Meet Kiana Nicole Washington | Actress, Singer, & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiana Nicole Washington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiana Nicole, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I certainly would not be where I am today if I did not take risks. Even the decision to pursue acting, a career path that is not always consistent both work wise and financially, is a huge risk. I always knew I wanted to take on this challenge and own the things that I can control in my career. Aside from choosing this artistic path, I also made my most challenging decision ever which was to leave my parent’s home in Georgia to move across the country to LA during the pandemic. It was my first time living outside of their house and first time working in the LA market. It was a huge leap, but without it, I would not have grown into the artist I am today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actress, singer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. I have been performing my whole life as a singer, dancer, and actress. While acting is my passion, I actually got my introduction to the arts through music. Growing up, I sang in church choir and wrote and performed music with my two sisters and dad. In high school, I was able to mix my love for music with my dream of acting as I started training in musical theatre and competing in performance competitions.

While I loved music, I took a break to focus more on my acting as I knew acting was always my goal. I attended the University of Georgia and obtained a BA in Theatre and an additional BA in Entertainment and Media Studies, where I was able to produce, write and act in my own short films, while acting in film projects outside of school. After graduating, I moved across the country to further pursue my acting career full-time.

I am most proud of my role as Tracy Morris in Linked by Love, the edutainment series following a Black family’s successful experience with kidney disease. (linkedbylovetv.org) I was thrilled to book my first SAG Series Regular role in my first year living in California and am thrilled that it was a project with such a great purpose! Another favorite role was as JoAnn Gregory, daughter of Ann Gregory, the first Black woman to play in the national golf championships in the biopic film, Playing Through (playingthroughthemovie.com).

I love being a part of projects that challenge the way that people think and shine light on stories and perspectives that aren’t given the attention they deserve. My goal is to one day start my own production company where I produce and star in projects that make a difference and I would love to do it through the psychological thriller/dystopian drama genre.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my goodness…first stop immediately would be BOBA! I am a huge fan of this fun drink and there are so many good places that I can’t even pick a favorite. For food and vibes, I would take my friend to Little Tokyo for a day and get some yummy okonomiyaki at Chinchikurin! While we’re there, may as well try a cool boba tea with ice cream from Milk + T. Some other spots that I love are Sugar Fish, Hiro Nori in Pasadena, and basically any food market/festival like Smorgasburg or Foodie Land.

Even though I have been here for a year and a half now, I haven’t gotten out of my apartment enough. However, some of the places I’ve been to and enjoyed were the Santa Monica Pier and Joshua Tree!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom, Sandra McDuffie and my dad, Tony Washington have always supported me and my career goals, so I have them to thank for trusting me in my craft and encouraging me to dream big. I also want to shoutout my boyfriend, Cyrus Townsend and my sisters Kalani and Karena Washington for being my biggest cheerleaders and for the countless audition reads they have done with me.

Website: www.kiananicolewashington.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kiananicolewashington?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiana-washington-01441619b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kiananicolew

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiana.washington.908/about_overview

Youtube: https://youtu.be/RSpTnmOA35k

Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiananicole30?_t=8XdvxqcXpsp&_r=1

Image Credits
Juliana Nguyen, Tracy Page, Eric Keitel, Ruben Ortiz, Paul Cannon