Meet Georgina Nifosi | Actress, singer, VO artist, musician, director/writer, entrepreneur and teacher

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

Hi Georgina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is a necessary tool in life. There’s a saying in Argentina, my natal country, that goes like this “El que no arriesga no gana” (the one who doesn’t risk, doesn’t win). I am from Buenos Aires and my family is a humble one, my parents had to work hard to give us the best education they could think of, up to three jobs, out of ‘State’ sometimes. They wanted me to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer…but I always felt I was an actress, an artist, a renaissance soul. After many years of doing what “I was supposed to do” I risked it. I said I am going to start a new career in film direction.

After that, I left everything behind and risked it again, I moved to Puerto Rico and continued my career, but this time I said “no more being behind the cameras, I want to be IN FRONT of them and perform. And so I did, with the help of my Padrino Ämer. I was having the time of my life, my dream, being on TV and people recognizing me on the street…Ahhhhhhh…and…I decided to go back to education to help my family economically because you know that artists don’t have stable jobs, so it’s hard sometimes economically speaking.

We moved to Colorado, loved it! House next to the river, amazing mountains greeting me good morning every day, deer coming to my yard to eat berries, amazing students, co-workers, friends, people in general…but…there was something knocking on my soul every day, throughout the day, during lunch, during a little break to the photocopy room, at the supermarket trips in the evenings…I said “It must be I am not happy enough because I am ‘playing school’ and not being true to myself, to what I really want to do, art”, and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE teaching, I love it so much that when I graduated in Argentina and moved to Puerto Rico, I wanted to do my Master in Education, but they told me I had to do my studies ALL OVER AGAIN…4 years…to obtain the same bachelor’s degree I had…and… I did and graduated with honors, awards, and SUMMA CUM LAUDE… I also founded a school online that I currently run since COVID. I love teaching, but my heart belongs to performing…

So, I took another risk and told my husband we had to move to Los Angeles so I can keep running towards that voice that tells me, THIS IS YOU. It wasn’t easy at all, we passed from having a very steady job, a beautiful little apartment that was not expensive at all compared to here, to a place in which your savings burn by the second. We had only one friend here, that’s all, Caesar Osiris.

We fought for it, my husband had two jobs so I could audition every day and do what I loved, he said “My dream is that you conquer your dreams” (What a man, huh?). So I did until I felt I wasn’t being fair and I had to help as well. I worked for a restaurant in which I also had to clean the bathrooms I put up my sleeves and worked happily, job after job, then another restaurant, then a school…and then…I felt that knocking again…” I didn’t move here to do this, I am an artist, an actress, a performer, I sing, I play music, I write books for kids, I paint, I do hand-stamped metal jewelry, I make figurines, I edit….no, I have to TAKE A RISK again” and so I did…It was a tough year, tough for everyone in the world, 2020, but I used that year to FULLY focus on my career and now I see I have conquered the first steps of my old dream. I am walking the right steps to be successful.

Taking risks has always been a powerful tool for me and I am happy I’ve learned how to hear that voice that tells me GO AHEAD, TAKE A RISK.

