EPISODE 216: Kinnik Sky- Talks Successfully Wearing Multiple Hats In The Industry & The Upcoming Virtual Screening For PAWN

The Actors Lounge

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Kinnik Sky IG

Kinnik is a veteran of stage, television, and film. Originally from Columbia, SC, she spent 14 years honing her craft in Atlanta, GA working professionally in musical theater. She has performed in more than 30 stage plays over the past 20 years with major theatre credits including, “Dreamgirls,” “For Colored Girls,” and Tyler Perry’s “Madea's Class Reunion.” Finishing as a Top 13 Finalist in the hit show American Idol (Season 5), Kinnik then went on to win the Dreamgirls competition sponsored by the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, CA and Blackweekly.com and was flown to Italy to perform. She also executive-produced, wrote, and hosted the celebrity and entertainment news web series, “Straight From the Sky” that can be seen on KinnikSky.com.

Powerhouse directors and producers Tyler Perry, Robert Townsend, Will Packer, and Kenny Leon have cast Kinnik in their projects to utilize her vocal range and acting abilities, but Kinnik’s greatest theatrical achievement to date is writing, producing, and starring in the stage production, “Sunday Mourning” under her Dazzal Mi Entertainment production company (pronounced Dazzle Me), which won three NAACP Theater Awards. The play received a total of seven NAACP Theatre Award nominations, including her nomination for “Best Playwright” and her win for “Best Leading Female.” To date, her production company has received a total of 11 NAACP Theatre Award nominations and seven wins for its stage productions.

In 2017, Kinnik launched Dazzal Mi Entertainment’s 501c3, Athletes and Entertainers For Change. AEFC’s first program offering is The Sky Academy designed to expose underserved youth in Los Angeles to jobs in theater and filmmaking, as well as arts and culture.

In 2019, Kinnik Sky Films released its first short film, “PAWN,” which was written, directed, and produced by Kinnik, who also starred in the production. “PAWN” world premiered at the prestigious, Oscar-qualifying 2019 BronzeLens Film Festival where it was the official selection. The film has received multiple accolades, including being named the official winner of the Los Angeles Movie Awards 2019, the official selection of the Las Vegas Premiere Film Festival 2019, and the Top Shorts Film Festival 2019 Honorable Mention for Best Story.

Kinnik continues to climb in notoriety, expanding into directing and coaching. In 2019, she was hired as the Dialogue Coach for the ABC hit comedy Mixed-ish. She is consistently referred to by writers and directors on the set of Mixed-ish as the “Youth Whisperer” due to her innate and invaluable talent for nurturing young actors in a way that empowers and excites them to give their best performances. In 2020 after watching her work, the show’s staff and crew began requesting that Kinnik privately coach their kids, which inspired her to launch Stars and Sky Private Coaching for actors. Kinnik is also the second Black female instructor ever to join the team at the highly prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in Los Angeles by personal invitation from founder Lee Strasberg’s son. The institute boasts A-list alumni including, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Shandra Wilson, Lady Gaga, and Matt Dillon.

Currently, Kinnik Sky Films is in pre-production to turn her award-winning stage play Sunday Mourning into a feature film. Kinnik continues to break new ground and push barriers as an artist, and her motto guides her work: “Not even the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

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