Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, December 10th – 10 Things an Actor Should Never Do on Social Media, by Heidi Dean.

Social media is a double-edged sword. When wielded wisely, it can help you research, network, build relationships, and advance your career more quickly than ever before. When used carelessly, it can make you look foolish and do your career serious harm. Here are things an actor should not do on social media:
1. Nice to meet you. Can you do me a favor? A follow is an extended hand reaching for a handshake. It’s not an opportunity to ask for a favor. Don’t ask for feedback on your headshot, website, or reel from people you’ve just met on social media.
2. Don’t be bitter. Yes, sometimes it can be hard to stay positive in this business, but social media is not your diary.
3. Loose lips. Don’t broadcast about a role you’ve landed until given the OK. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Broadway show, national tour, commercial, or TV series. Ask what the company’s social media policy is before you post the good news!
4. Nice to meet you. Can you send me some money? You wouldn’t dream of asking someone you’d just met for money, right? The same common sense applies online. I’m sure your crowdfunding campaign is a worthy cause, but don’t ask industry pros to contribute or spread the word about it unless you have a relationship with them.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 10th – ‘Star Wars’ Fans Are Bigger Spenders, Research Shows, by Paul Bond.

Wall Street expects that Walt Disney and its licensees will sell $5 billion in merchandise related to Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens in the first year alone after its Dec. 18 release. Judging from Nielsen data released Thursday, that might be a conservative estimate.Nielsen, the research firm best known for its TV ratings, says that Star Wars fans spend more money than the average moviegoer in a whole host of product categories. For example, in purchases of technology, auto, food and personal care, combined, Star Wars fans spend $4,300 annually, compared to $4,100 for Americans in general.A more specific example: A Star Wars fan spends $156 on snacks each year, which is $11 more than the average American consumer spends.Star Wars fans also have more disposable income. According to Nielsen, they are 9 percent more likely than the general population to be part of a household making $70,000 per year.The Force Awakens, of course, has many marketing tie-ins, including Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Pottery Barn, Adidas, Lucky Charms and more, and Nielsen suggests that the old-school actors who starred in the original 1977 Star Wars (and are also in Force Awakens) make very good pitchmen.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 9th – Google Adds Family Plan for Play Music and YouTube Red, by Janko Roettgers.

Google has added a family plan for its Play Music subscription service, allowing up to six family members to stream music at the same time. Like with similar service tiers offered by Spotify and Apple Music, Google’s Play Music family plan also helps to separate favorites and music recommendations to keep Kids Bop out of a parent’s personal stream.The new family plan is launching in the coming days for users in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, France and GermanyThere’s one interesting twist to Google’s plan that sets it apart from its competitors. Google Play Music is joined at the hip with YouTube Red, the company’s recently-launched ad free video subscription service, and this partnership also extends to family plans: Users who sign up for a Google Play Music family plan also can let their family members watch ad-free videos onYouTube, without having to share a single YouTube account.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, December 11th – 3 Things You Must Do Your First Year as an Actor, By Erika Shannon.

Erika Shannon

Your First-Year Must-Do’s:
1. You must lay the foundation for your day-to-day survival. A place to lay your head, and a job to pay the bills. Not the most glamorous item on the list, but without proper rest and a little financial security, you will feel scattered and desperate.
2. You must audition. Get thee to as many auditions during your first year as you can. Do it all: chorus calls, EPAs, Broadway, regional. reality shows, TV—if it’s an open call and you fit what they’re looking for, go. Every audition is a free opportunity to learn! You will develop relationships with casting directors, gain confidence, learn great choreography, test your material, and meet tons of people.
3. You must find your tribe. You cannot function by sleeping, eating, and auditioning alone. You need to be social, share stories, compare disastrous side jobs, blow off steam, and find balance. Build your support system, because you will need it.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 14th – VFX Vets’ Virtual Reality Startup Pixvana Raises $6 Million, by Carolyn Giardina.

Pixvana, a Seattle-based virtual-reality technology startup, has announced a $6 million investment led by Madrona Venture Group with participation from Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and angel investors. It’s developing a cloud-based technology platform aimed at improving VR and augmented-reality applications.The company is led by CEO Forest Key, a Lucasfilm alum whose product management background includes Microsoft’s Silverlight and Adobe’s Flash; CTO and creative director Scott Squires, a three-time VFX Oscar nominee and Sci-Tech Academy Award winner; chief product officer Bill Hensler, an alum of Apple, Adobe and Avid; and vp product management Sean Safreed, co-founder of film and video software company Red Giant. There is incredible momentum in the VR space, and it is clear that outstanding VR video will be a central pillar to the success of the medium, said Madrona Venture Group. It’s exciting to back the Pixvana team that has been at the forefront of the massive shifts we have already seen in the industry — from film to digital and from TV to web and mobile video.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 11th – The Main Force Driving Audiences to ‘Star Wars’ Is Marketing, by Peter Bart.

When Peter Bart plunked down $4 to see Star Wars in 1977, he had no premonition that it would be a historic opening. But within a few minutes after the movie started rolling, the Star Wars mystique gripped him. So did its sense of discovery. Studios today desperately wish they could recapture that moment for one of their movies — an instant when a new film totally takes over the public conversation. In planning their future films, they yearn to find a way to approximate that first Stars Wars experience.Of course, at the time George Lucas was confronted with a different set of problems. Studio chiefs of the ’70s had little interest in science fiction. Star Wars started with a tight $8 million budget, which it breezed past by mid-shoot. Lucas couldn’t meet his Christmas 1976 release date, triggering negative gossip. Fox was grateful for its $1.5 million weekend gross, and also was pleased overall with the reviews. While Pauline Kael sniped that Star Wars had “no emotional grip” and “lacked lyricism,” younger reviewers shared Roger Ebert’s rave. Vincent Canby of the New York Times called it a “great comic book adventure. Now, 38 years later, on the cusp of the release of the franchise’s seventh film, “The Force Awakens,” Disney clearly isn’t waiting for critical reaction. The release will be sprawled over 4,000 screens, and the studio expects a $200 million U.S. opening.While marketing-fueled anticipation is in place, however, will there be an accompanying sense of discovery? Audiences surely won’t feel that they “found” the film — the motivation to see it, rather, has been instilled in them by the massive worldwide campaign. In any case, filmmakers and distributors will be enviously monitoring this conversation-grabbing exercise in event-building.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, December 24th – 3 Things From the Holiday Season That Make You a Better Actor, by Jamison Haase.

Jamison Haase

This season, take a moment to see how the holiday spirit can positively affect you as an actor. Here are three things to think about all year long! Gratitude. The holiday season is a time for reflection. It’s a time to appreciate your life. But how long does that gratitude last? Typically not for very long. But what if you carried that gratitude into the new year, and more specifically, into your work? Gratitude for the jobs that you have gotten. Gratitude for the auditions that you get. Gratitude for the simple fact that you, as an actor, get to pursue your dreams. Life-Enriching Experiences. Audiences want to see real people living real lives; and by getting out there and having true experiences outside the world of acting, be they positive or negative, we have a much deeper well of emotion and frame of reference. Fun. Holidays can sometimes be hard for people. There can be loneliness, family conflict, and sometimes, painful memories. But, hopefully, the holidays also have some joy in them, and some fun. Although this feeling isn’t coming directly from your craft, it is the same reason why you entered into this career in the first place. Bring that feeling of joy and fun with you into the audition room and watch it transform your experience of auditioning. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 9th – ‘Star Wars’ Flashback: When No Theater Wanted to Show the Movie in 1977, by Pamela McClintock.

The Force was definitely not with Star Wars in the months leading up to its release over Memorial Day weekend in 1977. Even executives at 20th Century Fox had their doubts. The Other Side of Midnight, based on Sidney Sheldon’s potboiler, was supposed to be the studio’s big summer hit, while George Lucas’ movie was considered the “B track” for theater owners nationwide. In those days, film buyers had to bid blind for titles. The decisions — right or wrong — defined careers. No one could have anticipated that kind of success. You didn’t have tracking that spelled out opening-weekend grosses or social media. That’s how theaters earned their reputations back then. They had a big picture and played it for a long time. And as a film buyer, you shined if you were the guy who bought the right pictures. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, December 27th – Capri Hollywood Film Festival: LGBT Forum a Highlight of 20th Edition, by Iain Blair.

Eddie Redmayne Capri

The Capri-Hollywood Intl. Film Festival, marking its 20th anniversary this year, occupies a unique spot on the global festival circuit, serving as both a final summing up of the past year in indie cinema and as a look-ahead to 2016. Located on the storied Italian island off the coast of Naples — a longtime getaway for writers and artists — the popular event attracts both A-list stars and industry heavyweights. Like a lot of festivals around this time of year, Capri will screen and honor an eclectic mix of European arthouse films and American independent releases that are attracting awards attention. The fest will also spotlight such high-profile pics as Tom Hooper’s timely transgender drama “The Danish Girl,” starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) as artist Lili Elbe, and current “it girl” Alicia Vikander as his understanding and supportive wife. The film will receive a Humanitarian Award from the fest, which seems appropriate given the island’s historic reputation as a haven for gay aristocrats and intellectuals. Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, December 30th – 1 Exercise for More Fluid Transitions, by Rob Adler.

Rob Adler

As we head into a new year, Rob Adler encourages actors to play “Begin & End” to illuminate the beats of a scene, or whenever you want help with transitions. It is fun and simple. Here’s how it works. Play a scene three times. The first time, put your focus on the scene’s basic circumstances: where, what, and who. The second time through, focus on recognizing and building each beat. Spontaneously break the scene into a series of smaller scenes by calling out the word “Begin!” at the beginning of each beat and “End!” when it’s over. A “smaller scene” could be taking a sip of coffee or a series of activities like closing the door, hanging your robe, drawing a bath, and looking in the mirror. Heighten the intensity as you go forward through the scene, like you’re climbing a staircase. For the third take, play the scene as fast as possible, focusing on retaining the detail from take two. Which of the takes made the scene most real for you? Why?This game offers many insights into our work, among them that if we seize the energy from the end, new beginnings thrust us forward in action. As we make this transition into a new year, consider how you may use the energy of 2015 to propel you forward into 2016.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 2nd – Palm Springs Awards Gala Attracts Oscar Hopefuls Like Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp, by Gregg Kilday.

Accepting a Desert Palm Achievement Award for her performance in Carol at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s 27th annual awards gala, Cate Blanchett began her remarks by saying, Thank you to the Festival for reminding everyone honored that if you are not nominated for any other award, we had a moment of glory. Thank you. Actually, if most of the honorees don’t hear their names called out when Oscar nominations are unveiled, they’ll probably feel as if something did go horribly wrong. Harold Matzner, chairman of the board of directors of the Palm Springs International Film Society, made the point that over the course of the past three years, 28 of the Palm Springs honorees went on to pick up Oscar noms. And as the relentlessly cheerful Mary Hart, who served as emcee of the event, reiterated, It’s ground zero for awards season! While that was something of an overstatement, the honorees, all of whom had been announced ahead of time, did use the occasion to practice their talking points, and roll-out a first-draft of their inevitable thank-yous.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, January 3rd – ‘Downton Abbey’ Star Maggie Smith: ‘Maggie-nificent’ For 60 Years, by Tim Gray.

