Open any major fashion magazine this month and you will see the face of The Avenue's Meghan Wiggins in Guess' latest campaign. Elle Magazine features a full spread in the front cover! Watch for more Meghan in future weeks on your local billboards and store campaigns.
On June 21st, 2012 RAW Nashville put on an event at Mercy Lounge that showcased the work of independent local photographers, fashion designers, artists, singers and film makers. One of the local talent showcased was April Nicolaides, owner of Ferocity jewelry. The Avenue's Anne Hartley walked in Ferocity's show and we asked her a little about her experience.
Was this your first time walking in a fashion show? How was it?
This was the 2nd fashion show I've done. It was great! I had a lot of fun and met a lot of really cool people there.
My favorite part was walking! I love the rush it gives me! I also liked getting my hair and makeup done, because it's mostly a surprise--they don't show you what it looks like until you're done, and I didn't look anything like myself. It was awesome!
As a model, how does this compare to the other jobs you've had in the fashion industry?
Runway is more exciting than other things I've done as a model, because unlike photoshoots, it goes by quick and it's less standing around and having your picture taken--which is great too! it's more nerve racking though, because there's tons of people watching and you have to be careful not to fall.
Is fashion a big part of your life? Are you always up to date on the current trends?
Fashion is a HUGE part of my life. an entire wall in my room is covered top to bottom with fashion photography shots from Vogue and Teen Vogue magazines. I love reading fashion blogs and I'm always shopping!
How was working with the designer, April Nicolaides? Did you enjoy modeling her jewelry?
I really enjoyed working with April. she was really nice and I loved her jewelry--it was so edgy and unique!!
To keep up with everything Ferocity, follow April on twitter, or like her on Facebook! And keep an eye out for Anne Hartley on the runways! Cant wait to see what the future holds for these talented young ladies!
Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry in your closet?
New York Casting Director, Scott Powers, shares his insider's view of the client's perspective after the audition.
An interesting and unavoidable pastime in this business is observing actors commit career suicide.
Rushing headlong into the buzz saw, with not a clue or a care of what they're doing, not heeding warnings. Happens everyday. It's a given that an actor's plight is to always be looking for a job. In doing so, you never know who can help you get a job or influence a "we'll pass." The hiring process can involve a number of people; if one has a slight negative comment about a select, that often is enough to stop the consideration in its tracks. This we have witnessed more times than we want to. It can be made by a network executive vice president in charge of Primetime Programming or the summer intern. To see an actor lose a big role because of an offhand casual remark is a chilling experience.
Moral of the story: Don't make enemies. And its close cousin: be nice. Don't badmouth anyone. Tough to do in this business. Zip the lip. We all wear many hats in this business. The assistant being trashed today by an actor could be the agent two years from now who decides to take a pass on representing that actor. Or one day the actor walks in an audition room and there is the casting director the actor treated badly as an intern. Memories are long in this business. More people know you than you know them . It's very incestuous how agents, managers, casting directors, directors, producers, etc. all mix and mingle with each other. What's a common topic of conversation? You guessed it. The unfortunate part of our business is that once bridges are burned, it's permanent. Time does not heal all wounds here. There is no kiss-and-make-up as in other industries. Somebody wronged ten years ago still lies in wait, waiting for that opportunity to settle the score. If something bad is said about someone it is almost guaranteed that that person will hear about it, including the source. This can be why phone calls can start to fall off or a career never proceeds past doing background work for paid work. One photographer we work with a lot made an astute observation: "We don't have to eliminate actors, they eliminate themselves." Sometimes newcomers just have to find out for themselves and by that time, it's too late. Time for that Plan B.
Sherry Lansing, former head of 20th Century Fox and earlier in her career, a model and actor, famously said about the people who gave her shabby treatment on her way up to becoming one of the most powerful people in our business: "I remember them. And they remember me." Way to turn a phrase.