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 an actress since I was 6 years old. I just knew it, my family knew it. At parties, I would get a piece of cloth, pretend I was a famous actress and perform for my dad who was always recording us with his new cameras. I would sing, play my little red keyboard and also record, on cassettes, made up radio shows with my little sister, we also included ads!!! Today I am an ArgenRican actress enjoying the acting life in Los Angeles. Why ArgenRican? I was born in Argentina but lived 11 years on my beautiful island Puerto Rico, where the doors were opened for me. Let me start from the beginning. Back in Argentina, after asking and begging to study drama as a profession and being told ‘NO’ many times, I studied education and became an ESL teacher. After that, I studied to be a film and TV director and producer. I graduated and I started working as a general producer for Flux Animation Company. There, I was a producer, voice actress, and reporter. I loved it! I moved to Puerto Rico, where my family was living because I couldn’t be without them one day more. Over there, I started as an ESL teacher but then I jumped to WAPA Channel 4 to be one of the producers at Mónica en Confianza. What I wanted more than anything in the world was to be in front of the cameras…not behind. So I told the main producer that I wanted to be the warm-up girl before the show just to make the audience laugh and to try myself in front of a different audience. At the same time, after work, I would stay after hours at the office, with a friend who also wanted to be an actor, to shoot sketches and ideas we had to present it to the big producers the following day and so on. I met Ämer, whom I made my artistic Padrino (godfather), and started talking to him about all my ideas and characters for possible comedy shows…please understand he was EXTREMELY busy and running trying to get Ricky Martin to the show, producing like three shows at the same time. However, he would always listen to me. One day, he called me and asked me if I wanted to be on TV….tears filled my eyes…YES YES YES!!! I was La Piba, the character that opened the door for me in Puerto Rico. I was working for Univisión, Locas de Atar, I started my own musical Improv show, I was doing Improv with Improactores since I got there in 2007, I was teaching drama at my other house, School For The Performing Arts, the most prestigious dance school in Puerto Rico. I was touring with Hair, the musical, and then Padrino called me again and asked me to audition for B al Grano. I got it and I was going to co-host my own comedy web series for GFR Media, along with two amazing boricuas Ale and Josean. After that, I kept on working on my improv, started to study Japanese, and created the first Japanese original music band in the Caribbean, Chotto Matte Band. I then worked for Vive Tu Nite, as La Piba again, for ABC Puerto Rico, which was a live-to-tape show, and after that, we had our own space in the government channel WIPR channel 6 with the format of a live show!!! Wooow, I was living the life. However, money was an issue, and you know that as an artist sometimes it’s hard. We decided to move to Colorado. I had my bachelor’s from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, yes, that’s another story, but while all those years I was running after my dream I was also doing FOR THE SECOND time my bachelor’s degree to be an ESL teacher! So we moved to Avon, Colorado and I was a third-grade teacher for one year. While I was over there, I noticed that I was not 100% happy, I was giving my best but, when we had a talent show I was going crazy and producing and writing songs and feeling alive and that’s when I thought ‘mhhhm, this is what makes me feel Juno’. We moved to Los Angeles to continue this amazing journey I am in. It has not been easy at all. We drove 16 hours to get here, in a heavy truck filled with 10 humongous boxes. We lived in East LA, in a very tiny house, but happy, because we had the best landlords in the world, Don Cortés y Doña Teresa, who would help us all the time, bring food to us, take care of our dog sometimes, amazing really. I started an improv group with my friend Caesar and he brought Maca, and other friends came because of an ad I posted on FB. So I started to build my acting life. My husband was working very hard so I could do all this and I saw how tired he was and I realized that it was not going to be like in PR, I didn’t have a Padrino here, I was alone. I quit acting, I had to help my husband, we had debts, a loan we took to move to LA (we still have it), the car, a million things…I worked at two restaurants, at an after-school program, and then again, I was happy because I love teaching and being around kiddos…but I was not doing anything art-related, not even my watercolors or my books for kids. It wasn’t until COVID that I had the time to think, to create something and, thanks to my dear friend Valentina Olarte, who pushed me and pushed me to go back to acting, I came back to this beautiful career that I love, being an artist. In 2020 I created a free online art school for kids, Neko’s Little School, I have been taking VO acting lessons and recording my demos with the amazing Valentina Latyna, who has