Author: Jess Rona

Meet author, photographer and famed dog groomer Jess Rona behind Jess Rona’s Groomed. Jess began her grooming career 18 years ago when she got a job as a dog bather at a local PetSmart in her hometown of Los Angeles. During this pre-grooming gig, she learned the dog-pampering basics, like clipping nails and trimming pads.

Jess moved to New York City to pursue comedy and acting (which translates to “waiting tables”) and studied improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. After a few years of not auditioning, she moved back to the City of Angels. Jess’s daily grind consisted of performing improv and musical comedy at night while diving back into dog grooming during the day—with the goal to master both.

Then, her passion for dog grooming blew up. She found herself attending grooming seminars, studying the American Kennel Club book, watching master groomers Sue Zecco and Jay Scruggs DVDs, and learning about different breeds and each kind’s balance and structure. She also entered herself in grooming competitions, where she placed every time.

She started her own little business, Jess Rona Grooming, in 2015 with the intention to groom dogs to pay the bills while she continued to pursue acting. As a creative outlet, Jess started making slo-mo videos of her pup clients being blown-dry to bold ballads and shared them on her Instagram @JessRonaGrooming. Her videos went viral. and she now has over 130k followers.

Jess never thought her grooming side-gig would turn into a career, but she kept honing her craft until it became her life. Now her two worlds are colliding and it’s magical.