Jessica Polsky

Austin, Texas native Jessica Polsky grew up with her sights set on Broadway, and began her triple-threat training while still in diapers. After a childhood steeped in stage and studying, Jessica graduated on full scholarship from the University of Arizona's prestigious Performing Arts Department as a Dance BFA, magna cum laude. A semester studying abroad and working with a dance company in Florence, Italy during her four years of college allowed her to add a degree in Italian on to her credentials, and she graduated with a BA in Italian, as well, also magna cum laude.

Her subsequent move to NYC to begin her professional performing career was met with almost instant success. She spent almost 4 consecutive years touring, most notably: West Side Story (Euro Tour), Sophisticated Ladies with Dee Dee Bridgewater (Euro tour), and Grease (Euro tour). During these first years Jessica also spent a fair amount of time "on the other side of the table" assisting some of the business's most well-known directors and choreographers, and even directing some, herself.

After all this touring she also worked consistently on NYC-based projects, taking part in the much talked about stage version of the film Jeffrey with Bryan Batt (Lincoln Center), an off-Broadway revival of Pirates of Penzance, and much more.

Then came the call from the major TV network in Italy: they had caught wind that there was a young American actress around, fluent in Italian and with the right "look" for the Italian market. They offered her a starring role on the hot, new prime-time sitcom, Camera Cafe'. Jessica accepted this offer and the rest, as they say, is history...

Camera Cafe' was an explosive hit, like nothing Italian television had seen for years, and created a fanatical following that can only be compared to that of Friends or Seinfeld. Jessica's character, which they left named "Jessica", was one of the lead elements of this sitcom set among the disgruntled employees of a corporate office. The show's stellar popularity took Jessica right along with it: the first season she won recognition from Italy's Accademia dei Telefilm (Best Lead Actress of the Television Season), and subsequently for many years was one of the country's most in-demand, young, A-list celebrities. She was a favorite of the press and of all corners of the industry. She could be seen constantly featured in cameos on every genre of TV project, as a special guest on talk shows, in magazines, on the radio, on the red carpet, in large-scale celebrity endorsement ad campaigns, and as a participant in promotional and charity events.

Following Camera Cafe' Jessica was once again back nightly on television sets throughout Italy on her next prime time hit, the sitcom Piloti ("Pilots"): an original sitcom which takes place in an airplane, based on the daily lives and adventures of the crew. Jessica stars in it as the adorable but bumbling stewardess: "Josephine". Piloti was on the air daily (RAI network TV) and is now in perpetual syndicated rerun--a response to unprecedented demand for her beloved character, who has quickly become an entertainment industry icon.

She moved on and up within the industry in Italy and starred in a steady stream of highly visible and successful projects dedicated to her. Although primarily known for her formidable acting work in network dramas, sitcoms, mini-series, and films, along the way Europe also discovered in Jessica a talented host. Her larger than life personality, warmth, humor, quick instinct and affinity for the camera make her a natural at the helm of televised events, interviews, and more. This was evident in any number of ratings-winning, prime-time network specials (Festivalbar, Robbie Williams Live in Berlin, Masters of Magic, New Year's Eve Live From Venice's St.Mark's Square), as well as the cult hit of her co-creation, Sputnik: a weekly Saturday Night Live-inspired sketch comedy show of which Jessica was both the permanent host and lead cast member. On this same network she was a judge on Italy's answer to So You Think You Can Dance?, a prime time network dance competition broadcast called "iCrew".

Jessica was also the recipient of the Italian Parliament's prestigious "Italy-USA Cultural Ambassadorship" in recognition of her bi-continental acting career, and for the rare positive role-model celebrity she has become. This distinguished award is reserved for opinion leaders whose professional and philanthropic endeavors promote friendly ties between the two nations. She was also awarded the prestigious "Crocitti Award", recognized as the Outstanding International Talent for all of Italy for her role opposite Danny Glover in the blockbuster hit feature film Ulysses: A Dark Odyssey.

Interspersed with this success in Europe, Jessica traveled back and forth home to NYC often to take part in selected theatre, film, and TV projects for the US market for many years, until she began transitioning more to work "behind the table" and directing, casting, producing, and coaching. Jessica was the on-set cast acting coach for multiple international series and cinematic projects, and called on regularly as a consultant for musical theatre productions and casting. This lead to her current career as Senior Agent for an international talent representation office with headquarters in London, representing actors from all over the world in the most prestigious arenas of the entertainment industry.