From Scituate to 'Selling Sunset': Emma Hernan stars in Netflix real estate reality series

Go big or go home. Or, if you’re like Scituate native Emma Hernan, you can do both.

Since becoming a breakout reality TV star on “Selling Sunset,” the Netflix series that begins its fifth season April 22, Hernan has been spending much of her time in Los Angeles as cameras follow her professional and personal adventures as an agent with the Oppenheim Group, a high-end real estate brokerage firm.

The model, real estate agent, investor and entrepreneur still makes time, however, for regular returns to the South Shore, where her family lives and where her business acumen first emerged.

“I love being home in Boston and on the South Shore. I’m very passionate about that area,” said Hernan by telephone recently while parked outside the $23 million Benedict Canyon mansion she is selling for Grammy-winning DJ Zedd.

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“Growing up in Scituate, I would beg my parents to let me work. I babysat and worked in an ice cream shop. By the time I was a teenager, I was working as a model and investing in the stock market.

“Back then, I always divided my earnings into a pile for me, one for my parents, and the smallest pile for my brother,” she recalled with a laugh.

Developing an interest in business at an early age came naturally to Hernan, whose maternal grandfather, Gerry McAdams, founded the Pembroke-based Yankee Trader Seafood. The company is now co-run by Hernan’s mother, Stephanie Hernan, and other family members.

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Her late paternal grandfather, Thomas W. Hernan, served on the Cohasset Fire Department, while her father, Thomas G. Hernan, was a firefighter in Scituate.

Hernan founded and is CEO of Emma Leigh & Co., a plant-based food manufacturer specializing in vegan empanadas, headquartered in Hingham, and in partnership with Yankee Trader Seafood and Davio’s.

“I just wanted to create healthier, pop-in-the-oven vegan, plant-based, gluten-free comfort food options,” Hernan said.

Hernan said starting her own business was not easy.

“When you’re a woman, it’s even more difficult,” Hernan said. “I’ve been laughed out of meetings my whole life so it’s really important for me to show people what I can do and what can be accomplished if you work really hard.

“My company is 100% woman-owned,” she said. “I’ve gotten many, many offers from people looking to invest in the business. I’ve turned them all down, though, because I want to do this my way.”

That combination of confidence and ability, plus her longtime interest in real estate, were among the factors that attracted Hernan to her latest endeavor. "Selling Sunset" debuted on Netflix in 2019 and is one of the streaming platform's most popular reality TV series. It follows seven top Los Angeles real estate agents as they buy and sell posh homes. Hernan joined the cast in 2021 for Season 4.

“I’ve been investing in real estate since I was 14. It’s always been very exciting to me. I love being able to do business with the added element of fun. It’s a great investment to make too, and I want to show people that on ‘Selling Sunset.’”

In the show’s new season, Hernan said viewers can expect to learn more about her than just how she does business.

“You’ll see more of me, my family and my family life. I have a huge heart and a goofy side too,” Hernan said. “The easiest thing to be is kind, caring and thoughtful, which is how I live my life.”

Living at least part of that life in the glare of cameras is something Hernan is still getting used to.

“The show is a completely new experience for me. I have to say that opening your life for all to see is a real journey,” she said. “I’m fortunate, however, to have the family and friends that I do, especially my parents, who are the most supportive parents in the world.”

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The recognition that comes with television fame has also been an adjustment for the 30-year-old.

“I prefer that people come right up to me and introduce themselves, rather than taking covert photos,” she said. “That’s always been second nature to me – having real conversations, helping my friends out and giving advice.”

Hernan said managing her varied business interests has become second nature.

“I’m on a journey of building my brand and creating an empire that includes my investments, real estate interests and my food manufacturing company.

“I’m very proud to have built this on my own,” Hernan said. “Creating a brand and an empire across different sectors has always been my dream.”

And if her success inspires the next generation who see her on television, all the better.

“I think my story is unique,” Hernan said. “If it inspires young girls to put their whole hearts into something they believe in and work really hard to achieve it, then doing this show will have made a difference.”

Watch 'Selling Sunset'

The 10-episode fifth season of "Selling Sunset" begins streaming April 22 on Netflix.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Scituate native Emma Hernan stars in 'Selling Sunset' on Netflix