Paola Menacho

Most people would be content with fame and success in their native region of the world, but Paola Menacho is a global superstar in the making. Her flawless beauty, captivating presence and unique, commanding spirit are sure measures to universal success.Born in Bolivia's capitol of La Paz and raised in Santa Cruz, Paola has always been encouraged by her parents and sister to follow her dreams. Her first public performance came at the age of five, when she earned the lead role in her kindergarten play The Beautiful Catty. A standing ovation confirmed that she was, indeed, a true performer. Her elementary education included a stint at a Santa Cruz convent school, where a nun once tried to convince Paola that all angels were white. When Paola challenged this statement, the nun told Paola that she had no power. Never one to back down, Paola was expelled for defending her beliefs.Her mother, the first black woman in Bolivia to marry a white man, recently divorced Paola's father after 25 years of marriage. Paola's family remained extremely supportive of her career, though her father was skeptical of the entertainment business and felt it was very unstable.During summer breaks through high school, Paola attended The Municipal House of Art, where she was inspired by her literature teacher who read scripts with her and encouraged her to write her own plays. While there, she performed regularly in theater and assisted with set design.Paola went on to La Paz College for six months, where she acted in local theater productions, then transferred to the private University of Santa Cruz to major in Theater and minor in Communications. Only while attending Santa Cruz did Paola feel ready to pursue acting professionally.Shortly after joining Larca Theatre Group, she landed the role of a reporter for "Expo Cruz," a well-known Bolivian TV Entertainment magazine that became the launching pad for Paola's eventful career. She shuffled around as a hostess and reporter, doing local news and red carpet parties, one being Bolivia's biggest annual bash, Carnivale, thrown by only the elite. The "who's who" of Bolivia's entertainment industry showed up and, as a result of her charismatic passion and fierce energy, Paola was offered a veejay role for her own TV show, Carnivale with Paola, on MTV Latin America.After three years of being anxious to transcend her own expectations and further explore her talent and passion, Paola moved north to America. During her first three years in the States, Paola performed in local theater plays such as Hello Dolly and A Christmas Carol. She was featured in music videos by Gwen Stefani, Outkast, Sisqo, Master P, The Westside Connection and many more. She landed her first national commercial for Coffeemate, followed by 12 additional national commercials, including Verizon, Honda, Cadillac, Mars, Old Spice and Coca Cola.Recently, Paola had a supporting role in the feature film The Spot, which is scheduled to be in theaters Winter 2007. She had lead roles in the theatrical production of The Vagina Monologues and The Black Mariachi, a film that premiered last Fall at Los Angeles' African American Film Marketplace. Her latest accomplishments include achieving a lead role in this year's ABC Entertainment Television's Actors Showcase, in which only 18 actors were selected from almost 700 candidates who auditioned. And, she landed the lead role in SAG Diversity Showcase where she was selected from hundreds of candidates auditioning to perform a pilot presentation written by T.C. Gunter, who is mentored by Friends creator Marta Kaufman. Evidently, America has been waiting for Paola. Show less «