Meet Patricia Kara

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patricia Kara a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Patricia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic came from my mother; watching and learning from her. She came to the U.S. from Greece with 2 children, a third on on the way, no help, no family, little money, an abusive husband that abandoned her, and she did not speak English. Through all the challenges and adversity, she found a way to raise her daughters, educate and protect them and herself, make a living for her family, and build a new life in Chicago. There was no aspect of her life before or after moving to the United States that was easy, and she showed me how to stay strong, work hard, and make sure if something was important to us, we needed to make it happen for ourselves. Mama bear did what she had to do to survive and it is one of my strongest memories of her, the grit and toughness to achieve. I have always felt that in my life and career, if my mother was able to accomplish what she did, that all I have to do is use her example as motivation that I can do anything.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I started out modeling at 16 in my hometown of Chicago. The Chicago market was very different at that time. I persisted and one job lead to the next. I built upon those jobs and relationships. I worked internationally before moving to Florida and New York. The move to New York was the best thing I ever did personally and professionally! I learned so much about myself and the business. I was working consistently and it opened the door to more acting and hosting. Eventually, I moved on to Los Angeles and built my resume even more. I have now been working in the entertainment business for over 35 years.

I am very proud and excited about the release of my first book, Dream On… Now Deliver. It is available for order on Amazon and will be shipping in January of 2024. I have always loved educating and mentoring young people that want to get into the entertainment industry. My book provides a comprehensive roadmap of the process of becoming an entertainment professional. I wrote it through my eyes and the lessons learned through many years of experience developing my own business, network, and career. Over the last 30 years, I have worked through and experienced a great deal, and my book is a way to help people interested in entertainment to find their own success with some help from mine. Building a career in entertainment is a full-time job, and the scope of the industry along with the lessons to be learned are what I had to figure out from scratch, without the internet, and by trial and error. If I can help a few future entertainers avoid some of the errors and advance a little easier on their own paths, then I will have accomplished my goal of giving back to a business that has been good to me.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Determination, dedication and drive.

The entertainment industry is one of the toughest and most humbling businesses that anyone can work. I would just tell them to surround themselves with the best people that they can and to understand they will fail a lot more than they will succeed. Be smart, be strong and do not be afraid to take chances and use that chance as an experience to learn. The more you can network and expose yourself to the industry, the more opportunities will be presented to you. In entertainment, as in any aspect of life, if you want it bad enough, are willing to work harder than anyone else, and stay humble, you will eventually get your chance; then you just have to do something with it.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Business in general, but especially the entertainment business is constantly evolving, with new considerations and challenges arising all the time. While I have built a strong foundation in my career, as I discuss in my book, and I can rely on those fundamentals to help me get through anything, I still have to stay on top of what is the current or next obstacle on my path. This industry does not allow for passive success, you have to actively adapt and work to keep moving forward. The smallest change in the audition process, style, technology, or any number of other variables can make something that worked well before obsolete now, and this is why you need to build a firm business base, but always be ready for the next adjustment. Maintaining the work ethic and determination to keep fighting back against the evolutions of entertainment is vital to long term success.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Sofia Spentzas-Tranchitella, Angela Weiss, John M. Heller, David Chen, Maile Mason, Jim Purdum

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