​Vishal Arora’s professional skill has earned him significant cache in cinema’s most significant international centers. Working in both India’s Bollywood and California’s Hollywood, the Los Angeles-based actor has a vibrant, appealing attitude and outgoing demeanor which has led him through a series of very diverse roles and dramatic settings.​
 
From situation TV comedy to taut big screen suspense, Arora’s deft acting technique can successfully serve almost any role, and he recently explored a new career avenue, appearing as the lead character in a Punjabi pop music video by the famous singer Charanjeet Singh Sondhi.
 
“I was born in Northern India where the culture is very attracted to lively, loud pop music,” Arora said. “In Punjab, almost every kid sings and dreams of becoming a pop star. Punjabi pop style is all about being very open. It really doesn't care about having a message or anything except going with the flow and doing what you feel. Even if a song’s lyrics don't really make much sense, it's fun always and high energy.” 
 
Punjabi pop, with its infectious rhythms and exotic instrumentation, has become known worldwide, and songs like Punjabi MC’s remix of  “Mundian To Back Ke,” featuring famed rapper Jay Z, have crossed over to top the charts in multiple countries, even making the US Top 40 and has been featured on the soundtracks of numerous American films and TV shows. In India, Sondhi is one of the genre’s key proponents.
 
“It was pretty exciting how it came about,” Arora said. “I was doing a play and one night after the show, I met Sondhi, a very popular singer. He liked my acting, and said he was impressed by the feelings I expressed onstage and told me about this story for a particular music video that was coming up. Not long after, he discussed with me and played the song, ‘Kittiyan Kyun Bewafaayian,’ for me. I liked it and he finalized me for the shoot.” 


“Because I was always interested in movies or TV this was my first music video,” Arora said. “I’d never thought of even trying for one but when it came along by itself like that, I decided to go for it.” 
 
“The video is about a villager who falls in love but gets ditched by the girl,” he said. “I played the main part of the heart-broken lover, who suffers through that revelation and then sees her actually marrying the other guy.”
 
Filmed on location in the remote countryside, the job had some unexpected merits for Arora. “It was a great experience, as the shoot was in a small village with lots of very friendly people,” he said. “It's fun to go and explore the Indian countryside. And the people there give you so much affection—almost too much. There’s lots of love and lots of good food.”
 
“The director Dinesh Dubey was good, very chill to work with,” Arora said. “It took us two days to shoot the video and I liked the way he tried different things, so we’d have lot of options when it came to editing. I had to learn drive a tractor and that was a first for me. I took a few trial runs before the shoot, but there were definitely some fun moments learning that. I loved it.” 


The music video represented one more step forward in Arora’s fast-growing resume of notable achievement. “I really enjoyed the job,” Arora said. “And it is doing well, it was released by T-series, one of the best known music companies in India. It's a good song, and the people are loving it, especially out in villages where lot of guys in love get hurt just like that, and when they watch the video or listen to that song, it makes them feel better.”


Even for a role that some may have approached as a light weight gig, Arora’s involvement was typically intense. Having trained at the distinguished Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute, the actor completely inhabited the role with his own life experience.
“personally, I have been in just this kind of situation,” Arora said. “And it took a while for me to get out of the character, because I felt it so deeply. It’s tough when you use real sense memory to play a part like that. I finally came out of it—but it took a week.”
That kind of heartfelt commitment is what really sets Arora apart from many of his colleagues. Expect to hear a lot more from this young talent.

Actress Davina Cole is one of the fiercest female performers to make her mark on the international entertainment industry in recent years.

With work that includes everything from taking on the starring roles of Sandra in Rodney V. Williams' film Therapy Sessions and Soalaih Ez in multi-award winning director Francoise Ellong's film When Soukhina Disappeared, to the high profile theatrical productions "Women on Wine," "The Wright Brothers," and "Wilberforce Bell," Coles' acting prowess clearly spans the gamut.
​
Over the years she has managed to immerse herself in a wide range of roles giving knock out performances that make it almost impossible to recognize her from one character to the next. Regardless of the genre or the medium, this actress has a way of pulling us in and leaving an unforgettable impression.

