Storm Reid’s roles run gamut from “Santa’s Boot Camp” to “Twelve Years A Slave.”

LOS ANGELES, Ca.—Storm Reid, 10, applied the lessons she learned at Creative Studios of Atlanta to her appearance as Sparkle in “Santa’s Boot Camp” and Emily in “Twelve Years A Slave.”

Reid entered Creative Studios of Atlanta at age 8 and was soon accepted into the Film Academy. All Film Academy students had a part in “Santa’s Boot Camp,” with creator Ken Feinberg writing the parts to suit their personalities. Reid became Sparkle, one of Diva Elf’s best friends who joins her in the strike.

“Sparkle has two sides, a nice side and a dark side,” Reid said.

She can be happy, but she can also be really sassy. Since Sparkle was created for her specifically, it wasn’t difficult for Reid to play the part.

One of Reid’s favorite scenes was when the striking elves Skype with Santa and tell him they’re on strike. She also liked shooting at Stone Mountain, especially the scene where the striking elves return to work to save Christmas. Off-camera, she enjoyed having her elf ears put on and hanging out with her friends between takes.

“Santa’s Boot Camp” isn’t Reid’s only feature film. Reid also plays Emily in the movie “Twelve Years A Slave,” currently in theaters. To prepare, Reid’s mother Robyn Simpson had her watch the film “Roots” to get a better understanding of slavery. She also took her to see “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” in which Quvenzhané Wallis, an actress Reid’s age copes with deplorable conditions. Wallis also appeared in “Twelve Years A Slave,” although the two never met.

Reid described her character Emily as being very sad because she and her brother have been sold away from their mother. To play Emily, she had to think about her real mother being taken away from her.

Reid also used techniques she learned from Creative Studios of Atlanta to play the character. One technique is imagining the concept of what one is saying in one’s head. For example, if one’s lines involve a tree, one must imagine the tree. Another technique is using the moment before to think about what’s happening.

She enjoyed working on “Slave.” She did what she loved to do and had a great experience. And after the movie was filmed, Reid did meet Wallis in Los Angeles.

“We got some really great pictures and they really got along,” Simpson said. “It was like they were old friends.”

When asked to compare the two films, Reid said working on both was the same. Although she called on different emotions for Sparkle and Emily, she was doing what she loved and it wasn’t difficult.

Reid’s future looks bright. Simpson explained Reid shot a pilot for Nickelodeon called “Party Park” in June. Although she doesn’t know if the pilot was picked up, Nickelodeon marked her as an up and coming actress and signed an exclusive deal with her. As a result, Reid shot another pilot, “Twang,” in mid-December.

“Storm has been extremely blessed to be in the role she’s been in after only being out here in Los Angeles for a year and a half,” she said.

It’s great to have a major network so excited about her.

Feinberg, director of “Santa’s Boot Camp” and Reid’s acting coach, was pleased to learn about Reid’s nomination in the Screen Actors’ Guild’s award for the Best Ensemble in a Feature Film for “Twelve Years a Slave.”