dream. pray. believe. receive.

bio

Recently selected for the SHOWRUNNER BOOTCAMP facilitated by award winning writer and Showrunner, Anthony Farrell with Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, Chantel Riley is a Canadian-Jamaican singer, songwriter, actress and producer known for her lead role as “Trudy Clarke” in the Canadian hit series, FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES. She also starred as “Angela Cooke” alongside SUITS veteran Gina Torres in the SUITS spin off series PEARSON.

Chantel kicked off her acting career after attending an open call in Toronto and landed her first gig playing “Nala” in Disney’s THE LION KING in Hamburg, Germany. For this, her first major role, she learned the entire play and lyrics in German. After a successful one-year run, Chantel returned home to Toronto and was immediately offered an opportunity to play this role on Broadway.

In the summer of 2012, she made her debut in New York City and spent four years bringing this well-loved character to life. While performing on Broadway, Chantel also landed her first film role playing “Quincella Nickerson” in the critically acclaimed Jesse Owens biopic, RACE.

Chantel is also known for her recurring role on the SyFy series, WYNONNA EARP and appears as “Layla Hassan” in the ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS video game. In 2021, she released her EP called “I AM” and published her children’s book “I Am: Precious Affirmations”.

Chantel is also the voice of Lucy in the Netflix animated series DANIEL SPELLBOUND. She has starred in the Jeremy Lalonde directed comedy DANIEL’S GOTTA DIE (Austin Film Festival 2022), in THE LOVE CLUB for W Network and Hallmark, and has had a guest starring recurring roles in GRAY (Lionsgate TV), BEYOND BLACK BEAUTY (Amazon Prime), HOW TO DIE ALONE (ABCS), and the new series LAW & ORDER TORONTO.

Recently, Chantel has broadened her scope as Executive Producer on multiple award winning Documentary film A LETTER FROM THE FATHERS as well as the upcoming short film SUGAR DUMPLIN’ having its World Premiere at the PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL 2025.

“They say it get’s lonely at the top, but it most certainly doesn’t have to be.”

Services

I know first hand how scary, exciting and even frustrating it can be working in this industry. And even more so when just starting out. I wish I knew half the things I did when I started and that’s why I decided to create this mentorship program for all you new and aspiring artists. I want to give you all a safe space in knowing, you are NOT alone in this. Below are the services I will be offering:

Advice & Guidance

Rehearsal assistance

audition prep

“let it all out” session

reader assistance

Reserve an appointment

Being in this industry can sometimes feel lonely. Who do I call for help? What should be my next step? How do I maneuver this industry? Is there anyone I can just rant to?

From needing a reader for a self-tape audition, or just shoulder to lean on, I am at your service!

Testimonials

David d. wilson

ACTOR | CREATOR | ARTIST

“Never have I met someone so humble and willing to share knowledge as it relates to helping actors find their way. A little nervous and unsure about my audition for Lion King, Chantel offered some much needed advice and tips about the world and the role prior to me going in. She followed up with me and continues to be a wealthy resource of knowledge and relevant information.”

CRYSTAL ROSE

ACTOR | CREATOR | ARTIST

“Chantel is one my biggest supporters and advocates for my career as an actress and filmmaker. She has guided me along in my career for the past 5 years, providing me mentorship, feedback and resources that have helped to bring my career to the next level. I really appreciate her genuine heart to see me win and she isn’t afraid to share the knowledge she knows and she has been a wealth of knowledge for me since I first entered the industry professionally in 2019.

Thank you Chantel for being such a huge advocate and cheerleader for me and a mentor I can always call on!”

“I’ve known Ms. Chantel Riley for a very long time. And She has guided me through the toughest of time, in my aspiration to be an actor. She has taken time out of her days when I needed her to, whether it was just to ask advice on the directions I should take to put myself out there on social media more, or to help me see what I should be looking for in an agent or a manager. And just seeing the people that are for you or want to see you do better and reach greater heights. She also has taught me to stay on top of my work or any work that comes my way, to treat it with care. She also has taught me patience, just to be able to be constantly aware of what’s going on in the Acting industry or any industry work I part take in.”