The Chris Cuomo Project - How Social Media Fuels Rachel Pizzolatto’s Diverse Gen Z Entertainment Career

Episode Date: May 28, 2024

Chris Cuomo talks with Rachel Pizzolatto, a 20-year-old multi-talented actress, model, and influencer who shares her journey from being a science enthusiast and Mythbusters Jr. co-host to becoming a prolific social media personality. Discover how this Gen Z trailblazer uses social media as a tool to build a diverse career across the landscape of media and entertainment. Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday: https://linktr.ee/cuomoproject Join Chris Ad-Free On Substack: http://thechriscuomoproject.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Dave, and saving with TD Insurance made me feel like I scored my own jingle. With over 30 ways to save, nobody seems like Dave. Save on home and auto like only you can at tdinurance.com slash ways to save. TD. Ready for you. Social media. For me, it's a common target of criticism about its influence or really its infecting of our political system.

But that's a very limited view of social media. There are so many kind of concentric circles in some universes that have nothing to do with each other within social media. It is its own universe of reality. And I found somebody who really represents all of the opportunity, all of the new situations of existence that are presented to this generation that's coming into its own right now.

Rachel Pizzolato, sounds like someone would be my cousin, right? Such a profoundly Italian name. But this young woman, 20 years old, is so successful in so many ways that I was thinking of referring to her as the hottest property that you've never heard of, maybe. She's got millions of followers, but you've never seen her anywhere mainstream. And I never really considered, well, what does that mean mainstream? I always saw it as like a knock from people of fringe

and cottage outlets and industries who were just trying to make the big boys look bad. But there's a different context as well. She's in movies, she's a big time model in runways, she is gorgeous, She is incredibly articulate. She's a STEM kid. She's in college. She has all kinds of businesses,

bricks and mortar, as well as digital ones. And she's just getting started. And she does most of it with her parents, often living in their car. You talk about a brave new world. Rachel Pizzolatto is a look at someone who is the quintessence, the personification of how social media is taking over our lives. lives. Support for the Chris Cuomo Project comes from AG1.

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So go to drinkag1.com slash CCP. Drinkag1.com slashcom. Check it out. Support for the Chris Cuomo Project comes from done with debt. Let me tell you, we're all dealing with it, especially in American culture, right? Because we're so credit sensitive. We have so much available credit. People take advantage of it. Often it takes advantage of them.

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If you go to donewithdebt.com, that's donewithdebt.com, right? D-O-N-E-W-I-T-H-D-E-B-T.com, you can find the answers to your debt problems. I don't even know where to start. So here's why I've wanted you to do my podcast. I believe that you are an example of the new generation of media. You are like 10 different things at once. How would you describe what your identity is in terms of your personal brand?

I have a lot of different things to me, as you can tell. It's not just like a social media influencer. I actually didn't start as a social media influencer. I started as a scientist and a nerd, big fat nerd. And I did all the science fairs and I was geeking out. And then MythBusters, they came to me and then I was like, oh, there's acting involved. I always knew that I wanted to do acting and modeling just because height and appearance. I was like, okay, this is something I want to do, but I didn't

know how to dive into it. And so as soon as MythBusters picked me up, I was like, okay, we're going to put acting full force, modeling full force, and then I just love the spotlight. So I did it. And then the social media came about like probably about a year after quarantine. And I was actually late to the game. So I had to play catch up. I was doing TikToks. Yeah, I had like 100k or whatever, um, unlike my first month or so,

I gained like a million followers in my first year on TikTok. And then it kind of stopped. And then it kind of, you know, I just didn't know where to go from it. I didn't really have a brand. I was just doing it for fun. And that's also another thing. I never really did it for money or whatever. I love doing social media. And so it's just a big part of my life. And my brand is what you'd say Beauty and Brains with a Twist. It's exactly my Instagram. I have the modeling, I have the brains, I have the twist, which is the athletics with trampoline.

And then I'm also like a ton of different things in between there. So I don't really have a brand, you know? Like I am Rachel and I think my followers watch me and follow me because I do so many different things. You know, I'm not niched and I just have a wide variety of people who like to watch me fall off a building or do whatever I do or study or you know, do fun things.

