflect and remember how far you’ve come. I want the world to know that if everything blows up for me tomorrow, it didn’t take.a day. It took years of blood, sweat and tears, and I didn’t do it for the applause of the accolades. I did it because I so deeply believe in the importance of good storytelling, and I did it for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
ohhh I love playing tour guide.. I’m actually up in Vancouver right now but I spent the last 10 years in LA so I’m going to give you my best..

I would definitely pick you up from LAX, and we all know that’s real love right there.
We’d definitely head to a little dive bar called the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon on a Monday night for some of the best live blues music you’ve ever seen, and we’d definitely make some time for some pool and darts at the Brickyard too.
I think getting out to the coast for some hiking or even taking an overnight trip to Joshua tree might be in order, there’s nothing like lighting a fire and enjoying the stars.

For bites I love taking visitors to sugarfish for some amaaazing sushi, Castaway in Burbank has one of my favourite views of the city, and 71 above for sunset and cocktails is another good one.

We’d also have to find room for a night at the comedy store and maybe even Magic Castle if I can manage to pull some strings. So much to do. I’d make sure you’re sent home exhausted.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who deserve a shout out here and I’m so sorry but I’m going to lean in. From my family who have suffered my absence, to the Stella Adler Academy of Acting that helped me continue studying even when I couldn’t afford to, to my US manager Chris who found this no-name actor in Australia and believed in me off the bat, my agent Paul who lent me his car when I didn’t have my own to drive to set, my coach Taylor Loeb who never blinked when I needed help in any way, the directors and producers I’ve worked with that believed in me and pushed me and still seek me out, Jenna who decided to take a leap of faith with me and start up a company, an old mentor called David Cameron who was the first person to ever truly believe in me as an actor, every person that said ‘no’ to me and taught me resilience, and all my incredible co-stars that have made my journey so much richer. It’s truly taken a village to get me here and I could never fully express the gratitude I feel towards everyone in it.

Website: https://www.wearemidnightmadhouse.com

Instagram: @ellamaycannon

Image Credits
Paul Smith
Danilo Martinez