Oct 2, 2016
CYNTHIA JAMIN is a former sitcom actress who had recurring roles on Friends and Veronica's Closet as well as other NBC "Must See TV" shows. Cynthia now designs whimsical clothes for girls and the joy they bring to those who wear them helps ease the pain of her own abusive childhood. (43:09) EXPLICIT
EPISODE NOTES:
Remember the "Must See TV" sitcoms of the 1990s?
CYNTHIA JAMIN certainly does. She was a working actress who had
roles on several NBC shows back in the network's comedy block
heyday, including "Friends."
In
fact, as Cynthia tells me in TWIRLYGIRL she was invited to audition
for one of the principal characters on "Friends" (originally called
"Six of One") after series co-creator Marta Kauffman saw her
perform at a small LA theater. She read for the part of Rachel. So
did Jennifer Aniston. And the rest is TV
history.
But
Marta K. really liked Cynthia and asked her to play a waitress on
the pilot. After the show got picked up, she was given the
recurring role of Jasmine -- Phoebe's co-worker at the massage
parlor. As Cynthia says, she ended up being a "friend of a Friend."
But she was also an eyewitness to the explosion of one of
television's Top 10 sitcoms of all time, and saw first-hand the
impact the show's meteoric rise had on the 6 mostly unknown
leads.
Today, Cynthia designs and manufactures
fantastical clothing for young girls and tweens. But her popular
TwirlyGirl line is an unexpected success story. It all started
after taking a sewing class when she began making her now-signature
"twirly dresses" for her 2 young daughters. Pretty soon parents
were stopping Cynthia and asking her where she bought the colorful
dresses with the dramatic twirl. "You made them? Can you make one
for my daughter? I'll pay you!"
One
dress led to another and before she knew it, Cynthia had more
orders than she could handle from home. So she set up shop in
DTLA's garment district and now, nearly 10 years later, is proud to
say that every stitch of the groovy-juvie fashion she sells is Made
in America.
But Cynthia's experience with TwirlyGirl has been about much more than growing a business in a highly competitive industry. It's also been a deeply personal journey of coming to terms with the darkness of her abusive childhood, stepping into the light and finding her own way to twirl.
BP
Many thanks to the composer of the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing:
1. "A New Day" by Scott Holmes
2. "Inspiring Corporate" by Scott Holmes
3. "Duck Pond" by Scott Holmes
4. "Childrens TV" by Scott Holmes
Visit Scott Holmes Music on Facebook