Paola Menacho

Paola Menacho is an Afro-Latina Actor and Director originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and based in Los Angeles. Paola grew up near the Amazon jungle with a passionate love of nature. At age 3 she booked the lead in her preschool play and soon after that, the lead in a small hometown independent film. Her mother owned a dance school and Paola grew up dancing salsa, merengue, cumbia, bachata and samba. She majored in Theater and Communications at the University of Santa Cruz and joined Larca Theatre Group. She launched her television career as reporter for Expo Cruz, a well-known Bolivian TV Entertainment magazine. It was as a reporter that Menacho covered Bolivia's most elite annual bash, Carnivale, where heads of Bolivia's entertainment industry noticed Menacho's charismatic passion and fierce energy. As a result, Menacho was offered her own TV show, Carnivale with Paola, on MTV Latin America. Three years later, Paola moved north to America. During her first three years in the States, Paola performed in local theater plays such as Hello Dolly and A Christmas Carol. She was featured in music videos by Gwen Stefani, Outkast, Sisqo, Master P, The Westside Connection and many more and landed her first national commercial for Coffee Mate followed by 12+ additional national commercials. Paola went on to land one of her first U.S. film roles as a supporting role in the feature film The Spot, which appeared in theaters Winter 2007 and held a lead role in The Black Mariachi, which premiered at Los Angeles' African American Film Marketplace. Menacho soon achieved a lead role in ABC Entertainment Television's Actors Showcase, in which 18 actors of 700 candidates were selected. She also was selected for the SAG Diversity Showcase where she performed a pilot presentation written by T.C. Gunter, mentored by Friends creator Marta Kaufman. Her early achievements in the U.S. led to her eventual lead role in the major Netflix film, Ocean's Rising, and her first television guest star on Everybody Hates Chris. Paola holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of North Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Directing from the Los Angeles Film School. In 2020, she established her film production company, PM Film. Outgoing, a little tough, and pretty much an optimist, Paola loves to hike, grow her own vegetables, and believes in spreading real, honest, and supportive love. Volunteering with The Alexandria Home, she helps provide safe, healthy resources for women who are homeless, abused, or in critical condition. Privately owned, the Home allows women to stay as long as they need, giving them food and shelter alongside their children with the freedom to obtain education along a positive and progressive path. Paola resides in Los Angeles with her family.