Biography
Carolyn Chiodini-Cable comes from a vibrant background in art, music, cooking, and culture, with roots in France, Sicily, Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as her cultural heritage from Rhode Island. She began as a budding performer, immersed in dance and gymnastics, and took to the stage in plays and musicals during her early life, always under the guidance of top coaches and teachers.
Carolyn honed her acting skills by studying with Jeff Goldblum and Robert Carnegie at the Sanford Meisner Method: Authentic Meisner Training at Playhouse West in North Hollywood, CA. She trained with notable teachers: Jeff Goldblum, Kim Darby, and Fran Bascom. While attending University for filmmaking, she continued to develop her abilities in dance, acting, yoga, and athletics and became a filmmaker, writer, and actor. Carolyn has made connections throughout her acting career, and, by synchronicity, she learned lessons from prominent individuals, some well-known, some preferring not to be in the public eye. Naturally, she would gain unique perspectives in entertainment from conversations with famous entrepreneurs such as Jon Peters, Ramy El-Batrawi, Kevin Costner, and Hugh Hefner, all very unique individuals. Each had distinctive perspectives.
Music runs deep in Carolyn's veins! Her Dad, John Chiodini, is a renowned Jazz Artist and guitarist who composed the music and is the music director for her films and TV productions. And here's a fun fact: Carolyn is distantly related to the legendary Ennio Morricone, an Academy Award-winning Italian film composer known for his spaghetti-western scores (discovered through genealogy research).
Carolyn's life was filled with star-studded encounters since birth. From the legendary Etta James and Peggy Lee (with whom her Dad had a co-production company, Boudoir Productions, and the duo co-wrote an album of original songs) to the Unforgettable Natalie Cole (her Dad wrote song arrangements for her and many others), Maynard Ferguson, Barry Manilow, and Suzanne Summers, she's had the privilege of meeting some of the most famous and eclectic personalities in the music and film industries throughout her life. It showed her up close and personal, most notably, that almost everyone wants the same things in life.
Carolyn has always loved artistic expression and creation; she brought her ideas to life in Film school, where she enjoyed working on all aspects of film and stage sets, which earned her respect among her teachers and the industry. She started creating and producing a few local TV shows, and her interview-style local cable TV Shows were a hit: Winner! Carolyn and her film company win the local-origination cable ShowUsLA Award! She loved highlighting and celebrating the mostly larger-than-life personalities onscreen and showing these people's offscreen artistic expressions throughout her B-roll videos. She filmed and edited all the B-rolls and roll-ins with her filmmaking skills. Guests would shine and perform in a short film or music video, many with her Dad. At the same time, she and her sisters danced in the background. She was the Showrunner and wrote and produced for the on-air shows she hosted, as well as some for her sister's shows. This culminated in winning her a local cable TV award. It was Joyful!
Carolyn started acting professionally in the television sitcom Saved by the Bell (1989), recurring as Courtney. On Days of Our Lives (1965), she was part of the supporting cast on the popular soap opera Days of Our Lives, where she played a recurring role and did consulting work on EMT medical emergencies for the same show. She enjoyed her time on the show so much that she continued to take on different acting roles as the casting directors searched for a contract role for her on the show. She honed her craft and perfected her on-cue crying skills, which she would utilize heavily in the film "Under the Jacarandas," in which she starred as Christa. Carolyn always said working on a soap opera was a fantastic experience, and she had a blast!
Carolyn appreciated new and exciting opportunities and switched to creating something new. She glistens as the lead character, Christa, in the indie film UNDER THE JACARANDAS, getting to sing a little and even show her painting skills on the sculptures in the movie. One of the primary producers walked out to work on a higher-budget film, and her departure forced Carolyn to become a producer on the SAGIndie feature if it was going to be completed. Carolyn had a good rapport with the writer-director, and he asked her to jump in as producer. They both worked in visual storytelling and later did a show about the filmmaking process. Carolyn had a blast acting in dramatic and comedic short films and videos, which were featured in film festivals, on cable television, and on the Internet. Some of her early TV appearances are still being aired in syndication today.
