#itsunmute

Brooklyn Sudano is an actress best known for playing the role of Vanessa Scott on the ABC sitcom "My Wife and Kids."  She is also the daughter of legendary Grammy Award-winning singer Donna Summer and songwriter Bruce Sudano. You might recognize Brooklyn from starring in NBC’s new hit show “Taken” which is a modern day origin story to the movie by the same name! 

When she isn’t on your television screen, she’s talking to us here on UNMUTEd: The Series — a weekly conversation highlighting influencers, actors and artists on all things creative! Brooklyn stopped by to catch up and chat about her inspiration behind the work and what keeps her going. 

Growing up in such an artistic family, one must wonder what inspires a girl to follow the path of least resistance. “I think it’s one of those things where creating was just a natural part of our everyday lifestyle. It wasn’t something that was like, 'okay, this is the time to paint or sing!’ we just did it." 

Brooklyn fell in love with acting from a young age. “It was always something i did. I did musicals and some local theater in Nashville Tennessee when i was in high school.” Brooklyn went on to Vanderbilt University where there was no acting in sight, until she attended a NYU summer program and studied at Lee Strasberg’s Theatre and Film Institute.“That was the first time I had really studied theater and acting in a more in-depth way. At that point i thought, well if i’m gonna do this i just gotta jump!” The rest was history. 

Currently, she’s starring as Asha Flynn on NBC’s new hit show “Taken”

“I’ve said that Asha is the most like me out of all the characters that i’ve played. Our ethos is the same and our essence is the same. Asha is a warm and kind person, but she also is very driven. She wants to do the right thing and she believes in the right thing and in justice. I think i’m able to bring those kind of elements to her."

Name: Candice 

Age: 16 

Hometown: Argentina

Profile: Candice is an up and coming Musical.ly star from Argentina. She was nice enough to stop by on UNMUTEd: The Series to discuss with us her social media influence and love for performing on Musical.ly. She went from finding the app into creating a self brand/ fan following! Candice says the most challenging part about being a Musical.ly star in general is trying to create content that her fans and followers like. She has a strong heart and good message for her followers. 

“Nothing changes me when i get hate [from people on social media]. I think i got strong after a little bit of school bullying-- I think I grew up and got stronger.” She creates content that empowers her and her fans that follow what she’s doing. “My favorite thing is scrolling through my videos and seeing what my fans have to say. If people like it, then i’m going to keep going.”  Keep going, Candice! 

Name: Noah Glenn Carter

Age: 20

Hometown: Alabama

Profile: Noah lives southern hospitality to the core. When we asked him what three words best describe himself, he answered, "Polite, determined and motivated.” We couldn’t agree more….Noah who was born into being an Auburn Tigers fan doesn’t live an ordinary life. He spends his days working on self branding through platforms like Musical.ly where he has over one hundred thousand fans and followers! He tries to post ten to fifteen times per day, and read every single fan comment. Talk about dedication! You can follow Noah @noahglenncarter​ 

Staying true to YOU never rang so clear until we talked with Angie Simms - actor/model living in Los Angeles. I’m sure as you read that sentence you thought, isn’t everyone an actress/model living in Los Angeles? Partly true - but non like Angie. 

First off, there’s not many people you meet in LA that are actually from LA…but she is. Born and raised in La Canada, 25 minutes from downtown. Angie’s parents sounded like the type a kid could only dream of— urging her not to go to college, but to follow her dreams instead.

“My brother and sister are both musicians. My dad’s a surfer, my mom’s a hippie. They did not want me to go to college, they were just like, ‘pursue your dreams’ and that’s my parents. They’re super supportive and they still believe in me."

Angie took to comedy finding comfort in the awkward moments of life. Laughing when you’re supposed to stay quiet kind of moments, which eventually led her to the relationship she has with performance art. She finished Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), which for those of you who don’t know, is a comedy troupe/ theater. “There’s absolutely NO room for vanity in comedy!” Angie laughs off. 

Lucille Ball once said, "I'm not funny; what I am is brave.” In this chat we discuss what modern day bravery is in the form of self branding. We touch on the up-and-coming influence that social media has over entertainment- The good, the bad and the simple forms of fame. From Instagram “models” taking their clothes off, to ten year old kids getting paid to lip sync on Musical.ly. Listen in to hear Angie’s perspective below:

https://soundcloud.com/itsunmute/interview