While Cole's seasoned skill and unique look undoubtedly makes her stands out in a cast, what is even more astonishing is her ability to single handedly command an audiences attention-- something she proved with her performance as Salimatu in the one-woman show "All the Colours," which debuted at the Lord Stanley Theatre in London. Not only did Cole write and star in the production, but her performance earned her an award nomination for Best Actress at the 7th annual SOLO Festival of One Man Shows in 2014.

Aside from the upcoming tour of "All The Colours," which is slated to begin later this year, audiences will also be able to catch Davina Cole in My Church and Family, a new series that's expected to be released this summer on Sky Living.

To find out more about this incredibly powerful actress make sure to check out our interview below!


Where are you from? 

DC: My name is Davina Cole and I have been performing as an actress in the UK for many years.  I was born and raised in southeast London, but my parents are from Sierra Leone in West Africa. My African heritage is very dear to me.

When and how did you get into acting?

DC: I have performed in various films, theatre productions, commercials, voiceovers and radio. I loved watching old movies including African films with my dad on the weekends and always wondered how I could get into performing. Whilst attending an after school club I saw a poster about drama and dance classes.  I attended one and from then I was hooked. I then started performing at the age of 13 in local theatre productions. I also toured within the UK with the girl band Catz in my teens.

Can you tell us about some of the film projects you’ve done?

DC: I played the role of Sandra, a therapist, in the film Therapy Sessions. I really enjoyed playing this role. Sandra is a powerful woman in her field of work and is very cool, calm, collected and very much in control. In the film we see her lose control when her family becomes under threat and she loses it quite dramatically. It was very challenging playing the many dimensions of this character. Sandra was a pivotal role in the film as she was the link to all the characters in the drama and key to the twist at the end

I worked with director Rodney V. Williams on Therapy Sessions, and he is the director of the film Hold Me, which was featured in Cannes Court Metrage of the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed the award winning film The Runaway Whore.
I also played the role Soalaih Ez in film When Soukhina Disappeared, a film based on the disappearance of a young girl. Soalaih Ez was one of the last people to see the missing girl and she gives her account of how she touched her life. It was an emotional piece and I really enjoyed playing a character with so many layers. Soaliah was key to getting an account of the final movements of Soukhinas, the girl who disappeared, life. It was such an honor to play this role in such a moving piece of drama.

On this film I worked with award winning director Francoise Ellong whose film W.A.K.A. picked up awards such as the Special Jury Prize at the 17th edition of the Festival Du Cinéma Africain De Khouribga in Morocco, and the Dikalo Award for Best First Feature at the Festival International Du Film Panafricain De Cannes in France. It was also selected for the Hollywood Film Festival.

I played the role of Susan a sassy news reporter in the action horror film Cyborg Ninja vs Vampires directed by Simon Gedney from Copper Key Productions. I also worked alongside Nathan Powell from Pirates of the Caribbean 4 on the film. I really enjoy playing a role that was very different from the roles I usually get cast for; and, having the opportunity to do some action sequences and kick some butt felt very empowering.

How about television projects?

DC: I was in the documentary television series Sinister Ministers, a miniseries that aired on the Discovery Channel in the US. On the series I played the role of Donna, a congregation member and close friend to the reverend, and a key role in the production. I thoroughly enjoyed playing this inquisitive nosey humorous lady. The series was was directed by the great James Cookson who has directed and made many successful films for Firecraker Films.

They are all very different, what made you choose to participate in these projects?

DC: I enjoy playing characters with many layers to them-- the meatier the role the better. I tend to go for strong women roles with a bit of vulnerability. I also like pieces that give a strong message. I like undertaking roles that take you on a journey.

Do you feel that you get cast to play a certain type of character more than others?

DC: Because of my physique, stage and screen presence I tend to get cast in headstrong, authoritative and professional women roles.

Can you tell us about some of the theatre productions you've participated in up until now?

DC: I worked with Rodney V. Williams on the comedy hit stage drama "Women on Wine" at the Above the Stage Theatre in Central London in 2010. I was a co-star playing the role of the uppity, takes herself too seriously, Ebony, who is preparing to marry her childhood sweetheart. We see Ebony’s insecurities come to the surface as the play progresses when she becomes stressed and the group overindulges in wine. This was such an amazing experience working with a group of talented women including the star of the "Jesus Christ Superstar," Renee Castle. It was a challenge playing a truthful, credible character whilst at the same time being drunk.

