We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tejah Signori. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tejah below.

Hi Tejah, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

Early in my career, I created comedy videos in addition to the usual hustle as a young actor. At the time, I was working at a vegan cafe in Santa Monica and met a director and his wife and we became friends. I showed them my videos and this director would tell me about the projects he was most passionate about and how he works for a big cruise line making their video content. He enjoyed my videos and one day he offered me to work on one of his projects, on a cruise in the Caribbean! Since this director has worked for many years for this cruise line, they entrust him with creative control, This time he wanted to add more humor and more fun to the project so I got the gig along with three other actors. For one week we were sailing the Caribbean seas, acting in humorous yet educational videos for the cruise line’s staff.

Not only were we working on the ship, we also got to enjoy the cruise as guests. At night, we would eat dinner as a team in the fine dining room with three course meals and white table cloths. Then I would hit up the casino to play blackjack and get a second dessert on my way back to my room. It was amazing.

Even though at times it felt like a vacation, we worked hard to shoot multiple scenes per day with only two takes per scene. Us actors had to be fully prepared while bringing our own special quality to make sure these videos were not only educational but entertaining. Every actor that was hired was a master of comedy. It’s not easy to make informative videos engaging but this was the perfect team to execute that.

This job was special because for the first time I felt that what I was putting into my acting was paying off. The paycheck was great and I got to do all the things I love; make comedy, be challenged, learn from seasoned actors and filmmakers, spend time with these warm, talented people, travel and eat. It was truly a great experience. A year later, I got hired by this director again. This time it was on a cruise in Alaska.

Tejah, 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?

In college I knew halfway through that I wanted to be an actor but I wasn’t getting my degree in theater or film. I was getting it in Exercise Science, the closest thing to pre-med BYU offered. I decided to finish in my degree but take acting classes at the university on the side.

When I graduated I moved to LA to start my acting journey. As a hobby I made YouTube videos in my free time. I taught myself how to write, direct, set up shots, and edit my footage. I even taught myself how to do quick animations and create visual effects because I had an interest in learning those skills too. I enjoy being a part of the entire process of filmmaking so I can create what’s in my head to your screen. I guess you can call me an Actress/Auteur since I pull from my personal life to make videos. I don’t necessarily like the title of auteur because it sounds pretentious but it is the most accurate title I can think of for what I do.

Since I have knowledge in editing, directing, and other parts of filmmaking, I keep that in mind when I’m acting in other people’s films. I know where the funny or drama is in the script, the importance of continuity in editing, or the peaking of sound for example. In my own projects it’s more of a cathartic, often times funny, release. I make videos because I enjoy it and I let others see what I’ve made so that they can enjoy it too. I also love music so I play my guitar and sing in some of my videos. Sometimes I’ll change the lyrics to a song and do a fun bit in the style of Phoebe Buffay. I have developed a lot of different talents and can do many things. For example, I’ve been hired to dance even though I have no formal training and I like to surf-skate for exercise. I also know how to bartend and make delicious drinks with subtle flair. I enjoy many things and that’s what I bring to my work.

I’m most proud that I have continued to grow as an actor and kept my mentality of persistence and hard work. What I want others to know is that I truly love acting. I joke with my friends and say that even if I’m 80 years old when Hollywood lets me have my own show like The Golden Girls, I’ll still be happy. By then, I might be like the gritty, smart-mouthed Sophia or Dorothy but I’ll still be happy.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal or mission is simple. Create a feeling. In a world where it can be so heavy at times, lightness is needed. And the opposite is true too. When things are too light, some realness is needed. That’s what I do in my creative work and in my life. There’s a truthfulness in that and a freshness. It’s like coming up for air when you’re being held down by an ocean wave. A much needed breath to keep the life of the story or conversation going. That’s why I like being in entertainment. I’m able to provide some air, light, or even darkness if that’s what is being called for. It’s not tangible but you can always feel it. And it’s feeling that brings excitement or even change.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion, just being plain supportive to your artist friends will do wonders for them. I’ve had experiences on both ends of people in my life being so supportive and the amazing things you can create after knowing you have someone on your side. And I’ve had experiences where someone you trust is unsupportive because of their own self interest and how disastrous that can be for your creativity. You end up wasting so much time not creating when that’s the one thing you want to do. It’s a bad place for an artist to be. Artists are sensitive. We take feedback and we listen. If we can feel the support, we want to make more art. And by creating more art, artists get better and society can enjoy it more fully. So support your artist friends in a healthy, constructive way however you can. Words of encouragement, a like, a comment, a share, or a few bucks for their projects all help artists become great artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tejahsignori
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/tejahsignori

Image Credits

Headshots by Andy Marques