This is Me: Manny Montana

Manny Montana stars as Johnny Tuturro in USA's "Graceland," an undercover FBI agent who works alongside other agents from the DEA and the ICE. Manny sits down with us for a conversation and a shoot to accommodate!

Let’s talk "Graceland."  It quickly became a very popular summer series due to its unique premise, and smart casting. What do you enjoy most about working on such a great drama?

Honestly, my cast mates! They are freakin' hilarious!! We were never not laughing and joking! Even when things were hectic on set and we were against the clock it was always fun! 

Can you talk about landing the role on this show and a bit about the audition process? Did you do anything unique to show you would be perfect for the role?

It was crazy! From the moment I got the script I felt like it was mine. And I say that with no bravado or arrogance. It just left like it belonged to me. But the process itself took so long! I think I had about six to eight auditions! When casting a show I guess the network just really wants to make sure they're casting who they feel is the right person. It was hard but I'm so glad it worked out. Being on a show like "Graceland" is literally a dream come true. 

So tell us more about Johnny.  What makes him tick?  Does it take you a while to get into character, or is he very natural for you?

Johnny is just a really fun character to play. He's always in a good mood and very upbeat, but he's also extremely sensitive so it makes for a lot of great layers to play. My cast mates and the writers are so amazing! No character stays the same. Everyone is always evolving and you never know who to trust! I'm a genuine fan of the show and think we can go far! Honestly, 'Johnny' and I are very different but also very much alike so really it just depends on the scene and premise to figure out how long it'll take to get into character. 

I’ve read that you have always been interested in careers that, maybe I would say, are reserved for dreamers. Tell me about the moment, or series of events, that led you to realize acting was something you would be so passionate about?

I was in college at football practice and my shoulder had just dislocated for the 8th time. I knew I had to make a change. I made the 6 hour drive from Sacramento back home to Long Beach, and decided if I was ever going to chase this dream I've put off and been so scared of for so long, now's the time. The rest is history. 

What three words would you use to describe your personality, and why? 

Tough. Sensitive. Giving. It's just how I was raised. I have such a big family and have always been around so many people that I think you just inherit so many different characteristics. So I think I took a little bit from everybody. But I was always taught to be a giving person. It's just always feels like the right thing to do. 

Any personal ambitions yet unattained? Directing? Producing? Writing?

Oh most definitely! Producing is really on the forefront of my mind. The longer I'm this business the more the idea of putting something together and making it fit like a puzzle is so appealing to me. I want to be a producer on "Graceland" but I really want to understand the position, not just have the credit. And from there expand into movies. 

Now tell us, what are some of the things you are just obsessing over right now? TV Shows, Books, Twitter?

I watch an incredible amount of TV (laughs). I'm so serious, I am and will always be a genuine fan of this pretend world! "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "Parks & Rec," "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black," and "Arrested Development!" I could go on forever! (laughs) No matter how much is going on in my life I always make time to watch my shows. It's my therapy. 

What do you enjoy doing on your days off to just get away?

Well we shoot in Florida, so that means I'm 3,000 miles away from my family and friends back home in Long Beach. So if I'm not hanging out with one of my cast mates I'm either working out, at the beach, or just at home reading getting ready for the next day. It's a great life! 

 Can you tell us about any new projects you are working on?

I just got off the set of the Untitled Michael Mann Film. It was a very small role but I just couldn't pass up the chance to work with this legendary actor who I've been a fan of since I was a kid! Other than that, I'm just hunting for the next gig and praying I can work on "Graceland" for several seasons more! 

For all the dreamers out there still working towards their goals, what advice would you impart to them?

Listen to your own intuition! You're the one that has the dream. You're the one that feels it in your bones that this is what you're meant to do. Follow that intuition. Don't listen to people that are in the same beginning stages as you tell YOU what's best for YOU! I know it's cliche, but there's only one you in the world. Be that unique person and shine that light. 

Just for fun:

a. The last movie I watched was… "This is the End." That movie had me in tears I was laughing so hard! b. My mama always told me... Being average is boring. c. I couldn’t live without… Football. It's my first love and I love everything about it. d. What makes me laugh is… My brothers. I laugh harder with them then than any other time in my life! There are certain life long inside jokes that only someone with siblings can ever understand. 

