Profile: Dana Stoutenburg

At a café just north of 8^th street in Calgary, a waiter announces that he has a latte made with one pump of hazelnut and almond milk. As she takes a sip of her drink, 27-year-old actress Dana Stoutenburg jokes about how with her, nothing's simple. She loves a good challenge, and it's knowing exactly what she wants that has helped her overcome the ones she's faced in the past.

   

Dana Stoutenburg. Photo by Nicole Zylstra 

She first stepped on stage at the age of eight, as a dancer. She says she was extremely shy as a child and would even hide behind her mom at family events. It wasn’t until her best friend asked her to join a summer dance camp that Stoutenburg realized how much she enjoyed performing – and all that came along with it.

 “I loved all the shoes I could wear,” she laughs. “And all the cute little outfits, and getting my hair and make-up done for shows.”  

As she grew older, she saw that playing different roles was very similar to psychology – another one of her passions – because each role requires her to look into someone else’s life and try to figure out why the characters she portrays act the way they do.

Stoutenburg came to Calgary five years ago, after graduating from a two-year intensive musical theatre program at Randolph Academy in Toronto. Before that, she earned a diploma in theatre performance from Vancouver’s Capilano University.

Unfortunately, like many new graduates, Stoutenburg’s experience in the market did not go as she’d hoped.

“I ended up finishing school in Toronto and not getting anywhere,” says Stoutenburg. “[The industry] was a big beast, and I was just not prepared for that.”

Nine months later, she found herself in Calgary. It was a move that allowed her to be closer to her mom, who had helped line up a part-time job for the actor, as well as a way to restart after her experience in Toronto. She started auditioning for all the major theatres in the city the next season, once she had familiarized herself with Calgary.

When the larger stage gigs didn’t work out, Stoutenburg went smaller, first getting a supporting role in a community theatre production, followed by the lead role in the next year’s show. It may have been a smaller stage, but that didn’t take away from what was required of the actor.

“[Community theatre] is still a full-length show. I was still on stage for the same amount of time as if I’d been on a regional theatre stage. And it was still requiring that commitment and providing that challenge and opportunity for growth.”

Stoutenburg says that actors, as much as they hate to admit it, are often looking for validation. This comes in different forms, whether it’s hearing positive feedback following an audition or earning the lead role in a play. This validation was something she struggled to achieve in theatre. She was even told to stick to a "money job" that was "safe and steady" a few times. Instead of giving up, she took her multiple rejections as learning experiences, and decided to head back to class and try to expand into film and television.

 “I took that opportunity I guess,” she says. “I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll just try [film].’ I just decided that was going to be my next go.”

This next step in her journey seems to have worked for her. Stoutenburg has appeared on different television shows, including AMC’s Hell on Wheels, as well as various web series, short films, commercials, and, most recently, an indie feature film called Empyrean.

This film is the actor’s most intense experience to date. She was cast in one of the principle roles, and spent three weeks – her longest to date – shooting on set.   

  

    Thompson & Stoutenburg on set. Photo by Arthur Lefroy

Empyrean was written and directed by Thomas Robert Lee, and tells the story of William Fischer (played by Cody Ray Thompson), who is in a life-altering accident and begins to experience unexplainable, supernatural events. He starts to lose himself and retract into his conscious, away from those around him. This causes a rift in his marriage to his wife, Ingrid (Stoutenburg), who is dealing with her own quest for meaning.

The film is currently in post-production, and will hopefully be part of different film festivals in September 2015.

For Stoutenburg, the lead role in this film was a reminder that acting is the one thing she wants to do for the rest of her life. She hopes to be in a position where she is able to work back-to-back projects, in Vancouver, Los Angeles, or wherever the work takes her. She wants to be surrounded by the people she loves, and be working regularly as an actor. And of course, she wants to be challenged.

“After this experience with Empyrean, it’s hard for me to go back to a really simple script. I want to work on pieces with challenging relationships that challenge me to go to a place to pull from challenging times in my life.”

For now, she’ll have to deal with a challenge that has nothing to do with playing a role in a film. After her five-year stint in Calgary, the actor has decided it is time for her to move on. At the end of July, she will be moving back to her hometown of Vancouver to further pursue her goals.

“I’ve grown a lot and that’s why I have stayed here for the time that I have,” Stoutenburg says. “I wanted to make sure that I had the fight and the clarity of how I want the next phase of my career and my life path to move in. I’m not going to go unless it feels right in my gut. And it really feels like I’m ready to go.”

For more information on Dana, visit her website.

To stay updated with Empyrean, like the Facebook page. 

Everyday people and places that will help you network

"It's not about what you know, but who you know."

I can't be the only recent (kind of) graduate who's been told this when talking to people about the lack of job opportunities for people my age, especially in my field.

Networking is an important factor when it comes to getting a career these days. The career advisors and professionals I've spoken with all seem to agree; getting a job is not as much about what you know as it is about who you know. (NB: Knowing someone doesn't mean you have to be their best friend. Don't be afraid to ask people with more experience to help you out, even if you've only talked to them once before or if you've just met. Most of them are more than willing to help you out. Plus, you can't get help if you don't ask for it.)

So how do you network? According to my sources (multiple career advisors, professors, and people who already have careers), the best way to get your name out there is to join an association or group in your field, join online conversations with fellow group members, and attend networking events put on by these associations.

This is excellent advice, but if you're like me, you want a little practice before you start making first impressions on people who could help make or break your career.

Luckily, networking is basically talking to people, sharing your story, and listening to theirs. This can be done almost anywhere, but I've put together a list of five people and places that will help you build up your networking skills.

1) Volunteering

Whether it's at a specific place every week, or at random events around your city, volunteering is a great way to meet new people. Volunteers are supposed to be approachable and talkative, which is the perfect excuse to talk to strangers without seeming like a creep. And the great part about volunteering is you never know who you're going to run into or what kind of stories you'll hear.

2) Career advisors 
As busy as they are, career advisors want to help. If you still have access to the ones from your own university/college, definitely take advantage of them. Tuition is not cheap, so you might as well use the resources offered to you to the fullest. They may have direct connections for you, and if not, once they speak to you (and once you add them on LinkedIn so they can view your online resume and portfolio) they'll be able to keep you in mind for when they do meet someone who could be helpful to you.

3) Your current job
If you're already employed somewhere, you're surrounded by networking opportunities. Talk to your co-workers, your managers, your bosses, your customers, different staff members you see in your office, etc. They could have friends working in your field of interest, or they could give you suggestions on how to get the job of your dreams that you may not have thought of on your own.

4) Social events
Have you ever been invited out to someone's birthday celebration but declined because the only person you knew who would be there was the birthday girl/guy? Next time you find yourself in this kind of situation, GO TO THE PARTY. Not only is this a great networking opportunity, but it's also a super easy way to make friends.

5) Your neighbours
Remember when it wasn't weird to be on a first-name basis with your neighbours? A lot of people don't, but your neighbours are people who are easily accessible and could have great contacts in your industry of choice. You'll never know until you talk to them. Plus, who doesn't love friendly neighbours?