Buford woman honored with Actors, Models and Talents for Christ lifetime achievement award

By Christy Smith
Staff Correspondent

BUFORD – A local Christian businesswoman who trains aspiring actors recently earned the lifetime achievement award from Orlando-based Actors, Models and Talents for Christ. Nicolle Campbell, owner of The Actor’s Scene in Buford, became the award’s 6th recipient in AMTC’s 27-year history.

“Nicolle’s records of winning Agency of the Year many times, dozens of Overall Winners, and even more placements brought her to the forefront of AMTC,” said Carey Arban, AMTC’s owner. “She takes the talent that God gives young performers, molds it, makes it marketable, and places these hopeful stars in the national spotlight.”

Nicolle, 40, has performed since childhood and opened The Actor’s Scene in 2003. She came to Atlanta as a young actress eager to use her bachelor’s degree in speech and drama from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. With its vibrant economy and corporate foundation, Atlanta has for years attracted talented people looking to build careers in acting and modeling.

“Atlanta is a great regional market because of business, industrial and commercial work,” she said. “There’s a big market for corporate videos and many films are slated to shoot here over the next few years.”

After settling in Dixie she landed a wide variety of roles in TV commercials, theater, public service announcements, voice-overs, as well as a part in Steve Martin’s 1994 film “A Simple Twist of Fate” that was filmed in Atlanta, she said.

Throughout her lifetime as a performer Nicolle kept her Christian values in line with her work. Nevertheless, she saw plenty of unorthodox agencies that feed off the hopes of aspiring actors and models.

“There are a lot of scams and people who take advantage of people’s dreams,” she said. “They promise and guarantee and you cannot guarantee. A lot of people say
they are agents and get them signed up for classes. You have to be careful. There are
conventions out there that don’t focus on the right things and they cost a lot more and people feel they didn’t get their money’s worth. They make it difficult for legitimate companies like mine to operate.”

As her career progressed, Nicole discovered she loved training and guiding new talent. She wanted to build a studio based on Christian and family values. Buford’s proximity to Atlanta and its tradition of welcoming artists and creative endeavors made it an ideal location for Nicolle’s cutting edge studio.

“I had run training programs for different acting schools and thought, ‘If I can do this
for others, I can do it for myself,’” she said. “I sold my house and used the proceeds to
open the studio.”

Nicolle already had contact with actors’ agents when she opened The Actor’s Scene. The studio’s philosophy is that an aspiring actor needs training and contacts to succeed and it places those actors with reputable agents. In its six-year history The Actor’s Scene has sent more than 100 students to major successes in the industry, such as India Scandrick who starred in “Lion King” on Broadway in 2007; 7-year-old Mary- Charles Jones who guest starred on Grey’s Anatomy, filmed more than 10 commercials and is currently playing Kevin Spacey’s daughter in the film, “Father of Invention”; and Kelsey Sanders, member of The Stunners music group who starred in the movie “Au Pair Kansas” due out this year.

Julie Falamas, 20, won a $1,000 scholarship from The Actor’s Scene. The daughter of Romanian folk dancers, Julie’s scholarship helps her attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

“Recently I compared my background to that of my classmates,” she said. “The Actor’s Scene established a level of professionalism and understanding of the business that many young actors don’t know.”

A Christian since high school, Nicolle believes she is using in her chosen profession the skills that God gave her.

“I do feel that this is a gift God gave me – my strength in being able to see the big picture, to strategize and effectively hire and surround myself with people who have skills opposite of mine,” she said. “God led me to AMTC. I wanted to go to a competition and they were ethical and moral and I had to sign an agreement and
provide contacts to prove that I operated ethically and morally, too.”

AMTC is a competition where actors, models, singers and dancers perform in various competitions judged by industry professionals. The week culminates in an awards ceremony and callback day in which the artist is interviewed by the industry professionals and offered representation contracts.

Despite all her success stories, Nicolle is most proud of is how the training acquired
at The Actor’s Scene can impact people’s lives, she said. In her own life she was deeply influenced by her friends and mentors.

“One of the five pivotal things in life is people and I had good friends in high school who were Christians and I went to church and church camp with them,” she said. “My roommates in my first year of college were active in the college youth group and they led me to start a relationship with Christ.”

Jennifer Mercurio, of Winder, said her classes at The Actor’s Scene helped her overcome sever post-partum depression. “I have more confidence now than I have
ever had in my life, and while acting is a great escape and outlet for me, I am also
learning to be comfortable with myself,” she said.

The Actor’s Scene is located at 4300 Buford Drive in Buford • Phone 770-904- 6646. Web: www.theactorsscene.com.