‘Siesta Key’: Serena Kerrigan’s Advice for Those Who Want to Follow in Her Footsteps
Siesta Key star Serena Kerrigan went from working at Refinery29 as a video producer to creating her own dating show, to starring in an MTV reality show. In a short amount of time, she has taken the entertainment world by storm. Showbiz Cheat Sheet chatted with Kerrigan about her journey. Here’s her advice if you want to follow in her footsteps.
Serena Kerrigan aims to find balance between work and her personal life
Kerrigan says her line of work can make it challenging to find balance. “When you have a career where you’re so public and so much of your life is embedded in your content, it can be tricky finding that balance of sharing just enough details about your personal life,” Kerrigan tells Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “As you can probably tell, this job is nonstop. I’m always creating new content and trying to come up with new ideas, which can get overwhelming.”
Why Serena Kerrigan started her dating show
Kerrigan’s Instagram dating show was an instant hit. The Today show said it was “Quarantine’s new must-watch” show. However, before creating her show, Kerrigan says she faced a period of uncertainty. Initially, she didn’t know what her next move would be after leaving her job.
“At the start of the quarantine, the world that we all once knew started to crumble,” says Kerrigan. “In my case, I had just quit my stable job, was quarantined entirely alone in my New York apartment, and faced the challenge of needing to adapt as a creator. Not only did I have to address the changing needs of my audience, but I also had to generate all of my content without the help of a production team. Like many, I was ridden with anxiety and unsure of my next move.”
Kerrigan says her therapist helped her figure out what to do next. “After a call with my therapist, it became clear that I had a choice,” says Kerrigan. “I could either let the fear of the unknown paralyze me or define me. I decided on the latter.
The Siesta Key star says she realized she needed to overcome her fears and not hold herself back. That’s when the idea for her show came to her. “The idea for Let’s F—— Date came as a combination of missing that basic human interaction and wanting to put something fresh and exciting into the world at a time when it was greatly needed. Plus, nothing can stop me from getting dressed up on a Friday night and talking to hot guys. Duh.”
Serena Kerrigan’s advice for those who want to follow in her footsteps
Kerrigan encourages others to be themselves and go for what they want. “Don’t be afraid to be your authentic self and openly voice your insecurities,” says Kerrigan. “Once the pressures and artifice of societal expectations fall away, your true self will be the driver of your success.”
What Siesta Key’s Serena Kerrigan is up to now
Kerrigan says she collaborated with Absolut as part of its new #MixResponsibly campaign. The goal of the campaign is to remind people to be respectful of others’ boundaries, especially during the pandemic.
to help people embrace their boundaries and be respectful when it comes to the boundaries of those around them
“In-person connections have been making a major comeback this summer, but we have to acknowledge everyone is mixing a little differently these days–and that will probably continue to change day-to-day,” says Kerrigan. This is why I collaborated with Absolut as part of its new #MixResponsibly campaign to help people embrace their boundaries and be respectful when it comes to the boundaries of those around them–because they might be different!”
The MTV star says she and Michaela Jae Rodriguez worked with Absolut to co-create a limited number of T-shirts, tank tops, and bucket hats with Absolut Summer Comeback Statements.
“The statements are cheeky one-liners, such as ‘I liked you better 6ft apart,’ and are designed to help anyone easily own and share their boundaries this summer,” explains Kerrigan. “The limited-edition merchandise will support GLAAD, a long-time partner of Absolut. It is part of a larger donation the brand is making to the organization.”
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
