Today we’d like to introduce you to Celia Gruss.
Celia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from Pitzer College in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. I had always wanted to be a singer so I was in a choir and used to jam with Tom Freund and Ben Harper, who at the time, had not yet signed to a record label. I also had done a summer program at Berklee College of Music in between.
I went back in August 1992 to Paris France where I had grown up. I distributed a newspaper called “The Parasite” in front of fashion shows that the hot month of August and a photographer came to speak to me. He asked me questions about me. When I told him that I was passionate about singing, he introduced me to a French music producer who had just hit it big with the music group ENIGMA. The next thing I knew, I signed to Remark Records (Polydor Records) for three singles and in June 1993, I was singing at the biggest concert hall in front of 17,000 people on a live music TV show. I toured in clubs every weekend and hit the top 40! We had fun filming a video for the second and third singles.
In 1996 I signed to Warner Records France for one album. My first single played a lot on the radio and music TV channel. The second was more difficult to gain success. In 1998 the boss of the record company left and so did I. The whole record industry changed, sales down and free access to music on the internet! I started to sing and co-write jingles for commercials. I did that for about ten years.
Between 2004-2009 I sang three different singles for the concept album “Nouvelle Vague”. My songs “I Melt With You” and “Let Me Go” were used for commercials (ex: General Motors) and TV/Movie soundtracks (ex: Nip/Tuck, Mr. & Mrs. Smith). I then wanted to do dubbing for TV shows. I found a Master’s Class in Paris and did two of them. It was time for me to leave Paris and be closer to my Mom in the United States. So I passed an audition at the dubbing company The Kitchen in Miami. I passed and moved to Miami in January 2016.
Today I do dubbing for three different companies, The Kitchen, VOA and BKS. I have an agent at Talent Direct Agency. I have played as a principal Actor in 6 short films, been the main role in the TV series Dark Waters on ID Discovery Channel, and another called Selling Yachts. I have had 2 high budget commercials for an insurance company in Holland and Chevrolet Corvette. I played in a French Play “Le Peignoir aux Alouettes” at the Fillmore, Miami in 2017.
I am looking forward to playing in another French Play called, “La Guerre des Piscines” this December 12th, 2019 at the M building in Wynwood, Miami. I am constantly going to auditions or sending self tapes for possible roles for TV/Film or commercials. I feel like everything that I have ever put my mind to, I have succeeded at. It feels like a new beginning every time, and it’s thrilling.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road! Just leaving Paris, my apartment that I had lived in for 25 years and all my friends, was hard enough in itself. It was difficult to make friends in Miami at first, but the work is what pulled everything together. Starting an acting career at 46 years old also was a battle. I had to convince my Agent that I was worth defending. I made sure my film reel and Website were done in one year. Since I didn’t have much social life, I just dove into work all the time. There were some big moments of great solitude indeed.
Please tell us about your work.
I am my self, I “sell” my voice or acting capacities. I am most happy doing cartoon dubbing voices and dramatic TV acting roles. What sets me apart is my being completely bilingual in French and English.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I remember sitting on the couch with my mother one evening. I was five years old. While my mother put a record on over and over, we sang together as she was sipping on beautiful French wine. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a singer. I remember it as if it was yesterday.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.celiagruss.com
- Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-guerre-des-piscines-tickets-77666666089
Image Credit:
Cristina Sullivan
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