Top of Form

INTRODUCING  CANADIAN  ACTOR

ANDREW  BORYS

1      Please tell us a little bit about your background:

        A:  I am an 18 year old student studying business at the University of Calgary. I am involved in one film class at school and volunteer at the school's television program. Growing up I had always wanted to be involved with film whether it was being in front or behind the camera. Being on screen had generally interested me more but I never knew if I was capable of being in front of the camera due to my reserved personality. I had wanted to change this so that's when I decided to upload videos to YouTube. YouTube gave me the opportunity to allow people from all across the world to see my videos when I was in the safe environment in my own home. From these videos (mainly trick shot videos), a German Web Clip show asked if they could share my videos on their television show, showcasing my talent. As well, I was offered to help film a promo for a certain drink brand, but being on opposite sides of the world I wasn't able to follow through with the opportunity.


2     Have you always wanted to be in the entertainment industry or did you aspire to do something else when you were younger?

       A:  I had always wanted to be in the entertainment industry but never knew if I would. I was a fairly reserved child growing up and with many family members being involved in business, I felt that I would follow the same path.

3    Is anyone else in your family/relations in ‘showbiz’?

      A:   No, I am the only one that really has an interest in this industry.


4    What do you enjoy doing in your ‘spare’ time?

      A:   In my spare time I enjoy golfing, working on future videos and just hanging out with friends.


5     Have you ever been bullied?

       A:   Yes I have been bullied. During elementary/ junior high school one of my best friends had suddenly changed over the summer before we both attended a new school. He found new friends and would constantly tease me and pick on me which would make me want to go home for lunch everyday and spend as little time possible I could at the school. For the entire year (grade. 7), I felt uncomfortable in my surroundings and it only changed when I had moved to a different city the following summer. The move wasn't about being bullied rather my father getting a new job.

6      Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel the governments and schools world wide are doing enough to try to combat this act?

        A:  No, I do not. Far too many people have been bullied in their lifetimes and the consequences that these bullies get are little to nothing. I think bullies don't understand the pain they are giving these individuals which causes no change in behaviour. 

7    What more do you feel the above could be doing to try to either decrease bullying hugely, or eliminate it completely?

      A:    I would like for bullies to realize the pain they are causing others, so that they would realize that the things they are doing is wrong. I would like for them to be more involved in the community like volunteering at a homeless shelter or food bank, so that they can see a different side of life and possibly change their perspective on life.


8    What are your long term hopes and goals for your career?

       A:  My long term hopes for my career is to pursue film and earn a living from this industry. I would love to be involved in a feature film one day and continue to learn more about cameras and production.

9    What is on the agenda for Andrew Borys for 2014?

      A:  For 2014, I would like to complete my first year of University and get a summer job within the film industry.

LINK:

     YouTube

               

INTRODUCING ANOTHER LOVELY CANADIAN ACTOR/MUSICIAN -

APRIL  GAMMON

1                   Please tell us a little bit about your background.

                    A:    I grew up in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.  Ever since I was little I wanted to act and I am just now starting to work on my acting career.  I have two beautiful girls - one is 6 years old and the other is 2 months old.  I have a very supportive husband who is always ready to push me towards things and to always try and never give up.  I like to write, sing, act and generally have fun with whatever it is I am doing.

2                         You are an actor and a musician.  Have you always aspired to be in the entertainment industry or did you want to be something else when younger?

                     A:       Ever since I was young I have wanted to act.  I would put on little skits                      for my family, which contained mostly me mimicking others. I liked to imitate my                       family and put on a comedic skit for them.  When it came to singing  when I was                         younger I would only sing in private because I didn’t think I was good enough.

3                                    Are any of your family or relations in ‘showbiz’?

                      A:       No.

4                          Are you professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

                       A:      I represent myself, but I am hoping to eventually have a professional                        manager.

5                           Have you had formal training as either or both actor and music?

                      A:      No. I did drama in high school, but didn’t go to college for acting. I also                    did do singing lessons when I was younger.

6                         As a musician, what instruments do you play?

                      A:      None, but I am learning to play the ukulele.

