Today we’d like to introduce you to Selena Schoups.
Hi Selena, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is pretty unique. I grew up in Menlo Park, CA just a stones throw from Stanford University with a very creative and politically active family. My grandmother was a Communist/Atheist/Scientist/Feminist White Southern Belle who had a lifelong friendship with one of the Hollywood Ten (I grew up around him not realizing how prolific this person was in political and Hollywood history), and my grandfather was a Mexican Minister/Singer/ Activist/Author/Scholar (who was a leader in the Chicano movement in California in the ’60s and worked with Cesar Chavez). My mother grew up all over the world, as my grandmother (a science teacher) would take her sabbatical and take my mother traveling whenever she could. My mother became very politically active in the 60s and 70s and also had a love of travel, so I was on a plane at six months old, maybe less and also grew up all over the world and attending marches, rallies, etc. She worked as a translator in Japan in my childhood, and I remember keeping myself entertained with my Michael Jackson record and my Alfred Hitchcock record while my mom worked, and my love of music and film only continued to grow. I spent time in Spain as a child and developed a love for Flamenco dance and music. My biological father was my mothers’ professor and didn’t want children, so I never knew him but instead grew up with a global family and a lot of variety in my life… My mom’s love of Soul music shaped my musical tastes (as a matter of fact, there are still people who believe that my biological father was Marvin Gaye because I decided I looked like him and had told people that was my bio dad 🙂 . But eventually, my Mom met my adoptive father who she met while at Stanford in the nursing program, and he was a Belgian who had sailed from Belgium to California. And spent my summers in Belgium and different parts of Europe visiting my Belgian family.
From a very young age, I was reading (I have been told I was reading at three years old), and loved Books, Music, Film, TV, anything I could consume. I also sang from a very young age and loved (LOVE) music with a passion. My mom wanted me to be a singer, but I wasn’t a natural performer. I allowed her to drag me to piano lessons, vocal lessons, dance lessons, etc., and I had a good voice, but once I heard Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” in my teens, my dream of being a singer was over. I grew up in the midst of the Hyphy movement in the Bay Area, and I had friends who were rappers/are rappers in the Bay, and I LOVED being in the studio. I loved being around music, just didn’t want the pressure of performing, and didn’t feel it was my calling, so I found a happy place doing background hooks, singing in my car or just being in that creative environment. For my middle school and high school years, we moved to just south of the Silicon Valley to a very small town where we raised Arabian horses. We had had horses my entire life, as a matter of fact, to get me to take a nap as a baby my mom would ride me around the block on a pony! It sounds like an awesome way to grow up, except that the idea was to breed and sell Arabians, and my mother would get attached and we ended up with 40 horses and no ranch hands, so I was the ranch hand. It gave me a really strong work ethic and strength of character.
After high school, I took a bit of a break traveled a bit and worked in photography, worked at a couple of photo labs and for my Jr. College newspapers and intended to go to a school for photography, and then I got accepted to UCLA as a transfer, found an internship, packed all my things, and moved to LA RIGHT before 9/11. I remember calling to confirm my first day of my internship and having them say, “Are you kidding?? Are you not watching the news? Internship/work, everything is on hold right now.” Found another internship very quickly and started working in the Promotions department at Universal Motown, but realized very quickly being a music lover and purist, working in music would took away all of the magic for me, so after about nine mos. I moved on to an internship at Spyglass Entertainment, they were on the Disney lot at the time, and they had done the movie the 6th Sense and the movie industry was in a period of remaking foreign horror into American versions, and so most of my job was reading scripts, doing coverage, and watching foreign horror. It was pretty awesome, but I remember thinking, I don’t want to work squirreled away in an office job where I have to dress up every day and not be actively social.
So I moved on to an internship at Betty Mae Casting. I LOVED Casting! I worked at Betty Mae for Mary Vernieu (owner of Betty Mae) who at the time, was sharing offices with Felicia Fasano and Anne McCarthy, and they were/are three of the most badass/powerhouse/prolific female casting directors in the business. I think some of the first projects I assisted on was “Training Day” (the original movie with Denzel) a Bruce Willis Movie, oh and “Barbershop”! It was a DREAM come true, I LOVED the process, LOVED being able to see all the actors bring their different reads and watching all of the decisions and how they made the final product what it was. And those three were so incredible to watch and learn from. Felicia was such a sweet and supportive guide into the business and even into LA. I liked her right away because her NY energy was similar to what I was used to from being a Bay Area native, and even dubbed herself my Italian fairy godmother. I started an organization at UCLA that was for POC in the Entertainment Biz and Felicia came to speak. I’ll always appreciate her love and guidance helping me find my way in this city and in this business. I also met one of my best friends during this internship, a Casting Director who was working for Anne McCarthy at the time (shout out to Freddy Luis!).
After a while, I realized that my personality didn’t lend well to Casting because I liked everyone and wanted everyone to win, and knew I could never make those kinds of decisions, and got an internship at Gold Liedtke and Associates (now called Talentworks). When I showed up for my internship, they had lost their receptionist, and they offered me the job, which I happily took and started my first paid industry job. Talentworks was and still is GENIUS at spotting talent and creating incredible and lasting careers. Harry Gold, the owner and my first industry boss is a veteran in this business and has created so many careers, and I met many of my lifelong friends and mentors and saw so many careers skyrocket while working at TW. Harry Gold, Sue Wohl were incredible to watch and learn from, their rosters boasted many now A-list actors, and the care and dedication that went into their career was a huge part of what molded me in the business and inspired who I am today. Bonnie Liedtke and Brandy Gold were the youth dept at that time, and Bonnie is another veteran powerhouse in the business having created so many A-List actors careers, and I watched her mold baby Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu and Taylor Lautners’ careers in awe.
