Rising Stars: Meet Aña Monique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aña Monique.

Hi Aña, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in a family in the entertainment business, it was only natural that I would be drawn to the industry. My mother was a professional dancer and my father a singer and musician who ended up opening and running a small independent record label.

Being raised to play instruments, sing and dance, the industry was a part of my life. I fell into modeling at the age of 10 and ended up walking for high-profile fashion shows before I even graduated high school. The industry was different in the 90’s and was not as controlled as it is now with age requirements on the front end of someone’s career.

I had left Hawaii where I was born and raised and moved to Italy. There I was mesmerized by the industry of fashion, and moreover, I was also fascinated at how Hollywood and the music industry were a natural extension of what I would consider the “entertainment business”. I felt very comfortable in maneuvering between what I call the trifecta of the entertainment world. It was a great education and before my 25th birthday, I felt like I had lived enough life for 3 people.

I have always been artistic and by then, I also had made the decision that the world of entertainment would be the industry of choice for my life. Because I had already had so much experience, I would often get roped into developing younger models and I found myself falling into makeup and hair and eventually photography. This helped immensely as I was able to help and groom the new generation of hopefuls, teach them as well as their parents, the ins and outs of the industry and style and photograph them myself with the knowledge of what the agencies were looking for. I was good at it and this led me to become an agent. It still makes me happy when open a magazine or walk into a store and I see one of the models I groomed who is still working and being successful. This did not stop there, eventually being asked for help in people breaking into the dance world, music and acting. I had become a talent manager and talent consultant to those who I did not have a management agreement with.

I am what they call a ‘Jane of All Trades”. I have a huge hat collection that I wear and am a strong believer that knowing as much as you can about an industry or a job is imperative in life. I like to be able to walk into a room and speak the same language and have conversations with the decision-makers in the industry and I tell everyone I manage, groom, and consult for to know your business and know it well. That way they are able to understand and make an educated decision and feel confident about it.

I started my creative production company, Dadirri Creative. Here my partner and I work on developing scripts and ideas for television and film. I also run the management division of the company and recently started to really grow my talent consulting and personal branding division, where I assist people both in the entertainment business or to discover their true personal brand to help them get to the next level.

My story is really about a girl from the middle of nowhere who left home and headed to the big city of dreams, got a bunch of life and business experience, and loves to help people. I do not think my story is any different from many people out there in this wild world of entertainment. But, it is my story. It is my hope that I can become a part of someone else’s success story as well.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This must be a trick question. Lol. No. It for SURE has not been a smooth road. But then again… what road is easy? I always laugh and think to myself that I must love obstacles. The entertainment business is riddled with them and only the strong will survive. I love this about the industry and I tend to be a person who does not see “failure” as the end of the world. For me, failure is never trying something. You have heard that comment before, I am sure.

I would have to say that many of the obstacles that have presented themselves to me has been the constant change of the industry. With the implementation of things like social media and such being such a huge tool that people use to find talent, etc. Getting my clients to actually get on board with it and put themselves out there has been a challenge.

Not surprisingly also is the obstacle of being a woman in the industry. The landscape is changing, however still, not quickly enough, with many decision-makers still being male. I have come across often the challenge of being a woman in the industry and being taken seriously at times. I have just pushed through and used it as a fire to keep my head down and do good work.

Of course, another popular obstacle is being a freelancer. Owning and running your own business is not without its struggles. As a freelancer or an entrepreneur, very often you are constantly… and I mean CONSTANTLY hustling for clients. Gone is the financial security of getting a paycheck every 2 weeks so learning and budgeting is something that one needs to cultivate early on in your career.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am currently the Co-Founder of a small production company called Dadirri Creative. We write scripts and creative produce content for television and film. I also am the head of the talent division within the company. I have also launched anamonique.com which is my personal branding and consulting business. Offering personal branding services, talent consulting services and online education surrounding personal branding and social media marketing to advance your career.

Coming from over three decades in the entertainment business and being both in front of and behind the camera and holding many positions within the industry, my approach to how I assist my clients is more in-depth as I truly understand the psychology of what they are going through and the struggles they may be facing as I have been in the same place as many of them. In my branding classes and if you are working one on one with me in discovering your personal brand, I spend a lot of time on the self-discovery process and finding your true “north star” or in other words, really honing in on your true and authentic brand voice and identity. This is imperative in creating an organic and authentic brand which will translate into more opportunities, more brand awareness and convert into business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anamonique.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theanamonique/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamoniquevelazquez/