Meet Stef Profeta | Actor, model

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

Hi Stef, what’s your definition for success?
We live in a world where people are raised, taught and almost programmed to reach and obtain wealth, richness and power at all costs; people struggle, fight really hard to obtain a status quo, a position of power in society where everything is legitimized by the first thing which is money, of course, and other status symbols as a huge mansion on the hills, a trust fund, a yacht anchored in any harbor along the LA shores, etc etc, the list can go on indefinitely. Even if all the above mentioned things are always nice to have, in my humble opinion they don’t represent a symbol or the apex of success: very often, and it’s not a case, all the people living that kind of life, or having such amount of material wealth are depressed, addicted to any substance available out there, and definitely don’t put their wealth to a good use or purpose. They should be at the top of their success, but definitely there is something very wrong there; my answer to all that is very simple: success is not something that can be defined in material elements, it’s something directly correlated with the soul of a person, with the core values; how you treat a person would determine if you are actually successful or not, how you actually improve in an active way the life of the people surrounding you, making their existence easier and more enjoyable, the example that you give with the gifts you have received is very important, it will shape the life of others who look up to you in a very encouraging and positive way, or in devastating and destroying way. Success is a mental status, it is the way you balance yourself in between the challenges of life that can be extremely difficult for others and come through them; success is a couple of parents working hard to send their kids to college and give them a better future; success is a kid with an incurable disease still smiling and willing to go outside and give a couple of kicks to a soccer ball; success is definitely not how much money you make.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Professionally I’ve always been busy. Since my early days studying at the Drama Academy in Rome, right after high school, I’ ve worked in theatre, as a print model for brands like Dolce and Gabbana, Hugo Boss; I’ve been in tv commercials for Subaru, tv shows in Italy, I’ve lived between Rome and Milan until I was 24 years old and then moved in Los Angeles in 2012. Here in Los Angeles I kept the craft going taking actor studio’s classes, as well as master classes at the Ivana Chubbuck studio. Also I am a professional martial artist, specifically in the disciplines of Karate Shotokan, Jun Fan Gung Fu, MMA and Jeet Kune do, so as you can see, even phisically I am never at rest, always trying to keep my craft and my body in shape, as well as my mind.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I actually had some friends as well as my nephew, my brother’s son, over visiting me through the years, and I’ll tell you where we went.
First off a nice visit to the Griffith observatory, parking the car at the base of the hill it’s a nice hike all the way up; on the top of the hill you can actually have a 180 degree view of Los Angeles right in front of you, where you can see at your left Glendale with east LA, passing over downtown, hollywood all the way to the coast to Santa Monica, people always love to see all that; next a walk from Santa Monica to the Venice coast is a must, walking on the piers, stopping at some bars for a refreshment and having the beach and the breeze of the wind on your face in a warm day is always beautiful. Another must to do is to stop on the walk of fame and chinese theatre, definitely a big attraction in LA. Malibu is another beautiful place for the beach lovers, especially Zuma beach, and on the way there one can stop at the Malibu seafood on the PH1, one of the best fresh seafood spot in town.

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?
I have always been a knowledge lover in terms of literature, humanistic subjects, poetry and narrative, so my biggest inspirations in life have been the works of Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoj, Dostoevsij, as well as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi; I’ve always been attracted to the philosophical point of view of life, researching truth and core values of things and civilizations, enriching my mind and soul as much as I can along my journey; but in terms of physical person I have to mention my father, who has been the rock in my life, my inspiration to the point that I became involuntarily very similar to him in terms of temperament, character and way of doing. He pushed me, nurtured me and guided me all of his life, now he’s doing all that from above, I miss him dearly every day, but as a firm believer of Jesus and the after life, I know he is here with me even now that I’m writing down there words and that one day we will meet again.

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