Downton Abbey, which has begun its final season, is a PBS series that inspires the kind of fan loyalty usually reserved for Star Wars or Walking Dead. To some viewers, Maggie Smith was a big discovery as the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, though they might have known her as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. Others may think of Smith as the mother of hunk Toby Stephens of the TV series Black Sails. But true Smith fans know that the actress has been shining for nearly 60 years. Smith, who has won two Oscars and is a current Golden Globe contender for the film The Lady in the Van, has worked with names ranging from Paul Lynde to Laurence Olivier. The actress just turned 82 and among her prizes are two Emmy wins for Downton, and one Globe trophy for the series. She’s also won five BAFTA prizes. Smith has three-fourths of EGOT, missing only a Grammy. But she’s still working hard, and still pulling in honors, so there’s time.
Ron Becks on IMDb

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Arts 4 Peace

Arts for Peace / Pre-Summit
The sole purpose of this project is to promote “World Peace and Love” through Arts and artists from around the world.

We are all Humans

Ms. Munni Irone
Philanthropist, Celebrity Coach / Corporate trainer/Author
CEO of MJD film production & Munni Irone Show

Munni Irone at Arts for Peace Pre-Summit – New Jersey 2016

Rebecca Holden and Munni Irone

The Arts for Peace Awards were created by Ms. Munni Irone of Beverly Hills. It is Ms. Munni’s desire to create a world that works for everyone with no one left out.

“Art is the way that we can experience the oneness between us all,“ said Ms. Irone at a recent press conference.
“I believe these awards will not only serve to lift up these wonderful artists and their cultures, but collectively this will lift the cooperation between all nations.“

Public figure Leaders Joined Munni Irone in New Jersey for a pre-summit for the ARTS FOR PEACE Awards. The concept of the awards is that each one of us is responsible for what is going on
globally. We created it. Now let’s help fix it with our wisdom. Peace comes from each one of us, by having the energy of forgiveness, compassions towards people who are not aligned. When we don’t live with love and respect for others, how can we be an advocate for peace?

WE ARE ONE STANDING TOGETHER LIKE A SOLID WALL.

Arts for Peace Board Members

 

Arts for Peace Ambassadors

 

Also, Javid Paymani was in attendance as the Ambassador representing Afghanistan.

 

Arts 4 Peace Awards 2016
Article featured in Desi Talk (Jan 15th 2016)

Thank you Ilayas Quraishi for your support

Core Pre-Summit Atendees
 

Mukesh Kashiwala
Vice President Arts for Peace

Mukesh Kashiwala and Munni Irone

Born in 1958, India.
BSc from MS University, Baroda, India 1982.
Photography from J.J School of Arts, Mumbai, 1983.
Advanced Photography from FIT, New York, 1990.
Recipient of five international awards in photo contests including NPCI(Nikon) Silver award, 1979-1981-1982-1985-1983.
Photo Documentation project on Mandu, Madhya Pradesh India, 1978-83.
Largest collection of photographs of Pushkar fair, Rajasthan, India.
Invited by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi to hold a two Men Show of photographs in 2003.
Member of president Bill Clinton’s press corps on his goodwill tour of Asian countries, 2001.
Chief photographer in JC Penny catalog company studio, 1993-96.
Still photographer with Yashraj Films, Mumbai, 1983-86.
Official photographer/Videographer for numerous Indian organizations in the Tristate Area.
Professional event Photo- and Videographer, graphic designer digital sound technician, and producer of TV commercials.
Associated with Monarch Video Vision, Mumbai in developing software for photo and video editing industry.
Vice President, Indian Artists in America, (“IAIA”) and Association of Indian Americans of north America (“IANA”.
Trustee, Gyanoday Trust, Udaipur, India for the betterment of rural and folk life in northem Gujarat and southem Rajasthan area.
Guest Speaker on digital photography in International Photography Fair, Mumbai, India, 2005.
Currently working on restoration of 200-plus archival pictures for a photographic history of Iselin Township, New Jersey, home of thousands of Indian.
Writer and Publisher of A Photo Biography of Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel, 2006.
Gujarat Gourav Award of the year 2009 (Florida State).
President of PXL Soft and One Digit of studio.
US citizen living in Iselin, NJ.

Mukesh Kashiwala on Facebook

Tehrah
Singer / Entertainer

Tehrah on cover of TTW

Some thoughts from Tehrah:
My Heart Song

Love is the reason I choose to return to the stage, and sing again…

Even as a child, I understood that music really is the “Universal Language.” Now an adult, having lived a long, full life, I know this as truth.

I believe we are the closest to God when we’re in service to all living beings using our unique gifts. When I sing my heart, others identify and are moved in profound ways. Knowing that my voice can play but a small part in the healing of just “one” soul gives me a feeling that’s beyond words. It is with the gentle, loving guidance of the Holy Spirit that a prophetic, powerful message and my purpose to serve humanity comes through.

It terrifies me to no end to expose the most vulnerable aspects of myself when I speak, but when I sing, I light up. And those who come within earshot of me doing “my thing” light up too—be it a rockin’, “kick ass” gritty rock tune, a ballad of heartache and longing, or a deeply spiritual, reverent song to God.

It is this that I live for — to feel the vibration, the air, the spirit and the force that comes through me as I sing my heart out. Giving everything I have to those I sing to is the closest thing to flying, and I am free…

Now, you know ME.

It’s my deepest prayer that my music will touch you in some profound way and help you find the courage to release the past, and step through the veil into unknown territory… it is here, you will discover and become the real YOU.

Tehrah.com

Tehrah on Facebook

Anna Chef Anina Radoyce
Global Celebrity Chef / International Business Development

Tehrah Tayler and chef Anima at Pre-Summit

Chef Anina has been cooking all her life. She was nicked named Anina Mangiano when she was two years old. Anina Mangiano literally means “little Anna loves to eat, she loves to eat her food.And that was the beginning of a series of adventures in the kitchen.

Preparing her meal at her imaginary table was the dawning of her dream and the journey that would lead her to the destiny she lives today. By the time she was six, she would climb onto a stool with a serving spoon in her hand, dip it into a pot and taste whatever was cooking. She could tell you exactly what the ingredients were.I guess you could say “she had a taste for food” or as she likes to put it, “when it comes to food she has good taste”

Chef Anina traveled the world and learned English and French. She dedicated many years to research the origin of food and has become an expert on ancient Roman-Etruscan cuisine. Along the way she also mastered traditional Italian cooking. Anina does not go by recipes. Its almost as if the spirit of the masters embody her and guide her hands to put the right amount of this and just enough of that, so to create the taste of Tuscan Delight.

Chef Anina loves to cook and enhance the emotional experience of eating great food. She never looks at a recipe, and she can cook a dinner for 5 in 15 minutes.An expert in naturally low calorie meals and very healthy foods, all organic, Anina learned to shop for produce growing her own, she lived in Tuscany Italy for 30 years.When Anina cooks for herself and her family or her very special clients, its like writing a poem, painting a picture, or sculpting; she calls it “The pure emotional art of food”

Chef Anina comes from a very ancient Tuscan (Italy)family of wine makers. In letting her cook for you, you will engage in the experience of “the real thing” and enjoy it to a point that you will want her to cook for you again…. and again.
She adores what she does and the emotion she is able to share.
Passion at about life and all it essentials, food and the love of good eating.
Chef Anina’s Website

Chef Anina on Facebook

Pepper Jay
Actress, Producer, Director
Publisher: Actors Reporter

Pepper Jay speaking at pre-summig

Carmelita Pittman and Pepper Jay

Pepper Jay’s Grandmother was her best friend and her Grandmother’s best friend was Sophie Tucker (“The Last of the Red Hot Mamas”). Pepper literally spent her childhood and early teens in the Moulin Rouge, Coconut Grove, Brown Derby, and in Vegas casino showrooms watching the Rat Pack and other entertainers of the time. Growing up in Hollywood, California, Pepper began her performance career at age 5, performing in local theatre and TV sitcoms, and she tap danced and performed skits for charity events and fund-raisers.

After graduating from San Diego State University, Pepper Jay obtained a lifetime teaching credential from the State of California and taught public school, Los Angeles Unified School District mostly, for over a decade subjects including drama, dance, Spanish, and physical education. At Crenshaw High School, Pepper was also in charge of coordinating and producing shows by the 100+ member drill team. Pepper was the English as a Second Language Coordinator for a portion of the inner city in LA. Pepper continues private performance teaching and coaching, specializing audience psychology and performance skills for actors, singers, lawyers, and public speakers.

Pepper Jay is a public speaker for corporate events, acting schools, and both public and private schools; sharing with school children topics such as ‘Listen and Be Heard,’ and with adults ‘The Power of Audience Psychology.’

Pepper was a practicing attorney from 1985 through 2014, specializing in fraud, contract disputes, and bankruptcy litigation.

In 1991, Pepper formalized her entertainment company, Pepper Jay Productions LLC (“PJP”) PJP produces music, film, TV, internet shows, and live entertainment. PJP also produces and publishes the Actors Podcast Network, consisting of 15+ informative and entertaining shows on three channels: Actors Reporter, Actors Entertainment, and Actors Radio, and for public access cable. From 1993 through 2008, Pepper created and hosted the Working Actors Group, offering on camera and cold reading workshops to working actors.

Today, Pepper Jay is blessed to be found on both sides of the camera. She appreciates being and she appreciates you. Pepper Jay’s motto: “Peace begins with me! Let’s promote love and peace by living it together!

PepperJay.com

PepperJayProductions.com

Pepper Jay on IMDb

Keith Mitchell
Former NFL / Current Mentor and Motivational Speaker

Keith Mitchell, former NFL linebacker has been able to find a new life purpose through YOGA. His passion for sharing the practice of yoga and meditation was inspired after his sudden retirement from the NFL.

Along Keith’s journey, he has discovered a universal need for emotional and physical healing nationwide. As a good steward of his time, gifts, and talents, he proudly advocates for 3 cause-worthy missions that drive programs that raise awareness and healing programs that reach at-risk youth, wounded veterans, and injured athletes in need through his registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization known as The Light It Up Foundation.

Keith Mitchell’s Website

Joel Diamond
Music Producer

Joel Diamond speaking at Pre-Summit

Joel Diamond, Rebecca Holden, and Keith Mitchell at Arts for Peace Pre-Summit

Joel Diamond is an American music producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy twice and has produced 36 Gold and Platinum recordings and had over 54 recordings on the Billboard Charts.