I played the role of Mami Sanami in the iconic West African comedy drama play "Wilberforce Bell," which was presented by the Kabaslot Theatre at the popular central London Catford Broadway theatre. For this production I worked with the Kabaslot Theatre, a well-known theatre in Africa, UK and US, under the safe hands of director Dwight Short. This play really took me out my comfort zone, as I had to learn different elements of my home language Krio.

I played the role of Narrator in the sold out love comedy "The Wright Brothers" directed by Tyrone-Lee Davis under his co-owned theatre company, Opus Entertainment, who have had their projects commissioned by ITV. This was a fun but challenging role as I held the play together appearing throughout and creating a persona to keep the story going and uplifted at all time. It is also set to return in 2016 and I am looking forward to reprising this role.

Out of all your productions both in the theatre and on screen, what has been your favorite project, or projects, so far?

DC: I really enjoy playing strong women roles. My favorite role to date was the role of Delilah in the play "1867."  This was based on the life of Madame CJ Walker, America's first black female millionaire.  It was such an honor to play such a prominent figure and it was very inspirational and really pushed me as an actress. She was such a strong black women in a time when black women were regularly looked down upon. To have that the success during that period of time is truly amazing. As a character she had many layers and I was really able to explore the role. I hope to play more roles similar to this in the future.

What has been your most challenging role?

DC: My most challenging role had to be the role of Salimatu in my one-woman show, "All The Colours." It is a piece that I wrote and performed both here in the UK and in the US, and it was an extremely emotional play. I felt this role took me to another level in my performance skills, however it was very draining at times playing a mother who had lost so much. Not being a mother myself made it hard to relate to, but having been through my own personal experience of loss and heartache, I was able to bring that to my performance and give a truthful performance.

What is your favorite genre to work in as an actor?

DC: My favorite genre definitely has to be drama. This genre tends to have roles with hidden depths, and they are quite exciting to research and to play.

What separates you from other actors?

DC: I feel what separates from other actors is what I bring on a personal level to each and every role I play. I feel all my life experiences, both good and bad, have helped me grow as an actress; and it has helped me bring that element of truth to many roles.

You've been nominated for several awards over the course of your career- can you tell us about the award nominations and how it felt being recognized for your work?
​
DC: My biggest achievement so far is the success I've received from my one-woman show "All the Colours." I wrote it myself and I was nominated for a Best Actress Award at the 7th SOLO Festival of One Man Shows in the UK in 2014, which was was held at the Lord Stanley Theatre in central London. I then went on to be selected as a finalist at the prestigious 22nd Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival. It was amazing to be selected to perform alongside amazingly talented women from all around the world. The subject matter is very dear to me as it centers on Sierra Leone and the civil war, which affected thousands including my family. It was great to let people know some of what happened back then through performing the show.

​​What are your plans for the future?

DC: I have started filming a new British TV series to be shown on Sky TV.  I am very excited about the character as she's very out outspoken, feisty and very witty. She's a character with many different sides to her and I can’t wait to play her. I plan to write more including a piece I am currently writing on the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, which I want to make into a screenplay. I also plan to make my one-woman show into a web series and by popular demand I will be taking my one-woman show on tour, which is really exciting!

What do you hope to achieve in your career as an actor?

DC: I hope to get meatier roles, which will push me further as an artist. I really admire the body of work and talent of Angela Bassett and Viola Davis and I would love to work them. To work with such talented women would be amazing.

What kind of training have you done?

DC: I did a postgraduate degree in performance at the prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, one of the top 10 drama schools in the UK. The training was rigorous and laid the foundation for me to become the actress that I am today.

Why is acting your passion and chosen profession?
​
DC: From a young age I remember watching classic old black and white movies on a Saturday afternoon and I was memorized by performances from actresses such as Grace Kelly, Julie Andrews, Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. I often used to dream of being on screen too. That enticed me to start going to classes, which eventually led to me apply for drama school and the rest is history.

Hailing from South Africa, actress Birgit Ludemann has an ethnically ambiguous appearance that allows her to believably take on a slew of different characters from various places around the world.
 
Earlier this year she wrapped production on Dong Lei's film The Cello Player where she took on the leading role of Natali, a German woman victimized by an NS Commander during the last days of WWII. She also took on the starring role of Naomi Basson, a Lance Corporal who is part of a medical task force during the Second American Civil War, in the film Maquisard.
 
