Meet Vanessa Ozinger | Actor & Film Maker

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

Hi Vanessa, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think consistency is the most important factor. Everybody can work hard once or be lucky once but success won’t last unless you keep working for it consistently. And I won’t lie, when I started out, I did work hard but not on a constant level. I auditioned when I had the time, I wrote my own material if I had a slow weekend and so on. But that was not enough. I asked myself why things are not happening for me as I want them to and then I changed a few things. You have to put your work out there every day. It’s like working out in the gym. If you work out once that’s great! I’m one of these people who checks the mirror after one work out and thinks I can see an improvement (laughing). But the real progress will show if you work out regularly, and not over night. That’s what I do. I’m not saying give more than you can, but just give as much as you truly can everyday. That’s enough and success will come. You have to trust in your work and stay positive. For example, there wasn’t much happening for a month but I kept putting in the work and giving it my all, suddenly I was cast for three theater productions, a short film, and I’m also in the midst of filming my own (second) film with an incredible team. And now I have to turn other projects down because I simply don’t have the time to do any more. Success will come with consistency.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.I started out in theater when I was young, did my first critically acclaimed feature film and some other acting jobs in my home country, then came to the US. Besides acting, here I also started working as a stage manager, writer, cinematographer, set designer, producer, casting director, film director, editor. And I learned so much as an actor from each and every job. It gave me the full picture of a production piece. When studying directing you have to take an acting class to understand the point of view of an actor and know how to give them the right direction. As an actor you usually just study anything acting related. But seeing things from a director’ or stage manager’s or editor’s point of view, gives you a much better idea as an actor what they need. It really made me a better actor and easy to work with. And those jobs were hard! You work long hours, have to make a lot of decisions and carry a lot of responsibilities. I started small but worked my way through everything. If a production is successful and I worked as a production assistant or cinematographer or stage manager, it is my success as well.

This is what also lead to my success as an actor and film maker, I think, doing it all. I am really proud of the recognition I have gotten as an actor and film maker. But I have to say it was not just acting jobs that led to my success, it was every job.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First restaurant to hit -Max Brenner! Great burgers/pasta and the desserts are the best. Eataly is another must -I love getting pizza from there and sit in Madison Square park and listen to some jazz musicians. Another spot is Market Place in Dumbo and chill by the waterfront with a view of Manhattan.

Bryant Park! You can either watch a movie at night in the summer or go ice skating in the winter.

I’d get rush tickets for a Broadway Show, dance Tango in Central Park on Saturdays, and walk the High Line on a nice day. If she wants to go to Times Square she has to go by herself, because no person living in NY will ever go there voluntarily. If she wants to get high, I think a stroll through Washington Square Park should do it.

I’m Austrian, so I gotta say it, there is an incredible Austrian cafe/restaurant on the upper east side called Café Sabarsky. I love to take a walk through Central Park and then go there. I live for food so: Aita Trattoria, Magnolia Bakery, Ruby’s Cafe, Tacombi, Sinigual and so many more. I would basically just eat with my friend all day!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My friends! Definitely my friends who work with me everyday. They are artists as well (actors, writers, producers, singers, etc.) and they are not only encouraging and supporting me in every project, but they also inspire me. I surround myself with the best people who are also so passionate and hard working. But honestly, it is not just sharing my successes but also sharing failures with a supporting group of people that makes me stay positive. A teacher once said to me -acting is one of the best things in the world, being an actor is one of the worst. It’s a tough business and you need the right people around you to make it worth your while. I’m not even a little exaggerating when I say I have the best people around me and I am so incredibly thankful for them everyday. They celebrate my successes, they share my failures, they encourage me to work hard, they are my support through everything. My shoutout to them for being the most incredible, inspiring, kind, supporting people in my life. Oh and my parents are great too.

Website: https://www.vanessaozinger.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa__carina/?hl=de

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8848088/

Image Credits
Apeksha Agarwal