ADVANCED SCREENING – Pets & Pickers focuses on the great work of RAPS! Be the first to see this new show coming to Discovery Channel Canada!
About this event
Pets & Pickers tells the story of the entire RAPS organization and our lifesaving work!
But you are invited to an exclusive screening of the first episode! Celebrate this achievement with us as we prepare to share the RAPS story with the world!
This is a real cause for celebration!
Tickets: $25.00 plus $2.00 service charge. Tickets include popcorn, mingling with the emerging STARS, a few welcoming words and the first-ever public viewing of what we are sure will be a new smash hit TV series coming to Discovery Channel Canada!
SPACE IS VERY LIMITED. Do not miss out.
Cash bar will be available. (19+ … Bring your ID!)
Independent record label Predominant Studios’ CEO Jacqueline Best is the next up and coming music mogul redefining the next generation of music
Jacqueline is one of the recipients of North America’s Top 40 under 40 and will accept her award in New York on June 30, 2022
For Immediate Release: Predominant Studios’ CEO Jacqueline Best is said to be the next up-and-coming music mogul. She is redefining the next generation of music signing such musicians as Country artists Bryce Allan and Jason Kirkness, Hip Hop Artist Mr. ESQ, and more. Based in British Columbia’s lower mainland Predominant Studios is experiencing extraordinary growth in 2022.
Jacqueline Best, an artist, and musician herself wanted to offer help that all independent artists would need so she created Predominant Studios offering expertise in the field as well as fostering an ethos that prioritizes assisting musicians in an industry where competition is stiff and there is little to no support for some artists.
Although Predominant Studios has only been operating for a year, it has become a hub for many musicians, with artists already approaching the firm to either sign them or help them handle their arrangements with other indie companies. Predominant has now signed 17 music-recording artists and 45 independent artists so far, with many more to come, growing its roster by 85% in just a year. Her company has been assisting talented musicians through creating fair contracts, music business consultations, and career coaching.
“We not only provide services to our aligned musicians, but we also provide services to independent artists, assisting them in navigating the complicated music industry and its different processes. As well as safeguarding their best interests, they must also be protected from music business fraud.” According to Jacqueline Best.
Additionally, Predominant Studios has signed as partner Chris “The Glove” Taylor, a pioneering multi-platinum producer, as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Taylor has collaborated with huge names like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and a slew of other important industry figures and LA musicians. Taylor will be assisting Jacqueline in achieving its objective of becoming a preeminent label in the music industry. “I’m very excited to be a part of the Predominant Studios family, and can’t wait to bring our new music and art to the Metaverse,” According to Taylor.
Some of Taylor’s music productions include Ice-T’s “Reckless”, Dr. Dre’s song “Stranded On Death Row” and Snoop Dogg’s “Doggy Dogg World. Taylor has also served as Music Coordinator, Programmer, and Assistant Composer for the series American Soul, Played By Fame, Tiny & Toya, The Parkers, Frankie & Neffie, and Monica’s Still Standing, with song placements. With Taylor on board, Predominant Studios has a chance to become one of the world’s largest music production organizations.
Recently announced as one of North America’s Top 40 Under 40 Awards Jacqueline will travel to Manhattan, New York to celebrate and accept her award on June 30th, 2022. Best’s nomination for the prestigious “40 Under 40” Awards. Business Elite Awards’ officials named her “one of North America’s leaders and industry disruptors with the undoubted attitude, quality, potential, desire, determination, and ambition to shape the world of business over the coming decades. This year’s Business Elite’s “40 Under 40” Awards will be handed out during the official Gala Dinner in Manhattan, at the historic luxurious “The St. Regis New York” on June 30, 2022.
Not one to sit still, Jacqueline has also written a book entitled “So they say you can’t. SCREW THEM,” which will be released this year.
In addition to publishing a magazine, Predominant Studios will also be turning into a full NFT label. Because of the Predominant goal and genuine service, there is no doubt that this music production will become one of the best labels in the industry.
Jacqueline Best will be in attendance at Canada’s Juno Awards hosted by Simu Liu in Toronto on May 15, 2022, and available for interviews.
For more information, interviews and photos please contact publicist:
Being Erica’s Erin Karpluk plays Anna Benoit, the new girlfriend to lead Eddie Saville (David Giuntoli) onA Million Little Thingsairing on ABC & the W Network Wednesday nights at 10/9C, streaming on Hulu.
Erin can also be seen on all five seasons of Family Channel’s award-winning series Holly Hobbie premiering throughout the year in Canada, and on Disney Channel and Universal Kids in the US.
