Not even three months into his Cal Lutheran experience, Frankie Manes is already making huge impacts on the student body and getting involved in every way he can. He’s one of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meet! Catch him every other Thursday night in the Preus Brandt Forum for Improv, or this upcoming men’s volleyball season!
Name: My full name is Francesco Giuseppe Giovanni Manes, so I’m really Italian.
Major: I am a communications manager with an emphasis in television and film.
Year: I’m in my fourth year of college, but a junior for school and athletics.
Hometown: Sherman Oaks, California. Reppin the 818.
Relationship Status: Single and ready to mingle.
Height: 5’11
Favorite Sports Team: New York Giants
Hobbies: I love acting. I want to be an actor professionally. So within that: directing, a little bit of writing, producing, and being in all the creative aspects. Improv is huge. I’m in the Improv Troup here. Anything acting related really. Also volleyball and flag football (my team is undefeated and we’re going to a national tournament.) I love playing ping pong, but I’m a little unseasoned right now. For a little bit of a nerdier side of me, I’m kind of into World of Warcraft, but I don’t play it often.
Nicknames: Oh I’ve got a long list of nicknames. Frank the Tank is the first one, Fronk, and then obviously Fronkie. Coach Fronk is another one. I used to go by Frankie the Ferrari Manes. Franklin, Frankenstein, Frankfurter. They evem used to call me Frankie Mayonnaise.
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: How do you feel about being a campus cutie?
FM: “It’s an honor! I mean I’ve only been here not even three months, so that’s just cool. I’m literally speechless! Anything that I get nominated for or that people notice me for is the biggest deal in the world to me. I’m just really blessed!”
HC: What made you want to transfer to CLU?
FM: “Well I applied to like 13 schools, I tried to keep it really wide open. Volleyball was the main thing though, because I knew once I’m done here, I won’t really pursue sports anymore. So I really wanted to play volleyball, I want to stay local, and I wanted to be at a good school that’s elite that I could thrive at. It came down to where am I going to be happiest. I knew people that went here, and I knew I was going to have an opportunity to grow as a volleyball player and as a person here.”
HC: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
FM: “Spirited. It’s kind of a good, encompassing word of who I am. I was also voted most spirited in high school, big surprise there. I’m a very positive and energetic person, and I’m really optimistic. I try to find the good in everyone and everything, and I don’t like being in a bad mood, and just everything like that! I get really fired up about a lot of things, I’m a very passionate person so everything I do I try to commit to 100% so I feel like “spirited” just kind of sums it all up.”
HC: In what ways are you involved on campus?
FM: “I’m on the men’s volleyball team, I’m in the Improv Troupe, and I run the cheering section for the women’s volleyball team. I’m trying to be involved in the Echo, and I’m on “In the Lu,” and there’s sports broadcasting on campus so I’d love to broadcast some of the games and get into announcing in the future.”
HC: What’s your background with improv?
FM: “Well my mom has been acting for like, 25 years, and when I was younger she took me to one of her auditions, and I guess I was being a little too fussy so she took me in the room with her. I sat on her lap for her audition, and they needed a kid for a part, so they called my mom to get me to come back and I ended up getting the job and my mom didn’t! Afterwards, I just told my mom that I wanted to keep doing it! I’ve been in around 12 national commercials and a few Superbowl commercials. Acting has just always been a passion of mine, I’ve always loved doing it.
HC: What’s your background with volleyball?
FM: “I started in 7th grade, and got defensive player of the year in 8th grade and our team won playoffs and went pretty far. And then freshman year in high school, and I got recruited by the P.E. coach, and I got MVP that year and was the starting outside hitter, and I just fell in love with it! Then I started club, and was playing in Junior Olympics. And I played all throughout high school and just loved it and knew that it was what I wanted to do.”
HC: What are you looking forward to most this season?
FM: “I think just seeing what’s out there, because we’re a first year program. We want to win a national championship, that’s why I came here. We have the ability to do it, we have the facility, we have the coaching staff, and we have the ability to improve. It’s just about what we can accomplish as a first year program.
HC: What is your most embarrassing moment?
FM: “It might have happened this past improv show when I thought that World War II was in the 60’s.”
HC: What is your biggest pet peeve?
FM: “It’s hard because sometimes I get really annoyed with a lot of things, but I guess one is that I don’t like when people are overly negative.”
HC: What’s something not a lot of people know about you but you think they should?
FM: “I come off as the really funny dude that’s very quirky but I can be very serious sometimes, but a lot of people don’t think that they can come to me with problems. If people need help and they ask me for it then I try to be as helpful as I can. I’m also a hopeless romantic. My first dates are the biggest deals ever.”
HC: Who is the biggest role model in your life and why?
FM: “My mom is pretty great, she’s the kind of person where she’s not a perfect person, but she’s a really good woman, she’s really kind, she’s nice to people, she works hard, she takes care of me, she did it by herself for the most part. So I wanna be that kind of person, I wanna be a strong individual. She grows all the time spiritually and emotionally and with her business so I just strive to get where she has been and just be as kind as her and as open as her.”
HC: What’s your spirit animal and why?
FM: “Probably a cute little dog. Like a lab cause they’re really cute and everyone loves them.”