BULLYING VICTIM/SUICIDE SURVIVOR

NOW ACTOR - PLEASE MEET QUEENSLANDER

BRENDAN PAXTON

1     Please tell us a little bit about your background;

                                        A:    Hi, my name is Brendan Paxton. I've been bullied mostly all my life - I lost my father at the age of ten or twelve and I’m a suicide survivor. I'm becoming an actor because it has been a dream since I was little.

2                     You are an actor – have you always wanted to be an entertainer or did you want to be something else when you were younger?

                         A:         When I was younger I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career, but acting had always been my dream.

3                     Is anyone else in your family or among your relatives in entertainment?

                          A:              No.

4                     Are you professionally or self-represented?

                          A:                 Professionally. Specialised Training and Recruitment, starecruitment.com.au

5                     What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

                        A:                      Socialising on social websites, gaming, walking, visiting my mum and joining groups on facebook that are made for people with depression and bully victims to try and help anyone out that needs it.

6                     Have you acted on TV., stage and big screen?

                        A:                         Nothing major yet, but have done some acting on a stage for acting study.

7                     What have you actually acted in?

                        A:                            Only student productions so far, a feature extra and a non paid speaking role.

8                     Have you worked beside any major names?

                        A:                                Not yet, unfortunately.

9                     Have you ever been bullied?

                       A:               Yes, throughout my whole schooling years, but I did have good friends that helped me get through it all.

10                 Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

                       A:                 Not at all  - students in schools today all feel alone when bullied  and therefore feel too afraid to talk to anyone about it and keep it hidden.

11                 What further do you feel the above could do to either decrease this problem hugely, or eliminate it altogether?

                      A:                  Well for one, start to care about how it effects the victims.

12                 On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

                      A:                     Try to reach out to more victims and offer them more help so they don't feel alone.

13                 If you are or have been a victim, do you have any advice for other victims on how to cope with their nightmares?

                      A:                         Embrace the situation, share your thoughts and emotions and above all do not ever squash the pain down and ignore it. All the victims are strong people.

14                 Have you done many media interviews?

                      A:                            None at all actually.

15                 What is on your agenda for the rest of 2014?

                      A:                            Keep helping bully victims and continue to Act.

16                 Is there anything further you would like to add?

                      A:                               I would just like to add another message out to bully victims. You are not alone, you are never alone, you may think that no one understands, but try to reach out ask for help. It will get better with a little strength and patience.

17                 Do you have a special message you would like to share with the world?

                       A:                                 Anyone who can get through bullying and come out with a smile is my hero.

LINKS

           StarNow

Contact details:
         Lannah 

WELCOMING 

PAMELLA PHIRI

CANADIAN ACTOR, MODEL, STYLIST AND

BUSINESSWOMAN

1      Please tell us a little bit about your background?

       A:   I was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia in April 1980, in a family of six and I being the third born. My dad passed away when I was in grade ten -  that was in 1997. Ever since, we were raised up by a single parent and also by immediate cousins.

2       Have you always wanted to be an entertainer?

       A:    Yes I have always wanted to be an entertainer since the age of seven, I remember playing with my friends and giving each other some roles to play and as young as we were, we did pretty good and liking what we were doing.

3       Is anyone else in your family/relations in entertainment?

        A:    Yes I have few cousins back home and also my first born daughter who just turned thirteen years in March, loves singing and comedy. She is now working on different accents including British, Jamaican, Australian, East Indian, Nigerian and has already a Canadian accent. I have three children of my own and two step sons, of which all have modelled and performed for my clothing store fashion show.

4      You are an actor and model, Are you professionally trained in both skills?

        A:    I wouldn’t say trained, but I have talent, but back home in my elementary grade, I did take drama classes and acted in few plays. In my adulthood, back home I did join some drama classes at YMCA and acted in some few plays and here in Canada, after some auditions, I did qualify by the modelling agency in Edmonton and flew to Toronto, to go and perform. I had an opportunity to model, act and photo shots. I have volunteered as a audience wrangler at SHAW T.V. in the city I live in.

