Kristina Lao (she/her) is a Vancouver-based nationally touring actor, singer-songwriter, audiobook narrator and co-founder of the podcast Bombshell Brunches. She is an artist-advocate and career consultant with over 15 years working in front of and behind the lens in media and entertainment. As a champion for sustainable creative, accessible careers Kristina is one of Music BC’s Jumpstart consultants, providing career mentorship to music industry professionals. In 2022 Kristina will be launching a career consulting program designed to prepare creative people for careers in entertainment.
Kristina Lao (Photo Credit: Emmanuel Etti)
“…I really felt that there was a huge lack in empowering the gig-based economy to have sustainable creative careers, and that’s what then led me into much more of the advocacy work: my three years on the board of Music BC, my advising on boards like Cushy Entertainment and a lot of conversations on the back end of the creative industries.”
On the front end of the music industry, Kristina has consciously combined her love for storytelling with a commitment to social change and the empowerment of underrepresented groups. Her debut album Something To Say was co-written in eleven days in a cabin during lockdown in Squamish with producer Karl Dicaire. It is currently in production with a 2022 series of singles scheduled to be released beginning in February. Kristina’s music is signed with BC-based business Be Noble Music Publishing.
Kristina is always eager to be involved with projects that increase accessibility. She is set to record two new audiobooks with Digital Sound Magic, and narrates for Descriptive Video Works, bringing descriptive video to visually impaired consumers of visual media. She is also the Creative Consultant for My Name Is, a mini documentary series delving into the experiences of individuals with non-Western first names, its link to their identity, and how it correlates to pressures of conforming to Westernized English norms.
“I’m very grateful that I get to spend 50% of my time, still to this day, and paid, to be in front of the lens, and 50% behind. I’ve managed to achieve that sustainability. I really focus on career pathways in media and entertainment by demonstration and mentorship.”