But I think that it's kind of representative of your generation's ambitions. It's that like, that's what social media is, is you guys kind of live your life on there. I don't mean that as a criticism. I mean, you're very athletic and you're doing lots of things that are offline. But it's like, I want to be in as many of the kinds of videos as I would watch as I can. So, you're into food now, because there's all these food videos,

and the trampoline thing, because there's all these trick videos, but then you still got the big box, oh, I might as well be in movies. So now you're booking movies, and you seem like you're some kind of, doing some kind of superhero fighter thing in them from the videos I'm seeing.

Yeah. Things, things just are thrown at me and I take it. You know, like if I get the chance to jump out of an airplane, I'm gonna go jump out of an airplane, I'm gonna videotape it and I'm gonna show people and it's gonna be fun, you know? Like I am very much living on the wild side and I do what I love to do. If you see me doing something on social media, it's because I chose to do it.

It's because I want to do it. It's not because like, oh, I'm going to make money over this. No, I want to do it. I'm doing this and then I'm going to videotape it for you and show you guys. And I'm having a good time in my life. I feel like some social media people, they get lost in the sauce. They start doing it for the wrong reason, just because they fall out of love with what they're doing.

And I don't really think I'm ever going to fall out of love with it, working on cars and doing the trampoline and smarts never go away. You just keep up with that. So I feel like everything that I do is a part of me. And you know, if my followers ever die, I'm still going to have me, you know, like some people, they live for social media and I do, but that's their whole life. If it goes away, they have nothing. And so I feel like that's the wrong reason to do social media. I feel like it should be because you want to share positivity or you want to share your life and you want to share just things about you or something that's super fun and something you love to do.

I don't know. Some people get stuck in it and I feel like that's the wrong reason for social media. You should do it because you love it. So you're just getting going. How old are you now? What are you 23, 22, 23? No, I'm 20. 20.

So you're 20 years old and you are still studying. Yeah. So I actually just finished finals. I'm a engineering and business degree at LSUS. And are you doing it remote or do you go to school? I have to do it remotely and that's the easiest way. I did homeschooling my last year of high school and then I just got used to it, you know,

like quarantine, I got used to it. And so I just couldn't imagine going back to school in person because I do so much traveling. I literally just came back from a month in New Hampshire and I had to do finals there and it's just, it's a hassle. You don't miss the college thing, joining a sorority, going to football games,

having that experience. I would love to. See, okay, that's another thing. I'm very active. Like I keep up with my friends in college. I go to their tailgates. I'm still technically a college student, especially when I'm very active. I keep up with my friends in college, I go to their tailgates, I'm still technically a college student, especially when I'm back home.

I love keeping up with my friends and going where they go. But I don't know, I just feel like my life is here and now and I need to take every opportunity outside of school because you can always go back to school and I'm still getting the same college experience just a little bit different in a little bit different area, you know? So we have a kid who's a year older than you,

who's a third year in college and you helped me understand her a little bit better because my daughter is a singer, songwriter, but she's in school. She's in, and I had a hard time understanding those two things. I was like, well, wait a minute. You're in college, you have a major, that's what you're supposed to be doing.

I get that you're a singer-songwriter, I get it, but you gotta be one thing. And now I realize and kind of getting to know what you're doing and watching you and talking to your dad and getting the enthusiasm that no, it's not how your generation is, that it's different now, that you guys do a ton of things. So, and it's important for people to know that too,

that it's not like, that Rachel's like made by Hollywood stars to be the, it wasn't like two superstars came together and made this kid who has to do everything. You're from Louisiana. Yeah, they think that all the time. They think I'm in LA. I'm not going to school. I dropped out on this. I'm like, no, honey, I have full-time engineering. We're doing this, this, this, everything at once because everything's remote. It's so easy nowadays to just do what you want

to do and then not have to give up time, money, whatever. You know, it's just easier. You know, did you play ball in high school because you're big? Yeah, I played like every sport, money, whatever, you know, it's just easier. Did you play ball in high school? Cause you're big. Yeah, I played like every sport, everything. Cheerleading, track, high jump, long jump, triple jump, volleyball, I loved, loved volleyball. I was really good at volleyball. And I did something in my ankle, blah, blah, blah.

