Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Tenaglia.
Elena, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
This whole thing really started during childhood. I was always playing dress up in my basement and putting together musicals with my sister, friends, neighbors, and cousins. My mom gave us this hilarious bin of relatives old clothing and scarves we had to play with, and the cd Broadway Kids. We weren’t allowed to watch TV and the only PlayStation game we had was Dance Dance Revolution.
As I got older, I just wanted to be in all of the dance classes, but dance class is expensive and I never found a studio where I truly fit in.
Fast forward a bit, and when I was 18, I moved from New Jersey to California to become a resident of the state, attend community college, and start my life! Thankfully, my Dad was supporting and encouraging to this seemingly crazy plan. Nobody else thought any of this was a good idea.
In California, my first big job with an entertainment team came while I was an intern at z90.3. One of the hosts and a friend said they were running a festival, and I naturally asked, “Do you have dancers?” They did not.
I offered to put together a team of dancers, and do costumes, both things I had never done before. At this point, I was doing anything I could get performance jobs. Sometimes, this meant driving to LA at 9 pm for a show only to have to be back at the radio station at 6 am. I was also taking dance classes at Mesa. Over time, I got to work with some of the biggest companies and events in California, and am so lucky to have gotten those experiences.
The drive to have my own company came from seeing events not having performers already, and wanting to perform. Over time, my skill of envisioning what an event actually needs as far as performers have sharpened. I truly believe in an amazing performance artist and know what element they can bring to an event, and want to put it together. And now, after years of trial and error… I can make the costumes I see in my head.
My start into costuming just comes from nobody having costumes that worked for me, so I had to make them myself. When I first got my sewing machine I was pulling the fabric through the machine, backwards. By some miracle, these outfits stayed together. I took a semester of intro to sew at Mesa College just to learn this craft.
It has been years of figuring out how to manage performers, hire solid teams, send quotes, handle issues that come up on site, creating looks, hiring (and firing) people, dealing with logistics, and handling myself professionally in the fun environments that I consider my “office.” I have spent hours upon hours driving up and down California, building a website, building a brand, all while attending Mesa College then SDSU and simultaneously working other jobs to keep me afloat. I have worked with many other entertainment companies, and that has taught me so much also! I do not want to compete with anyone I have worked with, I just want to do something new and bring performers to events where they weren’t previously.
All of this really excites me, and all the lessons I learned from various mistakes are paying off and where I am today is really in a state of excitement about what is to come for The Supernovas.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This has in no way been a smooth road.
I have been sidestepped by people I have considered good friends. I have had companies not pay what they were supposed to. I have had months with hardly any income and gigs, and months with so many gigs, I literally was allotting time to get a few hours of sleep each night. I have helped others who have done nothing but taken advantage of me. I have been made a fool of, trusting people I shouldn’t have.
My biggest piece of advice is, do not let others unfairness discourage you. It is very easy to get in a rut when someone has slighted you. In the words of my Dad, “Remember… people are going to screw you over.” Sometimes, they don’t even mean to, but they will anyway.
Don’t let this interfere with your vision. Things happen for a reason, and many mistakes must happen before true magic can be created. There are people out there that believe in you and that you can help. Find them. Love them. Appreciate them.
Please tell us about Supernovas Entertainment.
Supernovas Entertainment is a company of female performing artists with a wide array of talents, that can be booked to come to perform at your event.
We are different because I make custom costumes perfect fit for our setting. We have a truly unique look that is colorful, fun, sexy, and playful all at once. Nobody can recreate our aesthetic.
We are different because we are a team of unmatched talent, each girl is highly trained and passionate about her art, this includes my makeup artist who is the final touch on our variety of looks. My vision wouldn’t be complete without her.
We are equal parts of immersive entertainment and incredible performance. We enjoy being face to face with the crowds, making them smile, dancing beside them, giving them energy. We also enjoy being on stage, letting our talents shine, being a beautiful adornment to an amazing party.
We are set apart because if the event is a public one, like a club event or festival, we happily promote it on all of our social media. This is something I do not see every entertainment company do. A lot of events are up and coming, and we want them to have attendees as much as they do. I think throwing successful events comes from a team effort and we are a part of the team as much as anybody else!
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Do not forget that there are 10 steps between steps A to B.
It is easy to get discouraged when a goal seems too large to achieve, or you aren’t getting somewhere as quickly as you would like. However, most things cannot be achieved quickly and most goals are only achievable if planned properly.
What goes with this is accept that you can’t do everything. Build a team whose talents complement each other.
Always ask for opinions from trusted friends and colleagues, you don’t have to always go with their opinion. But always ask. Always take their criticisms with great seriousness, if you have people that are honest with you, they are invaluable.
Always reflect on what YOU could have done better. Always be honest with trusted people around you on what you think they could’ve done better, within reason.
If you are in charge of the money, pay people properly. Always pay people the fairest that you can. Do not take advantage of others. Some will take advantage of you, that is okay, do not take advantage of them.
Know that there is no paved way to anything, the road is full of twists and turns and sometimes you end up back at the beginning. That is okay. The time will pass anyway. Don’t hesitate to start again and don’t give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.supernovasentertainment.com
- Email: elena@supernovasentertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supernovasentertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supernovasentertainment/
Image Credit:
I’m Keiki, Desert Hearts Music Festival, Veranmiky, Sundown Music Festival, Veranmiky, Sundown Music Festival, Mustache Bash, Jamal Eid, Lightning in a Bottle Music Festival with Vokab Kompany, United By Love: Planet X, Cha Cha Bizarre, Desert Hearts Music Festival, Sundown Music Festival
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