Life and Work with Kalyna Astrinos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalyna Astrinos.

Kalyna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Sometimes I can’t find the words to really describe how incredible my journey has been and how thankful I am to be where I’m at today.

I grew up in Modesto, CA which is a relatively small town in the Central Valley. I was always focused on getting good grades, so I could move down south and pursue a career in entertainment. I would watch entertainment news shows in high school, local news and listen to the radio non-stop. It became a dream of mine to end up on one of those platforms, I just needed to figure out a way to break in.

So, I moved to Orange County, transferred to the University of California Irvine, and started applying to internships and jobs online. One of the jobs I applied for, was a street team position at 102.7 KIISFM in Los Angeles, the same station Ryan Seacrests’ morning show is on. When they called me to set up an interview I was ecstatic. After two interviews, I was hired and finally had my foot in the door. From there, I worked my way up. I put demos together in between classes, practiced the way I sounded in the car while stuck in 2-3 hours of wonderful LA traffic, and really focused on perfecting my craft. I eventually landed summer break call-ins and was on the radio! From there, I became the Friday night movie girl for the JoJo on the Radio show, and then once I graduated college, I started working with the news and traffic division at iHeart media.

I worked every shift possible from overnights to weekends, two shifts a day, you name it I did it. I was debating on going back to school to get my masters when my boss at the traffic center reached out to me to let me know the afternoon TV Traffic anchor had put in her notice and encouraged me to apply. I had never been in front of the camera, let alone on TV before, but went for it and landed the job. I became the afternoon Traffic Anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles.

My radio & TV career started in LA, which I could not be more proud of. It is such a competitive market, but to have people believe in you, your abilities and want to help you succeed just blew me away. I spent about 5-6 years as the afternoon Traffic Anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News, and because the shift was designed to include radio, I was also able to provide traffic reports and show my personality on some major radio stations in Los Angeles, including On-air with Ryan Seacrest on 102.7 KIISFM, The Woody Show, afternoons with Damien Fahey on 104.3 MYFM, Petros & Money and more. It really was a dream come true.

After a few years, I decided it was time to branch out, so I accepted a TV reporting and fill-in Anchor position in Bakersfield, CA at a CBS & FOX duopoly. There, I covered everything from wildfires, severe weather, hard news, entertainment/lifestyle and was the lead fill-in anchor for the morning and midday shows. I was also fortunate enough to continue radio in Bakersfield and landed a midday show M-F 10am-3pm on HITS 93.1 a top 40 station there. It was such a blast and I officially had my own radio show! After two years, it was on to the next adventure which brought me here to sunny San Diego.

Currently, I am a morning Traffic Anchor, Reporter, and fill-in Anchor at ABC 10News. I was able to continue radio here as well and can be heard Sundays from 2p-6pm on Z90. I love it!

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?
The struggles you encounter and the bumps along the way will make you so much more appreciative of your dream job when you land it. That’s something I always try to convey to people and remind myself of daily.

Before graduating from college, I was a full-time student, driving from Orange County to Los Angeles on a tank of what I like to call hope. I was spending more money on gas than I was making, I was sleep deprived, broke and questioning myself and my decisions at least once a week. Once I graduated from college, I wasn’t able to land a full-time job in entertainment, so I worked three jobs. The traffic center overnight and weekends, the street team job afternoons, and an admin position full time to make enough money to keep me afloat after college. It was tough, but I kept pushing through and I’m thankful I did.

You will hear the word “No” more times than you thought possible, you will question yourself, and you may even think about quitting. You just have to remember, if you work hard, stay honest, and really believe in yourself things will work out.

I remember when I applied for the position at 102.7 KIIS FM, a friend told me not to get my hopes up because I probably wouldn’t get the job. Now, if someone told high school me that, I would have cried and thrown my resume away. But, I was already at the point in my life where I turned fear into fuel, and rejection into hope. And all I could think about were the dreams and goals I wanted to accomplish in this lifetime. I also love proving people wrong.

You are your worst enemy at times… when you should really be your biggest fan. Once you set the fear of rejection, fear of failure, and fear itself aside and replace it with goals, plans, dreams, and stay open-minded, you will start to see momentum and doors open. You just have to trust and believe in yourself.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Working in both radio and TV you get to meet, interview and talk to so many different people. Reporters are storytellers. And it’s our job as storytellers to actively listen and get to the core of the person we are interviewing and the story. I believe in creating a community with the people I interview. I like making them feel comfortable enough to be in front of the camera, comfortable enough to share their story and I listen to every word with an open heart and mind. I have covered everything from wildfires, red carpets, severe weather, local elections and more. I love that every day is different, and you never know who you will meet and whose story will touch your heart.

In radio, you share a love of music and music can bring so many different types of people together from all walks of life. I love being on the radio because I can be myself. I can wear whatever I want, and I can still connect with you through a microphone. It’s incredible. I also really enjoy meeting our listeners and love getting those winners that scream on the line because they are so excited to win!

I am in the process of launching my own lifestyle/travel blog and online show to go along with it. This is my passion project and I am so excited to kick it off. I will be showcasing and highlighting the realness and core of people and life around Southern California.

I am also so incredibly proud of the connection, support, and love women have been showing each other in media and in other fields now. There is room for all of us and I’m thrilled to see that happen. This helps keep me motivated.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Finding a mentor is key.

Use social media, LinkedIn, internships, friends, etc. to help open doors and create momentum.

Find someone you admire in whatever field you want to pursue and see how they did it. Read their bios, reach out to them on different platforms and ask them for advice. Create that relationship. Ask them to look at your work, be open to critique, take classes, network and keep pushing forward. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The best connections I have made were from friends of friends. Once you make those connections, it’s always important to maintain those relationships and be honest. Don’t use people, but rather learn from them and offer help in return. Maintain a good reputation and always be humble.

Remember, no matter who you are, there is always room to improve and grow your craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kalynaastrinos.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalynaastrinos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kalynaastrinos/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kalynaastrinos

Image Credit:
Adrian Garcia, Gerald Labrador, Joseph Quan

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