Award-winning actress Erin Karpluk is pleased to add her role as Anna Benoit on ABC’s A Million Little Things to her long list of TV and film credits. Anna was first introduced as a sex offender’s wife, but the producers enjoyed Erin’s portrayal so much that they wrote her into a much more involved recurring arc. Once Anna discovers the truth about her husband Peter (Andrew Leeds) when he is exposed, she files for divorce and begins a new chapter dating Eddie, played by Grimm’s David Giuntoli. They have a deeply vulnerable and at times awkward journey finding support in each other as their relationship unfolds. Anna finds strength after her husband’s betrayal, and Eddie learning to navigate life in a wheelchair after a car accident finds these two on a delicate but beautiful path to find love again. Both characters struggle with addiction, which covers just one of the poignant and hard themes the series explores. Originally only booked for a few episodes at the end of Season 3, Erin’s character became a staple appearing in almost every episode of Season 4. A Million Little Things can be seen on ABC and the W Network in Canada on Wednesday nights at 10/9C and streaming on Hulu. The first three seasons can be found on Amazon Prime & Citytv / Global TV.
With almost 100 titles on IMDb, Erin has enjoyed a versatile career playing a myriad of leading roles in every genre. Currently, Erin’s character Katherine runs the Hobbie family in all 5 seasons of Family Channel’s award-winning series Holly Hobbie premiering Season 3-5 throughout 2022, airing in the US on the Disney Channel and Universal Kids. 2021 kept Erin busy shooting guest spots on NBC’s Debris, and the CW’s Nancy Drewand Two Sentence Horror Story. During this time Erin commuted to Vancouver Island where she recurred on the highly popular Netflix series Maidopposite Margaret Qually and Billy Burke. Erin appeared as two different characters in two seasons of the anthology Slasheron Netflix. Her role as Pepper is the first crossover character to be featured in both 911, and 911 Lone Star, opposite Rob Lowe and Angela Bassett on FOX.
Erin has had a leading role in 18 movies, including Suddenlywith Dominic Purcell and Ray Liotta, Reasonable Doubt opposite Samuel L Jackson and Dominic Cooper, and Bailout, again with Purcell and Edward Furlong. The hit comedy, A Swingers Weekendwon the best ensemble at the Canadian Film Festival and Erin also received a Best Actress award for her role in the Web Series Riftworld Chronicles, which also won best Web Series at the LA Web Series Festival.
Alberta-born Karpluk first started to make waves after landing a part in FOX’s Dark Angel, for which award-winning director James Cameron handpicked her to play the pregnant X5 Gem. Karpluk received her first big break when she booked the Series Lead playing “Kate” on Godiva’s, which earned her a 2006 Gemini nomination for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. This notoriety led Erin to star as ‘Erica’ in the hit CBC series Being Erica, which had 4 seasons airing in over 180 countries. Her performance garnered a Gemini Award for Best Actress in 2009, a Leo Award for Best Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series in 2010, along with 5 more performance nominations.
Erin has since recurred on Showtime’s Masters of Sexopposite Michael Sheen, ABC’s Rookie Blue, Global’s Saving Hope, CW’s Life Unexpected, Hallmark’s A Fixer Upper Mysteries, and the L Word. Erin played Molly Ringwald’s sister, in a Recurring Guest Star Role for Disney XD’s Raising Expectations. She has Guest Starred twice on CW’s Supernatural, and also on an episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
Erin is busy with roles in both the US and Canada. She was born and raised in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in beautiful Jasper National Park with the wilderness as her backyard playing hockey, skiing, backcountry hiking, and skating on frozen lakes. Erin remains an avid nature lover and is always excited to explore every city she films in. After graduating as a theatre major from UVIC Erin moved to Vancouver where her television/film career happened very quickly. She loves to stay active and has participated in triathlons, marathons, and a half-ironman in Hawaii, where she raised awareness and funds for the BCSPCA and World Vision. As an avid traveler, Erin is thrilled to have worked in Scotland, Prague, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, various cities in the US including LA, and almost every major city in Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Sudbury, St. John’s). Erin splits her time between her homes in LA and Vancouver.