Didn't work. And then I went home school and I just did the modeling and acting thing. And then trampoline as well. And I did a little bit of basketball, but I don't have that hand-eye coordination, sadly, since I'm so tall, wasted genetics, but it's okay. How tall are you? Six feet.

Yeah. You know, look, everything's changing so fast. Six foot used to be like, oh my God, six foot. Now, you know, every team has got like three or four of them in college, but you definitely got good size. And your family is behind you doing all these things, right? 100%. So fun fact, my mom actually just got diagnosed with dementia.

And that actually brought me so much closer to her because she didn't travel. She's very much a homebody. She likes her TV. She has seven dogs. She loves her dog. She loves doing the thing that she loves to do. And's very much a homebody. She likes her TV. She has seven dogs. She loves her dog. She loves doing the thing that she loves to do. And so she was never a traveler. And I loved my mom and loved what she did.

And then she got dementia and now I love her even more because she's with me. She's constantly with me. She relies on me. I just feel that connection that was lost. But your mom's young. Yeah, my mom's 53. So it's very early onset. Yeah, that is. I feel like that brought back like a best friend moment. You know, like Gilmore Girls

have like mom and daughter, we're definitely best friends. We rely on each other 100%. Girl drama, complaining, love it. It's a slay. That's another new generation where it's the same. My parents are 100% behind me. My dad, oh my God, that man is so proud, so proud. I know, you've met him. He's wow. And he has been driving me across the country since I can remember, bringing me to every opportunity, pulling up to the doorstep, sleeping in the car for five years. We have the ultimate story.

It's the ultimate father-daughter relationship where he believes in me 100% and he's gonna do what he needs to do to allow me to make it and be in that position to meet that person, to get that opportunity. You know, and I feel like that is why I'm here. You know, the acting and modeling, he brought me there to meet that person.

And so I wouldn't have had the opportunity. What is the dream? What do you wanna be five years from now? There is a lot of dreams. So I've had a lot of people tell me, oh, you need to stick to one thing and one thing only. I'm like, no, you're a liar. And so I'm gonna finish my degree.

I'm gonna get a business degree and hopefully engineering takes a little bit longer. So I'm gonna do a little bit of engineering here and there, but I have to go back in person for lab. So I'm going to wiggle my way through engineering and hopefully get that degree as well, because that's the ultimate goal is engineering degree. Just in case I want to use it ever, because I love it.

And it's the ultimate passion. I'm still a nerd inside of this body. But acting, modeling, huge, huge. I've gotten more into the acting, what you've seen with Michael Hearn. I just filmed a big movie in New Hampshire. It's called Round the Decay. I was the monster. It is so big, so huge.

It is my first lead role and I'm so proud of it. There are things in the pod that no one even knows about. And I just cannot wait to share with people the things that's coming up because it's big, it's huge, you know? And so the goal is definitely acting and modeling and staying up with the studies and being who I want to be, you know? I feel like that's the ultimate thing. Well, first of all, don't forget who was there at the beginning okay? Don't forget who was there at the beginning This guy was here at the beginning don't forget that

So a lead move let's not bury the lead You know getting a lead in a movie at 20 is a real deal now Mike O'Hern for some of you That name may not mean anything as an actor in the fitness world Mike O'Hern, for some of you, that name may not mean anything as an actor. In the fitness world, Mike O'Hern is a legend, okay? You look him up. He's like an ageless man. And... Gosh. He told me his age. I'm like, no. Yeah. And he is, you know, you'll see. He's in all the documentaries about weightlifting

and bodybuilding. He was never a big competitor. He's always been like, he was like the first fitness model. But now he does some movie stuff every now and then, but this is cool. So tell us what the movie is again. Tell us where we can see it and when we can see it. Cool. So that movie with Mike O'Hern is called Censored Eviction.

