About Dorian Alexis Santiago

Dorian Alexis Santiago has been described as an enigma wrapped in a conundrum encased in a fortune cookie. He still tries not to listen to the critics in his head.

A writer, director, acting coach, teacher, and lifelong student of storytelling, Dorian began his creative career almost by accident. In college, he auditioned for a play largely as a joke and was cast after his booming voice filled the theater. Something clicked. Acting became the first thing he remembers wanting to be truly great at.

Soon, other actors began asking him for advice. His tendency to overanalyze everything became unexpectedly useful: he could break down why a performance worked, identify why it didn’t, and explain the difference simply. That instinct eventually became a career.

Dorian founded Class Act Studios in Atlanta, coached award-winning actors, and became an award-winning director. He later wrote Get Your ACT Together: Living an Oscar-Worthy Life, exploring acting, personal growth, and the obstacles people place between themselves and the lives they want.

Then he decided to test some of those ideas on himself.

Dorian walked approximately 2,500 miles along Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, a four-month journey that became his second book, Moving at the Speed of Life: 2500 Miles, 4 Months, 1 Mission.

Throughout all of it—acting, teaching, directing, filmmaking, writing, and walking across the country—story remained the common thread.

For years, Dorian taught actors to discover the truth inside imaginary circumstances. He studied character, motivation, conflict, behavior, and the tiny choices that make audiences care deeply about people who never actually existed.

Eventually, he wanted to create those people himself.

Princess Karate is his first middle-grade fantasy series and brings together many of the things that have shaped his life and imagination: martial arts, mythology, humor, family, faith, strange creatures, impossible questions, and the belief that becoming powerful and becoming worthy are not necessarily the same thing.

For much of his career, Dorian helped other people bring characters to life.

Now he gets to introduce you to his.

Her name is Kaliope.