“It's something that is so important to me because I had to teach myself everything. I was a self taught person about this industry. It's not that my parents have known anything about what I was doing. It's not like they had connections in Film and Entertainment. They came here like hard hardworking immigrant parents, so they didn't know much of anybody. So for me it was more about listening and talking less which allowed me to take everything in and take notes and build up my career.”
I had the pleasure to interview Jessica Markowski. Jessica is a Model, Actress and Social Media Influencer with over 175,000 followers on Instagram. Although she has origins from Poland, Jessica is native New Yorker, born and raised in New York City. living her American dream Jessica is a full-time Instagrammer and she has shared her social media ideas, advices and collaborations with her reach!
Can you tell us your backstory Jessica?
Yeah! Sure. All about me. I'm from Brooklyn born and raised here, parents who emigrated from Poland. They came to America in the 90's and had me in that year. So that’s my backstory. I really own up to the fact that I am from an Immigrant family who worked so hard in America and chased that American dream, That’s where my work ethic comes.
So that’s a little bit about me and I went to school here in Brooklyn. I got recruited by a modeling agency to start modeling and that's where my career started. Then they pushed me more into TV films and commercials also as well and that led me to become a part of the actor's union which is SAG.
Recently I became a social media influencer. I get paid to promote stuff online through my Instagram Channel. That all started thankfully because of my modeling and acting career because everything I've ever done, I documented it on my Instagram. Every commercial I booked, print, campaign, film, I wanted to show that for my friends and followers to see and that led me to have more of a fan base because people really enjoying to see you know everything that I'm doing.
I think I described my whole life.
Sounds Fascinating. I’m sure you have met a lot of interesting people in course of your career. Can you share either the funniest or the most interesting story that happened to you in the course either of your modeling career, you acting career or your social media star career.
Interviewee: I mean I think I'm one of the most funniest moment I ever had was, I was shooting hair commercial and it was and it was cold. So it was December, January or February. I don't remember exactly what it was like freezing. I'm still booked to shoot and I remember this moment and I was maybe 17, 18 years old. I was like beginning, specially doing commercials and I remember there were few scenes that they wanted to take pictures, like the final look of your, you know the hairstyle. It was also a moment where they wanted to show you in like a shower, right? Pretending you are using the product. So in that moment I got in, there are tons of like production people, other camera guys, like everybody is around and they turn on the water and the water was not heated at all and I didn't know so in that moment everything casted on camera was so bad because my reaction, my ultimate reaction is like ice being poured on my whole entire body. That was like a moment in my life like if I could do this, if I could have like cold water all over me then I could do anything. That was definitely like a highlight of something I did not expect but we decided not to add that component into the commercial because you know the hot water wasn’t running and it was so cold. And I guess the building did not supply hot water and we didn’t take that into account before putting me into position and you know all this water just you know, I probably just got sick the next day but I don’t remember. And yeah that's definitely the funniest one that I have to share for sure.
How have you used your success to bring positivity, positivity or goodness to the world?
Interviewee: I mean luckily the reason why I love Instagram and social media is because I could share my thoughts and opinions about anything to wise audience and it's always positive. Everybody that knows me knows that I don't have like inch of badness in me so everything I share is only positive. So I think that's definitely a way I bring positivity.
I’m always promoting that because there is always you know, there is one negative of social media because there's a lot of negativity out there as well. People are comparing themselves to other. Producers such like you know even if it's a question for people you know because they're always comparing themselves with somebody else. They are always comparing that this girl is living a life because she's going to this restaurant, to this hotel. She's shopping around here and living a dream.
We don't have to create everything to be so perfect because life is not always that way. I think that with this function Insta stories you know not Instagram. You Instagram I will admit I have to make it look beautiful but with Insta stories, it allows me to showcase who I really am, what I really do and show that not everything on my Insta story is as perfect and glamorous all the time.
There are times that I have to do the regular stuff that aren’t glamorous and it’s totally fine. We are all people living life.
So to answer your question, Instagram and social media have definitely helped me produce more positivity than I could have otherwise.
Can you tell me some of the most exciting projects that you are working on now.
Interviewee: Right now. I mean on going, ever going, its non stop, just promoting especially now because holidays are approaching and I'm going to be providing a lot of campaigns on my Instagram. Some exciting projects that I have coming out…
A lot skin care companies, makeup companies, fashion companies that I'm promoting are coming in holiday season.
So Jessica if somebody wants to become the next Jessica Markowski, what are the 5 things that you would suggest that they do to eventually reach your success?
Number 1: be thankful. because you know when I was pursuing this career as a model, as an actor, as a social media person. I was so focused on chasing the dream and even throughout my journey, I was going up the ladder but I was never thankful within those moments. I was just always focused on the end prize and like at the highest peak. So I think every step you take, every opportunity you're given, you should always be thankful for everything. I just think that every step you take, you should just always be thankful and show like a little bit of gratitude just because for me, I was always just so focused on like getting up to the top of the mountain. I was never focusing on every thing that happened along the way. So I think, for every moment take a breather and be thankful for everything that you've done and have accomplished.
Number 2 would be “stay true to who you are”. That definitely was a strong point for me because I always knew that I was a particular type of person whether you could just say that I was that girl who I admired high fashion clothing, loved looking clean, polished and I always text that throughout my Instagram, my social medias or my modeling, acting career.
I've always been that. I think, staying true to who are and certainly not letting you know what people are doing impacts BUT what you’re doing.
I think that's definitely something that has helped me differentiate myself amongst my competitors.
Number 3: “Talk less and listen more”. It's something that is so important to me because I had to teach myself everything myself. I was a self taught person about this industry. It's not that my parents have known anything about what I was doing. It's not like they had connections in Film and Entertainment. They came here like hard hardworking immigrant parents, so they didn't know much of anybody. So for me it was more about listening and talking less which allowed me to take everything in and take notes and build up my career.
Number 4: Networking. I think it’s super important and especially because when I was starting out I thought I was independent, by me you know all that, I don't need anybody in order to succeed. When I was 16 I thought like I'm my own person and I don't need anybody. And I think, with time obviously you got to realize you know you need people around, you need a support system with whatever you're doing and I think you know especially me being in New York or wherever you are. Staying open minded and like collaboration. So I like I think, yeah networking, going to events, meeting people even starting a conversation on the subway. I don't know walking on the street, going for a run. I don't know. There's endless ways of meeting people especially where I live but it not really a matter of like where I live. You could be, I don't know in Long Island or whatever, you know Florida for all I know but you know as long as you have an open mind to everybody and whoever you come across, I think there's more things that can be brought up in your career.
Number 5: Take time off. I think that's so nice because I'm a very hard working person and like I can stare at my laptop like nonstop and just type away. You know you do this and that, because I’m so focused in making it in my career that it's like every single day it's like if I say I have I have my phone. Every morning when I wake up to an alarm, I always know when I will have a little bit of time off during my day of work. So I take an hour break because I don't work in an office job, its not that I have a lunch break to step out to.
I get myself like a little alert, to know that I need to get away from the laptop, get away from the phone. I think that would be definitely a 5th one. It’s just taking some time off because you know working is Never-Ending and you know. It's for your brain, for your mind, for your heart to just take a break every single day.