We were lucky to catch up with Maria Breese recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maria, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

As a mother of two, not only do I hope to leave a legacy of perseverance and courage, but to be an example of what you get when hard work, love and a dream come together.

I have been very fortunate in my career to be surrounded by friends and family that genuinely want to see me succeed. Although no one in my immediate family has endeavored into film and tv before me, I do come from a long line of creators & artists who understand the value of determination and being passionate in what you do.

As my parents and grandparents before me, this is the legacy I hope to leave to my children: if it ignites a fire within you, never let the fear of striking out keep you from it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a child of a decorated college dean in the Arts and a professional musician, I was exposed to the wonders of performing at a very young age. I was furiously encouraged to express myself through song, movement, investigating my emotions and the wonders of my imagination. It is because my parents believed in the beauty of becoming an artist so much, that I was freely able to be myself and have the confidence to pursue acting and film/tv production. Perhaps they instilled a ridiculous sense of confidence in me, or because of my sheer stubbornness, I have been able to be both a production company owner and an actress. To dare straddle the line of leader and creator, be both beauty and brains, explore my talent and push myself to explore my weaknesses. To them, I will always be grateful.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I graduated from college, I knew I immediately wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue and film and television. During my years in school, I’d spend my summers working in casting to get the lay of the land in LA and truly prepped for the impending move. Finally, the big day came. I packed up my 2003 Jeep Liberty, my dog and my blow up mattress. Convinced my mom to take the 3000 mile drive with me and stored away my $800 in graduation money.

When I got to LA, a friend lovingly let me sleep on the floor of his living room on a blow up mattress while I searched (feverishly) for a job. One month later, I got a job at a candy store on Beverly Blvd in Beverly Hills for $10 an hour, well on my way towards my independent life as an actress. I soon found an apartment with a roommate from Craigslist and started putting whatever money away that I could.

13 years later, I have an office on… Beverly Blvd and Im living the life I truly set out to live.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I co-own and operate a film/tv company called 3:33 Creative, which I run with my husband, Patrick. My husband, a former professional soccer player, never originally set out to work in entertainment.. and I think if I had told him 10 years ago this is what he’d be doing, he would have laughed at me. I can think of no better person to run a business or do life with than Patrick.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.mariabreese.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/mariabreese
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breesemaria