Rising Stars: Meet Alexandra Ferrara

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Ferrara.

Alexandra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in St. Louis, MO, as the oldest daughter of two very entrepreneurial parents. My father was the founder of an Italian restaurant company called “The Pasta House” and my mother was and still is a model/actress, producer/makeup artist and the founder of her own nail polish line, K.Ferrara Color. I grew up watching them work incredibly hard and literally CREATE their careers themselves, and it really had an impact on me! I spent my childhood pretending I had my own talkshow, dressing up to sing and dance and pretend I was in my favorite musical, and creating my own printed-out newsletter to sell around the neighborhood!

I’ve always been interested in a lot of different areas of the entertainment business, and when I was choosing a major in school, I felt musical theater encompassed the MOST areas I was passionate about – singing, dancing, and acting – and so I got my BFA in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School Of Music in CT. Right after graduation, I moved to NYC – I’ve known since I was really little that I would live in New York City and pursue a creative career, and I never entertained any other option!

I started out in Musical Theater which is one of, in my opinion, the most challenging areas of this business to work in and the best training for ANY other job. Then, I started branching out into work on commercial sets as a makeup artist. Theater will always be my first love, but it was then that I realized how much I also loved being on a set! From there, I started exploring modeling, commercials, voiceovers, and podcasting! I’m currently working as an actress, singer, and +model, and I’m the co-host of the podcast “Obsessed With The Best With Alex & Tina.”

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! Moving to New York City with no job security and no stable income to depend on takes a very special personality type! There were so many moments in my 20s where I was at the end of my rope and just crying on the side of a New York City street! There is SO much rejection in this business and SO little opportunity for stable income, and sometimes that can be absolutely exhausting. My 20’s were spent auditioning and working during the day, nannying or waitressing at night, and then going home after all of those jobs to work on my own personal projects after midnight, all while just trying to believe that everything would work out! That life is not sustainable, but definitely necessary for a few years to make some headway.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from the low moments though is that almost every time you’re kicked really hard or feeling like you’ve had a major loss – that it’s actually happening FOR you to clear some kind of new path, to make space for something better, or to push you in a better direction.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love to create something out of nothing as opposed to walking into someone’s existing structure and having to fit into it! Starting out in musical theater, I mostly worked on brand NEW musicals that were still in development that audiences had never seen yet. And as a fit model, I get to try on clothes for brands before they go into mass production and give feedback on fit and structure. And with my podcast, my co-host Tina and I have complete creative control and we don’t have to ask anyone’s permission about a guest or a topic!

I’m also a size 12 which is a very common size for women but has until recently, been a very UNCOMMON size for women in the entertainment business. Growing up, I really never saw anyone who looked like me doing what I wanted to do. SO, I always hope to inspire women to be the best version of THEMSELVES because even if we were all on the exact same diet/exercise routine, we would each have very different body types. That’s just the way it is. And I want women to shift their focus from size and more towards feeling healthy and strong.

What are your plans for the future?
Well, my co-host Tina and I are gearing up for season 5 of our podcast “Obsessed With The Best.” It’s available on Apple & Spotify and we talk about the BEST of beauty, wellness, and inspirational women. We test and review new beauty products and wellness trends, as well as interview amazing female founders and experts! Our guests range from doctors and finance experts to TV actresses and burlesque dancers. Our goal is to make our listeners feel like they’re having a drink with their girlfriends while getting insider beauty tips and valuable insight from the women we interview! Tina and I are passionate about women’s health, body acceptance, living in NYC, working in the entertainment business, and finding the wellness and beauty products that actually WORK. We’re so excited about what we have lined up for next season and I can’t wait to share it!

I’m also continuing to work as an actress, singer, model, and fit model, so I’m definitely excited about upcoming castings and auditions and whatever other surprises pop up along the way!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.alexandrakferrara.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandra_kf/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/obsessedwiththebestpod/

Image Credits
Shani Hadjian Photography, Tereza Janakova Photography, In Style: Summersalt