7                   What and/or who are your inspirations?

                      A:     My inspiration - as cliché as it might sound - is my mother. She                                    struggled all her life and raised both my brother and I by herself while putting                              herself through college. She is a true inspiration because she showed me that no                      matter what others do or say you can do anything you put your mind to.

8                   Do you have a stage name?

                      A:    No, I never really thought about using a stage name.

9                   Have you ever been bullied?

                      A:    Yes.

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

                     A:    There are people that do care, but for the most part not much is done                        about it.

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

                        A:       Yes and no, because to really eliminate the problem you would not only                     have to get through to the children - you would also have to get through to the                             parents.

12              On a personal level, is there anything you would like to do to help battle bullying?

                  A:     I would like to help battle bullying any way possible. It is all about                                  educating not only the children but the parents too. Unfortunately if a person                              doesn’t want to change they won't.

13              Where do you see your career in ten years’ time?

                  A:     I see myself doing small acting gigs while working with my husband on our                   business.


     
     14         Is there anything further you would like to add?

                  A:   No.

15             Do you have a message you would like to impart to the world?

                  A:  It sucks when you are constantly being bullied, but one thing to remember is                   generally the bully is only doing it because they don’t like themselves so they are                     taking it out on others. People can be cruel but they are not all bad and it does                           get better.

16           Would you like to add any links you wish to have included?

                 A:  No.

LINK:

      Twitter

Top of Form

PLEASE MEET BRITISH ACTOR

REECE  DOUGLAS

1     How did you first get into acting; did you always want to be an actor?

            A:  To be an actor was never something I expected.  At school maths, English,science etc was never really something that hugely interested me.  Drama was because it was more of a practical subject rather than theory - drama at school was a subject that only my drama teacher recognised me for - the first subject in which I showed interest and dedication.  Because of this my drama teacher came to be my mentor.  Maybe my teachers thought it was him that was making me show interest - but no, it was acting itself.  My teacher soon came to realise it wasn’t my intelligence that made me have a lack of interest in other subjects - it was just that I didn’t enjoy them. My teachers used to tell me that if I worked harder I could have produced better grades.  This didn’t phase me in the slightest; I mean why put my time into a subject in which I had no interest? I didn’t wish to follow a subject or career I knew I wouldn’t enjoy. The school play was coming up - the only thing in school I was actually looking forward to!  Who was going to be in the cast? My drama teacher clearly knew it was a subject I love and in which I excelled.  What I didn’t realise was that my drama teacher couldn’t have a naughty pupil representing the school in his play, not only for his sake, but for the pupils who had 'As' in most subjects and wanted to be in the cast as much as I did.  The play was ‘Blood Brothers’ in which I was the narrator.  Not much of a character as such but one the audience soon came to find comical as I was seen to be wearing a blazer three times too big for me!!  Bearing in mind the narrator was an extremely serious character the contrast was just too overwhelming and quite frankly - humiliating.  My drama teacher had many contacts in the industry and told the class how there were going to be auditions held for ‘Waterloo Road’ in the very room we were sitting in. Well, we were raging with excitement.  Personally I never watched the show but my friends certainly did and I knew how popular it was.  After several auditions it came down to the final two - myself and another boy.  Came the night before I was going to find out and I will never forget the feeling I held in my stomach - not ever having had an interest in any one particular subject but now suddenly never wanting something so much.  Before I went to bed that night I had a discussion with my mum.  It almost felt like someone had told me and I was passing on the message.  She must have thought I was mad but I told her I was going to get the part; she responded with a shrug of the shoulders and laughed saying who knows?  The day had finally come, my mum sat by the phone whilst I went along to my boring school subjects trying to find a way of entertaining myself - most of the time being the class clown.  It was lunch time and I was queuing for dinner when suddenly a loud announcement was made on the tanoy. ‘Can Reece Douglas please report to the pastoral office’.  I had never felt adrenaline like I did in that very moment. As I quickly made my way to the pastoral office my mind was doing overtime - have I got the part?  Maybe something has happened at home. I laughed to myself when I realised it could be my head of year finding out about me throwing an apple across the dinner hall the previous day. I entered the office and my head of year passed me the phone, It was my mother. Not one word could be understood from what was being said except a loud scream of excitement, I knew i got the part. Most importantly from that very moment onwards I knew I wanted to be an actor.

