“I think comedy is the most beautiful thing in the world.” Meet Vanessa Esperanza.

Vanessa Esperanza does just about everything! Improv, sketch comedy, video, Youtube, situational comedy and her favorite, dark comedy are all par for the course for Esperanza.

Comedy was a way for Esperanza to cope with her childhood. “To me, comedy wasn’t so much a discovery but more like a defense mechanism. We moved around a lot when I was little and I was constantly picked on. I soon realized that it’s hard for someone to make fun of you while they are laughing.”

The world today can seem pretty grim, but according to Esperanza, “Comedy provides a release to all the sadness and tragedy people face on a regular basis. I have no idea why it’s not taken more seriously in the entertainment industry. Being an actor myself, I can say that performing comedy is way more challenging than crying on cue. What’s hard is making someone who is sad, laugh. If you can get someone who’s depressed out of that state of mind for even a moment, that’s huge!”

As any woman is building her career, she has to decide what advice to take and what to leave. Esperanza knows how difficult this balance can be: “Don’t take people’s advice but listen to everyone. You are going to need a team of people to help you build your career. There are a lot of negative Nelly’s out there and people are going to try and limit what you can and can’t portray. Just remember at the end of the day YOU make the final decision.”

We can certainly get behind that advice! Learn from others, but remember to chase what feels right to YOU!