CAC Alumnus Cameron Gilliam Wins National Television Competition for Dancing, Singing & Acting

Alumnus (2009) Cameron Gilliam is the perfect example of a “CAC Lifer.” For the entirety of his pre-college education (from the first day of PreK, until the day he walked across the stage at graduation) Gilliam attended Central Arkansas Christian.

In middle school and high school his interests could be characterized in two categories: music and sports. He was a member of multiple teams over many years, and played percussion in multiple bands – on and off campus. But it was the moment after performing in a school talent show that he says changed his life forever.

“As soon as I got off of the stage, I remember this exhilaration that I had never felt before,” Gilliam said. “I remember being absolutely ecstatic. It was the first moment where I realized I loved storytelling and inspiring people with an artistic presentation.”

Gilliam didn’t fully accept and pursue a career of creative arts until his senior year of college at Lipscomb University, when he was invited to act in a short film. Once he realized his passion centered on “creating art that inspires people to be the most fearless and honest versions of themselves,” he began training seriously and taking steps to learn as much as he could.

He currently teaches dance classes, stars in musicals, writes and records music, choreographs music videos and performs in and directs short films. (The list goes on and on…seriously, this guy does it all.)

Although his recent successes are exciting, Gilliam said the CAC family continues to be one of his largest inspirations, and the reason behind his desire to serve others through art.

“The biggest giants in my life have been the teachers who considered my heart worth investing in way beyond the call of what a job description would entail. They sincerely believe they are being world-changers by getting to influence a group of kids. And they were right.”

He said he was amazed by the amount of people who considered his life worthy of investment, even though it has been years since he’s been involved at CAC.

“I had teachers who didn’t treat me as an inferior, but as a human being, as a collaborator – we were both working toward a common goal. They didn’t say, ‘Sit down and listen to me preach because I’m wise and you’re not.’”

Most recently, Gilliam won a TV competition talk show hosted by Harry Connick Jr. called Triple Threat. He was tasked with creating a performance that showcased three of his talents (drums, dance and voice) while telling a story at the same time. Through what he described as a “whirlwind” he ended up winning, and credited the victory to the community of people who believed in him so genuinely.

Cameron is always up to something new, so check out his website camerongilliam.com to keep up-to-date with his new projects! To watch the video of his winning performance on Triple Threat, click here.