2     As a young actor what are your aspirations for the future?

           A:      I guess the answer to this question is one that many actors my age would say. As an actor we all have that one performer we aspire to; in my case Will Smith. My perfect idea of the future would to be working on a sequel of films in Hollywood. I guess that’s a very stereotypical answer  - what actor wouldn’t?. A more realistic answer would be to work full time on a UK series, if it were to film abroad then it would be a bonus.

3    'Waterloo Road' has been a huge success - how have you found the popularity?

         A:      Starting 'Waterloo Road' when I was 13 years old it was a huge stepping stone - not only for me but my family also.  All the attention coming at once was extremely overwhelming - I can see why people become full of themselves. My mum was my chaperone on set - always making it her duty to keep me grounded and rein me in when I was pulling above my weight - all credit to her. Being recognised is just another part of the job which I think many people don’t know how to handle. Learning to always smile and be polite when in fact you're having the worst day of your life. Never forgetting that so many people would love to be in the position I am in.

4      How have things changed for you since leaving 'Waterloo Road'?

        A:      I started to find out who my true friends were - not just friend-zoning me because I am on TV but actually liked me for who I am. I started to see the world in a different way. I don’t tend to socialise as much as I used to - I invest a lot of time into my clothing line and also acting websites trying to find my next role.

5   How do you measure your success?

      A:   I see acting as a career rather than a path I follow to be famous. Many people would measure success by how recognised you are and that’s why I despise reality TV. I could land a part in the biggest reality TV show there is; a camera following me around all day while I gossip about people is not successful. Playing a distinct character in a hit TV series is. That’s how I measure the difference between fame and success.

6      What would you say to any young actors that wanted to follow in your footsteps and become successful?

       A:      Firstly I would say never follow in anyone’s footsteps. Take tips from what has made that person successful and use them wisely. A well known actor is someone that is good at playing a particular role, That’s why it's so easy to become stereotyped. If you're wanting to be an actor think of the characters your most suited to playing and revise. 

         7       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 the problem?

   

                  A:      From being in school and seeing incidents of bullying my school took bullying very seriously and did everything in their power to make sure it did not happen. I think it’s very difficult for the government to fight bullying unless reoccurring abuse happens to same person making them aware of the situation and take action. I cannot comment on other countries as I have no knowledge how they operate.

       

13.   8       Do I have an agent or represent yourself?

    

I                A:     I am represented by a London based agency called ‘Bloomfields Management’. 

14.   9       Who and what is your inspiration?

                 A:     Will Smith is most definitely my inspiration - I love his work and the roles he plays.

1      10    Are any of your family members or relations in ‘showbiz’?

       

No            A:    Nope - just myself!.

S          

·         © 2014 Microsoft ·         Terms ·         Privacy ·         Developers ·         English (United States)

Bottom of Form

      

Ashton Photography
Gabrielle Maston

INTRODUCING DIETITIAN EXTRAORDINAIRE, NUTRITIONALIST, COLUMNIST FOR 'THAT'S LIFE' MAGAZINE AND AUTHOR

 GABRIELLE  MASTON

1       Please tell us a little bit about your background.

         A:   I grew up in Sydney within a Latin American household. I was always an organised and studious child with perfectionistic qualities and still am today! I have always played sports and loved studying. Growing up I learned to love cooking and learning about food. Currently I run my own nutrition and exercise business. My favourite past time is cooking, writing, reading and playing sports… I guess nothing has changed!

2     You are in the health, wellness & fitness industry.  Have you always wanted to follow such a career or did you aspire to do something else when you were younger?

       A:  I have always been involved in sports and ate healthy food. The human body is fascinating to me. So it was a natural progression to get into the health and wellness industry that evolved around staying fit and healthy. There was a stage of about 2 years where I was adamant I was going to work in business management. I went to uni to study it for a year and decided it wasn’t for me - it was too boring. Exercise science and nutrition came naturally to me. So I transferred courses - the rest is history.

