jake borelli Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
Jake Borelli grew up in the suburbs just outside Columbus, Ohio. He was raised with his two older brothers, feeling safe and encouraged to explore his artistic endeavors. As he puts it, it was a liberal environment that was accepting of all people. His first love? Painting. Visual arts were his forte through high school. He surrounded himself with likeminded artists, finding inspiration far from the test screens of Los Angeles. “I was always drawing and crafting. I remember sitting in the bathroom and making weird sculptures out of toilet paper and water. Or, like, trying to make a rollercoaster out of construction paper,” he says with a laugh. “I was always doing something creative.” His grandmother was a painter and sculptor; she’s where he found the most inspiration. Going to Grandma’s meant he would have free reign – tubs of markers dumped out on the floor for easy access. It was in high school that he took formal art classes and learned to appreciate art on a new level. While his early focus was on
painting, another visual art slowly began taking center stage: acting. Originally, theater was just another artistic outlet. He performed in the Columbus Children’s Theater. But the deeper he dove, the more it took hold of him. As with painting, he learned the technical side and found he not only enjoyed it but was good at it. As a teen, he was signed to a local talent agency and started getting radio and commercial work. That’s when he realized he was meant to take a different artistic path. “The big decision came when it was time for college. Do I go to visual arts college or do I go out to L.A. and pursue acting? In my heart, I knew acting was what I really wanted. So, four or five days after graduating high school, I got on a plane and moved to L.A.,” he says. Having made connections in the months leading up to the potential move, Jake came to LA with a plan. His first goal was to get representation. For, Jake he was in a prime spot for acting. He was 18, a legal adult but also “looked 14” so could be cast for younger roles. He was signed to a manager before the plane touched
down. But even with this first step quickly accomplished, Jake knew he still had a lot to learn. “I crashed on the futon of one of my managers’ son’s. I was 18 and had no idea what I was doing. I was there for two months before I met friends and moved in with them. I was just kind of stumbling through this process, relying on my instincts and just hoping everything worked out,” he reflects. As time passed, Jake booked roles guest starring on TV shows and acting in short films. Then, he was cast as Wolfgang on the Nickelodeon series, The Thundermans. It’s no secret that some of today’s biggest stars got their start on Nickelodeon. And Jake couldn’t have been more excited. He grew up with Nickelodeon on the TV. “I know people say this a lot, but that set was truly like a little family. We all hung out, we were all young and experiencing this new thing together. I came in at the end of Season 2 and everyone welcomed me so quickly,” he says. A one-episode stint turned into a recurring role. It was a role where Jake was encouraged to find those extremes and absurdiNKDMAG.COM
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