Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Nigh.
Craig, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The short version of the story is… I grew up in Brien College Station, Texas, dropped out of college to pursue my dream of acting, traveled to LA and spent over 15 years there training and working in very suspects of the business. As I was getting older and things weren’t turning out exactly as I had hoped… And… Matthew McConaughey was getting all the acting jobs. Anyway, I decided to move back to Austin in 2008. Not sure what I was going to do, and trying to restart my life after literally crashing and burning, with a relationship that fell apart, using alcohol, and feeling like I had failed at my dream, I somewhat reluctantly got involved in the film scene in Austin. I started assisting the local Casting Director Sand, then somewhat accidentally fell into coaching Actors for auditions. I didn’t realized I had a knack for communicating acting and storytelling to Actors and went on a 10 year journey of honing that Craft never intending to become a full-time acting teacher running my own studio.. the one thing I swore I would never do in my life is being acting Teacher. I wrote and directed some of my own projects and started having more success as an actor, but still avoiding what I feel like is a calling to be an acting teacher or guide. I started teaching as a way to make extra money for other people and quickly realized I could deliver what I thought was the most valuable information for Actors better with my own structure. I had a second point where I needed to make a decision about how I was gonna support myself and what my future was gonna look like and decided to lean into teaching full-time, and started teaching classes at my house. That pretty quickly blossom into having to find a Studio Space and has gotten me to the point where I have definitely one of the most successful acting Studios in Austin and maybe in Texas with over 80 students and a number of actors who are working in the professional world. I now spend the majority of my days coaching or teaching Actors and have found the intersection of acting an art with life skills and personal development. I feel extraordinarily blessed to be able to do something that I feel like not only helps people nurture their own creative side, but develop or expand more in the understanding of the human condition and being able to get outside themselves and interact in the world in a different way. I feel very lucky to be able to share and apply my knowledge in a way that is not only fun but seems to be very useful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It is definitely not been a smooth road. I initially needed to deal with my own personal struggles of frustration, feelings of failure, and alcohol abuse. I’ve had to grow as a person, professionally and emotionally. Building your own business, takes an extraordinary amount of time, focus, energy. It took me years to get consistent students and classes going. As far as being an actor myself, and also running my business I have made every mistake you could possibly think of. Countless times I thought it work or that maybe I wasn’t even any good at. I’ve had to do a multitude of our jobs to pay my bills in the process.. I’ve made mistakes, given bad advice, disappointed people,. I’ve had to overcome the feelings of imposter syndrome and take what felt like big risks and putting myself out there.. the list goes on and on
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m in Acting Teacher and run my own studio called Austin acting studio. I specialize in helping Actors understand all the concepts and technical detail details of film and Tv acting. I have worked with Actors at all levels from absolute beginners to A-list professionals.. i’m most known for helping actors that have some experience or have had some success, but can’t seem to find their way to becoming more full-time working Actors and helping them break that glass ceiling. I combine a deep understanding of acting with the technical challenges of working in Film. I help Actors develop a more holistic mindset around approaching their careers, growth, and markers of success.
I’m most proud of two things, one being able to pick myself up out of what felt like complete failure and becoming a successful professional with my own business and being my own boss. And even more so that I’ve been able to attract and cultivate a community of extraordinary souls, who not only support each other in their journeys and personal growth, but are becoming outstanding professional professionals, and humans in the world.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck has played A Big role in my journey. I was lucky to have my life fall apart and end up in Austin right before it became one of the most popular cities in the country. I’m lucky to live in the state that Not only has an amazing history with Film but also it’s working hard to Foster a strong business and community here which only helps what I do and how I make my living. Their countless scenarios of people coming into my life who were just the right person. I needed to meet that either helped me find a place to house my business or became my student and that led to other opportunities for other students or even myself. I’ve had extraordinary situations where I’ve randomly been hired for a job that led to other opportunities or meeting people that influenced me or my business in a positive way. And I’m extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have so many people around me that wanna be involved in what I’m doing and support our little community in its growth and development.
Pricing:
- $255 month for acting classes
- $150 an hr for private coaching
- $400 a day for directing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Austinactingstudio.com
- Instagram: @austinactingstudio