Gabrielle's book -
'Recipes For The Weekend Warrior'

3      You are a clinical & sports dietitian, nutritionist & exercise physiologist, a personal trainer and practitioner as well as being the director of 'Changing Shape'.  Wow.  What made you set out to be such a picture of health?

       A:   I don’t know any other way. I always ask myself, if I could be doing anything else in the world right now what would I do? The only other idea I have, than do what I am already doing, is to be a paid professional athlete. Unfortunately genetics didn’t allow this and I am a bit too old now. But I can certainly help and work with recreational and professional athletes in area that I love. What I do doesn’t feel like work, and it comes easy to me. Some days I can’t even believe I make living out of it. Being healthy and advocating health is part of my lifestyle, it’s who I am. It’s both my professional and personal life.

4    You also have 'Channel 7 - That's Life Magazine' in your profile.  Can you tell us a little about that please?  How that started etc.

       A:   My affiliation with That’s Life Magazine is an awesome outcome from my blog. I have been writing and health and wellness blog for about 3 years. My blog is informative and empowering. It addresses current diet and exercise trends as well as my own personal experiences. The assistant Editor was doing a search one day looking for a dietitian to help with on a project they were running and sent me an email. They obviously liked me and I have been with them every since. I thoroughly enjoy working with the That’s Life Magazine team, they are always so positive, and a magazine that is very empowering to women.

'The ABC Of Good Nutrition'

5     Who and/or what are your inspirations?

       A:    I don’t really have any? I look up to senior dietitians in my industry because of their wealth of knowledge. I also find some of the books I read to be inspiring at the time, but I don’t get fixated on any individuals per-se. Celebrities don’t impress me, because I don’t live their life, I live my own.  What impresses me, is my own ability to achieve things, I never thought possible.


6     What do you do in your 'spare' time?

       A:  I take my dog for a walk, spend time with my boy friend, travel. I do like to keep busy though, so my typical weekend would consist of a run or swim, a visit to the markets and lunch at a funky café.

7     Have you appeared on television at all for any reason?

       A:  Yes I have been on TV for That’s Life Magazine body blast weight loss challenge. I was the expert dietitian that developed the meal plans and recipes. I was involved in a segment on the morning show. In addition to this, I have been on Ready Steady Cook as a contestant. Which was loads of fun, in particular eating the dishes afterward.

8     Have you ever been bullied?

       A:  Yes several times during my life, the worse was at my last place of employment, where I left for the day a few times in tears. It was really awful, due to personal circumstances it was difficult to leave, so I had to stick it out for a duration. Which was a terrible position to be in.

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:    I don’t know if this is a government problem. I do think it’s a way society has developed over time, a lot of people seem to have a sense of entitlement and over developed egos. Where this trend has developed I don’t know? I think for an adult to be a respectable member of society, who treats people properly it comes from the family unit. It comes from feeling, loved, valued and supported. That’s not something you can teach at schools, or something the law can enforce.

It has to come from parents, instilling moral values and ethics to their children. Bullies naturally have a poor sense of self-esteem and an over developed sense of entitlement, it is a way to express their own negative personal experiences. It has nothing to do with the victims of the bullying themselves.

10   What more do you feel the above could do to try to either decrease bullying hugely or eliminate it altogether?

       A:  Within organisations I feel it ridiculous that employment laws prevent bullies from being removed from organisations and reprimanded for their actions.  Companies should be protected via legislation, to enable to remove these people. In addition awareness campaigns for bullying could aid to bring this matter to light and hopefully work as a preventative measure.


11   You are also an author.  How many books do you have published?

       A:  I have self published 3 ebooks on nutrition. Each book has been a long process, my latest one is a sports nutrition recipe book, I am extremely happy its almost finished!

12     Are they self published or traditionally?

         A:  Self published.

'How To Look Good Nude'

13    Where do you envisage your career to be in ten years' time?

  A:  I see my self as an international presenter and holding more media space. I love performing, public speaking and sharing knowledge. It would be the best way to spread the word of health and fitness to the masses. Help people get healthy in a seamless, fun way. 


