It’s been a couple of weeks since the GirlZ, Interrupted column “CHANGED MY LIFE” has revealed its light to the wicked darkness that is the internet. I believe the last thing that CHANGED MY LIFE was my ~amazing~ “Crazy Bitch Shoes.” (I’m still obsessed).
On this fine day we’re not talking about Crazy Bitch Shoes or eyelash stimulators or Botox. We’re not talking beauty or fashion or skin. We’re talking about something that’s actively elevating my career and book-sales (purr!): VIDEO PORTRAITS. VIDEO PORTRAITS by none other than the don of the ~VIDEO PORTRAIT~ himself: Austin Nunes.
What is a video portrait? According to Nunes, “Video Portraits are the visual resumé. A 1-minute documentary/sizzle reel for an individual’s profession or brand, cut with moments that encapsulate personality.”
I’ve long thought that the old-fashioned, static résumé was dated. And once I caught wind of Nune’s video portraits venture, I was fucking sold, babe. (I was particularly smitten with this portrait of NYC icon; Rosé).
And I knew in order to keep up with the big name bitches *also* releasing their debut books this year — I needed a modern, beautifully made video portrait to promote my book. Real talk: If you want to compete with the big dogs in this town, you need to always be one step ahead of the game.
Lucky for me, my video turned out AMAZING (they all turn out amazing — check them out on his site).
I’m blown away by the stunning artistry and endless pool of talent and *WILD CREATIVITY* that lives inside of Nunes. I, In the deepest PIT of my ever-bleeding heart, believe that ~video portraits~ are the future for artists and entrepreneurs looking to level up their careers. I’ve always struggled with “headshots” — more often than not I find them to be soul-less, embarrassing, one-note, contrived, bleak, and radiating with dead energy. Like a lot of you, I’m the kind of person who best expresses herself with language and movement over “posing.”
In the words of the great Ani Difranco: “It took me too long to realize that I don’t take good pictures – ’cause I have the kind of beauty that moves.”
Think of a video portrait as a headshot that teems with everything headshots usually lack: LIFE, SPIRIT, W-O-R-D-S, MUSIC. If you’re serious about your brand, your book, your art, your business what-have-you — this is worth the investment. Paper can’t compete with video at this stage in the technology game.
And as you all know, I’m a bonafide media slut. I’ve worked with thousands of people behind the camera and I can confidently say: Nunes has a gift for making you feel comfortable in your skin. He’s an authentic professional with the rare ability to capture the most raw, vibrant, sparkly, REAL parts of yourself. So. It’s 2021. It’s time to get those dreams back into motion, honey! It’s time to give it our absolute best shot. It’s time to cut out the bullshit and make our lives happen. Don’t sell *yourself* or *your work short* — invest in a video portrait — because unlike a selfie — your art is NOT still, static or vacant, my sweet kitten.
(Also, I’m obsessed with the Makeup Artist on this video, THE AMAZING Tim Mackay.
Book your video portrait today! It’s changed MY LIFE (and my book sales. Meow!).
Also, don’t forget GIRL STOP PASSING OUT IN YOUR MAKEUP: THE BAD GIRL’S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR SHIT TOGETHER is available NOW on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and BAM! It’s also available as an audiobook on audible, google play, audiobooks.com, Itunes, and more! If you send me a screenshot of your order, I’ll send you free swag in the mail!
Not convinced?
Here’s what the press says!
“Zara has the rare talent of marching into the deepest, darkest moments of life—the mascara-teared and alcohol-soaked—scooping them up, and thrusting them into the light with amazing clarity, forgiveness, and compassion. As her editor at Elite Daily, I had the honor of watching Zara blossom into the emotionally raw and poetic writer she is now. Her gripping first-person narratives help every woman (including me) come to terms with her own demons or insecurities in a refreshingly comfortable way. There’s a reason she’s built up an army of ‘babes’ who are empowered by the words of their dear big sister Z: Her candid honesty and no bullshit advice are simply addicting.”
– Faye Brennan, Sex & Relationships Director, Cosmopolitan
“If Cat Marnell and F. Scott Fitzgerald had a literary baby it would be Zara Barrie. She’s got Marnell’s casual, dark, downright hilarious tone of an irreverent party girl. But then she also has Fitzgerald’s talent for making words literally feel like they sparkle on the page. You instantly feel more glamorous after reading a page of Zara’s writing, even when the page is talking about getting into a screaming match with her girlfriend outside of a bar on a Sarasota street corner while high on benzos. I’ve always been a fan of Zara’s writing, but Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup takes it to the next level. With shimmery words that make her dark stories sparkle, she seamlessly manages to inspire even the most coked-out girl at the party to get her shit together.”
– Candice Jalili, Author, Just Send The Text and Senior Sex & Dating Writer, Elite Daily
“Self-help meets memoir. Party girl meets wise sage. Beauty meets reality. Zara Barrie is the cool older sister you wish you had. The one that lets you borrow her designer dresses and ripped up fishnets, buys you champagne (she loves you too much to let you drink beer), and colors your lips with bright pink lipstick. She’ll take you to the coolest parties, and will stick by your side and she guides you through the glitter, pain, danger, laughter, and what it means to be a f*cked up girl in this f*cked up world (both of which are beautiful despite the darkness). Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup is for the girls that are too much of a beautiful contradiction to be contained. Zara is a gifted writer—one second, she’ll have you laughing over rich girls agonizing over which Birkin bag to buy, the next second she’ll shatter your heart in one sentence about losing one’s innocence. Zara is the nuanced girl she writes for—light, irreverent, snarky, bitchy, funny; and aching, perceptive, deep, flawed, wise, poised, honest—all at once. Perhaps the only thing that can match Zara’s unparalleled wit and big sister advice is her candid humor and undeniable talent for the written word. Zara is one of the most prolific and entertaining honest voices on the internet—and her talent is only multiplied in book form. Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup is for the bad girls honey.”
– Dayna Troisi, Executive Editor, GO Magazine
“Reading Zara’s writing will make you feel like you’re at your cool-as-hell big sister’s sleepover party. You will be transfixed by her unflinching honesty and words of wisdom, and she’ll successfully convince you to not only ditch the shame you feel about the raw and messy parts of yourself, but to dare to see them as beautiful.”
– Alexia LaFata, Editor, New York Magazine
“Reading Zara is like reading your own thoughts—only sexier and much more brilliantly written.”
– Kaitlyn Cawley, Editor-At-Large, Bustle Media Group