While she's proven her capacity to take on a variety of characters from the shameless drug addicted Remi in Fool's Errand to the beautiful Suzanna in Fives, Ludemann's knack for action-packed productions is something that really sets her a part from the rest. Over the years the actress has accrued years of stunt training as well as experience with firearms which, combined with her ability to play the fierce female lead, has made her a highly sought after performer for war and western films.
 
As a classically trained theatre actress Ludemann knows how to command her audience's attention from the stage, a facet of her talent that has carried over to her career in film and television making her a difficult performer to turn away from whenever she hits the screen.
 
Some of her theatre performances to date include taking on the starring role of Julie in "Miss Julie" directed by Antoinette Kellermann in Cape Town, South Africa, Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" directed by Ken Learner in Los Angeles, Teresa in "Italian American Reconciliation" directed by Bob Lipton in Los Angeles, and others.
 
To find out more about this seasoned actress make sure to check out our interview below. You can also find out more about her film and television projects through her IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7052398/
 

Where are you from? 

BL: I'm from Stellenbosch, South Africa. I am German South African and my parents are German.

When and how did you get into acting?

BL: At the age of 12 I was certain I wanted to pursue a career in acting. I had a very inspiring drama teacher when I was in primary school, we did lots of children plays (Rahl Dahl being one of them) and since then I have found it inspiring to play different roles.

Can you tell us about some of the film projects you’ve done?

BL: In the film Fives I played Suzanna, a 26-year-old new girl at the office who is considered to be a “7” on a 1-10 scale of hotness, and she doesn’t struggle to get the males’ attention in the office. While I was playing this character, I did have to delve into my overly confident side and be super aware that I had to be extremely good looking. But at the same time behind the camera I was a bit self-conscious having to walk around set and have everyone looking at me to see if I’m really a “7+.” After a while I just owned it and felt the character. Suzanna serves a pivotal role as the male lead, Eric, flirts with her in order to make their co-worker, Meghan, jealous. Suzanna is fully aware of the situation and just plays along, because she knows Eric and Meghan make a better couple than she and Eric would.

One of the main challenges I faced playing this role was to make sure the character did not come off as being cocky, narcissistic or vein. It’s so easy to cross the line between making Suzanna sympathetically help Eric as a stimulus to get what he wants in a positive and genuine way because he is her co-worker, in contrast to helping him get what he wants by having the audience view the character as a negative superficial brat who just uses her looks for her own vein gratification.
This role also highlights another theme, that being: the power women get from being good looking, especially around the office. As an actress, I do not really have much first-hand experience in a serious office, so that was one of the things I had to do some research on. 

In the music film Stay I played the wife’s best friend who supports her during labor while her husband is dying. The character was a few years older and wiser than me, so it felt like I had been pushed into the serious life of intense adult drama. Playing this character in this film was a learning curve for me regarding the acting style the director demanded from us. as there was no dialogue during the entire film, everything was purely physical. The director wanted the finished edit to be in slow motion. So firstly, I had to be very conscious of too fast paced or too slow paced movements and secondly, as it was a heavily driven emotive drama, portraying emotions strongly enough for it to read on camera (in slow motion) was different. All of us took a few takes in the beginning to get the right balance for the pace and movement. The film received the Best Micro Film Award from the 20th Indie Gathering International Film Festival.

In the film The Cello Player I played Natali, a woman who gets caught by a NS-Commander during the last days of WW2. Working on this film was scarily realistic because everything from the set, wardrobe, make up and the cast was almost an exact replica from the WW2 time. We had to walk barefoot with dirt on our feet and clothes.

My character's interactions in the film portray how gruesome the NS Commanders could be back in those days as she gets captured, used and finally raped. Her character demonstrates how women were helpless victims to crimes NS Commanders played through and demonstrates that she is just a tool for the male lead to get what he wants.

This role was extremely challenging because I found out the first day of shooting we were doing an intense rape scene one day earlier than scheduled. It did make me feel a bit intimidated as I was getting raped by the male star, Thure Riefenstein, who is an accomplished German actor in Germany; but doing that scene spontaneously took the pressure off and helped me focus on the moment in every take.

