Haida Wilkins

I grew up on a small rural island on the west coast. At a very early age there was a strong interest in movies, tv, stage and how they are made.

 

In childhood acting and writing songs for the school plays was a yearly highlight. At about nine or ten my friends and I choreographed a 12 days of Christmas dance. It was a total blast. I can still remember all the moves. 

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In my teen years we moved to Vancouver Island. Coming from basically living in the wild to a modern small city was a big shift. Left me feeling out of place for many years. When the time of deciding on "What you wanna be when you grow up?" came about. I didn't know exactly what. But knowing I wanted to be on set and create stories. Deciding on Makeup school. Saved up money for two years moved to Surrey to begin my professional journey. Oddly enough I adjusted rather quickly and soaked in everything around.    

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Enrolling at Blanche Macdonald for the one year program. Learning from the industry professionals. Living away from home for the first time. Having no money to spend on my school projects. I had to adapt. One of my instructors said something that sill resonates with me is " The best creativity comes from barriers"

 

Living in Richmond after graduation. I worked on numerous film and television productions, Vancouver Fashion week and photography projects. Met amazing people and had the chance to join the Intersections Media program. Learning more about lighting, storytelling and film editing. 

 

Then covid hit and put me in a place to move back to Vancouver Island. Then getting hit with a huge heath challenge made doing any creative near impossible. After a diagnosis and a life saving surgery recovery was possible!! 

 

Started to do small Makeup projects on occasion. Worked for a summer with a Vancouver Island fashion brand. Become a member of a choir for two years and attended singing workshops in Nanaimo. Most recently cast in a DND pod cast and begun building an actor portfolio. It has been a real joy getting my different skills back in action and start to learn the craft of acting.

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