Today we’d like to introduce you to Sienna Leone.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I graduated last May from the University of Arizona school of journalism getting a degree in broadcast journalism, and I knew I did not want to go back to Vancouver, Canada where I was originally from. So I always said, ‘I’m moving to LA’, “I’m moving in a couple of months” (when in fact I truly had no job, no place, simply nothing lined up) I just knew if I manifested it and really believed it was going to happen. I had started to apply for jobs months before I graduated, and I knew I wanted to get an on-camera job in the entertainment media world, but jobs are extremely competitive and tough in my field of work, especially if you are just graduating from University.
I would sit in class and would look up some of my favorite on-camera entertainment hosts, then researched where they started off after University, and Sweety High was actually one of those media companies that many of my favorite hosts started out at, so from when I was still in University I reached out and tried to see if there was anything at Sweety High, and I just kept bombarding them with emails, persistence was key!
Fast forward to the end of June, I was contacted by somebody that is very experienced in the entertainment industry saying that he wanted to meet with me regarding a ‘media coordinator’ position in his company. Excitedly, I knew this was going to be what gets me out to LA. Therefore my mom and I flew out to Los Angles to meet with whom was soon to become my boss, and right there he hired me on the spot. Everything moved extremely quick, I found the most perfect place in West Hollywood that was literally right next to my new office and I was set. I started at the end of July, but as the months went by, my role as ‘media coordinator’ shifted more into the role of being his personal assistant. This is something that didn’t make me happy, and I knew what I wanted, as it was to be an on-camera entertainment host. Therefore I was sitting at my desk in West Hollywood one afternoon when I got an email from NOW my former boss and VP of the company of Sweety High saying, “Hi Sienna, have you moved out from LA yet, we would love for you to come in for an interview.
Long story short, I got hired and my first day with Sweety High was the first week of October, and I made my way on-camera as a filmed my first in-studio on-camera piece at the end of October.
Great, 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?
It for sure has not been all rainbows and butterflies, but that being said, I am very grateful and blessed that through my hard work and my persistence of not giving up is what got me to where I am today of being an on-camera host. My biggest struggle throughout the way was probably the million no’s you get when applying for jobs, and the number of times I would have to follow up when applying for a job, which is exactly what I did with Sweety High, but even my boss from the moment she hired me said, “Your persistency is what caught my eye with you, and I knew you would be a great addition to the team” Therefore my biggest advice to people IS NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP!!! Persistency is appreciated!!!
Of course, my other struggles were honestly my own stress through it all. I put a lot of expectations on myself, and my goal was that by my 22nd birthday last November, I could proudly and gratefully say I was an on-camera entertainment host in Los Angeles. I reached my goal with a month to go to my birthday, and I am proud of how hard I push myself, but looking back a lot of my struggles throughout my journey were the anxiety and stress I honestly was putting on myself.
Please tell us about Sweety High.
Sweety High is one of the biggest Gen Z entertainment platforms targeted to teen and tween girls. We empower girls and make sure that is seen in the content we are putting out through our website, YouTube, Instagram, etc. Sweety High is known for a lot, we have a great editorial team covering food, beauty, etc. to seeing our production team at some of the hottest carpets in West Hollywood (American Music Awards, Grammy Red Carpets, Streamy Awards, etc.) to highlighting and interviewing young teen talent that deserves the recognition,
I think what I am most proud of as a company is that we really try and highlight the good in our world, especially through the times we are living in now, we see so much negativity in our media or ‘Gossip’, so we as a company try to only uplift and inspire our readers and viewers and inspire our readers and I think this is a big thing of what sets us apart. Sweety Highs goal is to be a safe place where teen and tween girls can come and feel like they belong, no matter who they are or their interests, we have something for everyone.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was going every summer to visit my grandparents on my mom’s side in Texas. We would go to their ranch in the middle of nowhere out in Texas for about 2-3 weeks. The night before I would leave for every summer Texas trip, I would be up all night because I would have so many butterflies in my stomach, I was so excited.
Going down to my Enna and Tatas ranch was so amazing for me because my grandfather taught me how to drive down there, my grandpa built me a rabbit cage where I had my first rabbits, learned how to milk and feed cows and some of my absolute favorite memories were making beef jerky and riding around the ranch with my Tata. It was a different life from what I was used to living in Vancouver. He is unfortunately not with us anymore, but I think of him and thank him often for giving me truly some of my favorite memories.
Another favorite childhood memory would be going down to my Nonna and Nonnos clothing store ‘Leones’ in Vancouver Canada and just watching them work, merchandise the beautiful clothing they sold, as well as interact with their customers & staff, along with so much more. I used to adore the clothes, handbags, shoes my grandparents used to sell in their clothing store, they are so highly looked at and respected in the Vancouver community, I really do admire them greatly. I am so blessed and lucky that both sets of my grandparents gave me some of the best childhood memories, as well as gave me a lot of personality and work traits that I carry into day to day life.
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