Cara Albo was still shy of her 19th birthday when the Edmonton-based actress and singer gained yet another title: executive producer. To get this title, Albo raised $3 million for locally based skyline motion Pictures Inc., to fund Cat’s Cradle, a feature film about a pop singer on the brink of a Britney spears-like breakdown, in which Albo also played the lead role.
With the air of a businesswoman and the face of a star, the now-21-year-old Albo admits that aspects of the character — which she created with screenwriter Natasha Harychan and co-executive producer Darren Dahlseide — are based on her. “I was always told that I should sing pop and be cute, because I’m blond and can make cute music.”
For Albo, being taken seriously is a struggle when she faces a room of potential investors or distributors and they can’t see past her youth. “I’d be walking into a boardroom with 50-year-old males, asking them for money, and I was just this 18-year-old brat.” Indeed, she was still taking night classes in film at King’s University College. Albo tapped family contacts, made cold calls and networked like mad, but it was a year before she landed her first investor — after teaching herself how to appear older.
Her mom is an esthetician and her father a retired hairdresser and salon owner, so beauty and fashion are part of Albo’s pedigree. Her mother always told her, “Put your best foot forward in looks,” and, “You only get one chance to make an impression,” Albo recalls.
“After being in the beauty industry (since I was four, modelling hair), I know that people will judge you on what you wear and how you look. But if you feel confident, the whole world will see you being confident.”
Since Cat’s Cradle’s premiere in Edmonton in June, Albo has pitched it to distributors from around the world, wrapped another lead role in the locally shot dramatic thriller Unfinished Business and recorded a debut solo album called Embrace Me. The pop-rock CD launches January 24; that night she performs at the Dow Centre in Fort Saskatchewan.
What do you wear to be taken seriously by investors despite your age?
Classic pieces. Something that will appear put-together, but also have an individual flare. Things that fit you so well that you can wear them all the time. Like my “Audrey Hepburn dress,” a straight-cut sheath with a ’50s boat neck and embossed pattern. It’s something that will never go out of style. Black dresses never go out of style.
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