At UCLA, Carolyn further explored the world of Improvisation and comedy through Sandra Caruso's Improvisation acting classes and Kim Darby's acting on-camera scene studies. She was a proud member of the Screen Actors' Guild Conservatory at the American Film Institute (AFI), where she participated in a diverse acting program. Carolyn was also happy to share her knowledge and teach fellow Actors and Writers on screenwriting panels during the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory Summer Seminars at the American Film Institute. She also worked closely with Bob Nuchow in the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series, serving as a favorite volunteer for some of his important events and taking photographs there as well. Improvisation and a healthy sense of humor are valuable qualities for all facets of acting and writing careers. She also liked to show actors and writers how to bring more humor into their work through Improvisation.
Carolyn loves creativity with writing, producing, and occasionally directing her films and cable TV/web shows. Her original creation, a comedy film, A COW AND A SALAD, was a hit at a local film festival. She caught the attention of producers affiliated with Cannon Film Group. They asked her to write a feature screenplay titled PURSUIT of HAPPINESS (CAGED UP!), a satire about Federal Camp Prisoners. Notices in local Film Festivals and Film Magazines added to her professional writing career. She tackled a supernatural sci-fi thriller, writing a TV pilot script, COPS USA, when selling an idea to an independent producer. She completed numerous writing assignments for other filmmakers while attending film school, and she collaborated again with the former Cannon producers on a writing assignment to rewrite "Second Chance," a film starring Dan Haggerty.
Carolyn took on the exciting task of screenwriting MFUWE & ME for a Chatsworth hunter. This notorious female lion, missing its mane, caused terror and took many lives in Mfuwe, near Zambia, Africa. The lion is on permanent display at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. Carolyn wrote the screen story and screenplay that brings to life the wild, true story of the Maneater of Mfuwe. It was a thrilling tale she wanted to help bring to life on the big screen. The same producer wrote LADY MFUWE for Carolyn to rewrite and star in. It was a mix of live-action, science fiction, and fantasy gaming animations. It would be fun!
As a filmmaker and University student, Carolyn made a big splash with her student films, getting recognition in the critically acclaimed film magazine The Velvet Light Trap: Review of Cinema. Her acting, storytelling skills, and filmmaking style caught the eye of Documentarian Alexis Krasilovsky, one of her famous teachers, who wrote an article about Carolyn's film group work. She praised Carolyn for her sensitivity, diversity in her work, and especially her use of universal themes, as she excelled in front of and behind the camera. Her works stood out in front of the camera as an actress and behind the scenes as a filmmaker. Carolyn was having fun!
Carolyn also participated in the filmmakers' panels, and her films were screened at the first annual WVIF, Time Warner Cable's film festival. In the Open (2004), A Cow and a Salad (1991), and Inbreeds (2003) were showcased. The following year, at the West Valley Indie Film Festival, she had the opportunity to screen more of her earlier works, which were compiled in Raw: Undergrad Classics (2005), and she was selected for a Staff position as Head Writer. Carolyn started making her mark in the local film festival world! She was on more Filmmaker Panels and later served as Head Writer on the staff for the second annual WVIF festival. Carolyn also started working as a Teaching Artist and Arts Educator on the faculty at Learning Tree University. She trained other teachers and wrote the curricula for LTU based on her experiences and education at the top school programs she graduated from, notably UCLA's professional program Writing for Film and TV, and doing cable shows, Improvisation, and performance-related work (acting).
Comedy Film Screenings Include IN THE OPEN, A COW & A SALAD, PUMPKIN PIE, INBREEDS, EXTREMES, OBJECT OF DESIRE, and for the WVIF Time Warner Festival, she edited together independent film works, RAW: UNDERGRAD CLASSICS. Speaker on Filmmakers' Panels @TWC West Valley International FILM FESTIVALS and SAG-AFI Summer Seminars: INSIDE THE WRITERS' MIND Screenwriting Panels and Intensive Workshops at SAG Conservatory @American Film Institute. Head Writer at West Valley Second Annual Indie Film Festival. Production Co-Partner hearing film pitches @SCREENWRITING EXPO for Golden Pitches 08'. CableTV show w/3 Nominations and WINNER! of Cable TV Award! *Winner Producer/Showrunner LACH36 Local Originations Programs.
