Life & Work with Yael Tygiel

Hi Yael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Hi! I’m Yael. I’m an entertainment host, producer, writer, plus model, and all around nerd. I grew up believing I wanted to be an actor and I devoted so much of my early life chasing that singular dream. Everything I did growing up was to further my one goal until I ended up attending San Francisco State University. For many reasons, I found myself pretty aimless for a few years, until, after graduating, I was lucky enough to stumble into an office manager job with Sidereel where I also wrote TV recaps. After a bit, I helped them build their video presence with movie junket interviews and red carpets, and that’s when I found my true calling. Producing and Hosting became my new dream.

I’ve been in LA for 10 years now, and I’m finally thriving!

I launched my own websites, podcasts, and blogs; I experimented with a variety of topics and formats, creating and discarding ideas left and right. I started hosting and producing at Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzzTV. I freelanced for outlets like The Beat, Starry Mag, and That Hashtag Show. I was published on POPSUGAR and FANDOM. Eventually, my little entertainment site merged with FANVERSATION. I kept writing, pitching, and creating. I landed a writing gig with Collider. I was recently published on The Advocate.

Yes, through it all I took day jobs here and there. Worked 9-5s and was open to whatever position allowed me to continue moving toward my ultimate goal. I learned new skills. I kept going. I sought out opportunities, I auditioned wherever I could, I appeared on ScreenJunkies. In 2021, I joined the Hollywood Critics Association and launched ‘Hollywood Approved’ on their channel; I even got to present at the HCA TV Awards.

Now I’m producing projects with Electric Entertainment and co-hosting three official aftershows on Electric Now. I hosted the red carpet pre-show for the 50th Anniversary Saturn Awards in 2022, I have a podcast ‘Law & Order: S-Re-View’ and my body positivity blog TheFatGirlShow which focuses on promoting and uplifting Fat Talent. And I often get to travel the world for ComicCons or to visit the sets of shows I’m covering. Next up, I intend to revive my Twitch channel, launch another podcast or two, and sign with a modeling agency.

I have HUGE dreams, I achieved some of them, but there’s a lot I still plan to do. I will not be stopped.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is anyone’s road relatively smooth? Some challenges are harder to overcome than others, but everyone must deal with disappointment, rejection, and defeats.

A personal mind-shift I had to make was accepting that I work in a gig industry. Not only is there no security, but so many times people want you to work for free. And early on, I did. I worked mostly unpaid gigs for about 8 years, which means supplementing your income with other jobs. Yeah, those jobs could be considered detours, but through all of the experiences – both paid and unpaid – I learned skills, built a support system, found an audience, and created connections. Every opportunity has value, the important thing is to make sure you find it – be that skills, introspection, friends, or networking.

Honestly, when I arrived in Los Angeles in 2012, my toolbox was lacking plenty of skills. But at the time, I also couldn’t afford to hire anyone. So I taught myself how to edit footage, use free photo editing software, build a website. I didn’t give up. I added value to my portfolio. I created my own opportunities. I kept moving forward. When I didn’t see anyone like me – a fat, queer, middle-eastern, Jewish-American child of immigrants – doing what I wanted to do, I carved the space for myself.

The path is never smooth. Detours happen. Find the value, know your worth, and keep going.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

These days you can’t just be one thing. I’d like to just say, “I’m an entertainment host.” But my career requires me to be so much more: I’m a film critic with the HCA, I’m a red carpet host who just worked the Saturn Awards, I’m a ComicCon panel moderator, I’m an interviewer for FANVERSATION, I’m a producer with Electric Entertainment, I’m a senior writer for Collider, I’m a Fat Positive activist with TheFatGirlShow blog, I’m a podcaster and SVU superfan on Law & Order: S-Re-View, and now, I’m also a model.

I’m a passionate creative who is bursting with new ideas and projects. I’m an unstoppable force. Ask me next year what I do and what I’m known for, I guarantee I’ll have something new to add to the list.