For more information, interviews, & photos please contact:
The feature documentary BEYOND VANITY discovers a community of hair artists and spiritual guides that radically redefine hairdressing
A Hair Better Production and Mona Leung are pleased to announce that the feature documentary BEYOND VANITY celebrates 3 festival laurels, 3 film distributors, and Mona’s 30th year in the hair industry. Mona is a successful hairstylist who embarks on a quest to re-imagine her life’s work – and discovers a community of hair artists and spiritual guides that help her radically redefine hairdressing. BEYOND VANITY is a one-hour documentary that closely follows Mona as she approaches each pivotal moment in the discovery process, both on a professional and personal level. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/547731473
Award-winning career hairstylist Mona Leung discovers the chemicals she’s using to make her clients more beautiful… are killing her. Searching for alternatives – and a deeper connection to the work she loves – she embarks on a ten-thousand-mile journey. From her west coast home, Mona makes stops in Arizona, California, Nepal, and Hong Kong. Along the way, Mona encounters many influences – from innovative hairdressers that are revolutionizing the art and technology of hair to Buddhist monks that shave their heads during their spiritual training. Mona’s eyes are opened to new philosophies, approaches, and techniques that take her perception of hairstyling to an entirely new place. Returning home, Mona takes a different kind of trip. With Shamanic guidance, her life’s purpose is revealed: to synthesize what she’s learned to develop her own unique practice. Mona invites close friends, fellow hairdressers, and alternative healers to a retreat of discovery. Traveling deep within, she brings through a personal care system that combines holistic ceremony with high-end hair styling. Her revolutionary approach is one that revitalizes each client’s appearance by connecting with, celebrating, and reflecting their true inner beauty. She discovers a unique personal care system that combines holistic ceremony with high-end hairstyling – one that revitalizes clients’ appearance through celebrating their true nature.
Mona Leung’s successful career as an internationally renowned hairstylist spans three amazing decades. What started, as a personal interest at an early age became her passion. Mona quickly made a name for herself in this highly competitive industry. However, despite her many accolades, the incredibly long hours and constant exposure to toxic beauty products were taking a toll on her health and well-being. The catalyst for change arrived when she became pregnant with her first child, and out of necessity, Mona decided it was time to search for a more natural, holistic approach to her work.
Mona’s path to becoming “The Conscious Hairdresser” was originally fuelled by her individual desire to do and feel better. To her amazement, she met many like-minded individuals along the way who shared her newfound vision and direction. Although unconventional and a relatively unknown practice, this new community further empowered Mona to continue her quest to bring mindful and holistic practices into a beauty industry that thrives on fuelling vanity.
Mona has since successfully integrated her new knowledge and customs into her current work. In addition to always searching for the best and healthiest products, she also provides her clients powerful Hair Ceremonies, which fuses ancient healing technologies with modern cutting techniques.
Embarking on this journey was an eye-opening and life-changing experience for Mona, and she knew it was meant to be shared.
Beyond Vanity is being distributed worldwide by Lightning International, And Now Global, and FilmOption.
For more information and interviews with Mona please contact:
WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman’ Hart has signed on to star in the upcoming feature film crime drama The Outlaw Murders
The Crowdfunding campaign invites wrestling and movie fans to contribute to receive a copy of the video game Hitman Highway starring Bret Hart for PC and Android devices
The Sewell Brothers Stephen, Eric and Ian are pleased to announce that they have signed world-wide wrestling legend and actor Bret Hart to star in their upcoming feature film crime drama The Outlaw Murders. https://youtu.be/u2Cq-JSX2h4
The film follows an experienced police detective (Bret Hart) with a chequered past who has been tasked with conducting an investigation of a mass murder involving a biker gang he was once a part of. Employing an improvisational technique the mystery behind the murders will unfold throughout the picture as a unique cast of characters share their personal versions of the events under the pressure of a police interrogation. The film will cut back and forth between depictions of the present day investigation, the past events surrounding the murders and the back-story behind each character. The Outlaw Murders will provide the audience with a healthy blend of who-done-it mystery, deep character study, dark humor and action packed gunplay. This film is being crowd-funded on Indiegogo from February 1st to April 2nd 2022 at the following link: https://igg.me/at/outlaw-murders
Every man has a past. For some it can provide a source of inspiration, for others it would soon be forgotten. In the case of Inspector Carlisle (Bret Hart) in The Outlaw Murders the story lands somewhere in between. Introduced to the outlaw biker life by his father, Carlisle seemed destined to a life of criminality and lawlessness. Things took a dramatic turn when his father succumbed to a drug overdose during a period of incarceration. Determined to avoid a similar unwelcome fate, Carlisle rejected the criminal biker world and joined the local police force. Now, after several decades of dedicated public service, he must come face to face with his past when he is assigned to investigate a mass murder involving associates from his earlier biker days. Forced to sort through a puzzle of blood, bodies, bikes and bullets, Inspector Carlisle’s investigative skills and experience will be put to a test that will define his life in law enforcement.
