Ella Lentini was born and raised in New York City. She is the youngest of five kids. Her father, Lino Lentini was a renowned tailor, her mother, Jennifer De Lentini was a painter. As a child, she performed Charlie Chaplin-esque plays for family friends. As a teen she attended a weekend program at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Later, at the Beacon School she became involved in political and social activism, traveling to South Africa and New Orleans as a volunteer. At a young age, Ella discovered the importance of storytelling and film in society. After high school she attended New York University's Gallatin school of individualized study, where she was accepted for creative writing and photography before developing her own major, 'Screenwriting as a Weapon'. She continues to act while studying, writing and directing.