Amy Walker
Amy Walker | |
|---|---|
| Amy Walker Amy Walker | |
| Born | September 1, 1982 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Singer, Director |
| Website | http://www.AmyWalkerOnline.com/ |
Amy Frances Walker (born September 1, 1982) is an American actress, singer, and co-founder of the ConnectedFilm project.[1]
Early life
Walker was born in Seattle, WA, and grew up on Whidbey Island, WA, where she graduated from South Whidbey High School in 2001.[2] She performed in a wide variety of plays and musicals on Whidbey, including Audrey in WICA's Little Shop of Horrors and Hero, in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at South Whidbey High. At the age of 16, Walker played the role of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. She prepared for the role by performing everyday tasks while blindfolded. Both of her parents are musicians. Her father, Tom, leads the Salvation Army's social services in the Northwest region. He also plays guitar and sings with the Rural Characters. Her mother, Claudia Walker, is a music therapist who recently performed as Anna in WICA's The King and I.[3] In June 2008, Walker was invited to attend the Discovering New Mysteries festival. Walker won Angie awards for best actress for her role as Betty Roberts in “Remember WENN” Live Radio Theatre and best supporting actress for playing Elena in “The Help” Live Radio Theatre.[4][5]
Education abroad
Walker studied acting and singing at the University of Wollongong in Australia in 2002 and 2003. From Australia, she flew to Wellington, New Zealand, where she lived and worked for a year and a half. She also played Joan in the short film Dead Letters by Paolo Rotondo.[6]
The ConnectedFilm Project
Walker wrote a screenplay for a film called Connected, with help from her script adviser, Marilee Jolin. Together with Sander Kallshian, the three co-founded the production company SoulFire Films in order to produce the film.[7] They created ConnectedFilm.com to fund Connected by dollar donations from 1 million people around the world, listing the names of every donor in the credits of the finished film "to show that each gift is equally important".[8] Once SoulFire Films has the funds needed, they plan to hire a cast and crew and film on location in the Seattle area.[9] In July 2009, Amy Walker and Mike Shafer were awarded Best Music Video for "We Are Connected" at the 2009 Raindance Short Film Festival.[10]
Amy Walker on YouTube
Walker gained attention from her YouTube video 21 Accents in January 2008.[11][12] As of June 2010, she has reached an audience of over eight million viewers.[13] The video was a hit on the Internet and earned Walker an appearance on The Today Show.[14][15] Walker was also featured on Inside Edition in March 2008 following the success of her video.[16][17] In June 2010, Amy partnered with Nokia to promote their Foreign Accent Cup.[18]
One-woman shows
Walker performed her first original one-woman show, Amy Walker: Inside Out, in November 2007 at the age of 25.[19] Her second show was produced in Seattle in July 2008. In November 2009 and January 2010, she performed two live-streaming internet shows, where people were able to watch and chat from around the globe. With the growing success of the show, Amy introduced her first Live Interactive Vlog Experience series in March 2010, titled Amy Walker: Live.[20][21][22][23]
Awards
In 2008 Walker received an award at the International Mystery Writers Festival for "Best Actress" and "Best Supporting Actress".[24] Amy was awarded Best Actress for her role as Pam Brent in Personal Call the following year.[25] Amy Walker and Mike Shafer were awarded Best Music Video for We Are Connected at the 2009 Raindance Short Film Festival.[26]
| Year | Award | Role | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Best Actress | "Betty" in Remember Wenn by Rupert Holmes | Discovering New Mysteries Festival |
| 2008 | Best Supporting Actress | "Elena" in The Help by Bill Kirby | Discovering New Mysteries Festival |
| 2009 | Best Actress | "Pam Brent" in Personal Call by Agatha Christy | Discovering New Mysteries Festival |
| 2009 | Best Music Video | Director, "We Are Connected" (Music Video) | RainDance Short Film Festival |
References
- ^ "A soul on fire: A profile of actress, singer Amy Walker". The Digital Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ "21 Accents in 2 Minutes". NPR. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
- ^ Patricia Duff. "South Whidbey's KONG Connection: Clinton resident appears in summer blockbuster". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ Patricia Duff. "Radio theater is alive and well in Kentucky". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ Sue Frause. "Amy Walker: Moving on in New Directions". The Seattle Pi.
- ^ Patricia Duff. "South Whidbey's KONG Connection: Clinton resident appears in summer blockbuster". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ Patricia Duff. "Amy Walker screenplay gets an early green light". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ "A soul on fire: A profile of actress, singer Amy Walker". The Digital Journal. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ Patricia Duff. "Amy Walker screenplay gets an early green light". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ "RainDance Short Film Festival winners announced". Seattle Pi.
- ^ "Speaking in Tongues". Black & White. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "21 Accents". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ "Amy Walker on YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ "The TODAY Show". MSNBC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ "UPDATE: Amy Walker on NPR and TODAY!". Seattle Pi.
- ^ "Inside Edition". Inside Edition. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ^ "Amy Walker sings Danny Boy, appears on Inside Edition". Seattle Pi.
- ^ "Foreign Accent Cup Kicks Off". Nokia. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ David Marlett. "DIY Promotion—Amy Walker Style". Movie Maker. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- ^ Patricia Duff (2009-11-09). "Amy Walker performs live online". The South Whidbey Record.
- ^ Patricia Duff (2010-01-14). "Amy Walker goes live again!". South Whidbey Record.
- ^ Amy Walker. "Live Interactive Vlog highlights 3/6/10". YouTube.com and Vokle Media. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ Amy Walker. "The Real Amy". YouTube.com and Vokle Media. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ Sue Frause. "Amy Walker: Moving on in New Directions". Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ "Discovering New Mysteries Festival".
- ^ "RainDance Short Film Festival winners announced". Seattle Pi.