For over two decades, Bret Hart thrilled audiences the world over having been the main attraction for some of the largest and most high profile professional wrestling events in the world. Winning multiple championships in both the single and tag team circuits, Bret lived up to his well-earned nicknames of “the excellence of execution” and “the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.” As an actor, he’s worked across multiple mediums including playing the role of Luther Root on the television series Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years as well as portraying himself in cartoon form in a hilarious and quotable guest appearance on The Simpsons. A man of many talents, Bret is also a published author having published an autobiography in 2007, titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling.
Filmmakers Ian, Stephen and Eric Sewell grew up on a rural property in Langley, British Columbia Canada. Their enthusiasm for filmmaking began in their early teens when they first got their hands on a camcorder. Starting off with shorts that spoofed popular genres involving ninjas and police the brothers eventually moved onto more ambitious feature length projects. This eventually led into the professional world with the commercial release of their previous films 100 Miles from Hell and Muskie Point.
All donations to The Outlaw Murders crowdfunding campaign over $10 will receive a copy of the video game Hitman Highway starring Bret Hart for both PC and Android devices. Hitman Highway is a fun high score based driving game where you shoot and manoeuvre your car through a variety of enemies and obstacles.
The Outlaw Murders is being crowdfunded on Indiegogo from February 1st to April 2nd 2022. Contributions are accepted at the following link: https://igg.me/at/outlaw-murders
Stephen Sewell is available for interviews upon request.
Canadian Horror Thriller Ditched starring Marika Sila and Mackenzie Gray will be released on VOD on January 18 and Blu-Ray on February 15, 2022
Producer Mark Sommer is pleased to announce that the Canadian horror-thriller Ditched will be released on VOD on January 18 and Blu-Ray on February 15th. Written and directed by Christopher Donaldson Ditched is being distributed in North America on VOD/Blu-Ray release by Epic Pictures on their Dread Presents genre label.
A routine prison transfer crashes in the forest and desperate to escape an overturned ambulance a group of paramedics is trapped with violent prisoners. A young Inuit paramedic Melina (Marika Sila) finds herself surrounded by murderers with a mere 100 feet to climb out of a ditch to escape when they are attacked by an unseen force in the forest, Melina’s short journey to safety becomes the ultimate contest of wills. The group quickly discovers that they are the victims of an ambush with the perpetrators hunting them down one by one.
Ditched stars the multi-talented indigenous actress Marika Sila who came to mainstream attention in her breakout role of Sergeant Yuka Mongoyak in Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone remake. Marika’s most recent recurring role on Tribal is airing on APTN. She also specializes in stunts and special skills including hoop dancing, fire spinning, sword, and staff handling. One of Vancouver’s most venerable award-winning actors Mackenzie Gray (Man of Steel, Legions, Fargo, Riverdale) also stars. Horror fans will know Mackenzie from his most notable roles including Rabid (2019) and Grave Encounters (2011). Ditched features a pumping synth soundtrack with guitar elements created by musician Clayton Worbeck (Revolting Cocks/Ministry).
Writer/Director Christopher Donaldson developed Ditched as an 80’s inspired horror-thriller. Shot in Edmonton, Canada Ditched answers the question of “What would you do if you were in the middle of nowhere, injured, and you’re being hunted by “something” in the night? A very basic fear that formed the bones of the story, which then goes in a direction you don’t see coming.
Filmmakers Christopher Donaldson and Mark Sommer have long careers in both film/TV and music. Christopher comes from a background of screenwriting, storyboarding, and directing commercials. He is one of Canada’s most in-demand storyboard artists working on TV series like The Flash, Lost in Space, Legends of Tomorrow, and Superman & Lois in addition to the horror reboot Child’s Play (2019). Mark comes from a music background as a former artist manager specializing in industrial rock and punk rock working with such industry stalwarts as SNFU and Tim Skold (Shotgun Messiah/Marilyn Manson).
Playing a string of genre favorite festivals in the summer and fall of 2021 that include theatrical screenings at Popcorn Frights Film Festival in Florida, IFI Horrorthon in Ireland, Dead of Night Film Festival in the UK, Monster Fest in Australia plus the digital festivals Cine-Excess in the UK and Molins Horror Film Festival in Spain. Ditched played at EIFF, Rio Grind, and Toronto After Dark Film Festival at home in Canada.