5       Are you professionally represented or do you represent yourself?

         A:     I represent myself.

6        What have you acted in?

          A:      Plays, fashion shows, animation and at a Canada day event, I sang.

7        Have you worked beside any well-known names?

          A:      No

8         What have you modelled in and for?

          A:      I have modelled for my clothing store as mentioned earlier and a talent show for the Canadian Models and Actors Center (CMAC) way back in 2007.

9         What and/ or who are your inspirations?

            A:      Oprah Winfrey, my mother and Obama.

10        Have you ever been bullied?

            A:       I think I was when young, but without realizing it, not until old. And in my old age I would call it abused.

11   Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

           A:       I think they are, but to an extent. One time my son came and told me that one of his friends was throwing sand in his hair and trying to push him around while on recess. Immediately I contacted the school and was told by the school principal that they are looking into it, for they realized that the boy has done that to many kids. I left the matter in their hands and just after few months he came with a scratch and told me that it was the same boy who did it. I told him that immediately it happens, he should inform his teacher. His response was, I do tell her. So I didn’t know what to believe.

12      What more do you feel the above could do to either decrease this problem hugely or eliminate it altogether?

        A:        I think whenever it happens, I need to report it at the school and try to see if they could talk to the parent of the kid. Of which, the principal told me that she approached the boy's parent and if not changed they’ll have to remove him out from that school.  And lastly, telling our children that whenever it happens, they should address it immediately to their parents.

13    On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

        A:     By getting permission to schools and clubs just to see if I could talk directly to students.

14       What advice would you give to someone who is currently a victim to help them through their nightmare now- perhaps based on your own experience?

           A:          I would tell a victim to stand strong and face their abusers by telling them to stop or else they will be reported to the teacher or parents. Try to encourage them that what they’re doing is not good. Someday they’ll come to realize their behaviour, because sometimes I find that bullies were once victims.

15         What is on your agenda for the rest of 2014?

          A:        I am trying to be an Ambassador for a good cause, at the moment running my clothing store and put important things together.

16          Do you have anything further to add?

            A:         No.

17          Do you have a special message you would like to share with the world?

            A:          I would like to tell the victims out there that, we are there for them and will try by all means to support them. All they should do is, take courage and face their abusers and put their bullying behaviour to a STOP. And to the bullies out there, you don’t get anything from your behaviours, but by hurting innocent souls. Come to your senses and STOP bullying others at once. You might have been bullied before or not, the fact is that, BULLYING is not acceptable in society.

LINK:
     
       StarNow

PLEASE WELCOME NEW ZEALAND ACTOR, MODEL AND ASPIRING TEACHER

BLISS McCAW-BALL

1   Please tell us a little bit about your background;

     A:  I grew up in the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand and have since moved to the Bay of Islands - I love the lifestyle and am a real water baby.  I grew up with a whole farmyard of animals and spent all my time outdoors.


2   You are an actor and a model.  Have you always wanted to be in the entertainment industry or did you aspire to be something else when you were growing up?

     A:  I am actually studying education, to become a secondary school English teacher.  I love acting and modelling and have since a young age, so I have started walking the path towards this also.  Hopefully I can follow all my dreams at once and help some of my students break into the entertainment/modelling industries too.


3  Is anyone else in your family or relations in entertainment?

     A:  Not that I know of.

4  Who and/or what are your inspirations?

    A:  I live in a really beautiful place and I am inspired by it every day!  I love quotes and sayings, I love reading inspirational quotes and they always make me feel good.


5  Are you professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

    A:  I represent myself.  I'm just branching into the industry and there are no agencies in the remote area I live in.


6  As an actor, what have you appeared in?

    A:  Just a few short films, plays and YouTube videos - nothing big yet but I have big aspirations!


