Sophie Jordan Collins is a hustler. No, she won’t take your money in billiards (at least I don’t 
think she will), but she has, employing a voracious work ethic and a no-stone-left-unturned 
attitude, carved out a career for herself in the film industry that seems to be heading in one 
direction: up. 

Growing up in Michigan, Collins found an early and lasting love for theater and performance. “I 
was super-duper shy, but kind of came alive on the stage,” says Collins. But knowing what she 
wanted to do with her life at such a young age made it easy to put all of her energy towards 
realizing her goals. 

So in 2020, during the heart of the Covid pandemic, Collins packed her bags and made her way 
to Orange County where she studied acting for film in college. Along with her school work, she 
immediately attacked her career with an unusual vigor. 

“I was doing jobs from Craigslist [and] from Facebook,” says Collins, “So right from the get go, I 
wasn’t doing quality projects, of course, but I was... just kind of doing everything, submitting 
everywhere, and kind of running around like a mad woman.” 

Then in 2021, Collins decided the time was right to make a move to LA in pursuit of the full-time 
acting thing. “I fully thought I was gonna book a Netflix show, like, right away. That was my 
plan,” she said. But as any actor who’s followed a similar path knows, things don’t usually move 
that quickly in LA, and other steps must be taken. 

So she got to work with her trademark determination, sniffing out every opportunity she could. 
Her first job was as an assistant producer for a creator, which she worked while simultaneously 
starting to find acting work in commercials, indie films, and lifetime movies. 

Now, five years after her move to California, Collins’s bloodhound-like perseverance has paid 
off. Aside from having a fully budding acting career, she has also stepped behind the camera as 
a producer for commercials, the creative director for a commercial production company, and is 
even dipping her toes in directing. 

As if wearing all those hats isn’t enough, last year she also launched her own podcast on acting 
called acting like an actor. Talking about why she embarked on this venture, Collins says, “I was 
listening to a lot of podcasts, but I didn’t find one that I felt like spoke to where I was at right then 
and there in my life.” 

So, noticing the gap in the podcast space (of which there are few), Collins took advantage of the 
amazing conversations she was having on sets, deciding simply to introduce a microphone to 
the mix. Once again, she created her own opportunity. 
 Looking at Collins’s career, one might be inclined to ask where on earth she gets the energy to 
work as much as she does. “When you’re living in alignment with what you’re meant to do, it 
doesn’t ever feel like working,” notes Collins humbly. 

So, after the prolific start to this burgeoning career what advice does Collins have for aspiring 
actors and filmmakers? As you might guess, she hammers home the strategy that has defined 
her life in the industry: seek out opportunities. 

She stresses the fact that in this industry, you can’t wait around anymore for someone to come 
to you. “Get creative about looking for opportunities. Work begets work, opportunities beget 
opportunities.” 

In short, turn over every stone. 

Author: Patrick Tabari