Ditched is available on VOD everywhere on January 18 and Blu-Ray on February 14.
Screener links are available for review/editorial consideration. Filmmakers and select cast are available for interviews
Please contact: Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople | 604-726-5575 for screeners and interview requests
Watch for actor Donald Heng in his leading role as Christian on Two Sentence Horror Stories airing on The CW on January 16, 2022
Most recently Donald guest-starred as ‘Bo Lam’ on the series finale of The Sinner
Donald Heng’s acting career is on a roll as he continues to appear in numerous popular TV series. To start off the New Year, his upcoming role on season 4 of Two Sentence Horror Stories on The CW Network is set to air on January 16. In the episode entitled Plant Life. His character, Christian is a technology-addicted man who receives a strange plant from his boyfriend, but soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body as the plant takes root in his apartment.
Donald has roles in two upcoming feature films Sight and American Dreamer scheduled to be released later this year. Sight starring Terry Chen (Almost Famous, House of Cards) and Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets, Sabrina) is based on the true story of the world’s most influential eye surgeon, Dr. Ming Wang. The film flashes back and forth between the protagonists in present-day as well as in the 1960s-1970s China. Donald plays the protagonist’s father: Zhensheng in all the scenes that take place in the past. The Movie American Dreamer stars Peter Dinklage, Matt Dillon, Shirley MacLaine, and Danny Glover. Donald has a supporting role as Dr. Berton.
Rounding off a successful 2021 was Donald’s guest-starring role as ‘Bo Lam’ in the season/series final of The Sinner onThe USA Network. Donald also treasures his experience playing the character of Deputy Larry Foon on the thrilling Netflix TV series Ghost Wars. This project checked so many boxes for him.
On the big screen, Donald was thrilled to appear alongside some of the biggest stars in Asia for the project Fatal Visit. This role was exceptionally challenging as his character had to speak Mandarin and Cantonese. Other feature film roles include The Art of Racing in the Rain starring Kevin Costner and Milo Ventimiglia.
Donald has had other guest-starring roles including The Flash, The Murders and CBS Ransom. He has appeared on sci-fi TV series including Arrow, Supernatural,The 100, and Van Helsing. He also has a significant role on the Disney TV movie Girl Vs. Monster. Other roles include a recurring role on the popular Netflix series Virgin River. TV Movies’ roles include A Homecoming for the Holidays, Just My Type, and Beverly Hills Wedding.
Donald resides in Vancouver and is focusing on his acting career. He has studied and trained with acting coaches Rick Tae, Jeb Beach, Matthew Harrison, Andrew McIlroy, Ben Ratner, and Robin Nielsen.
Internationally Renowned Comedian Darryl Lenox just released his newest Stand-Up album Super Bloom worldwide with Stand Up! Records
Super Bloom follows his hugely successful Blind Ambition album special
He sees the parallel to his own life that good can follow tragedy
American Comedian Darryl Lenox is pleased to announce that his newest comedy album Super Bloomhas been released worldwide with Stand Up! Records. His newest album follows the hugely successful Blind Ambition album and special. The California wildfires followed by weeks of torrential downpour resulted in fields of beautiful poppies on the state’s hillsides. Lenox sees the parallel to his own life. Good can follow tragedy.
Darryl Lenox, Super Bloom Album
Time plus tragedy is the reputed no-fail recipe for comedy, but tragedy plus time? That’s the formula for your own personal Super Bloom. At precisely the right moment, Darryl Lenox returns with an uproarious new stand-up album and this unexpected message of hope, drawn from observing how horrendous, choking wildfires followed by a season of torrential rains and mudslides created the perfect conditions for a historic wildflower crop that brought tourists back and allowed California’s communities to rebuild. Your own Super Bloom might look different, of course—smaller, more personal, and yet still symmetrical. Once willing to palm some genitals in return for Skittles, for example, Lenox’s recent rainbow of a Super Bloom came in the form of someone willing to apply the sweetness (and then, naturally, remove it) to his own nethers. In years past, it involved Newfoundlanders upending decades-old trauma inflicted by dirtbag racists with their overtly friendly application of some of the very same slurs. Equally filthy and philosophical, Lenox is never far from his core belief that life is incredible, in every sense, nor from his daily affirmation, “I’m health. I’m wealth. I’m success. I’m love.” Yet he knows just as well that he’s also, as an older Black gentleman once confirmed, that comic from Conan, “the real philosophical n—– with the f—– up eyes!” Both visions, to an almost totally blind man, are inarguably accurate pictures. And so, he says, get comfortable with you. Others will follow. They just need time. And to get over it when you accidentally tea-bag them getting into your cab, “Muslim burrito” in one hand, Black Lives Matter sign in the other, then ask to be dropped off at the nearest riot.
