Today we’d like to introduce you to Inessa Chimato.
Inessa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I guess you can say that my story started when I left behind my family and friends and moved to America 11 years ago. I lived in Rhode Island for a bit and in New Hampshire cause that’s where work was for me at the time. Then, I lived in South Florida for five years, and that was the place where I discovered modeling for myself and I loved it! Then, there were some small acting gigs as well. As I was slowly working on the craft, more and more people were recommending to go to LA, because that is the Spot, you know, for the business. And one day, getting my stuff all in one car, I moved across the country to the west coast. And it’s now been six years in LA. With its ups and downs, I can’t imagine another place I could possibly be at right now. I especially love California for its amazing locations and variety. I love exploring, traveling, finding new “hidden” Cali spots and I am planning to explore and keep working for my dream life!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If you are a person of integrity, hard work, flexibility and ability to adjust to different scenarios, then I would say it’s pretty smooth. Some girls have been reaching out with questions about where/how to start and a piece of advice I give is to keep working at your craft. If you are still “green” so to say, there are plenty of possibilities to start working on your skills (like “Trade For” shoots), keeping in mind that sometimes there are sketchy people out there and there is no such thing as communicating too much in such matters. Because by talking about your shoot in details, you can discover some things you might not be ok with. And it’s never too late to turn something down if you don’t feel good about it. But, please, make a decision in advance if you are canceling something, that way you are respecting other people time and they have enough time to find a replacement. One of the things I hear very often from photographers is that models don’t show up or cancel last minute and it doesn’t look professional at all (of course, anything can happen and you might have to cancel, just do your best in doing it early enough). Be honest, don’t be afraid to communicate and be professional at all times, because in my experience, by showing great attitude and work ethic, people keep bringing you back or recommending you to others for other job offers.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a model/actress and that is what I do full time. I would say that I specialize in lingerie/swimsuit shoots, but with experience of over eight years in business, I can say I’ve done it all: runway, commercials, catalogs, workshops, promo modeling, been featured in many TV shows, appeared on TV Show “The Proposal” as one of the contestants, etc., but I think the biggest attention I get is from my videos on youtube.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
I believe that the best work you can do in life is to work on yourself. So, by living a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and activities, by reading lots of books for self-development and following some inspirational people on social media, I am making sure I am doing my best every day!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://inessachimato.wixsite.com/inessachimato/book
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inessachimato/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InessaChimatoLA/
Image Credit:
Paul Zimmer, Steve Gores, Robert Alvarado, Dave the Photographer
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
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