We did an awesome fight scene. I'm basically like a ninja warrior character who's badass and comes in and kills Mike and does the thing. You know, like I do the, I did the choreography for the stunt. Oh my God, it was so cool. It was so cool. I just brought out all my cool moves, the kip up, the this, the this, the this, and

the, I just, I brought it, you know, because that was my moment to shine, you know? I had two days in LA to film this and I'm like, okay, we gotta get the shot. I'm gonna choreograph it, let's do it. I know my capabilities. Sorry Mike, if I kill you, my bad. I might hit you with my shoe. It's okay, take it, it's gonna be cool. So we did the shot.

It really wasn't that bad because we were so into it. Like some stunt doubles, they don't wanna touch each other. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna touch you. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna fight you and you're gonna fight me back. And'm going to do it. I'm going to fight you. And you're going to fight me back. And we're going to do it. It was cool. It was cool.

It was a real macho moment right there. And we got it. Good takes. And then I came back in, and I slashed him, brought him to the ground. Bam. And then I hit myself on a table, and I got a gash because that was a stupid move from Rachel.

But that's OK. Memories. So yeah, sense of addiction. I really don't know where it's going to be. I have to figure that out. But yeah, I just know I'm in the movie. Well, the team has got to know. They've got to be trying to get it a distribution deal. The question is where they get it. Yeah. So yeah, I don't know where they're going to get it. But then the other movie that I just filmed, Round the Decay, that's going to be everywhere. What is it called? Rounded what? Round the Decay. Round the Decay. What does that mean? Basicallyed what? Round the decay. Round the decay.

What does that mean? Basically, it's this monster who's decaying in a cave and then forms and comes alive. That's me. And then there's a whole backstory and I kill a bunch of people. Are they gonna be theater releases or are they gonna be streaming?

It's gonna be streaming, I think. Good, that's how everybody's doing it now. And do you have agents and stuff like that, or you figured it all out yourself? So I've had a lot of social media opportunities, for sure. As far as modeling agencies, no. Acting, no. Agencies just in life, no.

So a lot of these opportunities come from people believing in me. Based on what they see from social media and the reality of my YouTube channel, Instagram, TikTok or whatever, that's what they see. That is basically the ultimate sizzle reel. That is what I tell a lot of people. I'm like, how are you going to be an actor and actress when you don't have things to show people?

I can pull up my phone and be like, ta-da, you know. Guests. I got found from, Brian Adams found me on Instagram. And he says, hey, Paul Marciano, this girl. Send a picture. I'm in LA doing a test shoot. Then I go to Lugano, Switzerland, and walk the guest line opening show.

You know, so it's that type of opportunity that I get a lot. And I actually just auditioned for a part for Anna in another TV show. No, I think it's a movie. It's in another movie and I just got a callback and they found me on social media. You know, like I definitely think social media has brought a lot, almost all of my opportunities.

Yeah, I think it's just changing the game. I mean, I guess that's the point of why I want to introduce you to people is because it's a new world and social media is eclipsing a lot of the accepted ways that you don't need somebody to cull talent for you. It's all out there. How broad do you think your following is? If you had to aggregate it and forget about copies, meaning like I follow you on this and this,

just raw numbers, how big is your footprint? Pretty big. So I have, let's see, 1.2 on Insta. My second Instagram is 500K, my YouTube like 700K, TikTok 2.3 mil. And that's the one thing about me, I'm pretty much broad across all the platforms. Some people are TikTokers, some people are Instagram models. I have a very wide following against all the platforms.

And so that's very rare to see. And every platform has a different thing. I have the beauty on Instagram, the brains on YouTube fixing cars and doing science stuff, and the twist on TikTok. And so that's where that kind of people don't connect that. But I have a lot of different genders and people from different countries from every platform. So they all come together and they usually go to my Instagram or my YouTube. Um, but I'd say about five or six million people or so, like in the whole clique of things and they're all different. Like if you ask a person from my Instagram, if they follow my

TikTok, probably not. And it's from, you know, the broad reach that every single one of my videos across every platform has. So, you know, influencers, they'll post the same video from TikTok to Instagram to YouTube, shorts to this to this. And so my followers don't even know that I have a TikTok or don't even know I have a YouTube. And so they'll find me just from scrolling. And I feel like a lot of social media people have that problem where they're not fully connected on every platform,

but then that gives a wider range of audience, so it's good and bad, and you just gotta figure out a way to perceive it. Where did the cars stuff come from? I've always been a car person. I don't know anything about cars, but I love fixing cars. That's weird, I know. But I do a lot of repair and maintenance.