As casting directors, we have to work with clients, some are nice and some not so much. We are equally professional to all. They are the beginning of the food chain. Agents may have to work with clients, managers and casting directors they may not be in love with, but professionally are civil to all. This does not always extend to actors. To quote a big commercial agent, "We're very fortunate, we only work with the actors we want to." It doesn't take much to give someone a reason not to hire or represent an individual actor. And there are quite a few actors to go around in a buyer's market.
Stories abound about the casualties. Two new ones are especially poignant:
One actor recently mouthed off to an important film director. In front of several other people. The director never flinched and no one else did. The director just never hired that actor, and never will. Nor will anyone else who witnessed the display of self-importance. It came as no surprise that actor is never considered for anything substantial . The only paying work he gets is background work. Principal work? Yes, in student films for free. But he can't progress beyond that. Has a glass ceiling and his resumé confirms it. He became his own worst enemy and his career paid the price for it. Is he willing to change? No. He's convinced himself he's right and everybody else is wrong. Whatever the case is, he will not get the work he thinks he entitled to. Next!
One young actor was doing background work on a TV show that hires a lot of background. She made a snarky comment about an agent. An actor behind her heard it and it was about her agent, and she tweeted the agent word for word. The targeted agent made a casual call to the background casting director about the offending actor. The offending actor was not invited back to the show the next day. Or ever. And calls from the background casting director dried up. In a twist of irony, two weeks later the offending actor attended a meet-and-greet and guess who was one of the agents? Yep. When it came time for the actor to meet the agent, she was reminded word for word what she said about that agent. Imagine the shock on the actor's face! By the end of the evening, all the other agents and casting directors at the meet-and-greet knew what happened. A very efficient career crash and burn. And the unfortunate actor probably never connected the dots as to what caused this calamity.
Actors who have managed to stay in this business for a number of years have learned a number of survival skills. A big one is the accumulation of connections and good will for the care and feeding of their career. And a big way of building that group is being nice to everybody. Never a negative word. They've been around long enough to know even Godzilla may come in handy some day. And for the nod for that big series regular role.
To end on a positive note, the industry wants you to succeed, to get the job, to make everybody glad they made the decision to hire you or represent you. Everyone is plugging for you. Just give them a reason to do so.
The industry always talks about what it calls the "it" factor -- that special something that no one can teach, but is so evident in talent who reach celebrity status. It's also commonly referred to as a "twinkle" in one's eye. It draws us all in effortlessly and could be responsible for what sometimes seems like someone becoming famous almost overnight.
Maybe you can't be taught the "it" factor, but that twinkle in your eye be found in your diet? Perhaps!
Apricots are one of the most widly traveled foods the world has to offer. The apricot tree originated in China; was transplanted from Greece to California; and ended up with US astronauts in space.
Despite the good things apricots have to offer in the diet, including being low in sodium and high in potassium and iron, the most imporant nutrient in the apriocot is provitamin A. And this is where the apricot might give you an edge over your competition! Provitamin A maintains good vision . . . and is credited with "giving the sparkle and beauty to the eyes that are characteristic of good health," according to The Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.
That sparkle isn't the only benefit to consuming this fruit, though. Ripe or dried, apriocots also help those suffering from anemia, night blindness, and loss of visual acuity, plus disorders on the skin (e.g., eczema) and increase resistance to infections in the sinuses. Dr. Valnet is responsible for studies that show that apricots maintain equilibrium within the nervous system to help with depression and nervousness credited to it's trace elements, too.
The sweet taste of apricots is readily available in the summer, but can also be found in jellies and dried forms during the winter. Add apricots to your regular diet . . . and twinkle your way right into that next booking!
Versace graced Nashville runways this past week. A peak at this past winter/fall campaign in the video below may . . . or may not give us insight into what was brought to Music City. You can be sure The Avenue's high fashion models rocked the new and exciting trends that were launched!
Who was chosen to grace Versace's runway? Check back soon to find out!
Congrats Melodie Thomas!!