helped me and mentored me so far. I worked on my crafts, I finished my books, I am writing my own series, I am doing Improv, music. Last week, I signed my first contract for representation. I am a proud member of BAM Management, two amazing and powerful women who help artists make their dreams come true. I couldn’t be happier. My advice to everyone out there dreaming to achieve all their goals, remember that success is a combination of luck and preparation, and a lot of effort. Put in the work, listen to successful experienced people, give in, trust the process and ALWAYS be yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Woooow, here in California there are so many things to do that a week is not enough at all, but let’s go! I would pick my beastie, my sister Johanna up from the airport and straight to some ramen place she would love. We go to sleep, next morning I would take her to have breakfast to The Republique to have a big mug of Capuccino with a danish pastry. After that I take her to The Grove to try different things there like the cheese breads (chipá) or some empanadas at Nona’s. then I would take her to spend the whole afternoon at my favorite part of LA, Little Tokyo, over there we would snack nikuman, we would share an okonomiyaki and takoyaki at Chinchikurin then we go and eat at Somi Somi…it’s clear I love food, right? Hahaha. Would hang around there, see al the amazing stores, like Sanrio or Q Pop Shop and art gallery and then to Kinokuniya to read some books and see cute things. At night, we have dinner at Rakkan, a big bowl of Ramen! The best! To finish the night, we go to Karaoke at the Japanese mall. Second day to Big BEar to explore, eat in the chocolate shop and lunch bagles with cream cheese and salmon. That’s a whole day there.
Third day, Santa Mónica, first the beach, then Venice Blvd to take a look of all the amazing shops around, later Venice canals, a nice long walk there. After that ice creams and art at the Third Street Promenade and we end at the Santa Mónica Pier.
Fourth day, do Hollywood, the walk of fame, Dolby Theatre, the little museums around, Miniso and other stores, coffee at Starbuck and finish at Yamashiro Restaurant.
Fifth day we can go the whole day to the Sequoia National Park and on the way there we would stop at the floating village to have lunch and eat the sandwiches we made at home. When we come back from the trip, definitely King Tacos or a consome or birria tacos at East LA.
Sixth Day I would take her to Newport to spend the whole day there at the marina, and the little town. We would eat at the pier or seafood at one of the best restaurants there.
Seventh day, in the morning Santee Alley to buy a lot of great goods, then I would take her to the Koreatown center to have cream puffs and Sweet potatoes coffee. After viewing all the great little stores there we would have kbbq and then we hug, and cry cause I will miss here again, I leave her at the airport and my husband takes me Little Tokyo to cheer me up.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband. He is a very humble guy from Puerto Rico, raised in a low-income type of family, who made himself, studied, and became the man he is now. We have been together for 10 years and married for almost 8. He is the one who believed in me from the beginning, 2010 when we met and helped me be where I am today. Back in Puerto Rico, he would take me to all my shootings, hold my things, take pictures of me in the sets. I asked him to be my manager and he said yes. He took social media workshops to learn about my career and helped me run all of that. We moved to Colorado because I wanted to be a teacher again and maybe this would help our economic situation and he said yes again. We lived there for a year, and then I felt I had to try one more time and go to Los Angeles to go back to acting and art, guess what? He said yes. We moved here and the real struggle began, as well as the big opportunities. We passed from living a comfortable life in Avon, Colorado, in a beautiful house next to the river, a very safe place within an amazing community to… a tiny humble house in East LA. He was working for a factory, doing Uber and Postmates so I could stay home, and audition and work on my books for kids. I saw how tired he was coming home so I decided to work full time again to help. Restaurants, then a school, and then he said, ‘Try again, use this pandemic time to re-build yourself. I believe in you’. We saved money for headshots, classes, and demos. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be where I am today. He teaches me every day that I have to keep on going, not comparing myself to anyone, and focus, which is one of the most difficult things for me. Thank you Emma for being there for me since day one and helping me shape the artist I am today.

Website: https://www.junoargentina.com/

Instagram: @junoargentina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JunoArgentina

Youtube: Juno Argentina

Other: My crafts are in this IG account: @planetajuno and my ASMR Youtube Channel is Planneta Juno ASMR

Image Credits
Jose Omar Photography for the one in which the director of the school is raising my arm The one and only picture about myself, the first one I had to upload is by Caesar Osiris.