In 2013, Darryl Lenox told Conan O’Brien’s national TV audience he really believed he’d commit suicide if the surgery to save what little vision he had left went wrong. Earlier this year, he woke up one morning to find he was completely blind.
Life has thrown plenty of lemons at Lenox these past eight years. His first wife, whom he remained friends with, called him two years ago with her own thoughts of suicide. Only she followed through with the threat.
In 2018, the divorce papers for his second marriage came through on what would have been his 10-year wedding anniversary.
But Lenox is philosophical. Always has been. He makes the best damn lemonade in the business. He has gone from notoriety from his fear of blindness to becoming, as he describes it, a “more whole” human being albeit without his sight.
Throughout these troubles, where he has had to learn to become dependent on other people, he has gotten funnier – and even more introspective than he already was. While the world changes around him, Lenox hasn’t, for example, seen a masked citizenry, never seen the George Floyd video. He’s not emotionally attached to otherwise hot-button issues; rather he feeds off the energy of those he speaks with and therefore can be a more objective observer of life.
Darryl Lenox has gone from Blind Ambition to totally blind and still as ambitious as ever. Somewhere in between his own personal super bloom happened.
He’s always had that Yoda-like wisdom, doling out advice to young comedians like Seth Rogen, who included Lenox’s words of wisdom in his book Year Book (the audio version includes Darryl himself reciting those very words).
From Seattle to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to New York to Florida, wherever the work has taken him, Lenox has always kept a place in his adopted hometown of Vancouver, BC, where he learned to be the awe-inspiring comedian he is today.
Darryl Lenox has appeared on Starz, A&E’s “Evening at the Improv,” BET’s “Comic View,” “Best of BET’s Comic View Special,” “Best of Just for Laughs Comedy Festival New Year’s Eve Special,” Comedy Central’s “Jamie Foxx’s Laffa Polooza,” and Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.”
ABOUT STAND UP! RECORDS
Stand Up! Records is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and run by Grammy Award-winning comedy producer Dan Schlissel. With a growing catalog and more than 200 releases, they have a 20-year history as an incubator for the comedy stars of tomorrow. More than just a record label, it is a comedy brand juggernaut, combining comedy and great art, curating a Roku Stand Up! Channel, discovering new talent and producing comedy festivals.
Award-winning actor and advocate Christine Solomon new book ‘Odd Ed’ has been released
Odd Ed is a story of acceptance and compassion to teach children to see past physical differences
Humanitarian, entrepreneur, spokesperson and award-winning actor Christine Solomon is pleased to announce that her new Children’s book ‘Odd Ed’ has been released on December 1st, 2021. Illustrations by Anastasia Balobanova. ‘Odd Ed’ is a heartfelt story about an egg that does not look like his siblings. Their mom goes off to work and leaves her eggs in her nest by the Michigan Lake. When Ed’s siblings wander off without their mother’s consent, they find themselves trapped by a big long snake. Ed risks his own life to rescue his brothers and sisters. Will Ed survive? Will his siblings ever accept him? Odd Ed is a story of acceptance and compassion. Solomon’s treatment of the issue teaches children to see past physical differences to uncover unique qualities and strengths in others.
Meet Ed. He’s an odd egg.
Unlike his siblings, he looks and behaves a little differently.
He makes his bed. He reads instead.
He waters flowers and boosts them with powers.
But when his siblings make fun of him, they quickly learn that being odd is kind of cool after all.
Anastasia Balobanova is an artist, graphic designer, and illustrator who is noted for conveying emotions in her distinctive style. She is dedicated to making art that inspires, educates, and supports everyone. Anastasia’s unique artistic work has been praised for bringing stories to life. She lives in Russia and holds a BFA in graphic design. Visit https://readymag.com/u1948586168/portfolio/
Christine enjoys inspiring others and sharing her art. She is a supporter of equality, diversification, and inclusion. For her children’s book, she wanted a strong message to instill courage, love, and self-acceptance in children, as well as to teach them not to judge others, because we all have unique qualities.
Award-winning actress Christine Solomon’s work has been exhibited, showcased, and displayed to millions of viewers in Egypt, Canada, and around the world on major television networks and movie studios such as HBO Canada, The Movie Network, Rotana Group (the Arab World’s largest entertainment company owned by the Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talat), Ubisoft, as well as in print, online, and other advertising media.