I have seven rental houses, so I basically build houses from the ground up, and I'm actually turning one of seven rental houses, so I basically build houses from the ground up. And I'm actually turning one of my rental houses into a studio where I can fix it while living in the studio, so I never have to leave. But from the cars, my dad has always had cars, just junk cars, GMCs, Yukons, just blazers, junk cars. And we've always had to fix it. You know that wrench thing where you hit the motor and it comes off? That is the type of people we are. We are the type that just duct tape and fix it

and make it run and make it happen. And I've just learned from my dad that every tool matters. Every tool in your toolbox matters, duct tape, wrenches, soldering irons, whatever it may be. And I don't know, he's taught me a lot. He taught me a lot. Do you own the houses with your dad? Yeah.

Was he in that business before or is this something he built with you? Yeah, so my dad's always been a fixer and just a tinkerer. I've always been a tinkerer as well. I used to take apart watches and clocks and put them back together and figure out how they work. So I've always been that same brain as him. But yes, he's been a landlord most of his life.

He's not really a good landlord, but he knows how to fix things. So that's where I help with the landlord part. I go up to the person and I'm like, give me your money. Like, I don't know. Pete's Alato is a very Italian name, but you guys are down in Cajun country. What is the roots of the family?

Yeah, so my mom's Italian, dad's Italian, and I'm Italian, my brother's Italian. We're all Italian. But yeah, we're in Louisiana right now, and I don't really know. My family is all from Sicily, so that's where the Italian comes from. But I don't really know. My family is all from Sicily. So that's where the Italian comes from. But I don't really know the history of my family or like what's going on there because most of them,

my dad was a very old, young child, old parents. So like things kind of fell off there and then my mom only has her mom. So, you know, I don't really know the history kind of just happened and yeah I would definitely say I'm a southern girl compared to like LA girls when I go to LA I'm like oh you like shoes and bags and like different things that I don't even care about you know like they go to earworn like what's the one I want some seafood and crawfish and I don't know, stuff. Benye is a coffee. ["The Bane of the Bane"] So I'm looking at your Linktree, okay? Yeah.

And it is like, there's so much stuff on here. You have all the socials. So it's, everybody knows the socials. That's fine. And as you already explained, you're a different, you're the same person, but there's a different persona presented in them. Exclusive content is what it was that for subscribers? Yeah, that's just subscribers only. Visit my fan base profile. What is that? So fan basis is where Visit my fan base profile. What is that? So fan basis is where? I just do like it's like cameo, you know where you do custom. I gotcha gotcha gotcha Amazon wishlist. What's that? Oh, it was a wish list

So I just put like things that I've won or things that I want to make a video on It's my Amazon wishlist and then I have a PO box and if a person wants to send me that or a camera letter Whatever that was me. They it to my few bucks. And how many partnerships do you have? Um, quite a few. So, uh, I have a social media manager kind of, and she brings in brand deals and whatever, whatever we have song promos. Um, but I have skinny pasta. That's nine calorie pasta.

And my dad is currently on a weight loss journey so they have needed to supply an incredible amount of skinny pasta. But that's been a partnership of mine for quite a while and my dad loves it so we're going to keep it for as long as possible. And then we have Prozis which is a supplement, it's an activewear, it's like any other activewear company that you can find out there. But it's just like that. They send us bags and merch and this and that fan fix.

