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Northumberland Today
Monday May 11th, 2009
MODEL STUDENT: Dena G. wins top prize in TV Commercial Competition
Grafton Teen Turns Heads at Model and Talent Convention
By: Cecilia Nasmith
GRAFTON- Dena G. considers herself well on the way to the modelling career she has dreamed of, after turning heads at the Canadian Model & Talent Convention, held in Toronto from April 30 to May 3.
For example, the Grafton resident took first place in the TV Commercial competition- though she also entered other competitions and participated in a number of seminars and workshops. “I learned a great deal, and got the inside scoop from national and international agents and dignitaries – 52 of them from around the world including France, Italy, England, Greece, South Africa, Korea, Singapore, New York, California, Florida and Canada,” she listed.
“While winning the best TV Commercial award was awesome, it was not the highlight of my four days at CMTC. The big prize, much bigger than winning a trophy, was the opportunity to meet and speak with the agents and scouts, with the ultimate goal being to have one of them invite me to a callback on the last day of convention.”
If an agent or scout takes an interest in a model, she explained, you’re chosen to attend a callback and meet with these people one-on-one to discuss contract possibilities. Dena received seven callbacks from agents from around the world.
They seemed pleased that she has only one year left at the CDI East International baccalaureate Program, she said. “All the agents throughout the conference repeatedly stated that it is important for models and commercial talent to do well in school and to finish high school, and that they do not like to take anyone out of school to work,” she said. “Therefore, many of the International agencies will choose 18-year-olds and older for that reason. I am very fortunate that I will be graduating from high school at 16, giving me a head start. Particularly exciting for me is that a couple of the New York agents, as well as an agent from Tokyo, are very interested in the possibility of having me come to their agencies for a couple months this summer.”
While there are no guarantees, she added, there will be at least be auditioning and networking opportunities. This experience would not have been possible without the local sponsors who helped her get there, she said. “A lot of the girls who competed came from larger metropolitan areas within Canada, such as Calgary and Toronto, so they quite easily enlist many corporate sponsors for this event. However, those of us from the smaller towns do not have that option, so we rely on the generosity of the smaller local businesses,” she said. In her case, the list includes the Mill Pond Hatchery, Absolute Vogue, Wimpy’s Diner, Smith Energy Systems, Jillian Bickle Photography, and Boston Pizza.
Dena’s next step is to discuss any offers that come in with her agency, Mode Elle Model & Talent Agency in Belleville. Then, if she does sign with another agency, “it will be up to me to get out there and work hard, really hard. As with any trade, you can’t just wake up one day and instantly start doing the job. It takes years of training and experience, and this is no different. I’m happy to start my training now and work my way up. At the same time, I am realistic in that I definitely understand that the competition is fierce and that not everyone makes it. However, if nothing further ever comes from all this, then I will know that I gave it my best shot. And that’s so much better than never trying at all.”