Solomon has received a nationally recognized Madbakh Awards for her work as an actress; she is also an important contributor for the award-winning productions in which she played a leading or critical role (HELIOPOLIS, BASRA, and BAFTA nominated RAINBOW SIX: SIEGE).
Photo: Efren Beltran Photography
The theatrical trained actor appreciates the opportunity to work for positive causes. She has joined as the lead host for GMC and renowned actor Josh Duhamelʼs campaign BUILDING FOR AMERICAʼS BRAVEST and has raised over 17 million dollars. The campaign reached an impressive 110 million viewers. She is also the spokesperson for the ACNE AND ROSACEA SOCIETY OF CANADA’s Rosacea Awareness Campaign.
Solomon and her work have been the subject of numerous articles in major international publications and media throughout the world, including The National Post, The Globe and Mail, MSN Saudi Arabia, Variety and Screen India among others.
On the other side of the camera, Christine has served on the 25TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS TELEVISION NOMINATING COMMITTEE and has been an official juror at various prestigious film festivals including Scout Film Festival, The Iowa Motion Picture Association Film Festival, End of Days Film Festival, and New York World Film Festival. In 2010 she established Muze Consultancy in Montreal, an acting career consultancy business that continues to encourage and inspire actors.
Most recently Christine has appeared on the TV series “The Detectives”, hosted on camera interviews on the Tom Ford’s fashion show red carpet, worked on “Bullet Ride and “My Stretch of Texas Ground” are now available on Amazon Prime, and has a role in “Jacir” starring Lorraine Bracco now in post production.
Not one to sit still, Christine has a skincare line Aprèm in development and her second children book entitled “Wishing Upon A New Moon” will both be released in 2022.
Christine is available for interviews upon request.
For more information and interviews please contact:
An astounding collection of drawings by the legendary fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga have surfaced and the NFTs will go to auction on Saturday, October 30th.
Balenciaga: the glamorous 1950s. Drawings from the iconic Maison
For Immediate Release:
An astounding collection of drawings by the legendary fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga have surfaced and the NFTs will go to auction on Saturday, October 30th. These pieces of art portray the inner workings of Balenciaga himself during 1950-58, as he paved the way for designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Andre Courreges, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior, and Hubert de Givenchy.
On 30th October 2,000 guests attending the Maxim Halloween event at the iconic Fontainebleau hotel will have the exclusive opportunity to view 9 Cristóbal Balenciaga drawings which feature the early concepts of his now iconic silhouettes and cuts. Alongside the physical unveiling, the 30th October will see a digital launch of 9 NFT collectables from this breathtaking collection.
Cristobal Balenciaga. “If high fashion is an orchestra, Cristóbal Balenciaga has long been its conductor. We fashion designers are the musicians and we only follow his directions”, Christian Dior said of him.
Balenciaga was the first great couturier. An artist who elevated the dress into the form of an idea of an iconic woman, free from the tortures of corsets, unique. “A good fashion designer must be an architect for models, a sculptor for form, a painter for color, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for measurements”, Balenciaga declared in 1968.
For more than 30 years, Cristóbal Balenciaga dressed the most beautiful, elegant and distinguished women in the world, from European royalty and socialites to Hollywood stars to including: Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Countess Mona Von Bismarck, Helena Rubinstein, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Wallis Simpson, Marella Agnelli or Gloria Guinness.
With Balenciaga, ideas might take shape on the page of a sketchbook or on a sheet of hotel notepaper. Fragments of dresses – the construction of a bodice, a single sleeve or the arrangement of a yoke – would be penciled in here and there. Arrows indicate the direction of the fabric, a few words in Spanish give the color – negra or rojo – and add explanations – ‘eos solo en este lado’, ‘de la misma tela’. In the studio, Balenciaga’s assistants translated his suggestions into sketches for the workshops, where the seamstresses made the first ‘canvases’– the early prototypes.
A back view, a detail and a sample of fabric completed this working document, on which the name of the première d’atelier (head seamstress) was mentioned. The name of the model was also mentioned. She would wear the model from the fittings of the ‘canvas’ to the completed garment. And at the end, next to the drawing was also the number on the tag that the model would carry in her hand as she walked down the runway.
The beauty of Maison Balenciaga’s drawings is that they also mirror an extraordinary collective work.
The collectionBalenciaga: the glamorous 1950s. Lorenzo Riva, who was artistic director of Balenciaga in Paris in the eighties, has gathered an astonishing collection of drawings dating back to the period 1950-58. This collection has never been exhibited.