They send me merch as well. But a few of my other companies, let's see, well, I guess they'll they'll promote their stuff on my social media. But I had to come back to you on that because my brain is farting at the moment. That's okay. Do you see yourself as a brand, as a business? I do. So I feel like, you know, Pamela Anderson, where she does her tool time and she's beautiful

and she also has this beautiful mind and the beautiful body and she could talk. If you could describe me in one person, it would probably be her. And she just has a range of things that she could do. And so I feel like if you wanted to put me in a horror movie, I'd kill it. And if you wanted to put me in a drama movie, I'd kill it.

You know what I mean? I have a range of different things and I'm not just, oh, the short girl, the tall girl, the pretty girl, the this girl, the this girl. I have many girls within me. So I do think I have a brand where it can just, I don't know, appeal to many people. And if Toyota or whoever wanted me to do their sponsorships or whatever, that would appeal because I do car maintenance on my YouTube. And if guests wanted me to do another ad, that would appeal too. Or if I had Skyzone, which I, oh, that's another one, Skyzone, K1 Speed, like all

the, um, like really cool, badass things, trampoline, go-karts, I appeal to that too. So it really just depends, but I do think I have a very broad appeal to many people. And so most of my partnerships and brand deals, they go with me, you know, the makeup, the cars, the this, the this. Whereas some influencers are just beauty influencers or just this influencer. So I feel like I can do a lot of things with my brand. You don't really have to be in movies. You could just have your own content that you just keep producing around your own life activities.

That would be cool because I do so much like traveling with Rachel. I've lived in my car for five years and I've lived out of a Hyundai Elantra and at Planet Fitness. And me and my dad, we've done this for a long time. And so I've talked on my YouTube channel and people want to hear more about it. And I just haven't done it because I'm like, is that actually interesting? But no living out of your car, cool. And going to these red carpets and going to this and this and living in my car while visiting guests and becoming a guest model. No one does that. You know that people think I'm crazy, but I'm like, no, I'm crazy with passion

and I'm gonna go where I need to go early in the morning. I'm gonna be there in the parking lot and I'm gonna show up. But you're getting paid to do this stuff and the partnerships. Why'd you have to live out of the car? Was that just then or is that just a thing? Choice.

It is. I feel like it humbles me, you know, to really understand what these opportunities are bringing, no matter how much money I'm going to have. Yeah, a nice house would be great and a new car would be great, but I feel like I'm a very low maintenance person and I only need a few things.

So living out of my car is really not bad. It's pretty great, to be honest. I just have this story, and I like telling the story. People think that I came from money or I came from this, and like, oh, you buy hotels. I haven't bought a hotel in five years. I've lived rent-free in LA for five years. I feel like if I make it, I'm going gonna have something to look back on and be like, you did it, that was great, you did it.

And you were financially stable. So let me get this straight. You go to Los Angeles for a gig. Yep. You drive from Louisiana to Los Angeles? Yes. And not like in a camper? No, Hyundai El Laundry.

And it's you and your dad. Yeah, now it's my mom too. All three of you. Yes. Stay in the car. Yes. So you go out to eat, you come back to the car, and you guys go to sleep in the car.

So yes, we can either sleep in the car, or we can go to Planet Fitness. They have hydro yes, we can either sleep in the car or we can go to Planet Fitness. They have hydro beds and you can sleep in the hydro bed or wherever you wanna crash if you have a friend out there or whatever. But usually it's the car. That is very unusual. I know.

And they haven't felt like it's time to graduate to stay in at a place? No, we adventure, man. Like, it's not like we're staying in a car and doing nothing. No, like we go on road trips. We are having the time of our lives. We're going to every national park out there.

We stay on the side of the Grand Canyon for two weeks. Like, we're adventuring. We're having a great time. And my dad has wanted to do this and travel since he can remember. And he finally has the opportunity to do it, and so we're doing it. You know? I only have a certain amount of time with my parents, is what I'm, like, my brain is telling me,

and so I'm gonna do what I can and show them the world, and if that requires staying in the car, we're gonna do it. What does your brother do? My brother's a football player. Yeah, so he's at Nichols stay right now. He's really good. He was all American freshmen. Like that man can play some football.

