‘Siesta Key’: Serena Kerrigan Tell Us About Transitioning from Her Dating Show to MTV
Siesta Key star Serena Kerrigan is known for her hit Instagram dating show. Before becoming a reality TV star, Kerrigan worked at Refinery29. However, she left the company so she could strike out on her own and work on creating her brand. Kerrigan chatted with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about her journey and how she transitioned from her dating show to MTV.
Why Serena Kerrigan left Refinery29 to start her brand
Kerrigan took a leap of faith and left her job at Refinery29 so that she could build her brand. She wanted to do something bigger and nurture her desire to develop something she could call her own. “I view my experience at Refinery29 like going to a creative graduate school,” Kerrigan tells Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I learned how to perfect the art of an email, produce thousands of videos for different verticals, and most importantly, be on-air talent for live content.”
The Siesta Key star says she was ready to change her career path. “More than three years later, it was time for a change,” says Kerrigan. “I felt like I wasn’t maximizing my full potential, and it was damaging my mental health and ability to grow as a person and as a creative. When I quit, I told everyone I was leaving to build my empire. I had no idea what that meant or how I was going to do it, but I knew that’s what I was going to do. So that’s what I did.”
How Serena Kerrigan prepared for her next step
We asked Kerrigan how she prepared before leaving her job and doing something new. She says one thing that helped was not having to worry about where she was going to live.
“Living at home for two years after college was a huge blessing,” says Kerrigan. “I already had a bunch of brand deals in place, so I felt confident that I would figure it out. I went back and forth on the decision for months, but ultimately, I asked myself, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ I was a seasoned video producer, a social media branding expert, and my drive wouldn’t let me fail.”
Kerrigan says it also helped to have solid advice from people she trusted. “The most helpful advice with friends and mentors and other business-savvy people in my life, I gathered enough info to be able to start building my brand and business. This was such a pivotal moment in my life because it taught me just how important your relationships are and how asking for advice and help isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. I gathered all the resources I needed and filed SFK LFG LLC as my company.”
Serena Kerrigan’s journey to ‘Siesta Key’
Kerrigan spoke about how she became involved with MTV’s Siesta Key. She says a friend of hers led her to join the show. “Juliette, the lead, is a good friend of mine, so as we got closer, it only felt more and more natural to be on Siesta Key as her friend, mentor, and confidence coach,” says Kerrigan. “I was always very interested in a reality TV show and was a fan of the show, so when the opportunity presented itself, it was a no-brainer.”
Stay tuned for part two of our chat with Serena Kerrigan.
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