#48 - Carlie Craig: Have the Finish Line in Place

Carlie Craig (MadTV) and host Michael Kushner started their journey
into the theatre industry together when they were young kids.
Growing up doing theatre in a facility that houses national tours,
music performances, comedians, fine art and more - it allowed us to
be exposed to a plethora of different kinds of art.  The
pandemic has caused many artists to revisit the things they know
are true. And for Carlie, it’s back to the basics. Heading back to
her home state of Florida, she’s not only spending a temporary time
where she grew up but also spending time with the teachers who
helped shape her.  When Carlie headed back to Florida, she hit
up her first voice teacher. “I can’t really explain it… just
something, when I was deciding to come home for a couple of months,
something was just lingering in the back of my head that was like
“You should call Gisbert” because I knew being home, I wanted to
work on my craft… I wanted to continue to evolve. I wanted to
continue to grow.”  After some personal road bumps and soul
searching, Carlie found herself with an opportunity to invest in
herself and her healing journey. It seems to be a pandemic theme,
doesn't it?  But when Carlie has a will, she finds a way,
“What I’ve learned,” she says, “as long as you have some sort of
finish line in place, everything else will work itself out.” Even
when she booked 54 Below in NYC for a solo show before she even
could afford a plane ticket, Carlie figured out a way to make it
happen. After MadTV abruptly ended, Carlie listened to what she
knew best… going back to the stage. And that’s what this episode is
all about -- listening to what is true to you and following it
through. Carlie’s vibrance is contagious, and truly, she makes you
feel like everything is achievable, no matter what. After listening
to Carlie’s stories of how she booked some of her biggest credits
to date, anything actually is achievable. Carlie Craig is an
actress, singer and South Florida native who is most known for her
work on the CW's reboot of the iconic sketch show MADtv. Carlie
moved to Los Angeles ten days after graduating from Florida State
University with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Media
Production. She then began her work as assistant to Broadway star
and YouTube sensation, Todrick Hall, which led to touring with him
internationally as a singer & actress, starring in his hit MTV
docuseries Todrick and serving as a vocalist on his groundbreaking
visual album, Straight Outta Oz. Carlie gained online recognition
with her video Celebrity Impressions, which has been viewed over 8
million times across multiple platforms. She then appeared on USA's
comedy competition show, First Impressions with Dana Carvey, where
she wowed the SNL alum with her spot-on impersonations of Ariana
Grande, Kristin Chenoweth and Emma Stone. Carlie has performed her
all-original one woman musicals Have Several Seats and Me! The
Musical! in cabaret venues across Los Angeles & NYC and cannot
wait to bring her shows back to audiences again once we are all
finally vaccinated. You can currently catch Carlie starring in
Kevin Hart's LOL Network comedy series The Donors, streaming now on
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