How big is he? He's 6'5", 320 pounds. Wow, how big's your dad? He seems pretty big, wide. He's a big man, but he was a bodybuilder. Mr. New Orleans, Mr. Louisiana, big bodybuilder, and then it kind of just slowly went into big. But he's probably 5'9", 270 right now,

going on his weight loss journey. How tall is your mom? How are you guys so tall? I don't know, my mom's 5'9", but she has some pretty decent tall people in her family. Your parents are both 5'9", you're six foot, your brother's 5'9", but she has some pretty decent tall people in her family-ish. Your parents are both 5'9", you're 6'', and your brother's 6'5"?

I know, I know. And imagine my dad's side of the family, short, short, short, short, little Italian people, my aunt is like 5', not even. And so when it comes to like pictures, everyone's here and me and my brother just, right in the back. Do you see yourself ever having like a family and doing that thing or you just like on a different trajectory?

No, I do. So I thought for a long time that I was going to be the fun aunt with like the private jet and the hot air balloons and stuff. And I was just going to take my brother's child because I know he wants children. So I take my brother's children and just spoil them. And it might happen, it might not, but I do think that I wanna pass down the genes because super tall, I got the look. I just love to spoil someone. And so even if it's not my kid,

it's gonna be my brother's kid. Do you have time for relationships and stuff, or are you putting it off for now? I made time. It's just a matter of the right person. They have to understand, yes, understand the industry. I made time. It's just a matter of the right person. They have to understand, yes, understand the industry that I'm in. They have to understand that I'm going to be on set for 12 plus hours or so and in monster fingers and I can't call you. Sorry. But then I'm going to

have my daily FaceTime calls with you at the end. And so I need someone who's secure and knows what they wanna do, understands my industry and is supporting 100%. But I can definitely make time for the right person. What is your industry? I feel like my industry is acting, modeling, and social media. So they kind of go together. And that's like, when you think of,

let's say Sydney Sweeney, she became an actress in this big movie, Euphoria, a TV show, and then she became the model for Vogue and for this and for this. And so I feel like all the industries come to one. One is just entertainment. So I feel like I'm definitely in the entertainment industry, whether it's on social media or acting on the big screen or doing the modeling because they all correspond to each other. You know, you're always going to be on that red carpet if you are the person. So yeah, that's entertainment. What box do you want to check that you haven't? That I haven't? Graduate.

True. Well, graduate. But I think getting into the next level of modeling, if that's one of them, I think would be modeling because acting is taking off. It's slowly getting there. And if people follow my social media, they'll understand that it's there. Like all the auditions they're paying off, you know, it's happening. Whereas modeling, it's like a doorway

that you have to pry your way in, you know? In New York, you can't go into the boat, you can't go into these big modeling runway shows because you don't have an agent. But I feel like I can make it without an agent. And even with the help of an agent, I want to pry my way in. I want to get those Gucci shows, I want to get Prada, I want to get... I want to make it to the next level on modeling. And so if I can check that box, we'll be in business.

Did you learn how to model? Did you learn how to act? Or is it just things you've developed yourself? So acting, never had acting classes. Mythbusters, they got me from school, science. And I had two patent pending inventions. I went to Broadcom Masters three times in a row. I sift three times in a row.

That's really never happened before. I have a minor planet in it after me. So big nerd, big geek. And I would post on YouTube, again, social media is so relevant in everything. I post my skills on YouTube, like routing a deck or something or building a chair or whatever, and coding a Raspberry Pi.

And then Mythbusters reached out to me and they're like, oh my God, we need a female in STEM and you look perfect. That same day we were doing all types of casting back to back to back to back to back, and then the next day we flew out to San Rafael, California and filmed. I forgot the question. But yeah, things happen very quickly and never had any acting classes. They kind of just happen from social media or prior experiences. And I've learned this from another person, if you are so good at your craft, they can't deny you. So one of my good friends, Christian

Kane, he's in leverage, he's in all these really big shows. And he's never had acting classes. He basically did the fake it till you make it thing. And he got the role because he was just that good. So I feel like if I can do that and I can do my own stunts and I can show a producer that I can ace those lines and I can be natural and I could be this and I'd be this, then you can practice all you want but once you get in front of that camera and that producer showing up and showing out, that's what they want to see. And it's a weird thing that I say but how can an acting teacher teach you more than just the basics without you putting in the work? You know, like an acting coach, they could teach you everything that you want to know, the stage direction of this, the this, all the lingo. But if you know just that, you have to apply yourself in what you're doing, you know?

