Author: Helenna Santos

Helenna Santos is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Ms. In The Biz. She is also an actor and producer with Mighty Pharaoh Films and can often be found on panels at conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con, and has been interviewed by major press outlets including CNN. Her work as a contributing writer has been featured in MovieMaker Magazine, Backstage Magazine, IndieWire and BUST Magazine. She has produced numerous award winning short films, digital series, and feature films. As an actor, she can be seen in CW's "The Flash," as well as ABC's "A Million Little Things" and "The Good Doctor", and the highly anticipated Netflix limited series "The Baby-Sitters Club". Her latest feature film as producer and actress "The Shasta Triangle" is now available via VOD.

Last year I shared a number of my current favorites for entrepreneurs in the entertainment business and other creatives, and I thought I’d start the year off by sharing some more! These things are all vastly different, but help me out in a variety of ways. Hope you find them handy too! Favorite book on my shelf: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING.  I re-read it on my road trip to New Orleans this winter and it has helped me so much in really simplifying what it is that I want to achieve in my career…

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I recently had the opportunity to shoot with Cathy Baron of Cathy Baron Photography and I absolutely LOVED the experience. The session was fun and relaxed and I was so ridiculously happy with all of the photos we got. Her eye is amazing, and I wanted to share her incredible talent with you all. So may I introduce you to…. Cathy Baron! When did you fall in love with photography? I fell in love with photography at a young age. I can’t remember being without a camera, even if it was a disposable one. I have always admired photos that…

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At the most recent Ms. In The Biz panel at The Hatchery Press I shared a number of resources that I’m currently digging. Many people have been asking for a list of these resources so here they are in no particular order… ENTREPRENEURIAL STUFF: NOTE: while these things are outside of the entertainment industry, I think it’s always important to look to successful people in other fields for great ideas!  Dale Partridge’s Startup Camp Podcast is one of my favorites! This is great for anyone interested in starting their own business, especially online. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/startupcamp/id955266865?mt=2 – the course is great too and…

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Hello my name is Helenna and I am a perfectionist. I’m not recovering…yet…I’m trying to be “recovering” but perfectionism still has it’s hooks in me.  I’ve been this way for well, forever.  If I’m not able to do something well, I don’t usually like to do it.  That is, unless I’m so bad at it that it’s just funny to me and therefore I embrace the suckage and enjoy the horribleness with laughter and a giddy smile. But for the most part, if I set a goal, make a commitment, am depended on by someone else, I will do everything…

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I took myself to see Reese Witherspoon’s “Wild” last night.  I went alone.  I could have gone with my husband. I could have gone with a group of other women. I could have waited to go up to Vancouver to see it with my Mom.  But I went alone. I am so glad I did. You see, this year has been one full of ups and downs.  A year with heartache and triumphs.  Creative explosions and inner implosions. 2014 will be a year I will never forget and I needed closure. I needed a catharsis. Last night, sitting in that…

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The Headshot Truck.  Yup. You read that right. A truck that exists solely for the purpose of having headshots taken in it. You might have seen their ads here on the Ms. In The Biz site or read about the truck in Los Angeles Magazine  where they said that it was “the most L.A. thing to ever happen to Los Angeles,” in other words…completely brilliant for the Los Angeles market. I’ve known the Hendershotts for a number of years now having had the pleasure of rockin’ some headshots with them in the past, so I jumped at the chance to…

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This is a warning. This is not a test.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, and try your best to stay out of jail. I’m writing this as someone who has taken a zillion courses on branding and marketing and who founded this very site that you are reading this post on, a site that only 7 months since its launch is now read in over 150 countries with over 10,000 unique readers per month. Success right? Yes. And no. Yes, because this site is one of my dreams made real.  I have an intense passion for connecting…

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I am a HUGE fan of the horror genre.  And yes, to the left is a picture of me as a zombie on a bike. But my love of post-apocalyptic zombie tales will need to be discussed in more depth another time…. The first film I remember seeing was “Firestarter” with Drew Barrymore.  I’d seen all of the “Nightmare on Elm Streets”, “Halloweens”, and “Friday the 13ths” before I was a teenager, and I was addicted to the “Fear Street” pre-teen novel series as well as all of Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike’s novels. With today being Halloween I thought…

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I first met Bonnie Gillespie back in 2008 when I interviewed her for a segment in my vlog called “Walking the Walk.”  Shortly after that, I took her “Self-Management for Actors” class, and it totally blew my mind.  Her book and the corresponding class are two things that I think every actor new to this business should check out.  So here she is via the “Ms. In The Biz email interview,” the awesome Bonnie Gillespie! Helenna:  Hey Bonnie!  Thank you so much for doing this interview for our “Ms. In The Biz” readers.  You are pretty much a household name…

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I know I’m not alone when I say that Jenji Kohan ‘s “Orange Is The New Black” is one of the best new shows of the year.  In fact, I had to stop myself from binge watching it, only allowing myself to view 2-3 episodes in a row because I just didn’t want the first season to be over.   This is the type of show that many actors, myself included, dream of being on.  It’s smart, funny, poignant and full of incredible roles for women. One of those roles is played by newcomer Madeline Brewer, and her performance is absolutely…

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Sometimes I forget to “live life.”  Seriously.  I get so caught up in the rat race of the entertainment industry and the need to always be “doing something” to help propel my career forward, that I forget that “life” is what happens…every day.  Now I know that might sound ridiculous. I mean life is obviously happening or I wouldn’t be typing this right now.  What I mean is that I sometimes find myself not enjoying the journey or taking time out for all of the things that fill my heart that aren’t industry related and make all of the hard…

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A little while ago I found myself having a number of conversations with people in the business about stamina.  Basically  the entertainment industry is all about staying focused on “the goal,” especially when that goal seems very very far away, perhaps in another galaxy. There are so many things that can happen to someone pursing a career in this field: exhaustion, disappointment, general malaise with where one is in their career, life feeling like it’s taking you in another direction entirely but you aren’t sure which path to follow… In order to thrive and keep putting one foot in front…

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I am cursed.   I say this because the other day I was trying to explain to a “non-creative” person what it is like to be an artist.  Whether you are a musican, a singer, a dancer, a painter, a graphic novelist, a director, writer, producer… you are in some way a slave to “the Muse.” At least, I know I am. This of course isn’t in any way a new thought, and creatives throughout time have talked about “the Muse” with both admiration and distain.  Instead of speaking specifically about “the Muse,” my career coach Barbara Deutsch calls it your “pilot…

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I have often found myself floundering around once a year or so feeling creatively lost and needing to find artistic purpose again. I wanted to share the following piece with you all because it marks a turning point. I wrote this back in November of 2012, and the defining moment that came out of the experience I talk about is what helped spark the fire that has now turned into this blog as well as the 2 projects I’m producing and a myriad of other awesome artistic things that are going on in my life.  So here goes… ———— Something happens…

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