14         What is on the drawing board for Gabrielle Maston for 2014?

     A:    Personally I want to compete in a few triathlons and start writing a new book… I don’t know what on yet? I have to see what comes to mind!

15              Do you have a message you would like to impart to the world?

      A:  Nothing good ever came without sacrifice, so go out and do something challenging!

The Hollywood & Vine Film Festival (HVFF) celebrates artisticpreneurs!  The mission of HVFF is to provide industry access to emerging content creators and to showcase their talent throughout the US and in over ten countries.  Submission materials include media projects that have not yet been distributed through a mainstream outlet such as a studio, network or independent distributor.  Acceptable projects include these categories:  feature films, shorts, documentaries, web series, TV pilots, scripts, trailers and even sizzle reels and artists' reels.

Presented by Hollywood & Vin magazine, HVFF will provide awards up to thirty filmmakers and the grand prize winner will appear on the cover of Hollywood & vine.  Submissions are accepted from December 17, 2013 through the postmarked deadline of October 1, 2014.  Winners will be announced at the festival and their projects will be screened.  The second annual HVFF will take place on December 12-13, 2014 in the Los Angeles area.  This year's platinum sponsor is ProductionHUB.

Appicants submitting to the festival will have industry access unlike any other festival.  While the festival prizes total over $10,000 the industry value is priceless.  Past HVFF judges have been prominent film/TV/music executives, agents and other power players working at ICM, Sony, Google/YouTube and BET among other entertainment companies.

Hollywood & Vine Film Festival Award:  

BEST MUSIC VIDEO - 
'Reno Nevada and Other Songs of Gambling, Vice and Betrayal'

CONGRATULATIONS
to all concerned -

WINNER - 'Reno Nevada and Other Songs of Gambling, Vide and Betrayal
'The Great American Robber Barons'

'The Great American Robber Barons'
Diana Mangano, Keith Dion and Richard Farina

1      CONGRATULATIONS to all concerned, especially Diana Mangano, Keith Dion and Richard Farino on the above award.  Absolutely stunning news.  How does it feel?

        KD Answer:  Great!  We were very happy to have just made it to the top four finalists.  Something told me though, that we had a pretty good shot.  We haven't heard yet what Richard's estate thinks or if they've even heard our version yet - we'll have to ask Joan Baez the next time we run into her!  I did send the guy who runs the Richard and Mimi Farina website a copy of it and he said he thought it was the best cover he'd ever heard of one of Richard's compositions.  (Richard Farina, writer of the song 'Reno Nevada' has been deceased since 1966 - he was married to Joan Baez's younger sister, Mimi - now also deceased.)

2           How did you know that 'Reno - Nevada' had been nominated?  How does that work?

          KD Answer:   A filmmaker friend of ours - Barbara Skinner - brought the Hollywood Vine Film Festival to my attention earlier this year.  It looked promising, as they actually had a Music Video category - a lot of film festivals don't.  So I made the submission for 'Reno Nevada' and didn't hear more about it.  They just notified me a couple of weeks ago that we'd actually made the finals and it was to be screened at the festival.

3          How did it feel, sitting in the auditorium, listening to the nominations and then that breathtaking final moment when the winner was announced?

             KD Answer:   The screenings for all the category finalists were the day before and that was really cool seeing the footage on the big screen.  The awards were the next day at the presentation and speakers event.  I knew we had a good chance - 25% and thought that the vintage 8mm footage we used in Reno Nevada was very striking, so thought we could just pull this off - and we did!

4             Keith, you just 'had a feeling' about this award?  Please describe that.

               KD Answer:     Like i said, I knew that the vintage home movie footage was like no other - perfectly bringing the time back right in front of your face.  Pretty hard to compete with that, but then again you never know who the judges are or exactly what they are looking for.

5            And Diana - would you like to describe your feelings about the whole win and leadup?

              DM Answer:     So far as the lead up, I didn't know anything about it, really.  I knew (Keith) had done work in other film festivals showing and we had one played in NY, I think it was, so he is always doing much work regarding what is mostly, of course, his material and this particular CD/DVD set.  Keith is tenacious and talented in all counts.  I commend his worth ethic and attention to details and the art focus he has constantly shown towards any work he puts out.