7   Have you worked beside any well-known names?

      A:   Not really - although some of the actors I have worked alongside are absolutely fabulous actors - and I can see them becoming well-known!

8  As a model, what have you modelled in?

     A:  I have modelled for some excellent photographers - I have some great photos and I feel very lucky!



9  Are you professionally trained in both skills?

          A:  I did drama at school but never did it at university level.  I've been trained by photographers for modelling - I guess I just kind of dived into the industry!


10  What do you enjoy doing in your 'spare' time?

      A:  I'm an absolute water baby - I spend all my time boating, fishing, diving, going to the beach, swimming and doing watersports!  I love the ocean and spend all my time around the sea.  Not that I get much these days!  

11             Have you ever been bullied?

     A:  I was bullied in primary school and I really don't think it's something any child should have to go through.

12             Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

      A:  I think it's a really tough problem to address.  I don't think that the authorities take bullying seriously enough - bullying is a serious issue in our society and can lead to many psychological problems.

13             What further do you feel the above could do to either decrease this problem hugely, or eliminate it altogether?

     A:  I wish I had the solution - I think it comes down to the parents - it's really important for them to know if their child becomes a bully and stop it.  Believe it or not, kids that bully usually do it because they have problems of their own that they aren't sure how to deal with!  So if parents could get to the bottom of those problems perhaps their child would stop being a bully, stopping the problem that is bullying at its roots.

14             On a personal level, what would you like to do to  help in the fight against bullying?

                  A:  Just be there for everyone.  It's a drop in the ocean but if we all offered our support and stand up for people when we see them getting bullied, the world would be a much better place.  Bullying is not limited to schools - it happens in the workplace, everywhere and it's never okay.  When I become a teacher I hope to support all my students and make bullying non-existent in the school I teach in.

15             What advice would you give to someone who is currently experiencing this nightmare?

                  A:  Talk to someone!  Bullies have no power if their taunts don't affect you.  Tell a friend, teacher or family member and stand up to the bullies, tell them what they're doing is not okay.  Bullying is not your fault and it can be stopped!  Things always get better!

16             What is on your agenda for the rest of 2014?

                  A:  Spending time with friends and family, spending time on the ocean and progressing in acting and modelling, acting in some more short films and do some shoots with some great local photographers.

17             Do you have anything further that you would like to add?

                  A:  Bulling is an issue that is close to my heart and I just want everyone to know, if you're being bullied, it's not your fault.  It really isn't.  It says more about the bully than it does about you!  Everyone is so special and we all have a place in the world.  Don't give up!

18             Do you have any special messages you would like to share with the world?

                  A:  'Life is like the ocean.  Whether it is calm, rough or rigid, it is always beautiful'.

      LINKS

                  StarNow
                  Instagram

HAILING FROM FRANCE, PLEASE MEET ACTRESS

ALICIA SPATSCHEK

1                   Please tell us a little bit about your background;

                       A:  Well, after my studies in 2012, I decided to leave my country (France) for something new, something more exciting. So I bought my ticket for Australia, not knowing that this would be the beginning of eighteen months of travels around the world. After having visited many countries, met amazing people and realized some of my dreams, I’m now back in France since a month, ready to leave again next month for good, in Malaysia.

2                   You are an actor.  Have you always wanted to be in the entertainment industry or did you want to do something else when you were younger?

                       A:  Actually I’ve always wanted to become an actress. Since I’m eight. I’ve always imagined myself shooting movies. I’m lucky that my family always supported me in my dream.

3                   Is anyone else in your family or your relations in entertainment?

                       A:    I’m the only one in my family who wanted to work in the entertainment industry. But that’s just in my family. In my relations though, almost everybody is in the industry: my friends (mostly musicians and singers), my friend (Jason Mraz’s keyboard player) and also some famous film directors and producers in Sydney.

