We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Terrero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When it comes to risk taking, I’ve taken huge risks my whole life. I’ve lost part time jobs because I chose going to my auditions and callbacks over work. I’ve gone for long periods of time in between jobs because I took the risk of prioritizing my acting career over job stability. Most recently I took the biggest professional and personal risk, I moved from New York to Atlanta. Being born and raised in Manhattan, New York is all I knew, and to leave was scary but necessary.

I chose to quit the job that I had at the time and move into a new market for my career. Most people wouldn’t take such an uncalculated risk without thinking it through. I spent a few months looking for an apartment, put down the first month’s rent and made the move, unemployed and all. Within a few weeks I found myself on a sag set for a super bowl commercial, and from that job, I made next month’s rent. Shortly after I found a remote job and gained some sense of stability.

Over the summer I booked an on camera principal role in a commercial for a large franchise chain restaurant. I’ve been in Atlanta for 8 months and within that time I booked a handful of projects, signed with southeast representation, and have been auditioning regularly. I track my auditions and seeing that I self tape about 20-50 times per month, I’d say moving to Atlanta has been the best and biggest risk I’ve ever taken, and I don’t regret a second of it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart from others is my drive, I’m constantly working on my craft and always evolving. I’m not afraid of spending what I need to, to have top notch materials to aid me in my career. I’m most proud of moving away from home and finding success in another market. I got to where I am today professionally, by failing often and failing hard, until eventually I found my groove. It was not easy by any stretch, still isn’t, but I overcame my challenges by not taking no for an answer and just showing up to do the work.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way, but the most important one I’ve learned is what’s for you will never pass you. Keep your head down, work hard, and results will follow as this is a lifelong journey. I want the world to know that I’m working hard to make Latinx stories heard with my production company, Last Laugh Productions NYC, as we champion diversity and will fight to make our voices known in this industry. It’s hard to narrow down my brand and story to just a few sentences but essentially I’m the tenacious, humble, and hard working Dominican who never gives up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m still new to Atlanta, I’ve only had the pleasure of exploring a few places. If I were to create a little itinerary for a friend (which I have done recently!), I’d say to check out these places:

Places to visit:

– Georgia Aquarium
– Zoo Atlanta
– World of Coca-Cola
– Atlanta Botanical Garden
– Beltline / Ponce City Market

Neighborhoods to check out:

– Little Five Points
– Buckhead
– Marietta
– Downtown Atlanta

Restaurants (too many to list but a few favorites of mine):

– Bar Mercado
– Two Urban Licks
– Bantam and Biddy
– O-Ku
– Cinco Mexican Cantina

There are more places to recommend but I’m going to be a little selfish and keep these local spots to myself haha!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh my god, yes! There are a few people that have made my Atlanta experience so special. Firstly, I’d like to give a shoutout to one of my drama teachers, Alex Collins. His guidance and mentorship really helped me early on to successfully transition into the Atlanta market. We met via Zoom before I moved and then finally met in person once I started taking his classes at Drama Inc. He not only helped me learn the differences between New York and Atlanta, but he also helped me grow as an actor and referred me to my southeast agent. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for his help!

Secondly, I’d like to shout out one of my first southeast reps, Laura Magner. Hands down the best agent I could’ve asked for in the southeast! Laura has sent me huge auditions and gotten me in front of some of the biggest offices down south. In the 5 months that I’ve been represented by her, I’ve reached well over 100+ auditions with what she’s sent me, along with self submitting and getting my own auditions. I truly would not have been able to be seen by so many offices if it weren’t for her! Laura even helped with negotiations for work that I had booked on my own because teamwork makes the dream work! She has even hosted a few in person events and I’ve met/befriended other actors from the roster which has been awesome. She’s incredibly kind, hard working and humble. No matter what path in life she takes, I know anyone will be honored to have her as their agent. I work with a team of agents, but Laura has made my Atlanta experience truly worthwhile.

Thirdly but certainly not last, I’d like to shout out my fellow actor Marissa Romanoff. We met 7 months ago during a 6 week intermediate theatrical acting class with Josh Daugherty at Door D Creative (I met so many wonderful actors there and Josh really challenged us as actors!). We instantly clicked and she’s gone out of her way to invite me to Atlanta based events. She introduced me to her family and friends, and consistently makes sure that I get out of the house. She works extremely hard on her career and she’s someone I admire, and would like to shout out!

Website: https://stephanieterrero.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slickysteph/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieterrero/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/indepthsteph

Facebook: https://facebook.com/slickysteph

Other: I’m also a Graphic and UI/UX Designer, and some of my work can be seen here: https://dribbble.com/stephanieterrerodesigns

Image Credits
Stan Demidoff, Justin Clynes, Will Foster, Marissa Romanoff, Self Tape/Project Stills

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