So acting classes can only get you so far. And if you're a good actor, you're going to know by the first casting call audition or TV show movie that you're in. So that's my thing about it. And then again, with modeling, I don't know, I've been tall my whole life. I was like 5'9 at age of 12. I've been doing beauty pageants. I have over 300 beauty pageant titles. And that's mainly because I could talk, I got the brains, like people love the interview, I would do trampoline as my talent. I was just it, you know?

And so I just love the stage and modeling is having the stage, having your floor and showing what you can do. And like I would do Nike for art hearts for Miami swim week and I would do a front walkover or back handspring. And that's me. That is me on the runway. Maybe not the no smile, like stick skinny, but I'm a really cool model who could do

some really cool acrobatics and I'm going to be the happiest person on that runway. So I feel like a lot of these brands, they fall in love with me just because of the personality that I can bring and I don't know, I've always been that like mom backstage, like, oh, you need your makeup, your hair? I got you, I got you, girl. You know, so I feel like if you get in, in lock with the brand, you can be a model for

any reason. Well, I think it's great. I am going to love watching the journey. And I really believe that you're kind of a testament to what the positive potential of social media is. That it's really kind of bringing all these different avenues of opportunity together at the same time. And if you have the talents and the wherewithal to bring them together and you seem to be doing that. So I'm very impressed by you. I'm happy for you and the family.

I hope you guys stay in touch and I hope you let me know as each big thing is coming so I can remind people that we knew. And I met you on social media and most of my friends are from social media and I just, the community is happening, man. I love it. Social media is great.

It really is its own thing. It's very interesting. And I'm usually bashing it because of what it means in our politics, but there is this entirely other dynamic on social media also that has nothing to do with what I'm used to covering. And thank you for introducing me to that part. Of course. You're welcome. All right, Pete Celato. Good luck to you and thank you very much. How come you don't have a podcast?

I don't know. I talk a lot. I don't know. Maybe that's next. Maybe that's next. All right, kid, I'm here. If there's anything I can ever do to help as stuff is coming out that you want to promote, you want people to know, I'm happy to do it on the show, okay?

Thanks, Chris. Appreciate you. All right, you be well. Say the best to your family, okay? Bye. Will do. All right. You be well. Say the best to your family, okay? I will do. Take care. [♪ music playing, But when you look at it through the lens of social media, she really is the quintessence. She is the highest form of what everybody wants out of social media, which is to have their everyday lives and what they like to do, to become entertainment, to become content

for other people's enjoyment and absorption. She's just able to check so many boxes that her audience just keeps growing and growing. Who knows where she'll go next, but we'll be watching it together. What an amazing kid. What an amazing story. I'm happy for her and her family. I'm Chris Cuomo. Thank you for subscribing. Hey, Pizzolatto's got like 15 million. Me, only one in five of you are subscribing. If you want this ad free, just go onto the sub stack. You get this and you get my long COVID journey.

I'm not gonna give you a makeup tutorial. You're not gonna see me in a bikini. Be thankful for it. But you can watch what I'm doing with my doctor and her expertise to deal with my symptoms of long COVID as we're learning about it affecting more and more all the time, millions of people across the country. You subscribe there, you'll get everything to deal with my symptoms of long COVID, as we're learning about it affecting more and more all the time, millions of people across the country.

You subscribe there, you'll get everything from my blood work to the scientific backstops and the protocols that I'm doing, as well as diet and movement, to try to get myself through thankfully mild symptoms. A lot of people have a lot of worse, but a lot of the same principles apply. So I'll see you on Substack and of course News Nation, 8P and 11P every weekday night. Huh, I thought I

was busy. That Pizzolato's got me beat by like 10 a.m. Let's get after it.