In the film Maquisard I play Naomi Basson who is a Lance Corporal (combat medic) from Johannesburg, South Africa. She is part of the 44 Parachute Brigade and 44 Medical Task Group. Working on this film was amazing firstly, because I got to represent my own country and use an Afrikaans accent. Secondly, I got to reconnect with my medical side. I was working as a caretaker in England for a year, so I know on first hand basis what nurses and doctors go through. And thirdly, I had to do combat training for this role, learning how to hold and shoot military guns properly for the screen was an amazing experience. So all in all, I definitely felt the part. Naomi was critical to this film, as she is one of 3 other volunteers to join the UNAF Recon Team 5 to restore peace.

There were two big challenges in this film. Firstly, researching all military terms and understanding the background of the script, which was challenging because, with South Africa not really having a big military, I was not exposed to these terms and ways of thinking. The film was also written in a make believe time in a make believe place, with make believe events that had previously occurred that resulted in this plot. So therefore, reading and internalizing the backstory of the make-believe circumstances to this whole film was a crucial part of playing this character. Secondly, the military training that we did prior to the shoot was such a learning curve for me as an actress. Learning how to hold and shoot a gun properly for the screen, how to maneuver in a team of 4 people through buildings and how to have that physical tough military vibe to my character was a good learning curve for me.

In the film Mac Daddy’s Vegas Adventure I play Claudia, a customer in the massage parlor who is upset with Damon’s ‘special treatment’ massage which does not live up to her standards. Playing Claudia was pretty special experience because she is a comedic character who serves a comedic purpose in the film, because she gets heavily upset with a massage treatment that isn’t done up to her expectations. She stirs up tension between Diego and Tony who own the massage parlor that caters for women that need extra special sexual care… The challenge in this film was coming in on the day of shooting and trying to bond with the two male leads, Karltun Moreno and Spencer Mathis, in such a short amount of time. Getting to know another actor’s way of working is limited and there’s a certain amount of time pressure. Another element was that I was just wearing a towel in the scene, so it was challenging for some people to take everyone seriously…

In Fools’ Errand I played a drug and sex addict named Remi. I felt dirty and slutty playing this character. It’s harder for me as an actor to play a lower class low life character that has more superficial and primal morals and goals. In the film Remi tries to convince Mike to cheat on his girlfriend by supplying him drugs and sexual pleasures in order to rope him into her world. Remi is a drug addict who will do anything for money. In order for me to give such a ‘low life’ unambitious character some credibility and humanity, I played her very sympathetically in the last scene where Mike leaves her to go back to Sharon, his girlfriend.
I was featured in the spoof film Dr. Quinn Morphine Woman with Jane Seymour, and I played a local cowgirl who feared the return of Dr. Quinn who was medicating everyone with morphine. This was a very small cast and crew, and one of the memorable things I experienced is that all the women shared a dressing room together on this really dusty ranch in the middle of nowhere. So basically I saw Jane Seymour naked, and that woman still looks as good as when she was a Bond Girl back in the day!
 
How about television projects?

BL: In the reality styled TV show Sex in Public that was just release  in October on TLC I appear as a young girl who is gets tangled up in an internet romance in the 5th and 6th episode of the show. In Die Boland Moorde I played an actress whose co-actor gets killed in the first episode. This was an Afrikaans South African TV series that was shown on the KykNet TV channel. I was very comfortable as I knew most of the crew and cast, because on the other episodes I worked as a gaffer on this series. So it was interesting to be behind and in front of the camera on the same TV show. The challenge in this was that I had Afrikaans dialogue. Until this project, I had never appeared on TV talking Afrikaans.

They are all very different, what made you choose to participate in these projects?

BL: We as human beings are very interesting creatures; we have a lot of different heritage, culture and social influences. All the characters I choose to play, I tend to relate to on a deeper level. The thing I choose to do is delve into my past roots (eg. My ethnicity is German, thus I played a German woman subjected to NS rape), I delved into the different cultures I grew up in, thus one of them being South African (I ended up getting an Afrikaans speaking South African UN military role), language is also very important. I can speak 3 languages fluently (English, German and Afrikaans) and as soon as I embraced those cultures surrounding those languages within me, it is easier for me to relate to the characters. 
​
You get approached all the time to work on projects with people, what makes you pick one role over another?