Joel Diamond’s Website

Rebecca Holden
Actress / Singer

Rebecca Holden entertainment at Pre-Summit

Rebecca Holden and Joel Diamond at Arts for Peace Conference

Rebecca Holden sings at Arts for Peace Gala

As a singer, actress, and entertainer, Rebecca Holden’s appearances have amassed a fan club with members from around the globe.
Television viewers all over the world are familiar with Rebecca through her stint as the computer whiz (and KITT’s mechanic) on the NBC series “Knight Rider”, which still appears in syndication in most major markets throughout the U.S. and in over 200 foreign countries. She attained added recognizability from her role as the diabolical Elena on ABC’s “General Hospital” and from countless guest starring roles on such prime time shows as “Magnum P.I.”, “Love Boat”, “Three’s Company”, “Taxi”, “Night Court”, “Mike Hammer”, “Remington Steele”, “Matt Houston”, “Barney Miller”, and many others. Her movies have appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as festivals in Manila and Japan. In 2015, Rebecca completed a new feature in which she stars, entitled “Hollywouldn’ts” (appearing at Cannes in 2016) and also a lead role in a new pilot for Comedy Central.
Her charitable work includes Toys for Tots, Feed the Children, Special Olympics, the Music in the Schools program, and Habitat for Humanity. She has served on the board for “Operation California”, participating in airlifts of medical aid to Ethiopia, as well as performing for “Live Aid,” and “Farm Aid” at Texas Stadium along with Willie Nelson. Appointed as the honorary Mayor of Universal City by MCA Chairman, Lew Wasserman, Rebecca served as goodwill ambassador to local and foreign dignitaries. Most recent events include the American Legion Event for Families of Military Support, US Super Nationals Chess Tournament, Virginia Governor Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, the Kids of Honor Gala, and she was the featured performer for the Celebrity Center Christmas Celebration and an added attraction in the Tribute Concert for Luther Vandross. Rebecca’s new recording of “Dreams Come True” has been chosen as the inspirational theme for many recent charitable events at which she has performed including: The United Nations Humanitarian Summit, We Care For Humanity, Rhapsody Gala for the YWCA Homeless Shelter, Ventura Animal Rescue Gala Benefit, Family Film Awards, Soulsational Wellness Festival, etc.

Musically, Rebecca has performed in a diversity of styles. Classically trained as a voice major and piano minor in college, she has sung opera, and performed the lead roles in musical theater such as “Oliver” and “Damn Yankees”. She recorded a country album for Curb records, with her music videos appearing on TNN and CMT. She also recorded both a country and gospel album for BMG Records in Switzerland and toured internationally all over Europe and the Far East, even performing for the King of Malaysia. She had the honor of being the featured performer with the United States Air Force Band at a memorial for WWll veterans for which the President of the United States was the guest speaker. During Rebecca’s service as president of the Music City Christian Fellowship, she performed as singer and mistress of ceremonies for the Christian Country Music Awards and the Sunday gospel shows at the Grand Ole Opry.

First discovered by a top talent agent while continuing her voice studies in NY, she became one of New York’s top models, landing the prestigious title of The Breck Girl, which led to magazine covers and countless other national commercials such as Ivory Soap, Dentyne, Kellogg’s, Gillette, Arrid, Chevrolet, and ultimately a major television and film career in Los Angeles.

She serves as Mistress of Ceremonies, Performer and Speaker for many Charitable, Corporate, Church, Military, Sports & Political Events, and is in demand for her rendition of the National Anthem. Rebecca has just been named in 2014, the Spokesperson for Airline Ambassadors, which helps orphans and vulnerable children worldwide by advocating child protection and human trafficking awareness.

Rebecca’s new CD single release is “Dreams Come True”, a magnificent duet with Tony LeBron. The song has become an international phenomenon, as fans from around the world are embracing it as their source of love, hope, and inspiration. Just released on Silver Blue/Summit Records and produced by the Grammy Winning Team of Joel Diamond and Rudy Perez, it is consistently the top added AC Radio record of the week. Even before the release of the official video, it had already (organically) surpassed over 17 Million YouTube views and is currently the #1 “Most Popular and Most Requested Wedding Song” in the world.

“Dreams Come True” has truly become the people’s hit record, and Rebecca is committed to spreading the message: When you believe one person can make a difference, which has always been the “Knight Rider” theme, then you too can make “Dreams Come True.”

Rebecca Holden’s Website

Nutan Dabholkar Kalamdani

Nutan Dabholkar Kalamdani at Pre-Summit

Nutan Dabholkar Kalamdani

Niti Sunder
Ambassador representing Asia

Niti Sunder

Niti Sunder at Pre-Summit

Niti Sunder on Facebook

Shane
Songwriter

Keith Mitchell and Songwriting Shane at the Pre-Summit

Shane is a Voting Member at NARAS at National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, CEO/Founder/Owner at Shane-Music, LLC and SINGER, SONGWRITER, PIANIST, RECORDING ARTIST, PRODUCER at Musician

Songwriter Shane’s Website

James Pasqual Bettio

James Pasqual Bettio speaking at Pre-Summit

James Pasqual Bettio is an American artist, photographer, educator, fashion designer, museum operator, and community organizer. He was a senator in the California Senior Legislature. He is the founder of the Park La brea Arts Council.

J. Pasqual Bettio on Facebook

Effie Michaels
Ambassador for Greece

Effie Micheals speaking at Pre-Summit

Effie Michaels, Munni Irone, J. Pasqual Bettio

A note from Effie Micheals:
Let me introduce myself my name is Effie Micheals. I am part of a United Nations Team that represents the Arts for Peace Awards and I am the appointed Ambassador for Greece. I am honored to be part of the global initiative for Peace. Peace begins within our hearts, it is a conscious choice on how we interact with others. When we live in the moment and we feel at peace others can feel it also. Our senses spark when we smell the aroma of a favorite home cooked and look forward to eating it and feel the labor of love that comes through making it. It warms our soul and we envision how good it will taste and comfort us deep inside. We desire that same feeling to spark those senses so we can feel the peace and love that radiates from within each of us. We can learn to respect each others differences and diversity in world and let go of that which is not meant for us and allow Peace to be still in our hearts. With each new day there is an opportunity to feel peace with in us and it can be a globally contagious feeling of well being for everyone we touch.
I look forward to meeting all of you at our historical 1000 Women & White March on January 9, 2016 in Los Angeles
to begin our journey together of Peace.

Effie Micheals was born in Greece and lived in Chicago for over 30 years. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Effie’s career started in Risk Management in Chicago and later moved to Denver, Salt Lake City and now lives in the Los Angeles area. Effie obtained her California Insurance License while caring for her family and her young daughter as a New Business Administrator with a Guardian Life Agency. She transitioned to Corporate Administration Management, and worked for the local city government and the school district of South Pasadena. Effie is currently in Administrative Clinical Operations with Kaiser Permanente.

Effie was passionate about the Arts, Film and Theater and began EPM Productions after her successful start as a Production Consultant with New Discoveries Productions, she joined Pasadena Media Studios as a Resident Producer. Her first production consulting project was a documentary film called “Sunset Ave”, a passionate iconic film of a historic Pasadena neighborhood. Effie was invited to join production projects and stage management and camera work in filming Episodes of Eye on Fitness, SGV TV Show, Munni Irone Show and assisted in coordinating and producing Munni Irone’s Professional Seminars and Events. Effie continues her appreciation of the Arts and has been appointed as the Greek Ambassador for the Arts 4 Peace Awards. Effie is a member of the Greek community at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church where she volunteers and enjoys living in the South Pahttp://www.actorsreporter.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=23873&action=edit&message=10#sadena with her daughter Victoria.

Effie Micheals’ Website

Effie Michaels on Facebook

Cantor Esterleon Schwartz

Cantor Esterleon speaking at Pre-Summit

cantor Estherleon and J. Pasqual Bettio at Pre-Summit

Javid Pymanee
International Finance Expert

Javid Pymanee speaking at Pre-Summit

Quote by Javid Pymanee:
I am not afraid of expressing the truth and I will continue to express my thoughts in order to
educate the Afghan community and world towards peace, prosperity, and unity.

Synopsis
Born in Kabul Afghanistan on February 16, 1979, Javid Paymanee has raised his voice on
television for 8 years after he made his mind to devote himself to educate and send the true
story for the Afghan people. He believes in God, love, generosity, and cares about people who
have suffered from the casualties of war.
In addition, Javid is against hate crimes towards any race, ethnic background, sex, or religion.
He believes hate crimes against any religion and place of worship across the United States of
America should be addressed nationally. Furthermore, he believes as a muslim that muslims
and non­muslims should be United and be able to live peacefully in the same neighborhoods.

Early Life
In 1989, when Javid was only 12 years old, his father suddenly fell ill and died while he was
praying. While the cause of his death remains unknown, in the aftermath of his father’s death,
he has a strong desire to help the children of war around the world.

Javid Paymani on Facebook

Ewart Chin
Martial Artist, Actor and Stuntman

Ewart Chin speaking at Pre-Summit

Ewart Chin was born on the Island of Jamaica. He started studying Goju-Ryu Japanese Karate at a very early age. Finding the style too rigid and hard, he decided to pursue a softer style and started practicing Hung-Gar Kung Fu with a Master from KwangTung province, China who was a friend of his grandfather, also from KuangTung. He found that Hung-Gar was more to his liking and practiced this diligently for his entire life,attained ” Master” status in the art. Master Sifu Wan-Hsu changed his life for the better.

Upon moving to the United States, he began working in films as an actor and stunts person.he was inducted in the World Martial Arts Council, USA Martial Arts Hall Of Fame, and The Martial Arts History Museum.

For about 10 years, Ewart also studied Qi-Gong in Los Angeles with a Monk from The Wu Dang Monastery, China for the internal part of the Martial Arts,balancing internal and external energies of the art. Master Zhou Ting Jue from Wu Dang province is an amazing teacher.

Martial Artist Ewart Chin

Ewart Chin on Facebook

Mark Geroux
Ambassador representing North America

Mark Geroux at Pre-Summit

Mark Geroux is a CEO of a construction & real estate company, public speaker and life consultant.

Mark has been in construction for 20 years, learning the trades at a young age studying at a local union college. Currently, Mark is working on a collaboration book with Greg S. Reid in spring 2016 and a life journey book due out in summer 2016.

After attending SK, an invitation only event, it lead him to partner and produce this top 5 entrepreneur event in the near future in Canada. Mark is so dedicated to what he does because his dream is to build youth & community centres that help develop self esteem, motivation, and inspiration to the quote of Les Brown, “You have greatness within you”.

That belief comes from the hard life that Mark lived growing up in the foster care system. Now is the time for visionaries and dreamers to make the world a more peaceful place, by helping teach the community a better way of living.

Mark Geroux for Facebook

Richard Anteau
Top Dog Marketing Consultants

Richard Anteau speaking at Pre-Summit

Richard Anteau has spent over 35 years in the Real Estate, Real Estate Development, and Financing business since 1972, His goals have always been to help as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible, and in as many places as possible. This includes service to his community and others by establishing Glory to Glory Ministries to provide food, clothing, shelter, spiritual guidance, and Job Coaching to those in need; and he was the catalyst that brought the Guardian Angels back to Toledo, Detroit, and several other communities. Mr. Anteau has received letters of Commendation from the President of City Council and U.S. Senator Voinovich recognizing his service to his community. He, along with his wife of 31 years, have raised 5 children and have been Blessed with 12 grandchildren. He continues to support those in need world wide.