The collection is varied and each drawing is absolutely unique. There are quick and precious drawings by Balenciaga, such as those made in London when he was a guest of the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, in order to create her exclusive clothes: one of these, a romantic cocktail dress, will be unveiled on 30th. And there are drawings on which the whole team of the maison Balenciaga worked, in an overlapping of fabrics pinned together with names and numbers added on the fly: a fascinating artwork that offers a virtual journey from the drawing to the making of the dress. On the sheets of paper are the folds and marks made by the hands of Balenciaga and those who worked with him. There are drawings cut out and glued on another sheet, because that very sketch was considered precious and had to be saved. Each drawing is a project, it contains the seed of an idea destined to become the dream of an entire generation of women. These drawings are alive artworks, able to offer us the emotion of the creation of clothes that have made fashion history in the Fifties.
Lorenzo Riva (1938), the owner of the collection, is an Italian fashion designer. After his first fashion show, when he was only 18 years old, he opened his first atelier and the press was quick to celebrate him. It was 1958. In the Seventies he moved to Paris where he worked with the most famous couturier. For two years, 1980 and 1981, he was the artistic director of the maison Balenciaga, a fundamental experience for his professional training. Then he returned to Milan and dedicated a collection to wedding dresses: they will become his specialty and traditionally close all of his fashion shows. In 1991 the presentation of the haute couture collection in Rome and then the prêt-à-porter, within Milano Collezioni. In the 1996 introduces its dresses to New York, to the Cristinerose Gallery of Soho. Over the years he has created dresses for famous people from the jet set and show business such as Isabella Rossellini, Penélope Cruz, Emmanuelle Seigner, Carmen Maura, Lana Marks, Whitney Houston, Jerry Hall, Chiara Mastroianni, Ivana Trump, Mafalda d’Aosta and Princess Claude de France. A documentary about his life, I am the sun, will soon be in cinemas.
Balenciaga crypto News
In the crypto world, Balenciaga has recently partnered with Fortnight. Fortnight sold $2.5 billion in digital skins during 2018. Now that NFTs and digital sales have blown up, these figures have exponentially increased.
A Fortnite dog man is wearing Balenciaga in this massive 3D Times Square billboard video.
The event.
While attendees at the Fontainebleau Maxim event will get an exclusive look at these drawings in person, the public will have the opportunity to bid online. The auction will be live from Saturday 30 October on EdiXion, the multimedia publishing house of Art Consulting: https://artconsulting.net/nft/ They will also be available to purchase through Opensea.
The curators of the collection Balenciaga: the glamorous 1950s are Romano Ravasio and Marina Pizziolo, founder and partner of Art Consulting (artconsulting.net), while the entire operation is the result of a partnership with Artvein.net.
Tickets to the event: https://www.maximhalloween.com/
Instagram handle @Balenciaga_glamorous_1950s
NFT 2: Green Energy (framed by 500 Balenciaga drawings. The red mark represents the center drawing)
Cristobal Balenciaga, Green energy, Evening dress, 1950 c.
Ink and watercolor on paper, 8,1 x 5,2 inch.
(20,7 x 13,2 cm)
NFT 3: Scheherazade(framed by 500 Balenciaga drawings. The red mark represents the center drawing)
Cristobal Balenciaga, Scheherazade, Ensemble, 1955 c.
Ink, watercolor and pencil on paper, 8 x 5,6 inch.
(20,3 x 14,2 cm)
In the upper right corner “Salvador”: Monsieur Salvador was Premier d’atelier, head seamstress, from 1948 to 1968. In the lower left corner, a note about the fabric: “n. Pieza 2668”.
NFT 4: Turquoise peacock(framed by 500 Balenciaga drawings. The red mark represents the center drawing)
Cristobal Balenciaga, Turquoise peacock, Cocktail dress, 1955 c.
Pencil, fabric and pin on paper, 8,3 x 5,8 inch.
(21 x 14,8 cm)
NFT 1: For Wallis (framed by 500 Balenciaga drawings. The red mark represents the center drawing)
Cristobal Balenciaga, For Wallis, Cocktail dress, November 1951
In the upper right corner “London 11 51”
Pencil on paper, 8,1 x 5,2 inch.
(20,7 x 13,3 cm)
Balenciaga and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, were close friends.
Lorenzo Riva in Milan, 2021
The Company profile of the curators of the collection Balenciaga: the glamorous 1950s
For more information or interviews please contact:
