Meet Donna Feldman | Model/Actress/Brand Ambassador and co-founder of Straw Hat Productions (production company )

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

Hi Donna, we’d love to start by asking you about business lessons you’ve learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?

I believe that nobody will push you harder than you push yourself at the end of the day, but I also know that teamwork truly makes a dream work and without collaborating with like minded individuals with the same kind of work ethic, attention to detail, and shared values, you’ll never be able to produce something big and of great quality. I learned over time that trusting and teaming up with the right people will only help you to elevate your business/brand to new heights.

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 have been in the modeling/entertainment/advertising world full-time for 20 years now. It’s been exciting to be able to see the world and work with luxury brands like Visa BlackCard, Bentley, Bacardi, Revlon, Bebe, Schwarzkopf, Verizon, Jockey, Jaguar, Bellagio Hotel, and Cadillac to name a few. Being on the cover or inside the pages of Marie Claire, GQ, Harpers Bazaar, Maxim, etc. has been an honor and at this point I’m now most excited about creating campaigns and tv commercials for certain brands looking to grow and bringing beauty back to the visuals/esthetic in advertising that’s been seriously lacking the last few years. I’m also excited at this stage to launch my own product line as well as team up with others I believe in to help people with their health, their self esteem, and promote a healthy lifestyle.

I got to where I am today from working hard and not giving up. There’s always ups and downs in any freelance career which can be challenging, but I continue to overcome this by shifting my mindset to the positive, trying to always be productive and network with the right people, and keep family and friends around me that are loving and supportive.

I think one of the greatest lessons along the way is that you have to continue to stay true to yourself and know what sets you and your brand apart because of your uniqueness and authenticity. The world of social media instantly puts people in a competitive mindset but the moment you switch your brain to focusing on you and what light you’re bringing to this world, the better off you are as a result and the more people you can help and inspire along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start the day taking them to Cafecito which is super cute Cuban spot in calabasas for the best iced coffee ever ( cafe con leche ) and then take a drive to Malibu where we would enjoy the views, layout at the beach for an hour, walk around Cross-Creek at the shops and have lunch at Tony’s Taverna. Then we could head to Santa Monica and go bike riding and have some Aperol Spritz on the rooftop of The Santa Monica Proper hotel or have drinks and listen to live music at Casa Del Mar and grab a yummy dinner at Wally’s. That would be a super fun day. For the rest of the trip we could of course visit the Getty Villa or other nice museums, have a spa Day at my favorite Spa at the Westlake Village Inn, visit the Santa Barbara’s Zoo, or roam around the cute town of Los Olivos.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shout-out to my incredible parents who moved from Israel with an American Dream and really made it happen. I’m grateful for the life lessons I was taught, the wisdom and street smarts, as well as the support system they have always provided me with. I also want to thank my dear friend Rosa who recommended a program called MITT ( Mastery in transformation training ) which helped raise my emotional intelligence levels and improved my relationships in every level from business to personal.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnafeldman/ and Instagram.com/strawhat_productions

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnafeldman

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Feldman.Donna/

Image Credits:
Thomas louvagny
David Jakle
Michael Blank/ Straw Hat productions
Noah Nash