Mr. Anteau has been a Professional Public speaker for 35+ years, and specializes in Training and Motivating salespeople. He has spoken before the California State Senate, Orange County, and the National League of Cities, National Conference. He has been featured on several television stations, as he fought crime in the inner cities, and on the cover of the Toledo City Paper for his volunteer Ministry work.
His passion is helping Entrepreneurs and Business Owners save money and make money. As a Constitutional Conservative, he takes pride in showing Business Owners several ways to save on their Tax burdens by utilizing such methods as Cost Segregation, Hiring, and R & D Tax Credits, and several other time proven, cost reduction strategies.

Richard Anteau is the President of The Pro Funding Suite, which is the most comprehensive source for Business Funding in the world today. In this manner he is assisting Business Owners & Entrepreneurs obtain proper Business Financing to ensure their success, and without a Personal Guarantee. He founded Top Dog Marketing Corporation in 2003 as a means to provide good & valuable products and services to Businesses … and to provide jobs for good & valuable Salespeople. He creates Win-Win situations in this manner and continues to seek out more good products & services, along with good & valuable Salespeople to market them.

Richard currently is the Chief Mastermind at Mortgage Masterminds, a Business Consulting Company that helps to increase sales and profits for Business owners, especially Mortgage Brokers. In addition, he is a top notch Negotiator and Agent that obtains the highest benefit for his clients.
Richard believes in Freedom and the American way. He supports Small Business as the literal backbone of America and offers his personal Consulting services, free of charge, to all who ask.
His personal philosophy is that we are all one; there is no separation. He is dedicated to bringing about peace on our planet through inclusiveness and doing all things from the intention of love. He sends out inspiring messages of love, unity, and strength to several thousand of his followers globally, on a daily basis.

Rosalyn Kahn
Ambassador representing Israel and Motivational Speaker

Rosalyn Kahn

Rosalyn Kahn and Uprendra J. Chivukia

Pasqual Bettio, Rosalyn Kahn, Carmelita Pittman, Cantor Esterleon, and Chef Anina

Rosalyn Kahn weaves her experience and knowledge in sales with the empathy of an educator. She delves deeply into personal motivation, the desire for dignity, and the benefits of living with purpose. From coaching Tedx speakers to business professionals and college students, Rosalyn will show you how to master your message so your audience will remember.

Check out Rosalyn Kahn’s New Book! Random Acts of Kindness are Changing the World!

Rosalyn Kahn’s Website

Rosalyn Kahn on Facebook

Debrah Anteau
Mentor

Debrah Anteau speaking at Pre-Summit

Debrah’s passion is to offer to others, who may be in need, a compassionate heart, inner strength, encouragement and wisdom during difficult times. She has mentored children, woman & men, offering support and inner growth. She was a founder with her husband of Glory to Glory Ministries, a transitional house and she has also been touched by children who were held in our juvenile facility as she went in to care & deposit love to them. She has volunteered with ISOH (international services of hope) which brought children in from 3rd world countries that had medical needs. She is a master Reiki practitioner & works with Chi energy. Her personal experience with Reiki touched her so profoundly that she felt it was a missing link which we all could benefit from. She volunteered 1 year at The Victory Center, offering Reiki to cancer patients and survivors. She has worked with cancer patients as a volunteer coordinator in hospice. Where she recruited, trained, and placed the volunteers with patients during their last days of life. She now has a business helping those who are in need of deep relaxation, peace and balancing of their energy to assist them in their own healing. In addition, she is also their spiritual coach in many sessions.

Debrah is an Officiant, providing a spiritual, non-traditional Celebration of Life, funeral service that she writes. She is a healer, teacher, & a encourager in life, a peaceful presence in the midst of Chaos. She has studied Christianity for 30 years, along with many other spiritual beliefs. Two and a half years ago she founded, coordinated, organized and facilitated a small group of women who share the heart of Oneness she named it the “Sacred Hoop”, which means “ honoring & respecting all life”. They come together monthly, to be empowered and to hold the light within, so they can deposit into our society on a conscious level.
She serves on the Board of Directors for The Arts 4 Peace Awards.

Debra Anteau’s Website

Carmelita Pittman
Singer / Entertainer

Carmelita Pittman and Pepper Jay

Carmelita Pittman is an artist, singer, songwriter, performance artist, and founder of The Rose Breast Cancer Society. Carmelita always signs her art as simply Carmelita; the same as her stage name. However, her step-father was from Pakistan and Carmelita’s East Indian name is Jameela K. Uddin.

Known simply as “CARMELITA” as a fine and performing ,recording artist, she hails from Los Angeles, Calif. She holds a B.F.A. from U.S.C., and Master of Science from Pepperdine.A grant recipient , she launched an Afro Expo, and award assemblies. The school also surprised her with a Community Award. She later founded The Rose Breast Cancer Society, a 501.c3 non-profit organization 1998 as a “Living Memorial” for her mother, Juanita Zara Espinosa Uddin, who gave her unconditional love and who loved roses.Her stage performances include musicals produced by the Pink Lady one of which used her original composition in “The Beat Goes On” at Hollywood’s Arena Stage. Not shy , her audiences range from intimate to large, local to impromptu performances in Europe, and remote regions of China such as the Mongolian grasslands and to the border of Pakistan, and Kenya, Africa. She has married her love of the arts with humanitarian endeavors including production of St. Paul’s Catholic Church Intercultural Concerts in the wake of 9/ll. She has received a SHEroe Award from Councilman Curren Price, the Golden Halo Humanitarian of the Year, Civic Leadership Woman of the Year, and most recently the Golden Halo Entertainer of the Year Award from the Southern Calif. Motion Picture Council, a group composed of legendary entertainers such as Margaret O’Brien and the late Mickey Rooney. 2012 she wore the title of Ms American Showbiz.

Carmelita Pittman is a U.S.C., Pepperdine graduate, world traveler, of multi-cultural heritage,bilingual, visual and performing artist. A former award winning L.A.U.S.D. art educator, she led her students to art scholarships and awards, produced school wide events.

Michael Jackson by Carmelita Pittman

This photo is with Michael Bush, who was honored by SCMPC. Michael was the designer of the wardrobe and costumes for Michael Jackson. This 30 x 40 oil collage portrait is of him which Carmelita created especially for the book signing for Gloria Berlin, one of Carmelita’s board members for The Rose Breast Cancer Society. Gloria is the realtor who sold him Neverland Ranch and has been a guest on ActorsE Chat Show. Gloria’s book is entitled, “In Search of Neverland” and the forward includes an acknowledgement to The Rose Breast Cancer Society.

The Rose Breast Cancer Society Webpage

Lisa Cohen
Author

Lisa Cohen speaks at Pre-Summit

Lisa R. Cohen is an Inspirational Speaker, Life Enhancement Coach and Writer. Lisa is CEO of Sparkle Press, a noted speech-language and cognitive therapist, brain injury rehabilitation specialist – and author, has turned to Kickstarter.com to raise funds for the production, marketing and distribution of her first book, “Grace is Born.”

“Grace is Born” is a beautifully illustrated poetic parable written for “sages of all ages, wearing the face of every race, talking the tongue of everyone.” “Grace is Born” guides us to take each other’s hands and promises us that “together we will far surpass the stance of survival and become enraptured in the dance of revival.”

“When my patients are provided with ongoing opportunities to share their stories and be of service to others,” shares Cohen, “they experience accelerated healing. I asked myself…if seriously ill and traumatized people can experience healing when they help others, why can’t the rest of us follow their lead?”

Grace is Born, a literal labor of love, was born from Cohen’s own spiritual, emotional and physical healing journey. She did not make the journey alone. Along for the adventure were Judith Joseph, an internationally celebrated artist whose paintings dance with spirituality; and Lisa Kaczer, extraordinary graphic designer. Together, working from Joseph’s original painting, Grace is Born’s cover and interior pages came vividly to life.

In June of 2013, Sparkle Press, LLC was established to parent “Grace is Born” and derivative work. The Sparkle Press team has invested thousands of combined hours researching, writing, collaborating, posting, chatting, tweeting, attending conferences, workshops and networking in preparation for the 2014 Spring delivery of “Grace is Born.”

As a therapist, Cohen truly understands the importance of accessibility and strives to ensure that her message of healing can be “read by the sighted, felt by the blind, and experienced by the deaf,” hence, funds received from backers on Kickstarter.com will ensure delivery of “Grace is Born” in accessible formats including: hardback, Ebook, Braille and American Sign Language (ASL) video.

To date, Sparkle Press, LLC has invested in excess of $22,000 to bring “Grace is Born” to life. Their Kickstarter goal is to raise an additional $22,000 in the next 27 days to fund the production, marketing and distribution of Grace is Born in accessible formats. If the goal is not reached by the end of the 27-day window, all pledges are cancelled and the project will not be funded.

Visitors to the “Grace Is Born” Kickstarter.com page have the opportunity to purchase the book, artwork from the book, tickets to the Premiere Launch Party and more. Each backer will receive an invitation to join “InSparkle Compassion” on Facebook, hosted by Cohen.

“InSparkle Compassion” is a hub for “Guardians of Light” – do-gooders, teachers artists, humanitarians, friends, angels and more – to gather and channel universal love,” says Cohen. “Together we will explore and identify community needs, provide and accept support and celebrate stories of compassion.”

“The ability to spread the word quickly online to tens of thousands of people across the world is invaluable, says Cohen. “’Grace is Born’ has a universal appeal and carries a message that transcends boundaries – something that we hope potential funders embrace.”

Lisa Cohen on Facebook

Phred Mosbey
founder and CEO of Nuview Media, Inc

Phred Mosbey speaking at Pre-Summit

Phred Mosbey, Pepper Jay, and Tracy Mosbey

Phred was recognized for 10 years of Voting Membership, NARAS, The Grammys. Nuview Media, Inc. is a full service boutique asset creation company specializing in innovative music for film, TV & advertising, photography and video production. After an 8-year hiatus at the pinnacle of his career to care for his beautiful wife Tracy, who unfortunately succumbed to breast cancer and a brain tumor in February 2012, he is back doing what he does best producing, writing and publishing music.

HIs experience in the music industry is vast and extensive from 5 world tours with legendary artists as Earth Wind & Fire, Keith Sweat, Gerald Levert, Bel Biv Devoe, New Edition, Johnny Gill, After 7, Natasha Pearce and many others. Numerous articles observing his expertise have been noted in Billboard magazine, Electronic Musician, Mix, DJ Times, Key Issue and the Monitor.

He has put together a phenomenal group of producers, composers, musicians and engineers called The Collaborative. This exceptionally talented group have worked with music grammy legends such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, The Hanson Brothers, Tupac, Ray Charles, 50 Cent, Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbet and more. The Collaborative has written music for TV and Film such as, Modern Family, The Game, Husbands of Hollywood, America’s Next Top Model, The World Poker Tour, Alpha 8, Nikita Blues and The Night Is Young to name a few. In addition, The Collaborative has created an exceptional music catalog with diverse genres from Rock, Country, Rockabilly, Blues, R&B, Neo-Soul, Swing not to mention Hip Hop and Jazz.

