An actress who’s travelled the world may not remain loyal to her Midwestern roots. Or you might not expect a model with such a striking physique to possess an acute business sensibility. Native Toledoan Runa Lucienne is an example of each, showing the world how a woman can embrace these qualities, creating a career on her terms.
Rust Belt Roots to Bi-Coastal Biz
Born in Washington, DC but raised in Toledo, Runa claims the Glass City as her hometown. Upon graduating from St. Ursula in 2006, she moved to New York City to attend college and pursue a modeling career. However, she learned during college that modeling and acting were more suitable for the lifestyle she preferred, so she moved to Los Angeles.
The move to the West Coast boosted her career, which has spanned a multitude of areas like fashion modeling, becoming the first African American promotional model for Monster Energy drinks, music videos, and acting on shows like Sons of Anarchy. “I definitely have more plans for acting in my future and my dream acting gig is being a Bond Girl! I’ve always loved the action-packed scenes of the James Bond movies. I think that would be the most fascinating role.”
Social Media Savvy and Entrepreneurial Goals
Runa has also had major success with glamour modeling, evidenced by her expanding social media presence of over 100,000 Instagram followers and more than one million Facebook followers. Runa also offers some sage advice for aspiring models and actors, stating, “You’re forced to wear many hats, but you need to invest time in learning how to effectively do each job including marketing, research and development, and financial planning… Success isn’t handed to you.”
She adds, “Another important piece of advice is always be yourself. Media images are calculated and tainted. Do not conform to the ideas and expectations of how a model or actor should live his or her life.”
In addition to her existing career, her future endeavors include a fashion/beauty blog and sharing her entrepreneurial wisdom. “I will be writing a book about how to get into the entertainment industry, the truth about success, and how to manage yourself as a model and/or actor.”
To check out more of Runa, visit her website at runalucienne.com, her Instagram page at instagram.com/runalucienne, or her Facebook page at facebook.com/runalucienne.
