Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Siragusa.
Hi Isabel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story starts out like that of many actors in LA—I studied theater in college (Yale), worked in a smaller market (the Bay Area), and did a stint in the UK before moving here nine months ago.
Where my story differs is that I’m an actor with a MBA. While working at a startup a few years ago in San Francisco to support my acting career, I realized how few artists had any background in business. It’s just not part of our training, despite being such a critical part to our success. So instead of pursuing an MFA, I went to business school at the University of Cambridge and, honestly, feel so much more prepared to be entering the LA market.
These days you can find me filming self-tapes with my cat, learning Jiu Jitsu, and offering marketing and communications support to small non-profits.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Acting doesn’t follow a single trajectory or even a few different paths. Everyone’s journey to success and even to defining what “success” means to them is different, so I’m not sure if it’s a smooth road for anyone. It hasn’t been for me, at least. Obviously, not knowing when your next job is coming is a challenge. It means sacrificing or delaying traditional life milestones like having kids or buying a house. Being new to LA and learning the ins and outs of this giant industry is not for the faint of heart. And essentially being a business of one is hard. I have an amazing team of agents, coaches, and a manager to fight for me and help me make decisions, but ultimately I am my own product and in charge of my own sales strategy. I started acting because I like disappearing into other characters, so it’s taken time to learn how to celebrate my own unique qualities and essentially develop a brand around them.
It sounds cliche, but each of those challenges also presents a really exciting and creative opportunity. So I keep going!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m currently focused primarily on film and television but I’ve done it all because I truly believe in the power of performance. I moved around a lot as a kid and living all over the world made me realize we all have more in common than we may think. I believe storytelling has the same power to connect people without getting on a plane or even leaving your living room. My goal as an actor is to help tell stories that can transport, inspire, and unite us. So I’ve done everything from Shakespeare to a western to a one-woman show to sketch comedy to even Clowns Without Borders in South Africa. If the story brings an audience together or makes them laugh, I’m all for it no matter the medium.
If you want to see me in action, I’m heading back up to the Bay this month to perform at SF SketchFest and stay tuned for the premiere of the indie Pater Mater later this year.
Contact Info:
- Website: isabelsiragusa.com
- Instagram: @isabelsiragusa
Image Credits
Tandem Photo, Joseph Giammarco, Daniel Shaykevich, Ryan Gerberding, Clowns Without Borders South Africa.