Nuview Media’s experienced team of photographers and videographers has the skill and technique to make anyone or anything look stunning. Nuview Media has photographed The Pre-Grammy Toast to Music Executives, The Living Legends Foundation Awards, The HAL Awards, The Gracies, The Newport Film Festival, and other events.
Phred Mosbey on Facebook

Jacky Melikian
Ambassador at Women, Love and Peace 2016, Runway/Fashion Model actor at Fashion and Brand Ambassador Perfect Lady, Beauty Pageant 2016 at Rullywood

Jacky Melikian

Jacky Melikian, the Armenian Peacemaker, is born and raised in a family of 6, in Iran. She immigrated to Belgium, in 1986, where she mastered languages, and developed a career in events marketing and communications. She worked in the healthcare industry directing global meetings and events for three decades, in Europe. She is also a Licensed Entrepreneur in Financial Services and a HIFE College Planning Consultant.

She is a God Mother of three under privileged children in Cameroon, India and Bangladesh. She is a caregiver, and supports several charity causes of which, “Fight Breast Cancer”.

During the horrific earthquakes in Armenia and Iran, Jacky provided logistical support to the humanitarian organizations to help the survivors rebuild their next chapter in life. She has also organized an Armenian Live TV program in coordination with RTL TV in Belgium.

In 2014, Jacky relocated to Los Angeles, and after 43 years, she got married to her childhood sweetheart.

Jacky is a woman with many talents. She speaks 6 languages; Armenian, Farsi, English, French, Spanish and Dutch. She also has a good understanding of Italian, German and Arabic. She is a language teacher, translator, runway model, actor, singer, host and moderator. Her mission in
life is to help make dreams come true, give back to the community what she has been blessed with, and make a difference in the hearts and lives of many for years to come.

Quote from Jacky:
“People is my mission, Peace is my vision, Passion is my source, Pride is my grace, Pray is my power, Love is my engine”.

With love, passion and peace for people around the world.
Jacky Melikian

Jacky Melikian on Facebook

Dawn Diaz
Ambassador Representing Puerto Rico

Dawn Diaz

During her career as a Paramedic/Captain in the New York City Fire Department, Diaz was Commanding Officer for the Emergency Medical Services Operations and Communications Centers, she led an elite team in designing and delivering specialized trainings for 5,000 New York City First Responders on innovative ways to sort and prioritize victims during major accidents and natural disasters. In the field, she held the vital responsibility of bringing order and calm to countless situations of tragedy and chaos; including the recovery efforts of September 11th, 2001.

Dawn Diaz created Milagros Day Worldwide in honor of her mother Carmen Milagros, a victim of severe domestic violence; to provide leadership and mentorship for SURVIVORS of domestic violence, or those who grew up in an abusive household. As a child affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and losing her mom in a tragic car accident at the age of 14; Dawn has traversed a very long, painful and rewarding journey of self-discovery and healing.

Dawn Diaz is a co-author of the book Building on Greatness, the Courage to Thrive; she regularly delivers her personal growth courses Dare to Dream/Dare to Act, Happiness is a Choice, and Design Your Future in 8 Weeks; she is also the creator of The Iconic Annual Brooklyn Bridge Mother’s Day Walk & Family Festival; which has become a “Must-Experience” New York City tradition.

As a multiple award-winning acclaimed Empowerment Expert and Keynote Speaker; Dawn Diaz has been a featured guest on Fox News, NBC, CNN, Telemundo and Univision; and her story has been archived in the National Library of Congress.

Karen Hoyos
Ambassador Representing Columbia

Karen Hoyos is a Global Transformational Leader, Celebrity coach- Speaker & Author; she is considered one of the most influential leaders in the area of personal development. Applying the principles she teaches, in just 10 months, Karen was able to reach over 40 million people through her seminars, top television show appearances, published articles, and best-selling products.

In 2009 Karen Hoyos was chosen as one of the seven most inspiring women in the United States second only to famous singer Shakira by international magazine “Siempre Mujer”. She was named Hispanic Pride’s “Executive Woman of the Year” in 2007 and “Humanitarian of the year 2010” by LISTA organization.

Karen Hoyos was also chosen to be the 2011 Good Will Ambassador and Face of Bulgarian Leadership Academy GLOW (Girls Leading Our World).

Proceeds from her company Karen Hoyos International, support the foundation for sexually abused children “Kids for a New Planet” in which she is the International Spokes person. Karen is also a major contributing board member to the non-profit organization “Milagros Day Worldwide” which provides personal growth and professional development to survivors of domestic violence. In addition, Karen has embarked on various humanitarian missions with the United Nations (UN), in Latin America and Africa.

Karen Hoyos’ teachings have benefited thousands of individuals, Fortune 500 companies as well as enterprises specializing in finances, network marketing, investments, medicine and sales. This Colombian native inspires audiences to raise their awareness and take their lives to the next level.

Karen Hoyos was featured in the cover of International Magazines Like My Lifestyle, Bien-être and Mujer USA in 2011 and 2012. Karen is often featured as an expert guest on Spanish and English speaking networks such as NBC, Telemundo, Univision, E! Entertainment Television and CNN. She personally coaches Hollywood celebrities, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs and has shared stages with some of the most recognized public speaking icons.

Karen Hoyos has been a special guest on many of the most famous ceremonies in the world like THE GRAMMY awards on 2009, 2010 & 2011 and The Academy awards best known as THE OSCARS in 2012.

Karen Hoyos is frequently sought to awaken, refresh and transform the lives of millions of people around the world.
Kakren Hoyos’ Website

We were also entertained by

David Young, musician on the recorder

Opera singer Carol Froehlich-Hull

And other fab entertainers

Karen Hoyos

 

Also in attendance Susana Koehler, and Helene Abrahim

 

At the pre-summit, we discussed:
1. Arts for Peace Awards organization announcement: 2016 is the year for WOMEN, LOVE AND PEACE.

Arts for Peace Event Launch: August 6th, 2016

2. The March for Peace on January 9th, 2016 in 46th States and globally, is the grand kickoff for peace movement organized by the Arts for Peace team. Proposing solutions.

Rosalyn Kahn, Ike M.I. Khamisani, Effie Micheals. Olga Nabokina, and Jacky Melikian

 

3. The proposed implementation of the Think Positive World program globally in all schools. Every weekend kids and their parents write one sentence. What are they thankful for and these letters need to be hanged in each classroom. The teacher reads three letters every day for 1 minute during the week.

4. The Proposed 2 minutes a day of silence globally in all schools during the day, whatever the school decides. Implementing is the key.

5. The Proposal to get kids involved in dancing, singing, martial arts, painting and sculpture. Happy kids don’t take drugs and murder people.

6. The proposed building of a self-sustainable women, children and men shelter.
Please Donate

7. The proposal to build kitchens to feed 5000 kids a day healthy food.

8. The proposal of practical solutions for Los Angeles skid row individuals. Perhaps the building of a parking lot structure in a compound, with toilets and showers.

10. The purpose of Arts for Peace Awards; created to bring peace and positive global change via the good arts.

 

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VIA ARTS FOR PEACE AWARDS:
WE WILL EMPLOY PEOPLE
WE WILL CREATE GOOD NEWS
WE WILL HELP WOMEN, MEN, AND CHILDREN
WE DON’T NEED GOVERNMENT HELP ONLY HER ENDORSEMENT.
WE WANT COMBINE CULTURES MINIMIZE HATE CRIMES BRING LOVE AND PEACE VIA ARTS.

 

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For more information, please visit:
The Arts for Peace Awards Website

Arts for Peace Awards on Facebook

 

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The Arts for Peace Pre-Summmit coverage by Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.

PepperJayProductions.com

 

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, January 1st – Inside the 12th Annual Under the Radar Festival, by Jack Smart.

As co-directors of the Under the Radar Festival, Mark Russell and Meiyin Wang are in charge of bringing an eclectic range of theatrical programming to the Public Theater Jan. 6th–17th. The two scour the globe for theater companies and acts making evocative art, invite them to present their work to New York audiences, and foster a spirit of community among artists and theatergoers alike. It’s a two-week, European-style festival that focuses on independent new work from around the world and especially New York. The 12th edition of the festival presents 200 companies from 38 countries. Meiyin Wang says they like to talk about it like a film festival. So audiences are able to run from one show from Rwanda to another show from Chile to another show from New York. Really it’s about creating a space for those collisions. Russell adds, each year there’s an underlying theme of the festival, which is: Why do theater now? There are so many ways to tell stories, should people be doing theater? And each one of these artists is sort of answering that question for themselves. Meiyin and Russell are constantly seeing things around the world, and each festival is a snapshot of what they see happening in the field, what is coming to the fore. Sometimes it’s more about identity, sometimes it’s more political, sometimes a mix of those things.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 7th – ‘Los Punks’ Doc Trailer Explores Thriving L.A. Subculture (Exclusive), by Ashley Lee.

“I’m a punk — I love music, I love noise,” says a fan in the trailer for Los Punks: We Are All We Have. The intimate and honest documentary, which will make its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival as part of the documentary features competition, zooms in on the genre’s local promoters, musicians and devout fans — predominantly Latino teens and young adults — who find meaning in the thriving punk-rock scene of South Central and East Los Angeles. Inside the backyards and small rooms of this music community is a palpable sense of belonging, as noted in the trailer. Clips show fans finding hope amid poverty and crime. The message is: You’re not alone out there.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, January 8th – Adam McKay at Art for Amnesty Brunch: ‘It’s Been an Amazing Year for Movies Challenging Entrenched Power,’ by Jasmin Rosemberg.

Art for Amnesty Nazanin Boniadi

When thinking about how to break back into the Hollywood awards season with a social change-human rights message, Art for Amnesty’s creative director Marvin Bing said at the inaugural Art for Amnesty Pre-Golden Globes Recognition Brunch at Chateau Marmont, why don’t we go for it? There, the historic organization — which was founded 55 years ago, and has fought beside activists from Nelson Mandela to Malala Yousafzai — honored three individuals for artistically promoting freedom of expression: Participant Media founder and chairman Jeff Skoll, The Big Short writer/director Adam McKay and Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi. It’s been an amazing year for movies challenging entrenched power and corruption, McKay — who founded comedy video website Funny or Die with Will Ferrell, and partnered with Amnesty in 2010 — told Variety before the program. Boniadi — who was first exposed to Amnesty while growing up in London — has been an official spokesperson since 2009, and is a strong defender of youth, women and prisoners in her native Iran. She thanked her parents at the podium, who taught her to, ‘compromise on everything, but never on the truth.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, January 15th – How to Make the Most Interesting Choice in a Scene, by Douglas Taurel.

Douglas Taurel

As actors, we like playing the pain in the scene, we like to suffer. However, what helps the scene the most, and us of course, is when we try to solve the problem in the scene. Given the option, most actors will pick fighting on stage because it’s easier and less vulnerable. Loving is always harder and more vulnerable in life, so why should it not be for the stage? The moment you work for the agreement in the scene, you give yourself an objective—something to work towards. You begin to use yourself and your imagination in the scene. It’s a much stronger choice when you work hard for the friendship in the scene, even when it’s apparent that the two characters hate each other. Remember, it’s useless to argue for the sake of arguing. As in life and on stage, you always get more with sugar that you do with vinegar. It’s a more interesting choice, and scene, if: A con man is trying to befriend an officer with charm instead of trying to be tough and mean. A wife, whose husband has left her for a younger women, behaves sweetly and kindly towards him instead of yelling and being angry. Or two lonely and depressed people act as if they are enjoying each other’s company because they want to stop feeling lonely, rather than acting lonely and depressed.
Next time you get a scene where the two characters are either yelling at each other, don’t go for the obvious choice (hate and anger). Instead, look for the love between the characters. Try to get the agreement from the other actor you’re in trouble with. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter – Hollywood’s Last Survivors, The Story Behind the Stories by Peter Flax.

