it can be done at any level of life. I’m 35. I didn’t start acting until I was 31. It’s really all just a part of who I am. I have five children; I run two companies, I do fulltime acting—and I do it because I want to. GIR: What are your favorite fashions for work, red-carpet and leisure? I'm starting my own clothing line called Be Original. I'm in the prototype phase right now. I'm a very stylish person; my favorite clothes to wear is a company called Five Four out of LA, and that's literally all I wear. It's either that or I'm doing my own thing. It's hard for me to wear the same clothes everybody else is wearing; I like to wear my own stuff. GIR: How has Get Image Ready helped you put your best face forward? It all started with Get Image Ready. It began when Cindy Christi gave me an opportunity to be the spokesperson for a company called Just StringZ. That was the first time I got to see my face on a poster or be in a commercial. I got hooked and addicted to this business. Now, I’m the highest-paid commercial actor in Arizona for my agency. A long time ago when Cindy first taught me what it meant to brand myself, I didn't really understand it. But she made it very clear to me that first impressions are everything. You want to brand yourself, but it's not
only about the way you look; it's about the way you carry yourself and the way you talk and your manners. Don't get me wrong; the way you look definitely plays a part. But if you're feeling good, you're automatically going to want to dress nicely and you'll look way better. That's confidence. So Cindy taught me about accepting who I was with my tattoos and my background. There wasn't anything I couldn’t accomplish; the only limitations were what I was putting on myself. I learned from working with her and watching her behind the camera and in front of the camera. GIR: How do you give back? Besides 2MinAudition, mentoring is how I give back. I never charge anybody for what I do. I have mentored tons of artists and business professionals, all the way from an individual who runs a company of 150 people to somebody who’s just starting out. They find me and they come to me and they bring me into their environment. For anybody who comes to me for help, I have three steps. I listen to what you need to do. I give you my take, my input of what I think you goals and objectives should be. And I give you a time frame in which to do it. You don't do it in that time frame; I don't work with you anymore. Because you're not serious. And I don't give second chances. This is your opportunity. You're either going to do it or you're not. 68 68