She has worked in Vancouver and Central America for over 16 years and in over 40 productions. She is best known for her lead roles in “Chupacabra vs the Alamo”,
“A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story”, and her recurring role in the PBS cartoon “Martha Speaks”.
Vanesa returned to El Salvador to start the first acting studio for film and television: Sivar Actor’s Studio, also known as SAS El Salvador. She is currently finishing her PhD in Political Science from York University in Toronto Vanesa will be sharing her experiences working in North America and Central America. Do not miss this opportunity to hear from this accomplished actress.
If you would like to attend this NIC Talk, please RSVP to [email protected]
Vanesa Tomasino is a Salvadoran born actress. She has worked in Vancouver and Central America for over 16 years and in over 40 productions. She has starred in MOWs, worked in TV series, movies, cartoons, and video games (including motion captioning).
Vanesa is best known for her lead roles in the MOW “Chupacabra vs the Alamo” from the Syfy channel where she worked next to Erik Estrada and in the MOW “A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story” directed by Oscar nominated director Agnieszka Holland (director of “House of Cards”), and finally Vanesa is also known for her recurring role in the PBS cartoon “Martha Speaks.”
Vanesa has worked alongside actors like: Oscar winner Renée Zellweger (Judy/Bridget Jones), Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), JD Pardo (Mayans SOA), Famken Janssen (Xmen), Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill), Steve Coogan (Philomena), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), Rob Morrow (Billions, Designated Survivor), among others.
In 2018 Vanesa returned to El Salvador to start the first acting studio for film and television: Sivar Actor’s Studio, also known as SAS El Salvador. Acting students are trained to become professional actors for film and TV for local and international productions. SAS also holds SAS Masterclasses with North American guest coaches who are also very active in the film industry like Mackenzie Gray or Chilean Director Pamela Robin. In less than 9 months, SAS has become a recognized acting studio in El Salvador where most of its students work in short films, feature films, plays, commercials, and work in workshops taught by international organizations like The International Women’s Media Foundation (IMWF) and the United Nations. SAS actors have also won awards for best actors in shorts. SAS is the first studio of its kind in El Salvador and has over 60 active students.
Aside from being an actress Vanesa Tomasino has been a broadcaster hosting her own radio show (on the Beat 94.5 FM now Virgin) and TV show (Worldbeats) in Vancouver. She has been a casting assistant, assistant to an agent, talent scout, and judge in talent competitions. She also has a BA and an MA in Political Science and is currently finishing her PhD in Political Science from York University in Toronto. She is the winner of the prestigious Doctoral Award to honour Nelson Mandela given by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for her studies and publications on democracy, marginalized youth, and Street gangs in El Salvador. Vanesa teaches at York University, she teaches in El Salvador’s UCA University, and is a research assistant at Harvard University in the United States.