Seventy years ago, the Holocaust ended. Only 11 people who lived through it remain from the world of entertainment. Now, in gripping video testimonials, Oscar winners, actors, Dr. Ruth and even Judy Garland’s hair stylist tell their personal stories, filled with hope and horror, one last time as their themes of genocide, displacement and discrimination continue to resonate today. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 15th – David Bowie, Businessman: A Deep Dive Into the Musician’s Visionary Dealmaking, by Robert Levine and Ed Christman of Billboard.

David Bowie learned about the music business the hard way: from a notoriously bad contract with early manager Tony Defries. Defries helped make one key business decision that played a large role in allowing Bowie to take charge of his career: He negotiated the singer’s 1970s RCA deals so the two would own the recording copyrights, a provision almost unheard of at the time. In 1975 Bowie took control of his career with a vengeance, managing himself with the same adventurous, even visionary, spirit that he brought to his music. He explored different musical genres and owned his recordings, embraced both drum n’ bass and an innovative bond deal that let him borrow money against income from future royalties. At the time, no one knew how valuable the rights to recordings would become — or how important Bowie’s would be. He wanted to control where and when his music was used, said Bill Zysblat, Bowie’s business manager since 1982. It was never about money. It was always about doing the newest thing, doing the coolest thing. Bowie understood the concept in a split second, says David Pullman, who put together the bond deal, among the first to securitize copyright royalties. He never complained, and he wasn’t afraid to fail. He will be missed. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 14th – Critic’s Notebook: Alan Rickman, Reluctant Villain, by David Rooney.

British icon of stage and screen Alan Rickman has died. He was 69. When Alan Rickman first appeared as Severus Snape in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he kicked off a decade-long fan debate as to whether the dour potions master was malevolent to the core, or a secret man of honor. He had already cemented a deliciously nefarious screen persona in Die Hard, playing the erudite international terrorist Hans Gruber. But for an actor so closely identified with his mastery of the dark arts, Rickman could be surprisingly ambivalent about his reputation as a specialist in villains. He went to great lengths to point out that for every wicked character he had played, there was another good-hearted, principled man. As much as for his screen work, Rickman will be remembered as a theater actor whose steely magnetism had no trouble reaching the back row. Rest in peace.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com 

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, January 22nd – The 4 P’s of Acting, by Lee Brock.

Lee Brook

Here’s a way to easily remember some fundamentals. These are what Brock calls The four “P’s”—process, patience, practice, and perseverance. Process. When asked to do something by a director, writer, or producer, you want to do it quickly—and do it well. The pressure can get in the way. When a director asks for a specific result, give yourself adjustments that will move you performance in the direction that they seek. Allow your work to be process-oriented, rather than result-oriented. Patience. Processes take time, and that simple concept, I get tense. Don’t become hard on yourself for not being immediately brilliant. This sort of harsh self-criticism is counter-productive and detrimental. Remind yourself, “Patience. It will come.” This simple message helps relieve pressure and allows you to work more freely. Practice. Every day provides an opportunity to practice your craft and refine your skills. Every time you go to an audition, you are practicing. Every time you do a scene in class, you are practicing. Every time you walk onto a set, you are practicing. Every time you meet a casting director, you are practicing. The more you practice, the better you will become. Perseverance. Think of Geraldine Page in “The Trip to Bountiful,” Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn in “On Golden Pond.”.These accomplished performers practiced a lot. Their ease, fluidity, vulnerability, and grace are byproducts of a life in the theater. One of the great pleasures of our chosen field is that it gives us the opportunity to get better and better with age. There will be times along the way that feel difficult and stressful, but know that there will be times of relief, joys of discovery, and even peace of mind. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 24th – When Will Cable Companies Sell Products People Actually Want? (Guest Column), by Glenn Beck.

Glenn Beck

The digital media landscape moves so quickly that even Moore’s law can’t keep up. The terms “digital” and “media” have become synonymous. Traditional media companies do not seem to get it. Every day, Beck’s team struggles with the best way to define their business and stay relevant to the audience, balancing linear distribution, OTT and newer channels like Facebook Instant. How can a media company be more than just the content it creates?This is not an easy question and there is no easy answer. But every day, even when we fail, we predicate all our decisions on what is best for the user. In the age of cord cutting; where more and more consumers opt out of cable by marrying broadband with internet connected devices like Apple TV, why are cable companies providing bundles that their customers don’t want? In an App driven world, unlimited channels make sense. I can build my own bundle. But in a cable world, shouldn’t cable companies be more judicious in their selection and more importantly, shouldn’t cable companies actually understand and care about their customers? When do their shareholders demand that they start respecting their customers (or former customers) and focus on products that people actually want? Read Entire Article Here

Variety, January 24th – Steve McQueen Hopes Oscar Diversity Backlash Can Be a ‘Watershed Moment,’ by Alex Stedman.

Steve McQueen

“12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the lack of non-white acting nominees at the 2016 Oscars, saying he hopes it will be a “watershed moment” for the industry. McQueen became the first, and currently only, black director to win a best picture Oscar when “12 Years a Slave” took home the gold in 2014. Lupita Nyong’o also won best supporting actress for her role in the film. In the two years since, however, all the nominees in the Oscars’ acting categories have been white. McQueen doesn’t blame the Academy alone, though, which recently announced a sweeping reform of its membership policies to allow for a more diverse membership. The “real battle” lies in the movies that hit theaters, the filmmaker maintained.One could talk about percentages of certain people who are Academy members and the demographics and so forth, but the real issue is movies being made,” he said. “Decisions being made by heads of studios, TV companies and cable companies about what is and is not being made. That is the start. That is the root of the problem.”The Oscar winner also addressed the lack of diversity behind the camera, which he attempted to remedy on the set of “12 Years.” Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, January 29th – How Clever Intentions Can Book the Job, by Gunnar Todd Rohrbacher.

Gunnar Todd Rohrbacher

The reasons actors book work or don’t go past whether they are good or bad. The vast majority of actors being brought into the audition room by casting are good, well-trained, experienced performers. If you start from the premise that the actors being called in to audition for a role are more or less equally qualified, it’s fair to wonder if there’s anything more to be done than simply doing your best. There is. Actors can set themselves apart by applying intentions in a smart, strategic way. At the end of the day, the story is the story. That’s not something the actor can change. Writers don’t write parts for actors; they write stories that are inhabited by characters. There is always latitude with character development, but again, the writer has secured boundaries on how far each character can be interpreted. Simply put, the story and characters are crafted by writers. Working actors don’t guess in regard to those two elements. They interpret accurately and are aligned with the storytelling and characterizations.Their uniqueness in performance comes from their own individuality and the nuances contained within the emotional and intentional content of their character. Intentions help with: Specificity, Diversity, and Accuracy. Mixing these intentions underneath the lines will give your performance hustle and dimension other good actors may not be offering. Intentions are not the only way, but they’re a great way to offer the writers and producers a performance that meets their expectations and showcases your unique contribution to the overall project.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 29th – TV Ratings: ‘The X-Files’ Return Outperforms 2002 Finale With DVR, by Michael O’Connell.

Sunday’s X-Files premiere has gotten even bigger. The special, post-NFL outing of the event averaged 20.3 million viewers and a massive 7.8 rating among adults 18-49. That makes it broadcast’s second-biggest scripted episode of the season. Time-shifting also gives the episode broadcast’s highest-rated post-NFL conference championship episode in over a decade. Night-of viewership for the episode was incredibly strong. The kick-off of The X-Files’ six-part return actually fared better than the 2002 series finale. (That pre-DVR-era episode averaged a 6.3 rating in the key demo.) The X-Files also added 1.1 million viewers on Hulu.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, January 30th – SAG Awards: Night of ‘Diverse TV’ Ends With ‘Spotlight’ Victory, by Kristopher Tapley.

For a moment there, it looked like the casts of “Beasts of No Nation” or “Straight Outta Compton” might be poised for a stunner at the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. On the heels of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, SAG-AFTRA produced what felt, at least in part, like a message to the industry: a roll call of winners marked by diversity. The issue was addressed a couple of times on stage, first by “Orange” star Laura Prepon and then by Elba. “Welcome to diverse TV,” he quipped. Two things should at least be noted here. First, Netflix sent free three-month subscriptions to the entire SAG-AFTRA membership, greatly helping to expose “Beasts” and “Orange” to voters. Second, perceived Oscar frontrunner Sylvester Stallone was not nominated by SAG-AFTRA, largely because the momentum behind “Creed” took hold after the guild’s early deadlines this season. All of that said, it was still an interesting contrast. By the time the intrigue of the film ensemble category finally rolled around, many on the beat no doubt already had their headlines ready to roll.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, February 5th – Should You Train Like an Artist or an Entrepreneur? by Grant Kretchik.

Grant Kretchik

Across the country there are excellent actor-training programs. No matter the geography, good programs aim to develop the talents of their aspiring artists and produce quality actors. Good actors are not produced overnight, and the end of training marks the beginning, not the end of development. How do we equip trained actors with the knowledge and skills to compete with new media platforms without distracting from actor training? Cameron Knight, Assistant Professor of Acting at the Theatre School at DePaul University says, It isn’t enough to be able to perform; actors have to know how to navigate getting hired, begin to generate their own work and the product that they are. Carla Renata, actor and branding expert, the Branding Buddha says, Social media is the front runner for any artist to promote or market themselves, and she encourages programs that enable students in learning these mechanics. So, what does the industry expect from trained actors? Be able to accept an adjustment and be prepared—no apologies for anything. Know how to act. Take adjustments. Don’t be precious, and have some perspicacity about your own skill level. A city can be a great motivator and teaching aide. Getting to watch great work is a useful tool in one’s own training. But there are disadvantages, too, Priorities can shift from learning to becoming employed in the profession.There is plenty of proven success for actors who’ve trained in a major city and equally for those who have not. So much of what can happen for an actor post-training is really up to the individual. Seek training to remain curious not only about the training, but also how a program navigates the integration of the industry so you are aware of the realities of the business, including their alumni network. Beyond that, study with someone who inspires you.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, January 28th – #OscarsSoWhite: Why Black Films Have to Be About MLK and White Movies Can Be About a Mop Inventor, by Marc Bernardin.

