Makena Hammond

When encountering Makena's powerful presence and leggy 5'10 physique, its hard to believe that her acting and modeling career began as a medical physician and an officer in the Navy. Most recently she wrote, produced, and acted in a solo show titled "Black Woman in Deep Water" in the Hollywood Fringe Festival which won the awards: "Top of the Fringe" , "Best Solo Performance" , "Pick of the Fringe" , "Splash Solo Award" , "Two Cents Award", and "Encore Award" Makena was born in Oklahoma but called Virginia/Washington DC home before permanently moving to Los Angeles. Though Makena always knew she was an actress, its only in recent years that she allowed herself to embrace her calling fully. Her father is an immigrant from a small village in Ghana and her mother is from small-town Lynchburg, Virginia who grew up without indoor toilets. Her parents being of humble means, they feared the lack of stability that a career in entertainment might provide and thus they discouraged her pursuits. Instead, Makena turned to the study of medicine to achieve the stability and success that her parents longed for themselves. Upon graduating from medical school and practicing medicine for a year as a commissioned officer in the US Navy, Makena found herself wholly unfulfilled and left the Navy and the practice of medicine with plans to take the entertainment industry by storm. Her first run in with the entertainment industry came at the age of four when her mother entered a talent contest in which Makena co-starred. Though they had previously rehearsed together, during the final performance Makena had the feeling that her mother was no longer acting and thus she responded with a gut-wrenching scream, (which luckily was appropriate to the piece). This resulted in thunderous applause and the first place trophy. It was at this moment Makena knew she had a knack for captivating audiences. Thus, after leaving medicine she embarked on an adventure to find any opportunity to perform. It was an adventure that led her to move abroad to Dubai and then Italy, while traveling to over forty countries. Makena is often asked if she regrets her extensive schooling efforts now that she has no intention to directly use the degrees she has earned. To that she replies that it is her experiences during this time of seeking and soul-searching that has led to true self-discovery and has informed the honesty, vulnerability, and strength she shows in her acting. Whichever projects Makena takes on, she inhabits her roles with great tenacity, honesty, vulnerability, and power. These combined with her distinctive voice, statuesque physique, and strong abilities to sing and dance make her a force to be reckoned with and a talent to watch among Hollywood's up-and-coming artists.