BL: Language, culture, social norms and patterns, and heritage are extremely important for me when choosing projects. If I relate to them on any level, I will give my best to do the character justice. Also, I like a challenge. I love thinking outside the box and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. So if I don’t think I can relate to the character on those above-mentioned levels, I will try finding something else that does make me relate to a character. I love human psychology and am amazed how the human brain thinks, (personally, in a partnership and in a social setting) how humans feel and relate to each other and how people are driven and motivated by different emotions. This amazes me, and is very different to every single character that I have played.

Can you list some of the theatre projects you've participated in up until now, and the roles you’ve played?

BL: Smells Like Poor I did earlier this year and played the character Birgit. This was the first time the project was staged in English, and it was directed and written by Agusto Latino. Last year I played Teresa in Italian American Reconciliation and Maggie in Cat on the Hot Tin Roof both at the Victory Theatre in Los Angeles. Back home is South Africa, I performed in many contemporary and realist plays such as Julie in Stindberg’s Miss Julie and Celily in Oscar Wild’s Importance of being Earnest.

What has been your favorite project so far and why?

BL: My favorite project so far most probably is Maquisard. That was such an interesting project to have acted in, because I liked the action training in it. I loved putting my stunt training to use, and the cast and crew were so great to work with. We shot outside of LA for a few days in the desert and we all lived together and bonded.

What has been your most challenging role?

BL: The most challenging role I have played is actually a project that we just shot last month. It is called Cans and Candles, and I play a starving lesbian actress in LA. This was challenging because a) I’m heterosexual, so I had to delve into making the relationship of my lesbian partner realistic and show that we had substance and history in our partnership and b) make the character’s life circumstances realistic by eating out of cans for a few days and counting every penny that I spent. This project will soon be released and sent to festivals. The director on this project gave us a lot of freedom by trusting me and my co-star and letting us experiment with the emotional highs and lows of the script.

What is your favorite genre to work in as an actor?

BL: My favorite genres are action and drama. Action because I have a lot of stunt training and have always been good with my physical movements. Drama because I feel that we get to experience life on a higher and more intense level, which becomes euphoric to portray.

What separates you from other actors? What are your strongest qualities?

BL: I have theatre training; therefore I try understanding every character I play on a much deeper level, that being physical, psychological, sociological, physiological and socio-economical. And with that theatre training, it enables me to breakdown the script and build up a character with technique. I am also very multi-cultural and have probably seen a lot more of the world than any other girl my age --I was born in South Africa, a third world country, to white German middle class parents, got my degree, traveled to Europe and worked as a caretaker for elderly people for a year and then moved to the states alone to pursue acting. And all these experiences have given me a lot to take from the world around me, and a lot of world wise maturity and experience that I bring to characters.

Can you list some of the people you’ve worked with that our readers might know?

BL: I’ve worked with Chris Pine (I was featured in Wet Hot American Summer), Brandon Mychal Smith (featured in You’re the Worst), Angie Harmon (in Rizzolli and Isles), James D’Arcy (Marvel’s Agent Carter), Cuba Golding Jnr, John Travolta, Steve Aoki and many more A-listers. 

What projects do you have coming up?

BL: I have a film project coming up next year with the same director of Fives. The new project is called Demystifying Love. I can’t say too much about that yet. And then I'm also in the process of writing my first dramatic film called www.amour or alternatively called White Slave, which challenges the Internet dating scene these days and how women are targeted to false personas.

What are your plans for the future?

BL: My plan for the next year is to focus on commercials and hopefully land a big national commercial. After that, hopefully land a series regular role on a TV show. And eventually my end goal is become a working film actress who produces really good work. I don’t care if I become rich or famous, those things are fleeting. What I really care about is producing a really good quality body of work in my life where people can look up to and be inspired from.

What do you hope to achieve in your career as an actor?
​
BL: What I want to do as an actress is to change the world through my work. I want to inspire people to think in a different way, and I want to challenge people’s imagination. Specific themes that lie close to my heart at this point of time in my life are: women power and the abuse of women (physical and emotional). I feel like women in this day and age need empowerment and need positive reinforcement ALL over the world in order to escape victimization.
 
Why is acting your passion and chosen profession?
 