The fact that, for the second year in a row, there are no actors of color nominated for Oscars in the acting categories has triggered a tanker-full of Internet think pieces. There have been calls for a boycott, suggestions that Chris Rock not host the ceremony, and changes made to diversify membership the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Those responses address the symptoms and not the disease. The real root cause behind the all-white acting nominations is that no one is making black Oscar bait. More often than not, the black films that are in Oscar contention are about people like Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X. If you are African-American, you literally have to change the world before there’s ever going to be a film based on your life. On the other hand, there are films like Joy, a white lady who became a millionaire. Not the first female self-made millionaire in America, mind you: That would be C.J. Walker, who did it at the turn of the century. And was black. A boycott of the Oscars won’t solve the issue at hand. The only way to get better representation for people of color is to make more movies by, with and about people of color. In the case of black stories, don’t just look for the totemic figure to build a giant biopic around, just look to tell good stories. More movies about the whole range of black life means more performances that potentially can be nominated, more diverse voices you can invite into the Academy so that, in years to come, ballots won’t ever look like this again.
Read Entire Article Here

Variety, February 7th – Watch: Zoolander and Hansel Talk Political Fashion on ‘SNL’ by Alex Stedman.

There’s only one thing hotter than fashion right now, and that’s politics — at least, according to male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson stopped by Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment as the ridiculously good looking men, giving their opinions on not fashion, but the current political environment, with the “Iowa couscous” having just wrapped up. The models told co-host Colin Jost, We’re not here to talk about fashion. We’re here to talk about the one thing everyone wants to hear male models talk about: politics. Of course, the conversation inevitably turned to fashion, with the models commenting on the candidates’ styles. Clinton’s rocking a ’90s look, “which is really hot right now,” Hansel explained. Meanwhile, her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders dons a style best described as “99 percent off at JCPenny. On the GOP side, Zoolander and Hansel were thoroughly confused about the different between Ted Cruz and Tom Cruise, but they love Donald Trump, coining the term “orange mocha crappacino” to describe his puckered lip face. Zoolander and Hansel will return for more in “Zoolander 2,” which debuts in theaters on Feb. 12.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, February 18th – 4 Tips for Making the Winning Audition Choice, by Joseph Pearlman.

Joseph Pearlman

Most experts who talk about actors making choices haven’t a clue what a choice actually is, nor how to properly compose and execute one. This is true both in the audition room and on set. Casting directors and film/TV directors will often tell actors to make a stronger choice not really knowing what exactly they mean by that. Essentially they’re saying, “Show me something I like better.” Rule #1 Is Always the Same. Don’t guess what they are looking for! Assume you are who they’re looking for, and bring yourself to the role with a brave, fun, and impactful choice.Winning Choices Are Not Found Within the Text. Proper textual analysis must be done with the same specificity and expertise that a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic would prepare Mahler’s Third. The text must ultimately serve as a springboard for your deeply imaginative and improvisational process of connecting what it all means to you. Stop Obeying Character Descriptions. Show the producing team that you understand the character and the entire project well enough to invent a gesture or movement that is not in the script but which demonstrates that you get it, and that you’re confident enough to create something more nuanced right before their very eyes. Winning Choices Must Be Visually Obvious Choices. Actors forget that their choices need to read on camera, even if the sound is off. Their performance should be able to be watched with the mute button on, and still read as driven and emotionally loaded. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, February 18th – Oscars: How the Winning Films Could Impact Executives, by Stephen Galloway.

For most of this year’s Oscar contenders, campaigning will end the day of the 88th Academy Awards. But behind many studios’ fortress-like walls, the campaign is just beginning, as executives jostle for credit on the winning pictures. That’s because Oscar can go a long way toward redeeming a career or giving a boost to execs whose good luck has dried up and whose movies haven’t performed at the box office. Rarely has that been truer than now, when several studios with serious Oscar contenders are in turmoil, their regimes facing upheaval or threats to their very existence. If Fury Road wins best picture, it would be a huge shot in the arm for both execs Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll, not to mention the rest of Warners’ leadership, who’ve been pounded by a series of flops in 2015, from Pan to In the Heart of the Sea and Point Break. It would remind the industry that marketers shouldn’t always be the first to get the blame when pictures don’t deliver and also set the scene for Warners CEO Kevin Tsujihara’s ambitious 2016 slate. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, February 18th – Jason Bateman Praises the ‘Positive and Incredibly Timely’ Message of Disney’s ‘Zootopia,’ by Malina Saval.

A little rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of those gathered at the premiere of Disney’s “Zootopia,” held at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre. Costumed walk-around characters like bunny officer Judy Hopps (played in the film by Ginnifer Goodwin) and con-artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) greeted stars on the tent-covered and sopping wet red carpet, where “Barbershop: The Next Cut” actress Garcelle Beauvais was one of the first to arrive, with several kids in tow, all of whom soaked in the scenery, which included a replica cardboard train station with functional seats and windows. When you have kids, these are like the only films we get to see, joked Bateman of “Zootopia,” which focuses on a world in which animals of all kinds live together in peace and harmony — until the mysterious disappearance of 14 formerly predatory animals threatens the utopia-like city. Bateman hailed “the positive and incredibly timely and current message of the film,” which presents themes about respecting one another’s differences and debunking preexisting notions of what certain people — or animals, in the case of the movie — are like. Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

The Reel Awards™ were conceived in 1989 by Janna Joos of International Celebrity Images & Alana Joos of Entertainment Express. They came up with the idea of an Awards Show for celebrity impersonators and look-alikes as a way of acknowledging their professional performances in the entertainment industry, as well as encouraging up and coming new talent.

Mobile Version

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pepper Jay hosts red carpet for Actors Reporter.

Awards Winners of the 22nd Production of THE REEL AWARDS
Monday, February 22, 2016, Gordie Brown Showroom, Golden Nugget – Las Vegas

COMEDY AWARD: Bonnie Kilroe as “various characters”

TRIBUTE BANDAWARD: Jack Berrios Tribute to “KISS”

BEST ACTRESS AWARD: Dee Dee Hanson as “Joan Rivers”

BEST ACTOR AWARD: Ronnie Rodriguez as “Johnny Depp”

PETER BANKS HUMANITARIAN AWARD: John Allen as “Sean Connery”

CLASSIC CROONER AWARD: James Anthony as “Frank Sinatra”

NEWSHOUND AWARD: Deborah Smith Ford as “Trinity” from The Matrix

R & B FEELIN’ GOOD AWARD: Samira as “Tina Turner”

DIRECTOR/PRODUCERAWARD: Bernhard Kurz for “Stars in Concert”

IMPERSONATOR YOU LOVE TO WORK WITH AWARD: Bettina Williams as “Whoopi Goldberg”

RISING STAR AWARD: Jessica Castro as “Mariah Carey”

COUNTRY’S HOTTEST HITTER AWARD: Jeff Richards as “Tim McGraw”

POP N ROCK FOR REEL AWARD: Bill Pantazis as “George Michael”

BEA FOGELMAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Camille Terry as “various characters”

GENE GREYTAK MOST PROFESSIONAL IMPERSONATOR AWARD:
Chris America as “Madonna”

And special shout out to Barbara Brighton as Joan Rivers!

See more at:
The Reel Awards

Learn more about Pepper Jay at:
PepperJay.com

Actors Reporter is a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, February 25th The ABC’s of Acting, by Cathryn Hartt.

Cathryn Hartt

Aspiration. Why do you do this? Where is your passion? What drives you forward to constantly be better? Something inspired you to do this and it needs to be strong enough to get you through the long days, hard work, rejection, and turbulence of an acting career. The fun days are easy. But what about those tough ones? Belief. Believe in yourself and your dream with all of your heart. Believe that you will land that audition every time. Believe the fantasy world of your character. Believe the next moment will be better. Believe in finding a new path when the old one dead ends. Believe. Have faith. Commitment. Whoever works hardest and shows up the most wins! The people who succeed don’t have it the easiest. They just get up more often from failure than others. What makes luck? Training hard to be ready if you get a break. Showing up more so that you have more chances. Keeping your eyes open in case there is a crack in the door. Having the courage to go through the door if you find that crack.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, February 23rd – Michael Wolff on Hollywood’s Falling Stocks: How Tech Companies Won “Hearts and Minds” and Changed the Game, by Michael Wolff.

Among the world’s many partisan divides, a passionate new one is between the longs and shorts in the media business. It’s two sides locked in a bitter war that reflects an ongoing propaganda campaign and self-interested agitprop. It’s FANGA (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google and Apple) against Time Warner, Disney, 21st Century Fox, Viacom, CBS, Comcast/NBC (the Congloms). Bolsheviks against the Mensheviks.So far, FANGA, with its simple mantra —”We are the future, you are the past”— is way ahead. And the Big Media stock prices seemingly are in freefall. The Congloms are at a further disadvantage: While trying to defend themselves, they also continue to fight a ceaseless, internecine battle of fiefs and ego. Every briefing on the part of a Conglom against the FANGA oligopoly invariably ends up being about the perfidy of other Congloms. In this — infuriating and bewildering to the Congloms — FANGA has beaten the media at its own game by stealing the hearts and minds of business, technology and media reporters. While the Congloms rail against their own employees, FANGA has developed a support system through industry conferences, social media, and the rewards and status it offers the industry press, all focused on that one message: data and functionality are the future, the hoary show-biz model the past. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, February 25th – Stevie Wonder Urges Young People to ‘Value Our Planet’ at Global Green Pre-Oscar Gala, by Andrew Barker.

Stevie Wonder serenaded a crowd of industryites, do-gooders and goodie-bag-grabbers at Global Green’s 13th annual pre-Oscar benefit dinner at Mr. C’s Hotel in Beverly Hills, and was rewarded with a surprise of his own. Taking the stage with an event-appropriate new song titled “The Living Killing Life” – sample lyric, “Things you are hearing about global warming are not some fallacies” – Wonder segued into a rapid-fire half hour of his biggest hits backed by a two-piece band, from early career singles. After a set-closing jam on “Superstition,” Wonder was joined by his children, who presented him with the org’s Global Green Hero Award, prompting a brief speech in which Wonder urged “the young people of the new generation to value our planet everywhere they go.”
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, February 26th – 7 Tips to Get Started in Voiceover, by Kate McClanaghan.

Kate McClanaghan

“You have a remarkable voice. You should be doing voiceover!” So, how do you get started?
1. You need to get oriented with the industry. You need to understand who your core clients would be and who you would eventually create a voiceover demo for, namely, producers.
2. You need training. “Winging it” isn’t professional because it’s unreliable.
3. You need a simple, reliable, home-recording setup. You need the ability to record, edit, and turnaround a proper audition.
4. If you expect to sound professional, you need professional demo production. Please don’t do this on your own. A music producer produces music, a voiceover demo producer… I think you get the idea.
5. Promote yourself to agents who specifically handle VO. Agents, just like talent, typically specialize.
6. Audition like crazy! Beyond a well produced demo, consistently offering the best of your abilities with every audition will further establish your professional career.7. Make sure your demo is posted online in as many places where lots of voice talent can be found and hired. You will increase your opportunities by a great margin if you make your professionally produced demo accessible to anyone and everyone who may hire you. That’s a great start. And as the adage goes, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!”
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, February 27th – Spirit Awards: ‘Spotlight’ Wins Big in Diverse Show, by Gregg Kilday.

