Carolyn Bridget Kennedy | Actress · Writer · Producer
Carolyn Bridget Kennedy is an award-winning actor (SAG-AFTRA, ACTRA) and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Carolyn appears in the 4th season of the award-winning Netflix Original series “The Umbrella Academy” and in an upcoming ABC Studios comedy series “How to Die Alone”. She was a lead in a multi-cam sitcom pilot filmed in front of a live studio audience at USC.
Carolyn is an improv maven. She has completed The Groundlings Advanced Improv and Writing Lab in their Performance Track and is invited up by the Main Company to Advanced Writing Lab (one level below Sunday Company). In addition, she completed the Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City Hollywood Conservatory programs. She improvises in the Steinkellner Workshop led by Deanna Oliver and Phyllis Katz (of The Groundlings) and Bill Steinkellner. She has performed stand up at comedy clubs in LA.
Carolyn has studied acting as a working actor with Larry Moss in his Master Class; Advanced Acting Technique with Jason Alexander; and at the Beverly Hills Playhouse with Director Howard Deutch in their Advanced Scene Study Class. She has trained in Alexander Technique with Kristof Konrad and Jean-Louis Rodrigue and worked with voice coach Denise Woods. She has also trained with Margie Haber Studios (Master/Advanced Class), Gunnar Rohrbacher at Actors Comedy Studio, and Lesly Kahn.
Carolyn has been cast in numerous projects with the top film schools in the world, including American Film Institute, UCLA, USC, CalArts, and Loyola Marymount.
Carolyn has honed her comedy sketch writing skills at The Groundlings and with a former showrunner for MadTV and has submitted a spec comedy sketch packet to Saturday Night Live. At Second City Hollywood she co-wrote and performed in three live sketch comedy Grad Revue shows, “Saturday Night Quarantine Fever”. She also wrote, produced, directed and acted in a micro short film “Masks”, which screened during the live shows. That film earned 22 laurels from film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Berlin, including a win for Best Comedy, multiple wins for Best Microfilm, and a nomination for Best Picture.
In 2020, with “isolation” and “online” the reality, Carolyn created and co-wrote a pilot script for a half-hour comedy series, “InFirm”. It was a Quarterfinalist at the Oscar®-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival and the prestigious CineStory Foundation TV Retreat & Fellowship Competition. It was a Finalist (in the Top 20) at the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards. In addition, it placed in Scriptation Showcase Script Competition, FILMMATIC Comedy Screenplay Awards, Richmond International Film Festival, Stage 32 Diversity Springboard Screenwriting Contest, and Finish Line Script Competition.
Also in 2020, Carolyn directed her first short film “Just Desserts” (which she also wrote and produced), spawned from a directing course with an AFI Fellow. The film starred her 86-year-old mother. It garnered 16 laurels from film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Berlin, including wins for Best First Time Director, Best Indie Film, and Outstanding Achievement, as well as a nomination for Best Picture. A few months later, she directed her second short film, “The Gift” (which she also wrote and produced). It garnered 9 laurels from film festivals in New York and Los Angeles, including a nomination for Best Indie Short (Low Budget).
In early 2021, Carolyn wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her short comedy film, “Janet”, for which she won Best Lead Actress in an Indie Film at New York Film Awards and at Festigious International Film Festival. She was also nominated for Best Actress and Best Director at LA Webfest and for Best Screenwriter at the Alberta Film & Television Awards. “Janet” has garnered a total of 13 film festival laurels, including Quarter-Finalist at Top Shorts Film Festival and Official Selection at Los Angeles Film Awards.
In 2022 Carolyn wrote, produced and starred in 3 further short films. “Dope Mom” garnered a total of 10 film festival laurels. It won Best Microfilm at Top Shorts Film Festival. Carolyn was nominated Best Lead Actress in an Indie Film at Los Angeles Film Awards. It was also nominated Best Microfilm at Los Angeles Film Awards, a Semi-Finalist at Festigious International Film Festival, and an Official Selection at New York Film Awards. “Shrew” garnered a total of 13 film festival laurels. It won Best Microfilm at Festigious International Film Festival, was nominated Best Picture at New York Film Awards, and was a Semi-Finalist at Los Angeles Film Awards and at Top Shorts Film Festival.
Carolyn is an accomplished voice-over actor, with a national network voice-over booking. In early 2020, Carolyn was cast in the lead role of “Margaret”, the mother in the famed series “Father Knows Best”, for two live performances of a Radio Play produced by SAG-AFTRA at The Autry theater in Los Angeles.
Carolyn is an active member of the Television Academy, Women in Film LA, Raindance Los Angeles, Film Independent, SAG-AFTRA, ACTRA, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Alberta Media Production Industries Association, Women in Film & Television Alberta, Women in Film & Television Vancouver, and Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers. In 2019, she was selected into Women in Film LA’s year-long Mentorship Program as both an actor and content creator.
Carolyn has overcome personal obstacles, including losing over 110 pounds over two decades ago. Her perseverance, down to earth nature and unique sense of humor have earned her a strong following on social media, with over 105,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and over 10,000 on Instagram. She has been featured in over 90 interviews in online publications, print magazines, talk shows, podcasts, and radio shows around the globe.
IMDB
Can you please provide a brief overview of your journey in the film and TV industry?
I was a paralegal for over 20 years. Then in 2011 a friend casually said that he thought I was funny and could see me being on TV. This led me to my first acting workshop and I loved it.
