Our Talent Spotlight of the day is Toronto teen model and actress, Kidan P.
Kidan, who is now a French immersion student in grade 12, has a special past. At 3 years old, she was a poster child for an adoption agency in Ethiopia. Her mother found her through that poster and inquired about her!
Being from the Amhara Tribe in Ethiopia, she only spoke Amharic when she came to Canada. It took 3 months for her to learn English and she is now also fluent in French.
Her life with her family is all that she knows. The only connection she has to Ethiopia are the photos and stories that her family members have shared with her. But Kidan hopes to change that soon and have stories of her own to share about her birth country.
Kidan P. is a stunning young actress and model – a talent of Toronto Acting Agency, Max Agency
Kidan has started trying ot reconnect to her culture. She has discovered Ethiopian Cuisine here in Toronto and have plans to visit the country soon.
“My mom and I hope to return to Ethiopia, to fund a home that enables women to keep their children and not have to worry about famine. We want to help African women learn trades and skills so that they are able to support their families. During the time that they are learning and getting up on their feet, we will take care of their children until they are able to do so.
Most children are adopted because their parents can not afford to feed them. Many children starve to death or die from other illnesses, from things like living in unsanitary conditions or not having clean water. We can teach them how to grow and preserve food, and help by providing clean sources of water. All while teaching them social skill sets that will help them in all areas of their lives.”
Teen Modeling Toronto – Model Agency Toronto – Kidan P.
Kidan is now a beautiful young girl who loves to play with makeup to create different looks in her free time. She enjoys taking care of herself with her skin care routine and being organized with her time.
She also loves baking cakes and cookies and is teaching herself to play the piano. All of that while working as a hostess on the weekends!
Since watching Wizards of Waverly Place when she was little, she has looked up to Selena Gomez as an actress, and has wanted to be on TV too. She has recently joined Max Agency to become an actor and model. She is an impressive young talent whom we are proud to represent.
MAX Agency is a successful acting agency in Toronto, representing men, women, and children. MAX Agency is involved in providing actors, models, and entertainers for the film, television, fashion, and advertising industries.
Todays Talent Spotlight is for Ryan R., who is an actor, rapper, model, and YouTuber.
Ryan started becoming interested in rap at the age of 5. He would rap along while watching music videos of Eminem, 2 Pac, and 50 Cent. He also started rapping about everything around him.
He now has a singing instructor. He still raps and writes his own lyrics. He has performed live twice with his instructor.
Since he was 3 years old, he loved acting and performing in public spaces such as the train or the streets. Being very energetic and creative, he would always act in front of the mirror. As a marvel fan, he is often acts as those characters.
He has been cast on 4 film projects so far including Jack Reacher, The Coroner, Locke & Key, and Zone.
He has also participated in Zara Kids fashion show when he was 9 years old.
He started his own YouTube channel on which he posts videos of him acting, singing, rapping, and gaming. He also posts on his 2 Instagram pages @ryan_lilskate and @ryan_tvshow_
He is a good dancer and is a great football and basketball player. He has a strong interest in WWE matches and knows the characters really well.
Ryan puts a lot of effort into his Instagram and YouTube pages. His main goal is to become a famous actor and singer in Hollywood.
MAX Agency is a successful Toronto acting agency representing men, women, and children. MAX Agency is involved in providing actors, models, and entertainers for the film, television, fashion, and advertising industries.
Max Agency has over 20 years of experience in kids modeling and kids acting in Toronto.
Our Talent Spotlight is for Stella D., who is a passionate actor and mother! She watched the movie Annie with her parents and knew what she wanted to do is sing and dance!
After numerous auditions, she gave up acting, but has now found the way back to her calling. She talked to us about her journey.
Stella D. – Toronto Actor and Model
Stella was very timid growing up, but when her fathers camcorder was on her during family events, she became a different person. Shed sing and put on shows. “It was like magic entered my body and I became alive”, she recalls.
She did not pursue this passion until, at 14 years old, she took modeling classes at Elenor Fulcher in Toronto. “I remember taking the subway by myself. I graduated but nothing came of it because at that time, there were height requirements to be a runway model and at 52″ no one would accept me. It was a great experience that got me out of my shell a bit.”
