WEEN Academy Mentor Spotlight: Janina Lundy
Why did you decide to be a WEEN Academy Mentor?
I first became familiar with WEEN when I participated in a presentation to the students and acted as a judge for their final project two years ago. I found the young women to be so creative, eager and intelligent and have kept in touch with a few throughout the last couple of years. When I was approached about being a Mentor this year, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to work with one of the participants one on one and hopefully, provide her with some guidance on her career and personal journey.
Tell us one interesting fact about your personal/or professional background that served as groundwork for you to become a mentor?
When I first started working in entertainment and experiential, I worked for free, using my vacation from my full time job to volunteer in a field that was my passion. I have had many mentors along the way, but the opportunity to learn first hand from someone who had been in the business for many years had a major impact on my career.
How did you build your personal/professional brand?
I have built my brand (and am still building it) by being one of the hardest working, dedicated people I can be. I have built really strong relationships with individuals and brands, and I have made maintaining those relationships a key priority. Having a strong network around me, as well as striving to be the best person who “does what I do” has been key to building my brand.
What are two gems that you wish someone would have told you about the business?
You are going to run into people over and over again, so don’t burn any bridges. And being smart is great, but being resourceful is better…this business is all about being able to think on your feet and problem solve quickly an efficiently. A lot of that goes back to network again, because you need to have the right people on speed dial who are in your corner when stuff hits the fan.
Who is/was your most significant mentor and why?
I have had many important mentors professionally, but I think the most significant one overall was my father. He taught me all sorts of catch phrases that I thought were silly at the time (“Think positive believe you can” – it was a song! And “I’m rough and I’m tough and I don’t take no stuff”) but I think about them often. Although he wasn’t a big fan of me thinking I wanted to be a film director or actress back in college, he has always supported my career decisions and provided guidance for my decision making.
What are some things that you are doing to make the entertainment business a better place for women?
Beyond volunteering and mentoring, I hire young women to work with me and connect them with others in the industry. I had a fantastic female boss coming out of undergrad, but since that have had mostly male bosses and I wish I had had more women to show me the ropes along the way…especially women who looked like me. I try to give those opportunities to deserving, strong, intelligent women and hope to be helpful as they learn and grow as professionals and as women in general.
Who would play you in a modern day movie about your life and why?
Tracy Ellis Ross. I think she is hilarious and smart and could embody the many sides of my personality.
What do you believe are important tools needed to survive in the entertainment industry?
Thick skin, quick thinking, relationship building ability and passion
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?
I hope it’s still coming! I’m very proud of a lot of the work I’ve done lately, but I think my biggest accomplishment is probably the people that have worked on my teams and seeing how well they are doing.
Famous or not: Name one woman who embodies what you think a real woman is and explain. Dead or alive
Michelle Obama. She’s beautiful, confident, a strong partner in her marriage, a caring mother, a role model to millions, smart, funny and down to earth. I think she embodies what a real woman should be.
Tell us something about you that people do not know?
That’s a tough one. I guess a couple random things would be that I grew up swimming competitively and in totally unrelated news, I have a bizarre allergy to celery and melon.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: msjanina
Facebook: Janina.lundy
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