                 I am thrilled, or course, mainly because Keith has developed such a wonderful selection of writing and video pieces.  I am not one to delve into the current stream of what is out there in video/music videos, so I am glad to see that his timeless work has fit the bill for choice in an award like this.  I am simply there as his support and vocalist for the particular song chosen.  It has been a joy to work with him due to his ethics, honesty, talents, support and consistent enjoyment of providing his art of the masses.  It is also great due to the history of music as a whole, to continue the vocal input alongside Keith's musical vocal style and playing style.  I am honored and happy to see his video chosen and we will continue to perform what and when we are able to.  In a world that is going through much turmoil and strife, I consider myself to be a very fortunate person in my times.

6             What would you equate the 'Hollywood & Vine Film Festival' with in the way of awards ceremonies in the USA?

                    KD Answer:   The USA has many, many film festivals and the 'Hollywood & Vine Film Festival' is one of several quality events.  It's sponsored by the Breaking Into Hollywood and Hollywood and Vine magazines and is very well respected.

7                  Has there been a lot of publicity surrounding your win?  You have done a lot of interviews in the USA?

                     KD Answer:   Part of the award is to be in featured articles in their magazines and on their websites as well as the usual FaceBook and social media outlets.  I let our NYC publicists (Ariel Publicity) publicity know of the win right away and I know that they will be pushing it too.  We should be getting a lot of mileage out of this, as the next film project we are working on - the Noel Redding biographical DVD - is just now getting the fund raising gears in motion.  Now being 'Award Winning Filmmakers' - this should help that cause rather nicely.


8                      What are you planning now?

                        KD Answer:  Apart from the above-mentioned Noel Redding biographical feature, I've already written a good dozen or so songs for the follow up to 'Reno Nevada and Other Songs of Gambling, Vice and Betrayal'.  We'll continue to hone those down and see what we can finish in the next year before making the final decisions on the next album.  Again, we're still in the middle of the publicity and promotion faze for the current 'Reno Nevada' album, so the idea of releasing a new one soon, is a bit unlikely - unless of course we get some major label backing.  Then they can call the shots - and write the checks!

Trailer for forthcoming Noel Redding DVD:  

Filmmakers Stephanie Gwyn-Brown, Keith Dion and Pablo Vazquez -
Whitefire Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

9                     What is on the drawing board for 2014?

                       KD Answer:  More song writing and gigs, the completion of more music videos using my father's 8mm vintage home movie footage from the 1960s and hopefully the completion of the book I've been writing which ties all these things together - 'Snapshots of Heaven and Hell:  Surviving Fillicide and The Music Business and Living to Tell the Tale'!  Speaking of work on new music videos - after we won the award, my co-filmmakers Stephanie Gwyn-Brown and Pablo Vazquez and I went to celebrate at a really great Thai restaurant on Sunset Blvd., in Hollywood.  When we finished, we then went back to Stephanie's house in the hills above Burbank/North Hollywood, where she has a well set up music and film studio and got straight to work - pulling out the 'Green Screen' to film my performance segments for the videos for what's looking to be the lead singles from the next album - 'Showdown at Gulliver's Saloon' and 'The End of Revolution Coming'.  The first one (is) about witnessing the biggest barroom brawl ever, while the band kept playing and the second about the death of a beautiful thoroughbred racehorse on her first race ever.  Both true stories.  They should make for great film pieces.  Also part of our award from the festival are free submissions to next year's event so we should have plenty of candidates to put forth.


10             Are you planning to come to Australia at all?

                 KD Answer:   Yes!  In just a couple of months.  I grew up in New Zealand and my son Sam was born there.  He's just moved to Melbourne to take a great job in this industry and my girlfriend Vivian and I will be going over to see him for several weeks.  Coincidentally, I have other great friends there too, including Kathy Etchingham - Jimi Hendrix' long time English girlfriend who actually introduced me to Noel Redding in the first place.  Diana and the band won't be coming out but I'm hoping to get the chance to play solo locally if the opportunity arises.