Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
Hello! My name is Madison Hodges I am an Actress, Model, TV Host, Writer, and Producer. I am 25 years old and live in the Philadelphia area. For most of my life, I have struggled with Reading, Writing, and Memory due to Dyslexia. For most of my life, I felt like I was stupid because it took me longer to learn than my peers.
I had trouble with teachers not understanding and belittling me. My last year of college is when I finally figured myself out and had a supportive Professor that changed my mindset, and really helped me grow and encouraged me to pursue TV which has always been something I have wanted to do.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
One of my favorite qualities about myself is how open-minded I am. I am always interested in listening and learning from the people around me. I love to get feedback on my work, whether I use the feedback or not I love to get opinions on my work so I can reach a larger demographic than originally intended.
I have had so many unique experiences in my life because of my willingness to try new things. I have taken many interesting classes and met some great people.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
When I was young, around 8 or 9 I knew this is what I wanted to do. However, I had the mindset that it would not be possible for me. I went through school and graduated college and ended up getting a great full-time job in my field of study (Communications).
I was miserable. After getting laid off mid pandemic I booked my first ever Commercial. I was so excited! It was at that moment that I thought if I don’t try to do this now while I have the time I won’t ever be able to do this. And I have been working ever since!
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge had been school for so long. Having struggled with a couple of learning disorders it was hard for me. I lacked confidence and I was really shy. I had to work hard on my confidence and communication skills.
The biggest thing that really helped me was to get some experiences outside of school related to my interests.
I took Vocal Lessons, Dance Lessons, Piano Lessons and I did Community Theatre. I also did some drawing and painting! I had to stop caring about what people thought about me too.
I worked on my writing and acting because those things were (and still are) a creative outlet for me. Having something to take your mind off the world and really focus on and watch come to life is so exciting.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
This is so hard!
I would have to say Carmen Cuba, Ellie Kanner, and Seth Rogan.
I would love to work with them and learn more about the industry and hear about their experiences.