Kyanna Simone Simpson is a name we will all soon know very well. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and just like the film and tv industry has continued to expand at an impressive rate over there so is her growing acting career. Over the last few years, Atlanta has become quite the hub for black actors and filmmakers thanks to quite a few people investing in its development especially Tyler Perry who has developed a massive catalog as well as Hollywood level studios. Creating what we have come to know as the new "Black Hollywood"; which provides the perfect environment for a native performer like Kyanna to thrive in. And indirectly Perry and all his efforts in Atlanta would affect the way Kyanna would find her way into the industry. In just the past five years she has already been a part of casts that include Omari Hardwick, Latanya Jackson, Ice Cube, Cress Williams, Gabrielle Union and Oprah Winfrey. After trying many different things as a young child from playing the tuba to being part of cheer squads, she realized that her main passion was performing. She then used all of the skills she acquired over the years to help her with her new career path acting. Kyanna showed from the beginning that she was determined to get her foot in the door. She began doing as much research as she could on how to find auditions, take classes, and secure an agent. However, it would be a chance meeting with actress Terri Vaughn in a supermarket that would point her career in the right direction. With all of the confidence, she had developed over the years cultivating the childhood talents she approached Vaughn and after their conversation had secured herself a valuable ally and mentor. In the following years since she has been amassing several credits in smaller independent projects as well bigger celebrity-filled projects. She continues to stay humble and grateful for her growing success regardless of how famous the people on her friend's list may have become. Most recently she has secured a recurring role on the new superhero show black lightning. Which in this climate is huge being the only major African American superhero on network television right now. With Black Panther set to break all kinds of records in a few weeks and the community is buzzing with anticipation. Black lightning could not have come at a better time, and Kyanna’s Keisha brings welcome levity to the often intense tone of the show with her free spirit teenage energy. At fifteen her mom moved her out to LA to pursue her acting career, and she has been making things happen ever since. It even seemed destiny for her to be on black lightning as she moved back to Georgia to attend college there which is where the show actually films, unlike its CW superhero counterparts. Kyanna is multitasking a college education studying to expand her repertoire to include producing, writing and eventually directing. It’s clear she is very ambitious and yearns to know all the ins and outs of the craft she loves. It’s also evident that she is eager to join the collective voice of the culture which has been making huge strides in championing diversity in the industry, especially over the last few years. At such a young age she is already aware of the kind of impact she wants to make in the culture and inspire the other actresses who would follow in her footsteps in the future. She is continuing to show more and more of her range with each project showing she is versatile for her age and is ready to tackle any character thrown at her. However, she told me she is almost ready to play a real badass to show she’s got grit and I’m sure with her tenacious spirit she will bag that kind of gig real soon. To see Kyanna in action in the near future tune into the excellent Black Lightning on Tuesday nights and keep an eye out for her in the upcoming film White boy Rick starring Mathew McConaughey.
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