Today we’d like to introduce you to Alana Paolucci
Hi Alana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Where do I begin? It’s been a long path to where I am today. I grew up between Buffalo, New York and Manhattan which are two vastly different places. I moved around quite a bit and with that came a lot of shyness and bullying, which I honestly can say has strangely helped me in the long run. I was always interested in all things creative- acting, dance, art, writing, etc. but mainly acting. I moved to Los Angeles six years ago from New York and it was an integral part of my growth within myself and my career. My initial pursuit was acting, though I somehow fell into commercial real estate until the pandemic hit (aka your typical LA survival story). The pandemic is when my entire life shifted. I found myself jobless and had an opportunity to go on a reality show that paid per week and despite it being very opposite from my personality to do so, I was desperate for work and to try something new. From there I started modeling full-time and finally got back into acting recently as well.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Literally not at all. This industry is an absolute rollercoaster and as soon as you think you’ve figured it out, you’ve been humbled again. I’m not the typical physical archetype for a model. I’ve been told for years that my measurements and height do not fit the mold, but I refuse to take “no” for an answer, which ultimately has led me to where I am today. I’m happy to say despite all of that I am signed around the world and have worked with people I had only dreamt of working with before. As far as acting is concerned, everything within you gets stripped down and you have to be incredibly vulnerable, which is something I have had to re-learn since I started modeling. There will inevitably be more ups and downs but there are also so many more amazing things to come, which I am grateful for.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m honestly most proud of my resilience and consistent drive for more. I really put my all into what I believe in, and in this case, I’m believing in myself.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’ve learned over the years that accepting yourself as you are and deeply knowing yourself is your biggest power. I have had many years of people trying to tell me who I should be, what I should be, and how to be it, and any time I tried to be anything besides my truest self it never works. Individuality is slowly being stripped from our society but I refuse to let it change me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanapaolucci
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@alanapaolucci?lang=en
Image Credits
Credits: Mike Rooke, Amadeo Agis, Mady Kanz, Bryan Whitley, Cindy Romero, Narbeh Khodaverdi
