Hello, there! I’m Gela Ackerman.

My first name sounds like the jel-luh part of gelatin.

I discovered my love of acting with a 6th-grade choir production of the musical Sorcerer and Friends. During freshman year of high school, my best friend tricked me into auditioning for a straight play, and much to my surprise. . . I was cast in a lead role.

After four years of high school theater productions in plays and musicals, I was hell-bent on becoming an actor. But alas, my middle-class parents were not amused—or supportive—so I grinded along a traditional career in communication and marketing.

In 2014, I was laid off from a job I despised. This was my WTF moment. You only live once, so seize the day, right?

I started acting in local stage plays and a few independent films. Then I got serious and went back for an acting degree. In 2019, I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts (Acting) from the University of Southern Indiana.

Now that the pandemic is (hopefully) on its way out, I am ready to get on with my life and gain professional experience acting in theater productions and on camera.

Megan Mullally and Melanie Lynskey are my spirit guides.