Meet Maddy Zambello | Writer, Actor, Director

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

Hi Maddy, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking is probably one of the most important things you can do for your career, and for yourself. I think it’s natural for many people, myself included, to fear taking risks — risks are putting trust into uncertainty and the unknown, or doing something that pushes us beyond our comfort zone. The tricky part about life is that the best things come from beyond the comfort zone, so we have to face that fear of uncertainty.

I tell myself that, where there is a risk of failure, then by default, there is also a risk of success. The unknown is the unknown, and theres no way of figuring out what that truly holds until I get there; the outcomes of risk-taking are out of my control, but my hard work, dedication, and love for what I do are not. I think I’ve found how to make risk taking fun for myself in that way, by taking off the pressure for a perfect end result and instead delving into any new risk with trust in myself and love for what I do and what I have to offer.

Some of the best things in my career have come to me through taking risks; I’ve found so many incredible people to collaborate with by making the choice to network with others, even when I had doubts they would give me the time of day. I have extended my outreach greatly through taking those risks, even when the notion of it was nerve-wracking. I’ve gotten more jobs, callbacks, opportunities, and successes from the unknown more than I ever have from the comfort zone. The biggest lesson I’ve learned this year is to stop thinking about it so hard — and just ‘go for it.’ Fear or doubt are not indicators of failure; they’re just human experiences.

Every audition, project, writing, class, showcase, anything — are all risks in some shape or form, and I think that is fantastic. There’s no better way to face fears than by immersing yourself in what you love, and ‘going for it.’

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.
My art, whether it be in the form of writing, acting, directing, is all an expression of me and the world through my eyes. I believe you never need to try to set yourself apart from others; authenticity and knowing who you are is enough. My art is my love, hate, hope, fear: human experiences spun into stories, through my voice and lens.

I am proud of myself for really exploring my writing style, and not conforming to what I think I’m ‘supposed to do’ — I am grateful to have let myself fall in love with my own style as a storyteller, and I am excited to share more of that in the coming months.

Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you how exactly I got here! It started with a love of something, an initial spark, and since then I’ve followed that spark and never looked back. It isn’t until you stop for a moment and glance over your shoulder when you realize how far you’ve really come. I think it’s important to recognize and acknowledge your own privilege; I’ve been very lucky to have support and be in a place with opportunities. My biggest challenge has truthfully been myself. Sometimes we really are our own worst enemy, and that’s okay. It’s okay to be afraid, to have doubt — what’s not okay it letting it determine your potential. I think we’re all, myself included, still learning how to treat ourselves a little bit better.

If there’s anything at all I’d want the world to know about me, it’s that I am fascinated by people. The complexity of human beings has been my biggest inspiration of all. Thank you, world, for inspiring me.

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?
Griffith Observatory is always a classic for me — especially if you love space! If a friend loves films, I’d also love to invite them to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, or Universal Studio Tour. I also adore Santa Monica Pier; it has some of the best restaurants!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely! I’d firstly like to give a shoutout to a good friend and business partner, Frank Tirimacco. Having friends who truly believe in you, support you, and hold you accountable to growth is vital not only to our careers, but to ourselves and our mental health as well — having a friend you can share your art and and passions with is a blessing, and having a friend you can create art together with is an even bigger blessing. Thank you, friend. I can’t wait to make more art together.

I’d also like to give a special shoutout to my incredible girlfriend, Kayla Love, for sticking with me through thick and thin of this career, and never giving up on me, even when I wanted to give up on myself. Between helping me with endless amounts of self tapes, reading pages and pages of my writing, offering fantastic ideas and even designing a character’s make up look, she is always an inspiration for me. Thank you for everything, love. You keep me strong.

Website: https://linktr.ee/maddyzambello

Instagram: maddy_zam

Image Credits
Brianne Dudra, Kayla Love