Arcieri was crowned Miss San Francisco in 1997, and soon after she began appearing in both commercials (including 1-800-COLLECT and Starburst) and music videos with the likes of Boyz II Men, Montell Jordan, and Q-Tip. Such work eventually brought her to the attention of writer-producer Timothy Stack, who cast her in the role of Jamaica St. Croix in his new series, Son of the Beach, a parody of Baywatch. That same year Leila was selected as the Coors Lite Beer 2000 spokesmodel.