4         Are you professionally trained?

                A:   I wouldn’t say that I’m professionally trained, but I did play theater since many years and performed on stage quite a lot. That’s my training.

5                   Do you have a manager or do you represent yourself?

                  A:    I do represent myself for now - I’m actually not considering myself as a real actress; I do have a foot in the entertainment industry, but it’s not anymore my goal to succeed in the industry. If I do, I’ll be happy. But I’m aware of the difficulties of becoming “someone” and I don’t want to lose my precious time, trying to make a life out of it. I know who I am and I’m already someone for the people who love me. That’s more than enough for me.

6                   What have you acted in?

                  A:     My first TV was at the age of thirteen. It was a kind of TV show for kids, where you have to explain what you want to do when you’re grown up.

After that, I did several TV shows and some short films, advertising and still theater.

I stopped just before leaving for Australia, where I met influent producers, who have several acting projects for me.

7                   Have you worked with any ‘big’ names?

                  A:     Not yet - let’s hope that it will be in the future ! I hang with big names more than I work with them.

8                   What and/or who are your inspirations?

                  A:    LIFE  and LOVE are my biggest inspirations. I love life so much. My travels and the people I meet are great inspirations as well, I’m so grateful for that.

9                   What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

                  A:    I’m never bored. If I have spare time and I make sure I do, I always have one or two projects to work on, a place to visit or new people to meet. I do play guitar and sing, write songs and books, dance on my favourite music or grow my own food. I love doing and learning new things, so I switch on my curiosity button and follow my will and feelings. As simple as that !

10             Have you ever been bullied?

                  A:    No, never. Fortunately, I never was, even if I was a lonely child.

11             Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

                 A:     Not really. I don’t really know what is the situation in the other countries than mine, about bullying, but in France, we need more action. That’s a very sad problem, that affects the entire life of people that have been bullied. I feel very touched and concerned by this problem.

12             What further do you feel the above could do to try to either reduce bullying hugely, or eliminate it altogether?

                 A:     I think we should make more campaigns about it - on TV, internet, everywhere, to encourage people to do something about it, teachers to be more careful and parents to listen and protect their bullied children.

13             On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

                 A:        I’ll do anything that is possible for me to do. Tell me to go to every school of Australia and I’ll do it ! J

14             What is on your agenda for the rest of 2014?

                 A:        Like I said before, I’m going to Malaysia for work. I expect to stay there, if everything is fine, for many years. So I’m now starting a new chapter in my life.

15             Do you have any special messages that you would like to share with the rest of the world?

                 A:       LOVING, GIVING and SHARING, that’s what I believe in. I would like the world to know and realise that it is the most important thing in life, to be HAPPY and FREE.

16             Is there anything further you would like to add to this?

                 A:       All is said !

MICHELLE DESTEFANUS - MODEL AND ACTRESS WHO SEEMS TO BE DEFYING THE ODDS

1      Please tell us a little bit about your background;

        A:   -    I am a mother of three children and married to Ben (an accountant) for nine years. I was raised in a stepfamily and have Dextrocardia Situs Inversus, which means my organs are reversed (heart and all internal organs are on opposite sides). It is a very rare condition due to being a twin and the embryo splitting creating me. I have a brother twelve months older and like I said a twin sister. I'm 36 years old, and have two part time jobs with modelling/acting on the side. I was a swimmer as a teen and was like all swimmers, solidly built. I suffered anorexia from fifteen to seventeen, getting down to a life threatening 42kgs before my recovery.

2     You are a model and an actor.  Have you always wanted to be an entertainer or did you want to do something else when you were younger?

   A:    I have wanted to model since I was fifteen - however, life got in the way and I moved into administration and book keeping.  At 36 my three children have all started school and being that I am slim, I decided to go chase my dream of modelling.


3   Are any of your family members and/or relations in 'showbiz'?

     A:    None of my family members are in the show biz business, they have more traditional jobs eg; my sister is a personal trainer, my brother is an operations manager at a transport company.