BL: Acting is my passion because I like to live and explore someone else’s world for the improvement of humanity. The need to express various characters in this art form brings the possibility of inspiring other peoples lives through the characters I portray, and I hope these stories change their lives for the better. Even if it seems like a farfetched idea, changing someone’s life on a miniscule level can mean the world to that one person. This is the beauty of the process of filming a story.
 
 

From advertising to entertainment, an editor's work can mean the difference between an audience connecting with the story or message presented, or tuning out.

Having been tapped by Emmy nominated television shows, global brands including Heineken, Sony and Coca-Cola, and some of the world's biggest mass media companies, multitalented editor Said Franco is known for his ability to bring out the heart of a story in the final product. He gets the message across in a way that makes it impossible for audiences to turn away.

Franco admits, "My greatest satisfaction is to be able to transmit emotion through my editing."

Whether he is editing music videos, films, television shows or commercial projects—one thing remains constant, and that is the need to seamlessly sew the shots together in a way that tells the story in the best way possible.

Originally from Mexico, Franco is renowned for his ability to effectively piece together footage in the most captivating way, something he has proven on countless occasions.

While working as a lead editor for Multivisión, Franco was responsible for editing a long list of popular television shows including the entertainment news program Almohadazo, the late night talk show El Ultimo Pitazo, the daily variety show Tu casa TV, the lucha libre freestyle wrestling program CMLL, as well as Nocturninos and Score Final.

"I’ve always thought that editing was like solving a puzzle. Once you receive all the material, you have to find the best way to create the film," explains Franco. "The thing that I love is that every time I finish a project, I am surprised with the final video. It’s like my idea finally becomes a reality."

Franco was the editor of the music video for the two-time MTV Video Music Award nominated band División Minúscula's hit single "Voces." The fact that the video garnered more than one million views on YouTube makes is an astonishing testament to Franco's ability to captivate an audience. He also edited the music video for the song "Miedo A Caer" by the Indi-O Music Award nominated rock band, Ruido Rosa.

"One of my abilities is that I understand the mind of the director," says Franco.

"For these two videos when we sat down in pre-production he made his ideas clear, which made the process way easier. I’ve studied how to edit different videos and music videos a lot over the years, and all of that effort is what helps me when I sit down with the director to cut a video."

As an editor at Ranch Studios, Franco's work was critical to the success of the live broadcast videos of the Vive Latino concert series between 2013 and 2014. Franco lent his editing talents to 27 concerts from the series, which included bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tame Impala, Silversun Pickups, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros and many others, with each televised event reaching over two million viewers. He also worked on the televised broadcast of Miley Cyrus's "Bangerz Tour" in Gaudalajara, Jalisco, which he later edited into a DVD for distribution that included footage from the entire tour across Mexico.   

While at Rancho Studios Franco was also chosen to work on Heineken's highly popular 2013 Champions League campaign. Franco used highlights from the Heineken sponsored UEFA Champions League soccer games in Spain and edited them into commercials for the company that were broadcast all over Europe and Latin America. 

"After each game I edited a 3 minute video that was sent to the different networks in Spain (TVE, Antena 3, Telecinco) and Latin America (Televisa, Tv Azteca, Multivison, Edemol, Caracol)," recalls Franco. "In total I edited 25 games and 6 events."

As an editor Said Franco has proven that his talents are beyond diverse, a facet of his skillset that has not only continued to keep him working non-stop, but has also brought countless projects and companies astonishing success.

After garnering the first prize Commercial Print Award at the well-known International Model and Talent Association Competition for men between the ages of 18 and 22 in 2013, Steven Van Nguyen went straight to the top of both the American and Canadian entertainment industries as a highly sought after model and actor. The IMTA competition has become a launch pad for the careers of a long list of today's celebrities including international supermodels Grayson Gettys, Branden Rickman, Tyson Ballou, Madeline Kragh and Mariah Watchman, and high-profile actors Katie Holmes, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria, Elija Wood, Seann William Scott, Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel. With the history of successful talents the competition has already been credited with discovering, Nguyen's rise to stardom comes as no surprise.  The IMTA recently asked Steven to be their spokesmen at the IMTA 2015 convention in New York City where he will talk about the success he has found as an actor and a model since competing in the competition in 2013. The 2015 IMTA convention will be held from July 20-24 at the New York Hilton Midtown Manhattan Hotel.