Tom McCarthy’s drama Spotlight, about the reporters who exposed the Catholic Church took home five trophies, while first-time performers Abraham Attah and Mya Taylor were welcomed into the limelight. Film Independent, which puts on the awards show celebrating independently produced film, also made something of a show of diversity by rewarding a couple of first-time performers: Abraham Attah, the young actor from Ghana who was hailed as best male actor for playing a child soldier in Beasts of No Nation, and Mya Taylor, the transgender actress who was singled out as best supporting female for her work in Tangerine. the ceremony, which took place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, did its best to present itself as the anti-Oscars. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, February 27th – Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette Take Stand for Equal Pay at Women in Film Party, by Alyssa Sage.

Discussions on pay inequality and gender diversity commanded the Women in Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail Party Friday night, where actresses including Jennifer Lawrence, Alicia Vikander and Patricia Arquette convened to honor 2016’s 51 female Oscar nominees. Before the cocktail partycommenced, Women in Film president Cathy Schulman led a toast to recognize all the 2016 Oscar nominees — who were adorned with corsages — in attendance at the gathering, and in doing so, invited “Straight Outta Compton” screenwriter Andrea Berloff, Arquette and Lawrence to share the stage. Arquette, who famously used her 2015 Oscar acceptance speech as a platform to discuss the gender wage gap, spoke about pay inequality’s effect beyond the entertainment industry and the gap’s impact on the country’s poverty levels. Lawrence graced the stage briefly after some prodding, noting that “this is the second night in a row this has happened to me.” (The night before, she was also put on the spot for remarks at Arquette’s Dinner for Equality.) Lawrence emphasized the importance of mentorship and reiterated Arquette’s equal pay sentiments with a triumphant, “Equal pay for women!”
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, March 9th – 7 Ways to Stop Holding Your Career Back, by AJ Riley.

AJ Riley

We are on the road to becoming consistently working professionals. A successful working actor’s day often goes beyond just a few hours on set; sometimes those hours can be long, followed by days full of interviews, shoots, rehearsals, promotions, and other duties. What do we do? Here are a few things we can all do to control our inner-resistance: First, write down your weekly schedule to determine how much time you really have available. Next, make a list of daily and weekly goals to achieve. Make sure to find balance and don’t overload your daily goals. Print a few copies of this list and pin them around the house in places you can’t avoid. Use reminder apps on your phone, laptop, or desktop to help stay on top of your goals. Want to take an extra step? Have a friend, family member, or someone you trust, hold you accountable every week for how many goals you’ve completed from your list. Catch yourself saying things like, “It’s difficult,” “It’s too hard,” “I’m tired,” “I’m trying,” “I want to but…,” etc. Beat it by reminding yourself of everything you’ve already done for your career, for your family, your vision. Finally, commit to your plan. Get excited, get organized, and see your world align with the success you deserve. Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, March 3rd – Pioneering Gay Oscar Winner Offers Sam Smith a History Lesson (Guest Column), by Rob Epstein.

Rob Epstein

The long road to freedom is so easily forgotten. That was a crack made while watching Sam Smith claim to be the first openly gay person to win an Oscar. By now the blogosphere has made hay of Mr. Smith’s misinformed statement. But the corrections, including blogs published by The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, have not adequately addressed the specific claim. Thirty-one years ago at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985, Rob Epstein won the Oscar for best documentary feature for The Times of Harvey Milk. No other gay-themed film, made by openly gay filmmakers, had ever received this acknowledgement. Epstein said not only was this a thrill of a lifetime, it was indeed historic. On stage, he thanked Harvey Milk for his courage, his pride in being gay, and his hope that one day we will all live together in a world of mutual respect. With presidential candidates who regard truth, fact, and history as mere annoyances, we must be ever vigilant. Epstein says facts and history matter. Filmmaker Rob Epstein, a two-time Oscar winner and former member of the Academy’s Board of Governors, has directed such films as the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet, the 2010 dramatic feature Howl and the 2014 documentary And the Oscar Goes To…
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Variety, March 9th – Studios, Exhibitors Consider Revolutionary Plan for Day-and-Date Movies at Home (EXCLUSIVE), by Brent Lang.

Five years ago, major studios attempts to offer first-run movies in the home months early set off a fierce standoff with theater owners. Now, a startup backed by Sean Parker of Facebook and Napster fame is trying to encourage Hollywood studios and exhibitors to wade back into those controversial waters. Called the Screening Room, the company offers secure anti-piracy technology that will offer new releases in the home on the same day they hit theaters,Individuals briefed on the plan said Screening Room would charge about $150 for access to the set-top box that transmits the movies and charge $50 per view. Consumers have a 48-hour window to view the film.To get exhibitors on board, the company proposes cutting them in on a significant percentage of the revenue, as much as $20 of the fee. As an added incentive to theater owners, Screening Room is also offering customers who pay the $50 two free tickets to see the movie at a cinema of their choice. That way, exhibitors would get the added benefit of profiting from concession sales to those moviegoers.
Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, March 11th – How to Choose the Most Efficient Acting Goals, by David Patrick Green.

David Patrick Green

Actions can lead to all sorts of great stuff. But if you want to get the most out of your actions, you have to have a goal. Look at some of the crazy things that mankind has pulled off. We have walked on the moon, explored the deepest oceans, even sent a dune buggy to Mars—four times! The key to every single one of those accomplishments was actually knowing what it was. Following the Greats. If we want to do something big, we have to accept that even accidental successes like the Post-its, the microwave oven, and Buffalo wings came from very focused attempts to do something specific. We can learn so much from the few lucky people that are naturally goal-oriented. Just Say It. We all have an evil twin. They are the largely bossy dominant twin in charge of holding us back in life. Isn’t it time the twin with big, clear ideas and confidence became the dominant twin? To succeed at anything—including acting—you have to listen to your fantastical twin. Your fantastical twin knows the one reason why you should do something. You should do it because you want to and you have no other pressing engagements. Now That You Know. Now that you have a goal, you can do all the things you need to do to accomplish that goal. How do you accomplish a goal? You have to have a plan. Read Entire Article Here

Ghetto Film School L.A. is welcoming a new program to its spring curriculum, with one condition: no boys allowed. Titled “Iris-In: A Ghetto Film School Program for Young Women,” the class is being offered to the nonprofit’s female students and will feature showbiz women like writer Lauren Blum and Cakeproducer Kristin Hahn as guest speakers and panelists.Ghetto Film School founder Joe Hall liked Olde’s idea and launched a program in New York in the fall. The L.A. program followed, and Olde played a major role in wrangling the speakers for both cities. Read Entire Article Here

Country music star Blake Shelton set out to “save the Kids’ Choice Awards,” held Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. – but not until his famous pals Pharrell, Adam Levine and Selena Gomez paid him a visit, offering words of encouragement. Shelton sat in front of his dressing room mirror staring at himself as “Star Wars” stormtroopers marched onstage to take over the Nickelodeon show. The host grabbed his blaster and exchanged fire with the troopers – interrupted by last year’s host Nick Jonas shouting “keep it down” — before driving on the KCA stage in a chair modeled after his seating on “The Voice.” “You all know why this show is so cool?” “The Voice” judge asked, greeting the crowd. “Because you control everything.” The audience was given more control over this year’s show than any other year. They voted for the winners, the set design for the stage and which viral Internet star would be slimed – Bethany Mota or Cameron Dallas. Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.
Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Back Stage, March 21st – 5 Ways to Empower Actors With Learning Disabilities, by Jane Jessop.

Jane Jessop

It is time to accept and believe that there are now actors with learning disabilities who offer significant and thought-provoking work on stage and on camera. We have a cohort of actors with learning disabilities who are ready to be treated equally, to work professionally, to take on major roles, and to be part of mainstream productions. there is an audience for their work, and a hunger for work where every performer is equally valued.
1. Raise that ceiling of expectation. Never let people down by offering them anything less than the best or by putting in artificial ceilings of expectation.
2. Work professionally and support them to work professionally. Anything less lets them down. Supporting them professionally includes looking at our own expectations. Are we expecting a professional performance? Do we believe in our performers? Are we ready to showcase their work to the widest possible audiences.
3. Prepare to be surprised! Never did Jessop expect that performers with Down syndrome and other learning disabilities would take “Hamlet” in Shakespeare’s language on tour to professional venues and build sizable audiences in places where no one had ever heard of us. In their hands, “Hamlet,” brought new insights and moved people to tears.
4. Make sure you communicate. Give them time and your focus when needed. Make sure you have explained what you need from them clearly.
5. Support the actor to think about their character, where they are in the story, how they are feeling, and to enjoy developing their role. Many actors like to create a back story or relate a role to a character they know. Someone with a learning disability may need help thinking about this. Then, trust them to own the role, allow them to experiment, and encourage them to go deeper and further. Allow them to grow in front of you.
Read Entire Article Here

Hollywood Reporter, March 18th – Why 2016 Could Be a Banner Year for Hollywood Studio Mergers and Acquisitions, by Georg Szalai.

Hollywood studio chiefs and entertainment industry CEOs appear to have dealmaking on their minds. CEOs from Tribune Media’s Peter Liguori to John Malone say they’re ready to make some moves as the future of networks such as WGN America, Starz, Lionsgate and Paramount remain uncertain. All of this could lead to what is already looking like a potential banner 2016 for mergers and acquisitions in the entertainment industry. That puts this year already within striking distance of the $9.3 billion of deals that the firm tallied in 2015 and the $10.9 billion racked up in 2014. Read Entire Article Here

Variety, March 15th – Academy Increases Diversity Push by Adding Three Governors, by Tim Gray.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences furthered its efforts at diversity by adding three members to the board of governors, and six members to various board committees.The board OK’d president Cheryl Boone Isaacs’s choices of Reginald Hudlin (directors branch), Gregory Nava (writers branch) and Jennifer Yuh Nelson (short films and feature animation). They will serve three-year terms, effective immediately. The board also appointed additional Academy members to each of the six board committees that provide oversight to specific Academy areas. “I’m proud of the steps we have taken to increase diversity,” said Boone Isaacs. “However, we know there is more to do as we move forward to make this a more inclusive organization.” Read Entire Article Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com  

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine. 

 

The TradeVine is a weekly article on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
 

Night of 100 Stars

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Laci Kay hosts red carpet for Actors Reporter.

OSCAR NIGHT PARTY – Night of 100 Stars by Norby Walters

On Oscar Sunday February 28th, 2016, Actors Reporter’s Laci Kay was on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, the venue for the arrival of approximately 200 film and TV stars to attend one of the the hottest celebrity Oscar Awards party in town:
Norby Walters’ 26th Annual Night of 100 Stars Black Tie Dinner Viewing Gala.

Billionaire clothing designer / manufacturer Peter Nygard, Founder and Chairman of Nygard International returned as the wonderful sponsor.

 

Photos by Pepper Jay:

Doris Roberts

Sally Kirkland

John Savage

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall and Laci Kay

Gloria Allred

Tanya Lemani George

Eric Roberts

Willie Garson

Bai Ling

Ernie Hudson

Martin Landau

Lou Ferrigno

Ernie Hudson

Kathleen Bradley

Garry Marshall

Préity Üupala

Mark Valinsky

Tamara Henry

Ed Lozzi

Rob Steinberg

And special shout out to Ed Lozzi PR!

See more at:
Night of 100 Stars

Learn more about Pepper Jay at:
PepperJay.com

Actors Reporter is a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.