Amanda Seales

Photo Courtesy Of Amanda Seales

WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?
I live in L.A. I moved here a year ago, after living 15 years in New York City.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED?
I was born in L.A., and raised here until I was eight. Then moved to Orlando, FL.

WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS ABOUT WHERE YOU GREW UP AND WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES?
The best things about where I grew up is that I was able to be a kid and that I had people from all different backgrounds around me. I used to love making videos lip syncing to different songs. My friends and I would do entire productions in the living room while my mom was asleep. I also had a trampoline and at one point two!I used to pretend I was in the Olympics and spend hours doing routines.

WHY THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED?
I’ve always been a performer from a young age and took jazz, tap, ballet, and piano lessons since I was in kindergarten. When we moved to Orlando, my mom saw an ad in the paper for an audition to dance at Disney in their Christmas show and I got picked. That was my first job and from there I was able to get an agent and the rest is history.

HOW DID YOU TRAIN FOR YOUR MULTIFACETTED OCCUPATION?
 I wouldn’t say I trained as much as I just kept creating. Over the years, I never stopped creating and finding ways to make my ideas come to fruition. For instance, we have just released season two of my web series, “Get Your Life” on Blavity.com and the training for that came from doing other projects. With each one I learn better ways to work, to lead, and to execute.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS AND HOW MUCH WORK GOES INTO BEING FUNNY, CURRENT AND RELATABLE?
At this point, my creative process relies heavily on trusting myself. It takes years to develop your style and once you do you have to know how to infuse it into everything you do. That takes being able to quiet your mind to what everybody else is doing, or what the market is looking for, in order to stick to keeping your brand authentic.

YOU HAVE A REOCCURING ROLE ON THE TV SHOW “INSECURE”, HOW IS THE CHARACTER TIFFANY DIFFERENT OR SIMILAR TO YOU?
Tiffany is nothing like me. We’re both honest, but I have tact!

TRU TV HAS ORDERED A PILOT BASED ON YOUR MONTHLY SHOW, “SMART FUNNY AND BLACK”, WHAT CAN YOU REVEAL ABOUT THE PROJECT THUS FAR?
Though we do the live show every first tuesday in L.A., at Nerdmelt Showroom, on TRU we’ll be keeping that fun vibe but adding in elements that make it more than just a show, but a world.

YOU ALSO PAINT, YES?
Yes.

HOW DOES YOUR EXPRESSION TRANSLATED IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE?
I love fun clothing that expresses my artistry. Statement pieces that stand out and have fun vibrant prints are my favorite because they show my personality.

WHAT BEAUTY ROUTINE DO YOU SWEAR BY?
I’m actually pretty lazy about a beauty routine. I def need to be better about it. But now that I’m 35, I make a point to put on face cream every night to keep the wrinkles away.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
Playing Candy Crush while watching TV and eating cheese.