As an actress, television writer, children’s book author, and serial entrepreneur – it’s clear that Mercedes C. Young has her hands full – but don’t be fooled because she is the true meaning of the saying ‘booked and busy.’ When she’s not auditioning for numerous roles in the space of entertainment, she’s creating her own empire in the world of cannabis. We had the chance to sit down with her to discuss the inspiration behind her brand, Earth’s Dew, how she seperates each of her titles, and much more.
How did you first get into the world of entertainment?
Well, it all started from my mom. She was a model. She got us into it at a very young age. My siblings and I started modeling and acting as babies. It grew from there. We then went to performing arts school for our entire scholastic career. We specialized in theater and acting. As soon as I graduated college, I knew that I wanted to move to California and pursue acting. Six days after graduating from The University of Florida, I moved to Los Angeles and went all in!
How would you say you juggle life as an actress, television writer, producer, author, and serial entrepreneur?
It’s tough, I can’t lie. You have to be very disciplined, and you have to really stick by your schedule. Nine times out of 10, I’m extremely hands on with Earth’s Dew – which is my cannabis and all-natural skincare company. I’m spending most of my time here, growing this. When I get auditions from my agents and managers [which is like four to five times a week]. That’s the tough part. You’re dealing with tight turnaround times. I just had an audition ten minutes before we spoke, and they want it turned in by the end of the day. Sometimes I have to leave the warehouse and have my assistants continue working, while I go home and do a self-take. Everything is self-take now. I used to have to go to the casting office to audition for different commercials, television shows, and movies. Now, everything is virtual because of COVID. I actually went in for the first time for an in-person commercial audition two weeks ago. But, for the past year, everything has been online. I really have to drop what I’m doing so I can fill auditions in. With writing, I’ll just bang it out in one day so it’s not an ongoing thing.
Tell us what inspired Earth’s Dew.
Earth’s Dew was inspired by my father. My father got diagnosed glioblastoma – which is a rare malignant brain cancer. He was going through chemo, he did radiation, and nothing was really working for him. I’m very much into homeopathic remedies and natural remedies. I began doing research on things that killed cancer cells and other sorts. I discovered that CBD and THC oil kills cancer cells. I tried it on him by giving him the oils orally. It started shrinking his tumor, to the point where he was able to start talking again. He hadn’t been able to talk or walk, he was just in a vegetable state. He began talking again and it was incredible. Unfortunately, he passed away because of hospital negligence. He had a community-inquired pneumonia, so it had nothing to do with the cancer. IT was literally amazing the results he was getting. With that being said, I decided to honor him by using this herb that God placed on Earth to heal people by creating Earth’s Dew. I started it last year during the pandemic, when I had time to sit around and re-evaluate everything. I wanted to give back to the world and make a positive impact. That’s where the Lord led me.
What are you working on now and what can we expect to see from you in 2022?
I booked a show that will be coming out next year. I’m also developing my own show and we are trying to get it picked up by a network. We are gearing up to expand Earth’s Dew and make it bigger, better, and more luxurious.
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All images by Cree Armstead
Incredible, I want to be mentored by her!