Jul Kohler is a trilingual actress and filmmaker. She was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. From a very young age, she knew that she was meant to perform, entertain, and to create empowering stories.
As an artist, her work includes acting, stunts, musicals, and voice-overs all across the globe. As a dancer, her talents put her front and center with artists like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lou Bega, and New Kids On The Block on their world tours and award shows.
At the age of 17, Jul moved to Amsterdam and studied at The Theater School, now known as The Academy of Theatre and Dance, then went on to dance in Germany and Europe as a musical theatre performer and a dancer for several European artists.
A decade ago her expansive talent led her to Los Angeles to continue exploring her craft. She’s continued to tour the world as a performer while also lending her talents as an actor on TV shows and films.
Not one to be outdone, her latest role is also behind the camera as a writer and producer for multiple projects; several of which are currently being developed.
Her female-driven Western short film BURY ME NOT is currently circling multiple film festivals. It had its World Premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival and screened this year at LA Shorts, Newport Beach Film Festival, HollyShorts, and Nightmares Film Festival.
Jul aspires to inspire with her voice as a writer and filmmaker by creating from the heart while empowering women by telling their side of the story, however complex and layered those stories may be. She is drawn to dark and edgy stories that explore empathy and compassion. Together with one of her writing partners she wrote a dark psychological thriller – CHRYSALIS this year that she is currently crowdfunding.
Tell us about who you are and what you do.
Hi, My name is Jul Kohler and I’m a former professional dancer turned actress and filmmaker. More specifically I love creating, writing, and producing my content: TV shows, short films, and movies. Naturally, I’m drawn to dark and edgy stories. I like to dig deeper to find out what lies beneath the surface, exploring the darkness within us. I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, and moved to the states to fulfill my dream as an entertainer in 2007. I am trilingual in German, Dutch, and English. I also love animals and have two big dogs. A German Shepherd named Rusty and a Husky Shepherd mix named Stella.
Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it.
My inspiration came from actresses like Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman. I grew up with their movies and was surrounded by strong women, like my mom and 5 Aunt’s, that grew up in the post-war era of World War Two. In my childhood, I never saw those tough women that I grew up on the screen in contemporary shows or movies. And I always wanted to know how did they become so tough but yet are so loving? I wanted to watch movies and shows about them, Of course, it has now changed in the industry, but I believe we can still dig deeper and even tell stories about what women went through women during World War Two.
What I’m currently working on:
– A limited World War Two series that is based on a true story, and is currently being passed around in Hollywood.
– An occult tale of supernatural horror: A Limited series about witches in Germany
– A dark action series, about a female Grim Reaper.
– A psychological Thriller that my writing partner Karola Raimond and I are currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo:
www.indiegogo.com/projects/chrysalis–13/x/25389865#
What is your giveaway idea through this interview?
Create your content! Whatever it is just do it. Yes, you can! Stop overthinking. Whatever it is make a schedule and promise yourself to get at least one thing done a day. One page, one email, etc. And celebrate your successes even if they’re small.
Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis?
The tenacity to keep going, to keep believing in myself, and to trust my gut and my passion. Also even when I think: Well this is a bunch of shit I wrote, nothing is ever perfect and through reaching out for help, you might find that others like it or give amazing notes that help you to move forward. For the people that like to overwork themselves like me: Listen to your body when it needs rest. When you’re overworked nothing good will come of it. It’s okay to rest! Sometimes a break is all you need to find where you are stuck, and I meditate daily. That’s when I download stories and ideas that come to me.
How do you manage your finances through the services you offer. Any fundings etc received?
I did successfully crowdfund my female-driven Western Thriller BURY ME NOT and am currently crowdfunding my psychological Thriller CHRYSALIS. Otherwise, I’ve been very lucky this year with many Voice Over jobs, and I booked a pilot for 4 weeks.
Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level?
My dream is to find a home for my shows and movies, together with a team that is just as passionate as me, and share them with the world to inspire others. I want to learn how to become a showrunner for my shows. I would love to find a female mentor that can guide me and share her wisdom.
What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?
-GO FOR IT!!! Just do it. I think we often overthink things and want perfection. Well, perfection doesn’t exist!
-Ask for help. You’ll be surprised at how many people want to help you. But if you don’t ask you’ll never know.
-Take it one step a day. Don’t overwhelm yourself. One page a day, one task a day, you’ll be surprised what can happen within a month.