When she got older, she tried to pursue an acting career, but she faced obstacles. “Traveling from the small town where I lived, to Toronto almost on a daily basis for auditions took its toll on me. Not to mention I was a single mom with 3 mouths to feed and it was getting expensive.
I put my dreams on hold to raise my kids. I think I put my own obstacles in my way. I let fear control my emotions and used that as an excuse. I also thought I wasnt good enough being rejected time and time again, only getting a call back once. I stopped pursuing acting. “
Do you remember your first audition?
“Like it was yesterday. It was for a dell commercial. We were sitting in what was supposed to be an airplane. I got a callback for it. Didn’t end up getting the part but it was my first audition.”
How do you deal with rejection?
” I just do. I have a strong personality and thick skin. You have to in this industry. “
With her kids now off on their own, Stella has found her way back to acting and modeling. She first posed for her friend who was looking to advertise her boudoir photography, and that is when she realized that it is time to pursue her dreams.
During your break from acting, were there times when you felt it was missing from your life? If so, how did you deal with it?
“I missed it a lot. I knew at some point I’d get back to it. I didn’t realize it was going to be so late in life. I went to the gym, I joined a boxing and kick boxing class. In the end it was all worth it.”
How did it feel to get into this industry after so long? (Scary, exciting, intimidating, natural..) Tell me about your first acting class at Studio West, how did feel like to be doing this again?
“It was all of the above. Every emotion you can feel but mostly happy to finally get back into it. My first class with Alec (acting coach at Studio West) was nerve-wrecking but so much fun. He’s an amazing coach. I think it really helped me get out of my shell. I’m really shy and nervous to perform improv around people I don’t know. Sometimes I still am. Believe it or not I’m not that funny.”
Do you regret not doing it sooner?
“Sometimes but I don’t dwell on the past. Everything will come to fruition in divine time.”
Were your kids supportive?
“My kids are always supportive of everything I do. They got that from me.”
What advice do you have for other women like you who have dreams and passion, but have important responsibilities that are stopping them?
“I know we hear this all the time but don’t give up, don’t let obstacles get in your way of achieving your dreams. Never let fear control you. Just do it! My cousin and I were discussing this the other day and he said fear is holding him back. I said release it and do what you love to do. I did and I am. It’s a mindset. Believe in yourself and you will do great things.”
“I found random jobs for new fashion designers and did a couple of fashion shows for various designers and Maison De Couture. I did a couple of indie horror films. Which landed me on imdb. I thought that was amazing.”It is great that you did fashion shows and indie horror films! How was the experience?
“It was a great experience, lots of fun and a learning curve. I met a lot of wonderful women. The girl who plays my daughter in the movie that we just did, we did a fashion show together a couple of years ago. Small world.
I knew for sure that I was a natural in front of the camera, as I was when I was a kid. Memorizing lines is not my forte. You just have to keep reading it over and over. It’s great to have a daughter old enough to be my go to when I need to learn my lines.”
Joining Max Agency
“I finally took the leap to sign with Max Agency. Thats when I met Alec, my improv coach who believed in me and gave me the opportunity to take his classes.
I cant even tell you the rush you get performing in front of strangers who I consider my family now. Its really nice to finally belong to a group of people who get me. They all have similar stories. Ive met so many wonderful people along the way.
When covid hit, it put a damper on my life. So I was going to make the most of the lock down. I decided to buy a guitar and start teaching myself how to play. Im still learning, its a difficult instrument to play. Ill get there one day.
One thing I learned is to never let fear stand in your way of achieving your goals and dreams. I have a creative soul the world needs to see.”
Stella also writes poetry which she hopes to publish soon! “I just needed to vent at first. I didn’t want to keep a journal so I started writing poetry. One of my poems was published on social media site. It wasn’t one of my favourites but they really liked it.”
Stella kindly shared one of he rpoems with us:
The stars align.
They shine so bright.
This feeling inside she can’t describe.
Her heart explodes with emotions she’s never felt before.
Everything is coming up roses. Finally!
From a bleak existence, there was no hope in sight.
Until one day she broke the chains that bound her.
She took control of her destiny.
Life pushed her down but she pushed back harder.
You can’t knock her down.
She will always win.
She is a champion!
MAX Agency is a successful Toronto acting agency representing men, women, and children. MAX Agency is involved in providing actors, models, and entertainers for the film, television, fashion, and advertising industries.
