‘I LOVE SEEING MY SUPPORTERS’
Mercy High student, 16, to star in reality show after her success with TikTok
MIDDLETOWN — Up-andcoming social media influencer Alanna Rondinone, 16, a Mercy High School student, has rocketed to popularity after a whirlwind of public support for her videos and photos posted on various platforms.
In a short period of time, she has garnered 412,600 followers on TikTok and 35,600 on her Instagram page, where she shares professional photographs as well as everyday ones. She’s also on Cameo, where fans can hire her to do personal appearances for parties and other events.
Already, she’s being recognized in public — even though her face is partially covered by a mask, she is asked if photos of her can be taken.
“A group of people came up to me and asked if it was me. Two boys came up, and then girls. It was so cute,” Rondinone said.
“I love seeing my supporters. They’re so sweet, loving and caring. They touched my face and asked if I was real,” she said with a laugh.
Rondinone, who lives in Middlefield, was named second runner-up in the 2020 Miss Teen Connecticut pageant. She has been a dancer for about eight years, a model, acted in school plays, and took singing lessons growing up.
She lives a very busy life, balancing school, cheerleading, her career and outside activities. Rondinone also works as a waitress.
“It’s good to understand the value of a dollar and minimum wage,” her mother Marlo Bish said. “If you don’t have that foundation, how do you appreciate what’s given to you?”
Not long ago, friends encouraged her to share her vocal talent, which led to a contract, signed in August with Perpetual Vibes of New York City. She filmed a music video recently in Wallingford, during which she sang a cover
song. It will appear on YouTube and Apple Music.
The teenager also plans to write original songs down the line.
Rondinone is also set to appear on season one, episode five of the Next Big Thing NYC reality show on Amazon Prime.
KerriAnn Wolf co-owns Perpetual Vibes with Michelle Moyer, said, “Alanna has a kind heart and a wholesome image.”
Perpetual Vibes uses various online services that track social influencers by scouring the internet, social media, blogs and images looking for people with talent.
Wolf looks for accounts with significant numbers of followers, likes on social media, and judges the likelihood of content that is, or has the potential to, go viral,
she said. Wolf said she looks for strong and empowered women with a positive self-image.
“Alanna was one of those,” Wolf said. “The amount of growth she had in such a short period of time, we saw her really being able to expand her talent much further and onto other networks.”
Rondinone has unique talent, and multiple passions, Wolf said. “She has such a good heart. She’s a beautiful girl — inside and out. She’s young and wants to expand her talent in very healthy ways.”
Rondinone promotes awareness of issues, such as driving and texting, and was part of a campaign run by the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
After posting a video with her sister late last year in their Christmas pajamas, she was astonished to see it received 2 million likes.
“It blew up. After that, my videos kept hitting numbers and numbers,” said Rondinone. One in particular saw her dancing to a Lady Gaga song, filmed during the pandemic.
“It started growing, and it got so crazy that people were direct messaging her,” Bish said. Soon, companies were interested in hiring her to represent their brands, and others asking her to promote their songs.
Most are filmed in her bedroom, where she has a neon pink flamingo in the background. A few videos didn’t include the iconic bird, which prompted fans to ask she include it in the future, because they loved it so much, Rondinone said.
In February, she modeled at Fashion Week in New York.
Now that she’s under contract,
Rondinone will make a number of videos on Sunday and parcel them out during the week. Things move so quickly on social media that often she’ll have to record additional ones to keep up with new music and trends.
She’s also a spokeswoman for the Saski clothing company and Sumbum beauty products, tagging them on her posts.
Being a social influencer is a hit-or-miss thing, Rondinone said. Each of her TikTok videos span between 15 and 30 seconds, so a lot has to be compressed into a very short time frame.
Rondinone follows the current style of dance of simple moves that can be easily replicated.
She intends to eventually obtain a masters degree in business and one day run her own company. “It’s a crazy industry, but I love it. I’m the CEO of myself,” said the teen, who has said since she was very young she wanted to be famous.
Fame is not without dangers, said her mother, who enrolled her daughter in self-defense classes, and counsels her regularly about maintaining her private life while cultivating a career in the public eye.
“When you’re surrounded by a lot of money and a lot of power, [temptations are] more readily available. We don’t know — we’re not there yet,” Bish said. “You might see things, or be asked to do things. I warn her to keep your drink in your hand.”
Mom worries when Rondinone goes to the mall by herself, and tells her daughter to walk in the center of the concourse, to be aware of her surroundings, and identify exits in case she has to leave quickly.
Rondinone attributes her girlnext-door image to everything she learns at her Catholic high school and from her mother and grandmother. “With a talent like hers, a personal brand, and who she is as a person is what resonates with people — and us, too,” Wolf said.
For information, visit alannarondinone.us or follow her on Instagram at alannarondinone and alanna.3 on TikTok.