What's it like to be Instagram-famous by accident? Instagram is crazy! I can't
believe it happened to me. I was just making these little videos. I remember
sending this video of this Maltese, and she just turned to the camera in slow-mo
and I just caught her in the wind and I was like, "Oh!" I was moved. I sent it to
her owner and her owner was like, "This should go viral!" When Jess Rona was
starting her career as an actor, like most in Los Angeles she needed a side
hustle to support her dream. Well I started off as a bather and it was the
least nine-to-five-looking job I could find. My boss was like, "Can you put this
lead on the lab in there?" And I looked at her and I said, "What's a lead and what's
a lab?" That little encounter ended up leading her down a rabbit hole, toward
directing a music video and appearing in a TV show alongside Zooey Deschanel.
I'm a weird, rare Los Angeles native. It's also very weird that I am an actor.
Usually, people from LA don't want to be actors. Before I would have to prove
myself all the time like, "Hey, I'm really an artistic groomer!" And now people seem
like they're honored to have me groom their dog like, "Please groom my dog!
I would love that!" And I'm like, "Really? Like, me?" "Do you have something on Sunday?"
"My husband has his fantasy baseball." Working on New Girl was so extremely fun.
I know Jake Johnson and I groom his dogs. I groom Zooey's dogs as well. So I
walked on set and I knew everyone and I was like, "Oh, I'm home, baby!" New Girl was
my first TV show that I ever did and it was absolute heaven. I was clicking my
heels, jumping around, I was so excited. So I'm showing you my favorites?
Is this like, OK lighting? OK. Thank you, Reese Witherspoon for reposting this, you
made my whole year! I'm such a fan of hers. This is Diesel.
Can I do a little splash of color
on her tail? I love this type of client! Why isn't everybody like that? I think my
favorite thing about grooming is people's reaction when they pick up
their dogs. You know how great it feels to give a gift? You just see someone's
reaction and it fills your heart. I get to do that all day. It's really
rewarding to get a stinky, yucky dog come in, and the dog gets to feel better.
We condition, we do argan oil face masks. I mean, we hook these dogs up! One of my
favorite types of comments is when people say, "I've been having a really bad
day and your Instagram has helped lift my mood." I get to spread love. There's
nothing better than that, nothing better. Nothing better!
OK, this picture got so many comments. "The longer I look at this, the more I
violently shake with laughter." I totally get excited when people like my stuff.
My favorite thing about this Instagram is spreading pure joy, especially during the
2016 election stuff. I just wanted to put out dogs like, "Here you go, heal the world,
here are some dogs!" Just let me give you some dogs. I've gotten so many opportunities
from my Instagram. I got to direct a Tegan and Sara music video. I got to direct a
Liquid Plumr commercial starring a gorgeous standard poodle. Instagram has
changed my life.
There you go, Mima will chime in. Cool thing is is that both worlds are
colliding. Instagram has helped me to consider myself a director. I feel like
I'm a weird hyphenate: director-actor-dog groomer? It's like, "What?" That's like a
weird... it's weird! I get to be creative, and that's the main thing I want to do
is just create. Thanks for watching! To see another story about an artist using
Instagram as their medium, click over here to meet Levenbutt, who photographs
himself in the nude with celebrities and in famous places around the world.