Published on March 20th, 2016 | by Jameelah "Just Jay" Wilkerson

The Hype Magazine caught up with Chandler Kinney to talk about the digital evolution!

As one of Hollywood’s brightest young rising stars to hit the industry with her multi-faceted talents in acting, dancing and singing, Chandler Kinney is best known for her breakout role on Amazon Prime Family’s “Gortimer Gibbons Life on Normal Street” as ‘Christina Dillman’ the brainiac up for any intellectual challenge. Currently airing in its second season, the show tells the story of Gortimer and his friends as they navigate through various journeys and adventures on Normal Street, a seemingly ordinary suburb neighborhood that has a hint of something magical just beneath their feet.

Born in Sacramento, Chandler always had an energetic and artistic side and loved performing for her family. At the age of 3, her family made the decision to move to Southern California, settling in Simi Valley to be closer to Hollywood and help pursue her career in dance. Since then she has been an active member of prominent companies such as Debbie Allen Dance Company and the Los Angeles Ballet Academy practicing forms in ballet, jazz, contemporary, pointe and hip-hop. It wasn’t until she caught the acting bug when she was cast to dance in Debbie Allen’s rendition of “Twist” for three months in Atlanta that he acting skills began to develop. Wanting to perfect her new found craft she started taking acting classes while continuing to incorporate her dance techniques, which helped land her first national commercial for GAP’s “Talk to the Moose” campaign. She has also made other commercial appearances including State Farm Insurance with Chris Paul, Church’s Chicken, Jif Peanut Butter and KFC.

These commercials made a pivotal impact on her career, quickly landing her guest starring roles on popular television shows including FX’s “American Horror Story,” Nickelodeon’s “Haunted Hathaways” Disney’s “Girl Meets World” and The CW’s “90210.”

When Chandler is not filming she is being competitive with her brothers by practicing Tae Kwon Do, where she is a black belt first degree and loving her toy Australian Shepard “Emily.” She also spends her time giving back to younger children by creating handmade blankets that she donates to local LA and Mid-Western charities during the winter season that she has named “Chandler’s Friends.” Chandler continues to utilize her love for children by also sponsoring a child through Compassion International Organization where she trades letters with a young girl named Meahaza, located in Ethiopia.

Technology “must haves” for your professional and personal life.

My iPhone 6 is something that is very important to my professional and personal life. For work, I complete written interviews, post on all my social media accounts, and stay in contact with my team about business matters. On the personal side, I text and Face Time my friends a lot. I also have tons of games on my phone! Sometimes, I’ll use my Kindle for school reading which is nice because it’s small and portable.

How has digital technology affected your productivity, creativity, and even lifestyle?

Digital technology is a big aspect of my life. I use it to prepare for work by reading scripts or doing research on the Internet. In addition, some of my school work is online. I watch TV not only for enjoyment and entertainment, but also to learn from other actors. Digital technology has become a monumental part of our society. I think that is why companies like Amazon are receiving a lot of positive attention! Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street can be viewed on a much larger variety of devices like televisions, computers, laptops, phones, tablets, etc. It makes watching programs like Gortimer more convenient for our viewers. It’s one of the things I love about our show!

Any particular favorite gadgets?

I’m really into Nintendo, so I love playing on the Wii U or DS!! They are definitely some of my favorite gadgets!

Interview by Jerry Doby

@realjdobypr

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