Born Marisa Bertetta in Santa Cruz, California, she was first "discovered" at age 16 walking through a San Francisco cafe by two Italian modeling agents. Marisa gained attention when she appeared in a 1997 issue of Perfect 10 magazine. Although she came in third behind Ashley Degenford and Monica Hansen in Perfect 10 magazine's first annual model search, she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions.





In 2007, Marisa shot her first television commercial for Victoria's Secret with fellow supermodel Heidi Klum, causing quite a stir unexpectedly drawing more attention than Klum, as well as appearing in a cameo on the HBO show Entourage.

Campaigns:
Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom, J.Crew, Tommy Hilfiger, Andrew Marc, Calzedonia, Michael Stars 

Covers:
Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, Shape, Esquire, Self, Glow, Foam, Razor, Ocean Drive, Fitness, Amica, Marie Claire Russia 

Shows:
Betsey Johnson, Michael Kors