Being new, I needed to create my own roles and projects if I wanted to act. This led to writing and producing. I created a one-woman YouTube series. Then I made a web series and a short film, entered them into film festivals, and was delighted to earn dozens of laurels from around the globe.
With those projects, I obtained a Visa to work in the US in three fields: acting, writing, and producing. I was hoping the Visa would open up US auditions to me. But, my husband Richard suggested it would be better if I had a base of operations in Los Angeles. We talked about what would be the greater sacrifice: going to LA and not being together day-to-day (he remains in Canada) or being 85 years old one day and wondering “what if”? He didn’t want there to be any regrets. So, off to LA I went with my husband’s full support (constantly on Facetime).
Once I arrived in LA in early 2018, I was accepted into Advanced Scene Study at the storied Beverly Hills Playhouse and was instructed by Director Howard Deutch.
In the first 6 months in LA, I wrote, produced and acted in 5 micro-short films, I joined SAG-AFTRA, I booked a national voiceover commercial, and signed with a Commercial Agent in Los Angeles. When I commented to an actor friend that I felt I was not doing enough he responded that most people, in their first year in LA, might only accomplish 1 of the things I had in my first 6 months.
Since then I have continued training relentlessly in acting, eager to hone my craft with world-renowned teachers including Larry Moss, Jason Alexander, Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Kristof Konrad, Denise Woods, Lesly Kahn and Margie Haber. I have also studied improv and sketch comedy at the three most-respected schools in LA: The Groundlings (where I have been invited to the Advanced Writing Lab in their Performance Track); and, completing the Second City Conservatory and the Upright Citizens Brigade programs.
I performed a voice role in a SAG-AFTRA Radio Play with 2 live performances at The Autry in Los Angeles. I have performed stand-up at comedy clubs in Los Angeles. I improvise every Saturday in the Steinkellner Workshop led by Deanna Oliver and Phyllis Katz (of The Groundlings) and Bill Steinkellner.
I joined every major professional organization I could: the Television Academy, SAG-AFTRA, Women in Film LA, Raindance Los Angeles, and Film Independent, all while maintaining my associations in Canada with the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, ACTRA, Alberta Media Production Industries Association, Women in Film & Television Alberta, Women in Film & Television Vancouver, and Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers.
Actors in LA struggle to acquire LA representation. I have secured Theatrical, Commercial and Voiceover representation with my LA agent (90210 Talent) and signed with an LA Voice-Over Manager (Emmy-winner Jonathan Reiner at Citizen Skull Management). This representation compliments my amazing Toronto agent (Jessica Martins of HERO Artists).
This has all been a “crap-load” of work – but, a tremendously enjoyable, rewarding and memorable “crap-load”.
What are some of your key accomplishments?
I am very excited about my two most recent television credits, which include an upcoming appearance in Season 4 of Netflix’s award-winning TV series “The Umbrella Academy” and in Season 1 of ABC Studio’s TV comedy series “How To Die Alone”.
I was cast as a lead in a multi-cam sitcom pilot shot in front of a live studio audience at a sound stage at USC. It was a delight to play the lead role of “Ms. K” (Ariana Kouzoukas), a glamorous matriarch and “shark” personal injury attorney who strikes fear in her employees. Overseeing the project was:
• Emmy Award winning Director Rob Schiller (who has directed over 400 sitcom episodes for every major Network & Studio, including 169 episodes of “The King of Queens”)
• Emmy Award winning Writer Jay Kogen (“The Simpsons”, “Frasier”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “Malcolm in the Middle”, “The Tracey Ullman Show”)
During the pandemic I wrote, produced, and directed 2 short films and a third short film “Janet” in which I also acted. For “Janet”, I am grateful for the nomination for Best Screenwriter (Scripted under 30 minutes) in the 2023 Rosie Awards.
I have been cast in numerous projects in Los Angeles with the top film schools in the world, including American Film Institute, UCLA, USC, CalArts, and Loyola Marymount. I continue to audition for projects that shoot in Canada and (because I am still an Alberta resident) for Alberta projects.
What are your current and/or future projects?
I have 2 television credits for episodic series that have not yet been released. I have an upcoming appearance in Season 4 of Netflix’s award-winning TV series “The Umbrella Academy”. I also appear in Season 1 of ABC Studio’s TV comedy series “How To Die Alone”.
I continue to audition for projects (television shows, feature films, new media projects, voiceover work, and commercials) in Los Angeles and in Canada. As an official resident of Alberta, I am always delighted to work on projects with Alberta filmmakers. I have a deep love for the Alberta creative community because it’s where I began my creative journey.
I co-wrote a pilot script for a half-hour comedy series, “InFirm”, while being mentored by 2 Emmy-winning writers. An article about this script and the mentorship was featured in The Hollywood Times. The script was a Quarterfinalist at the Oscar®-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival.
Have there been any key moments in your career that changed your trajectory?
Signing up for my first acting class in Calgary was what started me on my path. Then, creating my own projects and obtaining a Visa is what opened the door to LA for me. I have treated my time in LA like going to university. It has been marvelous to train with the best people in LA.
My acting and writing have benefitted incredibly through my work at The Groundlings (known as the SNL farm team). In addition to the training, The Groundlings has resulted in me working with Emmy-winning writers and performers (including a former SNL cast member).
