From Turramurra to Tinseltown: Hannah Carman’s Journey from the North Shore to LA

For some, life-altering decisions are mulled over and carefully considered. For Hannah Carman, her decision was instinctual, instilled in her from a young age. “I started taking local drama classes in Gordon when I was about eight or nine,” she says. “Throughout school I was always involved in music and theatre.”

Carman had been taking online classes with Jessica Orcsik, founder of the American Arts Film and Television Academy (AAFTA) in Los Angeles. It was during a call with Orcsik that she realised a sense of agency over her future. “It was the first time someone had asked me what I actually wanted to do instead of telling me what they thought I should do,” Carman recalls. Orcsik encouraged her to consider the full-time program in the United States. “Once I realised that was a possibility, I made the decision. By the middle of Year 12 I knew I was going to move to LA.”

After packing her bags and moving halfway across the world, Carman, at just 18, found herself alone among the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown. There she spent six months training at AAFTA, including intensive accent training. “I can turn it [an American accent] on and off whenever I want,” Carman says, flawlessly switching between accents mid-sentence.

Her time in LA led her to her first film, The Five Stages, a short written, produced and performed by Carman that screened internationally at film festivals and drew on her theatre experience on the North Shore.

Moving across the world comes with its challenges, as does working in a competitive industry. Carman says the experience has reshaped how she approaches her career. “When I left high school, I just wanted to act and sing,” she reflects. Her advice to young creatives following a similar path is to “never be in a position where you’re just waiting for the phone to ring – keep the ball rolling and create opportunities.”

Now based in Vancouver, Carman has found a place within Canada’s thriving independent scene, producing her own projects with the goal of starting her own production company.

For Carman, her Australian roots are never far away. Living abroad can be isolating and mean time away from family, but she says those experiences often shape her work. “With acting and filmmaking, you’re always drawing on personal experience and putting parts of yourself into your work… no matter how hard or complicated.”