The Latest on Dania Denise: January 2014

Happy 2014, everybody!

I know, I know, we're already getting into mid-January and I'm a bit late on doing a celebratory kind of blog post, lol, but I decided to jump right into my traditional informative posts to kick things off because I'd been getting a lot of emails asking for info about modeling contracts lately so I wanted to address that request sooner than later.

So consider this post my backwards way of making things correct in a timely manner. ;-)

Normally I wait a few more months in between doing "The Latest on Dania Denise" posts but I figured it is a new year and why not share with my readers what I've been doing now that we're in 2014?

Actor Mode

Being a model and actor certainly has its benefits. When work slows down in one category, it's like a rule of nature for projects to pick up in the other category. The holiday season meant a slow one for modeling so I got a chance to unwind and be lazy. However, shortly after New Year's Eve, I began booking more acting work, including a local TV commercial.

I've missed being in front of the camera and had a blast on the various acting gigs I've been on so far this month. Looking forward to booking many more in 2014!

Spring Bridal Fashion Season

Another year, another season of bridal shows! I'll be returning in February to participate as one of the regular bridal models for the Bay Area Wedding Fairs. There will be a casting call sometime later this month to find new faces and, as has become custom, I'll be helping out with the process by being the first person the attendees meet at the casting, informing them of what the panel is looking for, demonstrate a walk and help them practice before heading in to see the casting director.

I love being a part of the casting process, meeting all the people and seeing who gets to be a part of our bridal modeling family.

Prom Fashion Show

One of the shops I've worked with regularly through the bridal shows, ended up inviting me to be a model for their upcoming fashion show, which is all about showcasing the latest prom dresses for 2014.

The 2014 PROM SPECTACULAR...WHERE OUR HEART IS IN FULL BLOOM event is actually scheduled for the same day as the first bridal show in February. The good news is that it's an evening show, whereas the bridal show is in the morning. It'll be a tight schedule but definitely doable. For this show, I'll have between 2-3 dress changes and my fitting will be the first week of February.

Doing new fashion shows is always exciting and I can't wait to see what designs I'll get to wear. I'll be sure to share photos and hopefully video (if available) from the event.

To be honest, I'm very amused at the fact that I'll be modeling prom dresses for high school girls and I haven't been in high school for over 10 years now. Is that ironic or what? LOL.

Pageants, Sashes & Crowns, Oh, My!

Some of you may or may not know that I do coaching and consulting, including pageantry. I've done a small handful of pageants in my day (the last one I did was the 2009 Miss California USA pageant, where I competed as Miss North Bay Area).

For the past few years I've been coaching an extraordinary young lady, Jennifer Smith, who has also become my protege. Well, all the hard work paid off because this past Saturday, Jennifer was crowned 2014's Miss Silicon Valley's Outstanding Teen! Words can't express how proud I am of her and how far we've come to reach this moment.

I was pretty much having a heart attack while Jennifer was being crowned, lol.

Jennifer (left) after the crowning, posing with her friend, who is a fellow titleholder from another pageant and who came to show her support.

Now that she's a titleholder, we'll be going off to Fresno in June to compete in the Miss California Teen pageant. If she wins that, she'll go on to compete for Miss America Teen (I've been told that she'll be required to have her coach--that's me!!!--travel to the pageant with her as her escort and companion). That's far down the road from now but we'll see what happens in Fresno and will take things from there.

Until then, Jennifer will be busy fulfilling the duties of her title and I'm sure this is going to be an amazing year for her. On my end, it's exciting because it's my first win as a pageant coach and that always means more business and networking opportunities. I already have my next student lined up, who wants to compete for next year in the same pageant Jennifer won at. I'm hoping it'll be the first of many students I'll get to coach and help develop into the new generation of young role models society is always in need of.

Shoots

Things are still a bit slow on the modeling end as far as shoots go but that's cool because I'm continuing to be selective in who I work with and what opportunities I'll accept and which ones I'll pass on. I did get contacted by a male model I worked with years ago through the bridal shows, who expressed interest in doing a couples shoot.

He just moved back to the Bay Area and I was happy to hear from him. I'm looking forward to shooting with him and creating some really hot (yet classy) editorial images that will benefit both our portfolios.

My agent has been gung-ho on booking me for acting work these days so when I get free time away from the other businesses I run, I plan on ramping up my freelance modeling efforts and snagging some great modeling gigs so I can get more tearsheets to add to my portfolio.

_______________________________________

So far January has been good to me and it makes me even more excited about the rest of the year to come! As always, be on the lookout for new informative posts and other tidbits as they relate to my career. Oh, and guess what? I found the photos from my first very test shoot as a model back when I first started at age 15! I'll be sharing those photos and reminiscing about what my first test shoot experience was like and how that helped bring me to where I am today.

It's a new year, folks, and there's no time like the present to set the bar for success even higher!