Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Alvey.
Hi Cara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a proud Arizonan, born and raised right here in the valley. My roots run deep-my grandparents moved to the heart of Phoenix way back in the ’50s. When I was a teenager, I thought modeling was my path. But after a meeting with a well-known agency, they kindly told me I was “too short for runway.” However, they mentioned I had a great look and suggested I explore acting and print work. Honestly, that idea got me really excited!
As I was leaving the agency, a stranger handed me a business card for a local acting coach, and it felt like a sign. That coach ended up being Jean Fowler, a retired actress who had once been represented by the William Morris Agency and performed on Broadway with incredible talents like Woody Allen. I trained with her intensely for years, soaking up everything she taught me. I even went to New York and got a scholarship to the British-American Drama Academy at Oxford.
Eventually, I signed with Dani’s Agency, a local talent agency, and started booking gigs—everything from local to national commercials, film, and TV. I never stopped working with Jean, who became not just my coach but also a mentor and a friend.
With her encouragement, I decided to use my experience to help others in the industry. I took a job at a local theater, teaching and coaching aspiring actors, and I absolutely loved it! Not long after that, I met my husband, and we started a family with two amazing kids. I married my husband in 2005, and while I helped him develop his presentation skills for his new job, where he would present to business owners and CEOs, I also learned how to adapt my acting training to the business environment. Now, I not only continue to pursue my acting career but also offer corporate coaching, helping professionals enhance their communication and presentation skills. My passion for coaching just keeps growing.
We were attending a local church when a friend of ours, the pastor, asked if I could help his daughter, who wanted to get into modeling and acting. I agreed to meet her for some private sessions, and she ended up signing with talent agents in LA and booking jobs! Word spread, and before I knew it, Cara Alvey’s Actors Workshop was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Early on in my career, it seemed like more movies were getting filmed here in Arizona. We had Tombstone, Jerry Maguire, Forrest Gump, and Wayne’s World, for example. Then Arizona’s film incentive landscape shifted, and as other states rolled out stronger, more competitive incentives, a lot of the investment and bigger projects that were building here went elsewhere.
Arizona’s film incentive has gotten so much better and is bringing in more production, but a lot of what we’re seeing so far is still commercials and smaller shoots. I work with actors all over, but I’d love for them to have the option to build real, long-term careers here in Arizona too. With more steady, higher-budget film and TV projects rooted in Phoenix, our local talent won’t feel like they have to leave the state.
Another thing everyone in our industry is struggling with right now is the impact of Artificial Intelligence. We’re all trying to figure out what it means for human performers and how to protect the heart of the work while the technology keeps changing.
As you know, we’re big fans of Cara Alvey’s Actors Workshop. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’ve always tried to support local productions, both in front of and behind the camera, and I’ve appeared in several award‑winning and award‑nominated independent films. As an actor, I’ve worked in national commercials, film, television, theatre, and voiceover. On the production side, I’ve produced, directed, and handled casting for multiple projects, so I understand this work from both the creative and business sides, and that’s the perspective I bring back to my students.
Some of my students have booked with TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom,’ FX’s ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘American Horror Stories,’ Amazon, Cartoon Network, Disney, Nickelodeon’s ‘Side Hustle’ and ‘Danger Force,’ and Lifetime Movie Network, as well as national spots for brands like Verizon, Peter Piper Pizza, Nike, BestWay Pools, Warner Bros., SRP, and more, across commercials, print, TV pilots, and feature films. In 2019, I was coaching Houston Towe, who many people recognize as the young Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody on ‘Animal Kingdom,’ and I was excited to work with Kapri Ladd as she began booking voice roles on projects like ‘Iron Man and His Awesome Friends’ on Disney Jr. Most recently, I’ve been fortunate to be part of Recker Ale Eans’ journey as he’s become an Emmy and Grammy‑nominated actor and musician.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Lessons learned is a really great question, because there’s always something new to learn. This industry moves fast — opportunities pop up out of nowhere, deadlines for different projects hit at the same time, and you’re constantly trying to be in two or three places at once — so I’m always looking at how I can stay organized and keep in touch with my clients; past and present.
I’m also constantly learning how the work itself is changing: new approaches to teaching, what’s expected with self-tapes, and how actors are asked to show up for different kinds of projects. I push myself to stay fresh and keep growing right along with my students.
One big lesson for me has been to slow down and really vet the people I bring onto my team. I was scammed once by someone I thought was a legit social media employee, and it’s a terrible feeling to realize someone has taken advantage of you. I share that because there are a lot of scammers who target small businesses, and I want to remind people to protect themselves and make sure they truly know who they’re talking to.
Pricing:
- Private in-person lessons
- Private online lessons
- Group classes
- Self-tape assistance
- On-Camera film camps and more
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caraalvey.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alveycara
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cara.alvey.2025
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@caawactorsworkshop