Interviewed by Pauline Aguayo

Photographed by Vince Trupsin Grooming by Amber Bruehl

Erin Condren: How She Does it All

Business is a machine. It lives—it breathes—hard work. This can also be said of Erin Condren and her multi-faceted stationary company Erin Condren Design. Erin, after a career in fashion apparel, started her business out of her very own home, and with a little help from family and friends she is quickly becoming a big hit online and everywhere around the country. But what really stands profound is her ability to juggle a growing business with a growing family. She seems on top of the world, and the ease with which she conducts her business had me convinced that Erin has it all. But she assured me that being a business woman is not the easiest thing in the world. Erin is dedicated to her work and driven to see it succeed. Simply put, she loves what she does and lets her passion speak for itself. As I sat with her in her office, Erin recalled how her business came to be and explained, in her own words, what it means to be a modern business woman. When did it all click that stationary design was for you?

You know for me, it was that I had to have a job. My husband and I definitely needed two incomes, and so as my life in the [fashion industry] quickly went out, I knew I needed to find something to do. When [my business] started as a gifting thing is when it started to go viral. I’d get emails, because everything I made had my email address on it. And as emails started coming in, and people were like ‘Where did you get this?’ I started realizing ‘Ooh, this actually may be income’, and it just started snowballing. And in my first year, in 2004, when I did that [first] person’s holiday cards, she ordered 100 and I decided I’m going to give her 150 holiday cards; next thing you know I’ve got a hundred and something people going ‘Hey, where do I find these, what do I do?’ It was kind of that aha moment, where I thought this is going to be my next career. I realized it could provide income for me, and it wasn’t just going to be a fun creative outlet.

Do you still sell your original designs?

Yes! I’m so glad you asked me that, because now I have these amazing, young designers, and it’s so fun to work with them because you know, they’re faster, they’re working on programs I was never trained on. But we always sort of giggle when we launch something and maybe one of my original designs that I created like Candy Lace or my Asterisks, or one of the signature looks of my company are still the top sellers. But I’m not trained classically. I went to UCLA. I was a Sociology major. I didn’t know what the heck I was going to do. I look back and I wish I’d had the confidence when I was there to go into design or art. I was just nervous. I don’t think I had the confidence; I didn’t think I was good enough. When I walked through that art department I was like ‘Whoa, I’m not this good.’ But afterwards I went back, and took a couple courses at UCLA Extension in design, so I have a little bit of training, but most of it people would laugh—it was on Publisher. But it was organically balanced. And here we are.

What does it mean to be a modern business woman?

It’s very different to be an entrepreneur and be able to make that jump into a successful business person. So you can have an idea, or a drive, or a motivation, or something that kind of makes you an entrepreneur, but it was my business partner that sort of explained the harsh reality that ‘Okay, you have something here, it’s working, but now the things that are going to happen next, and the journey that you take to become a successful business person—it’s tough’. And you start creating a family of employees, but like regular family, families are dysfunctional. And you might need to let people go, or grow in ways that are painful.

Must be hard...?

But it makes sense in your journey to be successful. About being a woman, I’ll tell you, it’s a journey. I have a daughter, and I watched my girl-friends who were at UCLA with me and later had great careers, but chose to stay home once they had children. And that’s amazing and I am so grateful for our PTO, and all the people who are helping out at the schools. And there was that sort of [cringes] ‘I’m not one of those’ feelings for a while. But now I’ve found a balance between having a career and being a mom. It’s something that can happen, but it’s not easy, it is really hard. I remember my mom used to tell me about the three D’s. You need to be weary of divorce, or maybe your husband becomes disabled, or worst case scenario, he dies. Will you be able to continue to stay in your home, support your family? You know, all those things that are not easy to do even with a husband. I just hear those words from [Mom], and they keep me motivated in business, and now I feel great. It’s a juggling act, but I’m sorry, I think women can do it a lot better than men can! [laughs] Did I just say that on tape?

What do you love about your business?

What I unanimously hear from my customers, from my friends, from people who have been buying since 2004, is ‘Oh my gosh, this made me so happy.’ I always love Christmas Eve thinking ‘Wow, tomorrow morning so people are opening up packages that are just going bring joy and happiness.’ There is no greater joy, and I say that to my team sometimes when we’re exhausted, or if there is someone nasty on FB that maybe was disappointed. The power of social media is such a blessing and a curse. It does hurt us all if we do let somebody down. But then I think how many thousands of people have said ‘Wow, you have no idea how happy this made me.’ So I think that no doubt, the best thing we do is just make people happy.

Interview by Pauline Aguayo

Late Afternoons by Lois Bielefeld

Lois Bielefeld photographed this beautiful sixties-inspired editorial in Milwaukee, WI for our Spring 2013 issue. It really makes you want to jump back in time when everyone had big hair and lively wardrobe. What do you think?

Photographer: Lois Bielefeld Model: Karrington from Ford Chicago Art Director: Julie Von Bargen Clothing Stylist: Sheila Teruty Hair/Makeup Stylist: Sharon Giersch Location: Lee's Luxury Lounge in Milwaukee, WI