After a year there, I went to another agency, then called Stone Manners now called Artists & Reps, as an assistant to (a now manager) brilliant agent, Holly Shelton. Stone Manners was another incredible character agency that really employed a quality over quantity approach, and it speaks volumes that a lot of the clients that are there today were there almost 20yrs ago when I was. I loved the representation side, but there were things about agency that I felt were not suited to my personality or interests, so after finishing UCLA through night classes and online, was going to take a brief break but lucked my way into a job with a management company that was one of the pioneers in personal management called James Levy Jacobson. I was hired to work as an assistant under one of the partners, the Levy of JLJ. They were well known because they had started the careers of some of the staples of the Entertainment business, Corbin Bernsen from Major League and LA Law days, Jennie Garth from 90210 days, Rachael Leigh Cook from early on, etc. And I was hired when my boss was very busy and focused on developing the career of a young James Franco, and I was able to get an invaluable education by just jumping in and learning as I worked. I took very quicky to management, it seemed to highlight the things that come naturally to me, but I also definitely had a multitude of things I needed to learn to give me the thick skin you need to survive in this industry, especially at that time being a young multi-ethnic woman in a very tough business. I had wonderful guidance and mentors along the way.
Ken Jacobson, a partner in the company, was such a wonderful and supportive guide in this business, not just at James Levy but well beyond my years there. I learned so much from him, working with integrity, grace and love, even when those around you don’t give the same. I learned forgiveness and humility through his stories of finding a young now A-List actress, and spending years developing her and having her fire him just before an Oscar win. I learned to work hard as hell but also to maintain a sense of humor and above all else, to prioritize loved ones and enjoying the life you work so hard to build while you have it. I was at that company for seven years, and then when the Writer’s strike of the early 2000s hit, I went to Overbrook Entertainment (Will Smith and James Lassiter’s company) as an assistant to one of the executives. At the time I was there, it wasn’t yet the production powerhouse it turned into, it was mostly management with some projects in production. I worked there for about a year before realizing that my heart was in personal management and went back to James Levy with a raise/promotion and the promise/hope of being able to work more diligently on creating my own roster. I realized very quickly when I returned that I had a unique eye for spotting talent and a knack for almost instinctually knowing how to develop and bring out the best of that talent. Many of the talents I had molded, and without realizing that I was molding and making an impact, now had careers to nurture, The writer’s strike changed the industry, and I realized very quickly that the only way I was going to really be able to make this a career for myself was to stand on my own.
It was REALLY tough on my own the first couple of years, and though I had series of tests and bookings my first year, it wasn’t enough to survive on, so I took a nannying job and worked two almost full-time jobs while building my roster. The first test deal I had, I remember being in a closet, negotiating with casting because the kids were screaming and I couldn’t let anyone know I HAD a side gig, lest it makes me look illegitimate. And the client BOOKED the pilot, but the series didn’t go. It also broke a record at the time for the most spent on a network pilot! Finally, after maybe three years of struggling and living off credit cards while I worked tirelessly, I was able to put a couple of clients on series and things started to build and grow and was able to make it without need of any side gigs. And that, I think was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. I still remind myself often to appreciate the fact that I’m able to do something I love and be paid for it, and have been able to live comfortably for almost a decade off of my own hard work and development. Grateful for my journey and the people that have molded and guided me along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think that in life and in this business, challenges should be seen as motivation, not setbacks. I think the wins I’ve appreciated most in this business have followed devastating losses, so I’ve learned to appreciate every moment, the highs; the lows; because they make the success that much sweeter.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Marque Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based Talent Management Company with a focus on individual branding and development in all areas. We help actors of all ages achieve their dream careers through opportunities in film, television, print, and commercial.
I’m most proud of the hand I’ve had in creating so many careers with actors from A-List on down. And really grateful and inspired to be able to help so many deserving people find lasting success in this business and be appreciated for their talent. And after 20+ years in this business. I still love it. I still get goosebumps every time I step on a set because I’m remembering that that moment, is what we spend so much time and energy working towards, and I never want to take that for granted. I also love finding the diamond in the rough actors, the ones that people don’t see the potential until you shine them up and put them out on display.
I still find constant inspiration in development, I love the feeling of calling a client with that first booking, doesn’t matter what the size of the role, it’s just one of the things that keeps me excited and inspired. And as a woman of color, who comes from a history of activism, I am constantly challenged and motivated to make a difference in this business and in this life. I am grateful to be able to have a hand in leaving this world a little more beautiful and a little more interesting than I found it.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Personal definitions of success should always be shifting. I tell clients constantly, “this business never gets easier, it just gets different, so appreciate all levels and experiences in the journey”.
I can’t tell you how many actors say things like, “if I can JUST book a series, I’ll be successful” and from many, many years of experience, know that goals change as you achieve, so it’s about always looking for new goals, new inspiration. Also, as you change and grow and learn, goals shift, so I think it’s extremely important to always stay hungry for knowledge and opportunity for growth and new challenges.
Anyone who says they’re not constantly learning doesn’t know shit! Regardless of age, we’re all students being schooled by life, and I am always seeking more knowledge and experience. As a dear friend of mine always says, “I never learned anything of worth at a party”.
Contact Info:
- Website:Â www.marqueent.com
- Instagram:Â @marqueentgroup
- Other:Â https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm2755540/?ref_=instant_nm_1&q=selena%20sch
Image Credits
Celeste Canino: Photographer Estelle Descard: Hair & Makeup Jon Pavlovsky: Producer
