Meet Faith Reed | Actor & Founder of The Actor Diaries

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

Hi Faith, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The Actor Diaries began during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, when everything was on pause and I needed to channel all my restless creative energy somewhere. I’d self-produced a satirical web series called “Strike Diaries” during that time, and the name stayed with me; “The Actor Diaries” felt like a more comprehensive spark of something bigger. A home for the real, non-linear journey of being an actor from someone still in the trenches – not just the polished version we hear from people already on the other side of success, though that’s part of it, too.

I built the website from scratch as an experimental hybrid: part creative portfolio, part lifestyle journal, part resource hub for artists and multi-hyphenates still very much in the thick of it. I wanted a place that made the “in-between” of career-building more accessible. It began with me sharing bi-monthly entries about my own path – the non-linear, alchemic madness of creative life in Los Angeles – alongside tangible tools, vetted resources, and the behind-the-scenes reality of what it actually looks like to craft a career in the arts from the ground up. I kept coming back to this idea that sitting around waiting for the next audition or for someone to hand you an opportunity is not a sustainable artistic life. The Actor Diaries became led by the ethos, “Craft your narrative. Live your purpose.”

Over time, it’s evolved into a weekly digest, an interview platform, and its own creative ecosystem. I began interviewing directors, casting executives, working actors, photographers, wellness experts – anyone whose work intersected with creativity, storytelling, or artistic wellbeing. I wanted to highlight voices across the spectrum: directors with decades of experience under their belt, casting directors shaping television, and also actors who are still in the hustle. The feature component became just as significant as my personal writing (and an unexpectedly powerful networking tool). In September, I transitioned the journal section of The Actor Diaries to Substack to start growing it as a full newsletter platform and connect with a much wider audience, and I have incredible upcoming features lined up as I continue developing my own writing voice.

And, in parallel, I’ve always approached my acting career like the business it is. Actors often forget that they are their own company, their own CEO. Momentum matters, self-generated work matters, and marrying creativity with strategy is essential. The Actor Diaries was born from that philosophy (again: craft your narrative, live your purpose). You have to approach it with a blend of artistry and business: protecting your time (and money), curating your materials, and building systems that allow you to stay inspired without burning out. One of my core beliefs is that creative work begets more creative work. So, technically, it’s two businesses threaded together: The Actor Diaries, and my career as an actor. To quote one of my favorite lines from Julia Cameron: “Pray to catch the bus, then run as fast as you can.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The work that excites me the most as an actor is about exploring people who are complicated and alive and trying. Excavating the layers is the best part; finding where the character lives in you and breathing life into it, not conforming yourself to fit the character. I love women who have a little grit under their nails – who simmer under a predictable exterior. The prep lights me up: research, skills, experiences, voice, movement, breath, the works. The opportunity to live a seemingly endless amount of lives and weave each one into existence as a human we get to meet… that feels like witchcraft to me, and is what lights me up the most.

What sets me apart is probably how I’ve learned to treat my artistic life like an ecosystem. I write, I self-produce, I build things; I’m not someone who sits around waiting for the phone to ring. The Actor Diaries was birthed out of that: this desire to create a space for the part of the journey we usually delegate to the shadows. I moved across the country with no connections and had to build everything from the ground up, through a lot of trial and error. I’ve worked multiple jobs at a time, made my own projects, sent hundreds of rep emails, made mistakes, and learned how to keep momentum going even when things felt caught in an impasse. And the mountain is still there: there’s still so much I’m hustling towards and climbing up and goals I’m working to realize. That’s the exciting part! I’m nowhere near close enough yet, and that feels fun rather than terrifying.

Right now I’m proud of the world I’m building. The short film I produced this year, “Inflection Points,” has garnered me a Best Actress win, two nominations (and counting), a nomination for Best Women’s Short, and a slew of official selections thus far. The Actor Diaries is expanding, and I feel more grounded in my voice as an actor and writer than I ever have. I care a lot. I care about the work, about the people I collaborate with, about telling stories that feel human and honest and intentional and a little bit like sunshine. And I can’t wait to keep building, growing, and climbing the mountain that is this acting career and this creative life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The hardest question you could ask me, and I’m sure I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with more spots I should’ve included…

Eats: Laurel Hardware, All Time, Courage Bagels, Sqirl, The Thai Thing, Malibu Farm & Malibu Farm Café, Aroma Coffee and Tea, Great White, Dialog Cafe, Salt’s Cure, Bea Bea’s (best gluten-free pancakes), Bacari, Topanga Living Cafe, Café on 27. Coffee from Priscilla’s, Maru, Gnarwhal, Community Goods.

Hikes: Lake Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, Escondido Falls (Malibu). Visit: Malibu, Topanga Canyon, down the coast to Oceanside or up north to Carmel. Museums: The Academy Museum, The Broad, The Getty, LACMA, Hammer, you name it. Go see a movie at Los Feliz 3 or the Aero – American Cinematheque is phenomenal. Theatre at the Ahmanson, Pantages, Geffen, Rogue Machine Theatre. Just get out and explore, immerse yourself in art and creation, and be ready for a lot of driving – queue up a good playlist, audiobook, or podcast!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I feel incredibly lucky. I moved to Los Angeles from the east coast after college without any industry connections (except for a select few I’d established for myself), no family in the business, and no roadmap other than what I could build for myself one day at a time. And over the last few years, I’ve somehow manifested, crafted, and fought for the most beautiful community of support, friendship, mentorship, and artistry. There are so many people I could shout out – we’d be here all day.

Brianna Brown Keen is an extraordinary actress, mentor, big sister figure, and grounding force in my life (I call her my fairy godmother). She’s worked steadily in the business for over two decades and runs transformative women’s accountability groups through her business Manifesting Your Mission – her guidebook has been my secret sauce for years now. She’s mentored the absolute hell out of me, expanded my community tenfold, and taught me how to anchor my career in purpose, integrity, and actual strategy. I’m also involved on the board of her nonprofit, The New Hollywood, and the past few years have been so rewarding in service of our flagship TNH Accountability Program, which supports formerly homeless single moms through goals, grants, and mentorship.

And – of course – my parents. They’ve provided me every resource, opportunity, and ounce of support possible, even from across the country at this current stage in my life. Their belief in me and unconditional love has been a safety net and launching pad all at once.

Beyond that, I feel endlessly grateful for the life I’ve built in LA. This industry can be isolating, and no one can operate as an island – not sustainably, not with their heart intact, and certainly not in a city like Los Angeles. The mentors, collaborators, friends, and creative partners who’ve come into my life these last few years have enriched my life in ways I could never have predicted. I’m really proud of what I’m building here. None of it has been accidental, and none of it has been done alone.

Website: www.theactordiaries.com | faithreed.substack.com | linktree.com/faithreed

Instagram: https://instagram.com/faithreeed

Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@faithreed

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Image Credits
Riley Bathauer
Mariposa Pictures
Perla Diaz
Faith Reed