We were lucky to catch up with Francesco Valenti recently and have shared our conversation below.

Francesco, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

It was in High School. I was lost after the passing of my father and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always been involved in theatre through my mother. After finding a home away from home in theatre, I knew acting was my calling

Francesco, 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 was born and raised in San Diego California. Ever since I was a kid, I was a big fan of film and theatre. I was able to memorize lines from movies so well that my family would ask me to perform for them. Most of the time, those films would be Steve Martins films. He was my first idol when it came to acting. If I wasn’t acting, I was at Qualcomm Stadium watching the Chargers with my dad. After he passed away, I kind of shut down. The hobbies I had like Chess, surfing, and Aikido, I no longer wanted to do. It wasn’t until High School that I got back into acting. That’s when I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. After High School, I joined a theatre company in San Diego called The California Youth Conservatory (CYC) with director Sean Evans. Sadly, CYC is no longer around. CYC, however, molded me into becoming a better actor and it gave me the stepping stones I needed. There was a moment when Sean called me up and asked me to join the cast of Secret Garden and that I would have 3 days to learn a role and perform it. When I hit the stage, everyone in the cast was glued to what I was doing on stage. They were shocked at how I was able to pick up the role so quickly. Since then, I moved up to Los Angeles, confounded The Inner Circle Arts Society (Non profit theatre & film company) and have performed in Pasadena and Palm Springs. I’m currently studying Meisner under Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West in North Hollywood.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are a ton of books that I’ve read recently that have changed my approach and have change my resiliency when it comes to acting and to auditioning. The two that have stood out to me are:
1) The 7 habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2) Coming Back stronger. Unleashing the hidden power of adversity by Drew Brees
The 7 habits is a book I think all actors should have and reread every year. It’s not just for acting. Whatever you’re trying to accomplish in life, it’s a book for everyone. The book about Drew Brees a very personal one for me. I think Sports can be very parallel to a persons story. The lessons you can learn from athletes who have struggled and accomplished so much is a testament to never giving up. Drew Brees was and still is my favorite QB. He was the last QB my dad got to see before he passed and his story of resilience is one that everyone should learn about and understand.

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

At the very least, society should support the small companies and communities. No matter what city or town you’re in, support the arts. Go to a community theater, go to an art gallery, see short or featured indie films. There are things there that might surprise you. You have future stars in those areas and all they need is to be seen. I feel like the arts is dying in all the areas that need to stay in our society. We support athletes all the time, whether it’s amateur or professional. We need to support artists the same way. Give them a space to be creative and praise them for their risks and their achievements.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: iam.checko and theinnercasociety
• Facebook: Francesco Valenti

Image Credits

Rocky- Shadow Lighx Photography

Joachim Moore- Inner Circle Arts Society