Serena Connelly standing in back of her all stone house, "Stone Kiln Castle" with greenery and trees surrounding the area.

I live with my talented husband, Mister Tim Connelly, our delightful son, and an adopted 100+ lb. English Cream Golden Retriever “Your Bigness” who sleeps 23 hours a day.

We live and work at Stone Kiln Castle, our historic home and former Speakeasy “Tea House” in Pleasantville, NY. Humble brag / shameless plug: Stone Kiln Castle is available to rent via Airbnb whenever school is out and it’s a “Guest Favorite”.

I have also worked as a Sous Chef, WSET L2 Sommelier, Interior Designer, Video Director, and Actor.

I’m a USTA 3.0 tennis player, my serve sucks, but I love the outfits, and after the games there’s usually rosé. 

I’m a believer in the serial comma. 

While I am legally a Certified Wine and Spirits Education Trust “WSET” Level 2 Sommelier – there are 4 levels before “Master” so I’m not swirling and saying things like “just the slightest hit of wet dog collar on the finish.” I say things like, “Mmm watermelon-y, right?!” I also do beginner tastings on occasion. Bonus: Very few deaths

On nights and weekends, I can also be found moonlighting as (my stage name) Zander Amelia and I’m always happy to do free scratch tracks or custom VO for friends. Check out my non-working, non-union acting career here: www.zanderamelia.com

When I’m not Working

Serena helping Tituss Burgess at the launch of his wine company. Two people smiling at a bar, one holding a glass of wine, with snacks and bottles in the background.
Serena Connelly, a.k.a. Zander Amelia, Professional Voiceover Actor, performing at a prestigious recording studio. Person with red glasses and headphones in a recording studio speaking into a microphone.
Serena Connelly hugging her gigantic English Cream Golden Retriever, "HRH Your Bigness" on her covered porch with trees in the background.
Serena Connelly is an occasional Private Chef. Here, she is cooking with Chef Christian Mittermeier, at the Electrolux and AEG headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, where the two Chefs demonstrated the brand's latest appliances for marketers.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far. I believe that Diversity is useless without Inclusion. It’s crucial to hear diverse perspectives at any table where we’ve gathered to innovate. Please consider hiring diverse talent—which is proven to be a driver of innovation. 

Here are some of the resources I use when hiring:

Hire Black Female Creatives

Women of Color Create

Black Creatives (Recruiters)

People of Craft

Blacks Who Design

Diverse Creatives

Rememory Directory

Final Note