Local child lands his first big role in Lifetime movie filmed in Kansas City
During the pandemic, Kaiden Johnson, like many kids, found himself spending hours on his iPad. But unlike most, he wasn’t glued to YouTube or gaming. Instead, the boy was creating short films using action figures, adding voice-over narration, and displaying a level of creativity that amazed his mother.
She wondered if the stage might be the perfect place for him to shine.
“Kaiden has always been very animated,” said his mother, Ashley Johnson. “He had always been an entertainer in his own right but he wasn’t doing anything formal and he never showcased that side outside of his immediate household.”
Eager to support her son’s creative passions, Johnson started exploring local opportunities and discovered The Next Paige Talent Agency. Kaiden’s talent caught the eye of the agency’s founder and director, Elaina Paige Thomas, who was so impressed with his energy and charisma, that she decided to sign him.
Kaiden was 8 years old when he participate in the first class of students at Paige Thomas’ youth development Creative Camp, which launched three years ago. Now, 11, he eagerly awaits the debut of his first movie role in the Lifetime film The Girl in the Garage, set to premiere on January 18.
“I definitely learned a bunch at the Creative Camp,” said Kaiden. “I learned about movement, improv and made a lot of friends that are like family now.”
Paige Thomas established the Creative Camp to address a gap in the metro area when it came to nurturing child acting talent. As the city’s only Black owner of a talent agency, Paige Thomas has dedicated herself to personally training the children in her program which offers coaching, field trips, and guest speakers.
Over its three years, the program has grown significantly, beginning with 10 kids in its first year, expanding to 25 in the past year, and Paige Thomas anticipates enrolling around 50 this summer.
“We are making sure kids can be themselves, authentically and emotionally,” said Paige Thomas. “We are really encouraging them to find who they are through the arts and just making sure that they are basically being taught life skills through the performing arts.”
Although Kaiden had completed voice-over work and small roles in local advertisement campaigns he hadn’t yet landed any major acting opportunities. Given the limited acting prospects in Kansas City compared to the abundant opportunities on the East and West Coasts, his mother began to grow concerned about his future in the industry.
“We went to plenty of auditions and plenty of local brands to book work,” said his mother. “There was lots of rejection, which as a parent is hard to handle because you want your child to have everything and we began to get a little discouraged from time to time.”
Despite the challenges, the young actor refused to give up or slow down in his pursuit of professional growth. Kaiden remained optimistic that an opportunity would eventually come his way and never stopped working at improving as an actor.
The breakthrough came earlier this year when Paige Thomas was approached to serve as the casting agent and executive producer for a Lifetime movie that was to be filmed in Kansas City. Eager to offer opportunities to the young talent in her program, she cast five local child actors in the production. Kaiden landed the lead role.
“We do a lot of commercial work but this is our first international project,” said Paige Thomas. “That was my first one and they knew I worked with kids and we had been waiting on our big one so we are so grateful for the opportunity because we have quality talent.”
The film “The Girl in the Garage” is based on the true story of Laura Cowan, a single mother who, along with her children, was abducted and endured abuse while being confined to a garage.
Kaiden auditioned for and was cast as Ahmed, the son of Laura Cowan. His mother says that hearing her son had landed his first major acting role made all the previous rejections feel worthwhile.
“It was emotionally overwhelming,” said Johnson. “Having him have this opportunity to really showcase his talent to the world really is a lot considering he hasn’t been acting that long.”
Over the months that followed the casting, Kaiden discovered that acting in a major production required a great deal of dedication. He had to adapt to the challenges of working in different weather conditions and make changes to his appearance for the role —experiences that were all new to him.
“I had to cut my hair,” Kaiden said. “I was not expecting that and the last two days of filming was the 31st of October and the 1st of November so it was really cold and I didn’t get back home until like one in the morning.”
Despite the long hours of shooting and the large amount of material he had to memorize, Kaiden found the experience enjoyable. With this role, he has officially become a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Kaiden and his mom hope this movie will pave the way for more opportunities, and that Kansas City will see more films shot here.
On January 18, Paige Thomas will host a movie premiere watch party at The Next Paige Talent Agency, located at 5930 Troost Avenue, to celebrate the moment with the local community.
Kaiden and his mother are both thrilled and grateful for the opportunities the Creative Camp has provided them. They are eagerly looking forward to this year’s Creative Camp, which will run from June 9th to July 31st.
“Elaina has always been really good about creating opportunities for the youth and community at large,” said Johnson.
“She recognized the need to foster a safe space where young creatives can be exposed to different types of arts to cultivate what their interests are and I love he has had the opportunity to learn how to write, produce music, voice over work, videos, dances and it is just a good well rounded approach to support the youth in the community differently.”