4    What and/or who are your inspirations?

     A:    My two main inspirations come from Mother Teresa and Angie Harmon. Mother Teresa was a kind, selfless and forgiving woman who spent her entire life in the service of others. Angie Harmon is an inspiration to me to lose my weight after my children and follow my dream into the entertainment/arts industry. She is a stunning yet humble women who has talents in both modelling and acting.


5  What have you appeared and acted in?

     A:      I have appeared in a few amateur roles speaking and non speaking in TV commercials and have a lot of booked short films coming along. I have been taking part in numerous photo shoots and posing for paintings. I have yet to get a main role, however I have been signed up with Gilchrist Management who are renowned for landing great roles for their clients.


6   Have you worked with any 'big' names?

    A:        I have not worked with any big names, but look forward to it in the future, as the celebrities I have met have been wonderful to spend time with ie; Mel Gibson met at Sydney show as he was into cattle and we were breeding and showing them at the time.


7   Are you professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

    A:     I have been signed up to three agencies, but being only a recent advancement, I'm still being processed into their systems. I'm taking part in a modelling course through Tanya Powell Modelling to ensure I master all aspects of the entertainment industry. Even though I am getting paid and unpaid work on my own at the moment, I believe it's important to be properly represented to break into the professional world.


8   Have you ever been bullied?

    A:     I was bullied at home and at school as a child. The main topic at home was being called tubby, broad acre, being told I needed a Clydesdale to support my butt and things along those lines. I don't believe there was any malicious spirit in it, however it did do it's damage, hence then anorexia. Primary school I was bullied by the boys in my year level, I would walk out the door and cop a bag in my face, or be pushed up against walls. My teenage years were spent being teased on the school bus for having a rich step father and being spoiled although we were raised very strictly and not spoiled at all. We were taught a solid work ethic and that one must work for what they want. To this day I still endure criticism and back stabbing, for having an eating disorder, or being too thin, or wasting my time going into modelling, or anything else of interest whether true or not. Sadly this comes from the people who are supposed to love and have my back, but this is not the case. I now know how to switch off and believe in myself and my abilities and not let other people's insecurities be pushed onto me.

9  Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

   A:    No I do not believe enough is being done by schools or the government, and with teenage suicide rates peaking, I believe it is something that needs to be addressed seriously and urgently.


10  What further do you feel the above should do to either decrease this problem hugely, or try to eliminate it altogether?

    A:      Stricter punishments within schools and within homes need to be reinforced with serial offenders receiving counselling and offenders should be made to help the victim by somehow making amends to the wronged party.

   My youngest sibling was being bullied and when backed into a corner, he bit the offender.  I made him go to his teacher and confess his wrong doing and I instructed her to double his punishment which I also did at home.

    It's not to be tolerated...


11 On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

   A:    I would do ANYTHING to help fight against the growing trend of bullying in every form - whether it be at school, online or even within families.

12  Have you done any media interviews?

       A:     I have as a child and adult for magazines, newspapers and TV in relation to my medical condition as a human interest piece.


13  What is on your agenda for the rest of 2014?

      A:     My agenda is to build my career, get my face out there and continue to raise my children (who have been victims of bullying) to grow in intelligence, confidence and skills in all areas of living.


14  Is there anything further that you would like to add?

      A:      Yes, I believe that the issue with bullying begins when a child holds insecurities, issues, fears or disillusions caused by various situations like an insecure home life, divorce, separation, rejection,  body image issues and many more. This breeds anger and resentment towards those they see with these qualities and most children not knowing the correct tools, begin the cycle of bullying. If this is addressed, the cycle may improve.

15  Do you have a special message you would like to share with the world?

      A:     My message would be a simple one. Love others and love yourself. Treat everyone with respect and never let someone steal your self worth!




LINKS

     StarNow Profile

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