As an actor Steven Van Nguyen has starred in a long list of productions including the films Checkmate, The White Samurai, Add To Cart, Cheese The Musical, M.E.G.O, Deception and Social Media Critique, as well as the shows The Amazing Gayl Pile, Haphead and UNDERside. A testament to Nguyen's talents as an actor, the series Haphead, in which he plays the leading role of Leicester, was chosen as an Official Selection of the 2015 HollyWeb Fest and Vancouver Web Fest. He was also featured in a video for hip hop artists HOTB,which was directed by Manee Osman, and recently aired nationally in Canada on Globe TV. 

Nguyen is passionate about using his fame to defy global stereotypes surrounding Asian people, with a primary focus on Asian males.  Last year Nguyen was in the documentary film Project Gelb, which aired on Bell Fibe TV and focused on fighting Asian male stereotypes in North America.

Nguyen explains, "I was interviewed about my win on IMTA 2013 in NYC and how that broke a lot of stereotypes on Asian men not being attractive compared to other ethnicities, and I found the experience extremely fulfilling because everything I have done in my life and my career has been the opposite of typical Asian stereotypes, so I was able to debunk a lot of false perceptions and show that we are all human and success is based on the individual not on their ethic origin."

Project Gelb was directed by multi-award winning artist and director Francis Luta, whose work as an artist has appeared in galleries across Germany and Canada, and has garnered him the 2013 IIDEX Silver Innovation Award, the 2010 Bezpala Brown Gallery Jury Award and the Bezpala Brown Gallery People’s Choice Award, the 2010 Motorola Webber Seavey Award, as well as an Advertising Award from the School of Design at George Brown College in 2008. About Nguyen's work in the film, Luta says, "[Steven] was a delight to work with on the documentary Project Gelb with his high energy and an “I’ll do what it takes” type of attitude. He was a key contributor that represented a younger demographic with a fresh point-of-view on the subject matter."

While Steven Van Nguyen has created a reputation for himself as a versatile actor whose capacity for playing roles across various genres ensures that he will never get pigeonholed into playing the same role over and over again, a common pitfall for many of the best actors currently working in the Hollywood entertainment industry, Nguyen admits there are some roles he won't play.  "I won’t play any roles that support Asian stereotypes like the nerd, kung fu master, low life, anti social etc."

In addition to his acting career, Nguyen has had great success as a model as well. After winning the coveted award at the 2013 IMTA Competition Nguyen was featured in a four-page spread in Boss Magazine. The talented young model went on to be featured in a nationwide print ad for the Canadian Aids Society, as well as several campaigns for companies including AskforTask, Arroware Anti-privacy, Maniwonders, Onyx Barber Shop and others. Aside from his spread in Boss Magazine, Nguyen has been featured in FrameInn, Atomic Poison, Jahlmar, as well as several other magazines.

Steven Van Nguyen has also become a highly recognizable face in the Canadian public due to his roles in several television commercials. Some of the advertising productions Nguyen has been featured in include commercials for Emerald City Condos, Clipter, Emoteplay, Voxx Sports and Tim Horton's. While Nguyen's commercial look is the perfect fit for print ads and TV commercials, he is also know for his ability to strut his stuff on the runway. Nguyen has walked in several shows including Moore’s Fashion Show, Niagara Bridal Fashion Show, Hamilton Bridal Fashion Show, Club Roma Fashion Show, Diversity Fashion Show, Culture Shock Fashion Show and others.

If it isn't already clear from his impressive repertoire of work as both an actor and a model that Steven Van Nguyen is one of the most diversely talented individuals working in the Canadian entertainment industry today, his work on the show Health Core, as well as his contributions to various podcasts serve as further proof. Nguyen wrote, produced and starred in the show Health Core, which was broadcast every week online through CIB 24.

He says, "I would educate the viewers on fitness, dieting, sleep and anything dealing with a person's well being. For example, I did an episode where I talked about how eating frozen or canned foods isn’t the same as eating fresh foods due to the high sodium content needed to preserve can food."

As this talented young actor and model continues to defy Asian stereotypes with his unparalleled international success in the entertainment industry, Steven Van Nguyen proves the sky is the limit.