Sheila Smith-Garcia spends about 95 percent of the year out of a suitcase, serving celebrity clients at Comic-Cons, conventions, handshakes, and other public appearances. She's a far cry from her life as a homeless teen in Tulsa. .
The Tulsa World profiled Smith-Garcia, who was named Achiever of the Year by Goodwill Industries of Tulsa in 2006. At the time, she had just completed Goodwill's Tulsa Works program, was working in management at Panera Bread Co., and was living in transitional housing provided by Tulsa Youth Services.
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The gregarious and charismatic 38-year-old Los Angeles-based talent agent is hard to imagine as the quiet, shy young man that former Tulsa Works administrator Sabrina Ware portrays in her story.
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“I felt this undercurrent inside her like a dull roar. There was potential, and even without saying much, she was showing us what we could do. We've seen this smile from time to time. It's just the kind of nice, friendly smile people want to see when they buy something. Sheila has the tools she needs to succeed. She just needed someone to bring it up to. We gave her a chance, and she did it.”
Until about 10 years ago, Smith-Garcia lived in Tulsa as a manager at Panera Bread. Her marriage didn't work out, but she was active as a model and actress. Ms. Panera agreed to relocate her to California, giving her the chance to explore a career in the entertainment industry.
She found work in modeling and motivational speaking. But after stepping in to help her fellow actors with her agent issues, she quickly found her calling.
“I didn't go into work wanting to be an agent, but I realized that it was for me,” she said.
She has been a talent agent for eight years and currently runs her own celebrity booking company, SRC Entertainment and Talent Group. Her clients include more than 60 people, including actors from the “Fast and Furious” series, five cast members from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and Power Rangers actors from various eras.
find pride in your past
Looking back, Smith-Garcia credits youth support and goodwill for setting her on the right path. She was two weeks into her senior year of high school when her mother sent her to a youth shelter. She thought it was temporary and she withdrew, realizing that she had been abandoned.
Then the staff began to build trust. Her “shelter mom” taught her to drive her car, cook, and do laundry. Smith-Garcia graduated from East Central High School.
Goodwill taught her how to fill out job applications, interview and manage her bank account. The program emphasized professional traits such as replying to messages, following up on calls and meetings, dressing appropriately, and handling various workplace situations.
“Everything I have is because of them,” she said. “I learned that nothing came out of my mother's house. I credit all of my life and work skills to youth support and goodwill. Everything I learned at Goodwill will help me build my own business. If I hadn't learned all of that, I wouldn't be here right now. I still keep in touch with them.”
Although she never reconciled with her mother, her father came back into her life. Although he passed away in 2014, she remains close to her family.
A year ago, she became a Cherokee citizen after her mother's family provided her ancestral freed slave documentation. Smith-Garcia found her family working in Will Rogers' birthplace.
Her connection to her tribe brought her home. At least for buying a house in Turley these days.
“When I received my Cherokee citizenship, I felt the need to have my roots. It was important to me to come back and have a home on the reservation,” she said.
Smith-Garcia is dedicated to reading Cherokee history and learning about the tribe's traditions.
“It changed me a lot,” she said. “I had no idea about the Trail of Tears until I became a citizen and understood more. I am not only a Cherokee Nation member, but I am proud to be an Oklahoman. Knowing more will increase your pride and make you want to come back and visit more often.”
If your job requires a six-week schedule in Europe on top of traveling from New York to California, weekend home visits can be difficult. She has visited her 20 countries and most states. Additionally, she has been married to actor Cesar Garcia for seven years.
When speaking with young people, she emphasizes persistence and consistency. She talks about her benefits of stepping outside of her comfort zone and taking care of her mental health, including hiring a regular therapist.
“I had to leave Oklahoma to become this person,” she said. “I'm more open-minded than before, but now I'm a person who can't keep my mouth shut. I'm very opinionated. I'm a go-getter and a professional, but I don't want people to talk about me. I am in a place where I am asked for.
“I'm glad things happened the way they did. Now that I'm an adult, I'm really happy with my relationships and my job.”
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