We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Iliana Guibert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Iliana , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Actually I feel I started my career right when I needed to. I worked in the corporate sector most of my life. When I got laid off, I took it as a blessing in disguise as it gave me the opportunity to pursue a life long dream. I now bring all my corporate skills and sensibility to my work as an actress and producer and it’s serving me quite well. I feel blessed to have the best of both worlds.

Iliana , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up watching the old MGM movies and being mesmerized by the performances of Bette Davis, James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, Joan Crawford, Lucille Ball and so many others. The way they made me feel, how I’d cry and laugh made me want to invoke those feelings in others. So from an early age I knew I wanted to be an actress but I was painfully shy and had no idea how to even approach it.

My parents came from Cuba making me first generation. They knew nothing about the entertainment industry and although they were great parents, they didn’t encourage my passion. In fact, they discouraged it and instead pushed for a career as a teacher, nurse or business administration. I ended up working in corporate sales and it wasn’t until I got laid off from my corporate job several years ago that I started to really pursue my acting career full time – proving it’s never too late.

Since then I’ve worked on stage, film, television, commercials and print and now I’m excited to be producing small projects.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are many rewarding aspect but the first that comes to mind is the affect the work can have on audiences. From opening their eyes to things they didn’t know, or helping them realize something about themselves or others. This art form can educate, inspire and connect people. It can be a spring board for conservation and debate and it can also be very therapeutic and enlightening.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Many things drive my creative journey but a key one is wanting to inspire people to go after their dreams in-spite of the challenges, to take chances, to live life to the fullest, to give back, to be compassionate and open.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iliana.guibert/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilianaguibert
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaz3b7tcVCbynSYbvzr4nuQ
• Other: www.imdb.me/iliana.Guibert