Meet Janna Jalla

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

Hi Janna Jalla, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up as a First Generation Filipino American woman in the US, I was the first in my family to pioneer a path to what the ideal “American Dream” looked like to my family and my relatives. It was always engrained in me to go to college, pursue a corporate career (bonus points if I worked for a well-known global company) and making a certain amount of money right off the bat. Money and status was an easy indicator of success and spoke volumes to painting a certain picture to our family abroad. At this point in my life, I’ve checked off those boxes and have made my parents proud in a traditional sense. I worked my way through corporate America and have built a life that I was also very proud of. My corporate career took me from Seattle to Singapore and now to Los Angeles where I plan to continue to build roots.

Now, it’s my turn to pursue the dreams that I have always had as a child. Because now I can financially support myself to invest in my own dreams of a life in the creative space – through acting, modeling and integrating my passion for surfing within those avenues. I owe it to little Janna Jalla to really give it a shot and equipping myself with the right community, projects, the right team and collaborations to make it happen.

In addition to that, representation matters. I want to contribute to diversifying the people we see on our screens and add a voice from communities that typically don’t get represented on screen in mainstream media. We’ve definitely made some progress, but there’s still many strides to be made.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far in my journey as an artist is that tapping into your truth, sharing your truth and being honest with yourself is the most important tool you have as an actor. The journey to this point has definitely not been a walk in the park – it’s made me face internal demons, insecurities and things I didn’t want to look at inside me. But what I’ve noticed with my favorite actors and the most successful working actors is that – they put their entire selves, the good, the bad and the ugly into the work. That’s what makes them so fascinating and mesmerizing to watch on our screens. I am proud of the work (which will always be in progress) that I have done to be able to share myself with the world.

Authenticity, grit and resilience is what I want my work to be known for – in front of and behind the screen. I want to show that a little girl born and raised on a little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (The Philippines) can make something of herself in this crazy, beautiful world and empower others to do the same.

It’s never easy to pursue your dreams, and by no means I am alone in doing so. Everyday I am thankful for my support system and my communities that continue to push and challenge me to help me grow!

You may have seen me on your screens through various commercials from 24 Hour Fitness, Dave App, Amazon, Facebook, Target and more. Coming this fall – keep an eye out for me on Fox’s upcoming tv show, Rescue Surf HI!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m a surfer – I’d be showing my best friend all the fun spots up and down the coast of Los Angeles with beachy twist of course. We’d start out with a morning workout at Gold’s Gym then hit Gjusta for good vibes and brunch. Then we’d make our way up the Pacific Coast Highway and surf at the world famous Malibu Surfrider Beach for a couple hours. Then take a break for an afternoon snack at Malibu Farm Cafe right on the pier. Then we’d catch the beautiful sunset at Point Dume right on top of the hill!

Another fun-filled day would be a nice run on the Santa Monica Boardwalk catching in the sights from the Santa Monica Pier all the way to the Venice Sign and soaking in all the music and culture the westside has to offer. We’d have a pitstop at Great White Venice for a delicious brunch, then meander over to the Venice Artisan’s Flea Market on Saturday’s and have a nice stroll up and down Abbott Kinney. We’d make our way over to the beach for a beach day in Ocean Park and catch a few volleyball games from the courts and spend the rest of the day waiting for the most beautiful Southern California sunset!

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?
The most important person in my life gets my shoutout – to my incredible Mother, thank you so much for your unconditional love and support. Without it, I wouldn’t be empowered and inspired to pursue my passions and dreams. You and Papa moved mountains to bring our family to the US to build a life far from what you know and you did it with so much courage and bravery. You are the hardest working person I know and I aspire to become half the woman you are. I am brave because of your belief in me – and I approach life with so much optimism because you taught me that perseverance and determination will make my dreams come true. And for you, I am grateful.

Website: https://jannajalla.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannajalla/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jannajalla

Image Credits
Eric Crocombe Keoni Ocalvey Michaela Rabinov Marina Alonso Rojas Maria Chernova Robert Dahey