Meet Marina Lang | Actress / Producer / Entrepreneur

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

Hi Marina, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance is extremely challenging if you work on your own business or are a creative. The lines can very easily become blurred. You think you’re working several hours one week, then it suddenly ends up becoming the whole month, year and time just flies. You miss out on doing things which are good for your own mental health, happiness and well being. I used to be very intense in the sense I’d devote every hour of my day to work and work as much as I humanly could. Over the last few months when I finally felt like I was close to burn out I decided I needed to take a step back and prioritize other aspects of my life, starting with my own physical and mental health.
I realized that there could be a reality where I worked hard and strove for all the career aspirations I had while also seeing my friends, indulging in quality time with people I loved and having time to myself to reflect, be spiritual and heal.
One of the few mistakes a lot of entrepreneurs and creatives make is that they don’t balance their lifestyle and end up creating a life that isn’t sustainable. My mindset has really changed on all of that. I feel like every aspect of life matters, having great memories with family and friends, relationships, spirituality, meditation, everything that fuels you to be even more motivated to perform better at career prospects.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is that I’m an actress and a storyteller in the form of a producer. My art is one of the major things that fuels me everyday. My journey has been unique in the sense that I took a break from my art and life always brings me back to it. I started modeling at the age of 14 in Sinapore, moved on to being a soap actress and reality contestant in India. Then once I moved to LA I started producing too. As a child I always imagined stories of what peoples lives were like and would build my own narrative. Once I moved to LA I started writing stories and eventually producing short films and stories for other people. However I ended up taking a temporary hiatus as a creative as I started my own restaurant and I realized that I was incomplete without my creative path which led to my most recent project, a pilot that I co wrote 6 years ago with a friend. That was my gateway to coming back to everything that mattered and coping with the stressors of my life, I once again found myself waking up with the same enthusiasm and excitement I had each time I was on set and created The creation of that pilot and acting in it and life’s journey made me realize I was the happiest and most fulfilled when I was building stories, I think what sets me apart is I have the mind of an entrepreneur as I always am innovative in bringing ideas to life and going through all the challenges that come with it but I have the heart of an artist who lives and dreams of stories. To act, to create and to live stories excite me the most!
I am also simultaneously currently working on a skincare startup called Protecta Skincare, it fits well with my creative path as I am the face of the brand. I have been working on fun campaigns which puts my skills as a producer to good use. It’s an amazing product that has both pharmaceutical and cosmetic benefits.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area I would take her to so many places. LA has so much to do!
We would start in my area as I live in Hollywood. I would take her to the walk of fame, hardrock cafe, the Pig N Whistle on day one so she could really get an essence of the area.
Then the next day we would go check out West Hollywood, get some delicious brunch at The Butchers Daughter. A walk on the backside of Melrose Avenue (it has great shopping and isn’t as widely advertised as main Melrose Ave itself. ) We would have to get a coffee or matcha at Urtth Cafe, an LA must! Then I’d take her out to some fun bars in West Hollywood
Then moving forward I’d take her to see the several towns LA has, such as Filipino Town, Little Bangladesh, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Little Ehtiopia, we would hit up all the towns, try all the unique cuisines and shops representing the various cultures of these towns.
Then to make it a truly LA experience we would have to go to Malibu, grab some seafood at Moonshadows and hit up Zuma beach, a nice beautiful day at the beach. To conclude the trip, we would do a classic hike at Griffith Park’s old Zoo and get a little lost there!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my ShoutOut to the the various teams I’ve worked with over the last few years. I’ve been very fortunate that in my career as a producer / entrepreneur and actress I’ve always had people stand behind me and build me up. To start off with my mother is my biggest crutch, motivator and partner. She has worked with me over the last 12 years on every venture I’ve done. There are times when I feel demotivated or lose site, she always re routes me and reminds me of what my passions are and encourages me to work towards these goals. Over the last few years I’ve also produced a lot of different projects and have had big teams ranging from writers, directors, ADs, makeup artists, they’ve worked with me both on creative projects as well as projects for my businesses and have elevated my quality of work and supported me through every project I’ve done, for that I am extremely lucky and grateful!

Website: https://www.protecta-skincare.com/

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

Other: https://www.instagram.com/mmmproductions_

Image Credits
I have rights to all the images

image 1- Protecta Skincare
image 2 & 3- self
image 4 & 5- pictures of Faking IT