SEPT. 2017 16 SHANNON PURSER
on the positive reaction to barb + her upcoming projects
04 FROY GUTIERREZ
22 DALES
46 KYLA DREW
on joining the last season of teen wolf
on finding excitement in music again
on her goals, social media + nicky, ricky, dicky & dawn
06 ALEXANDER JEAN
26 LIGHTS
48 BRITT BARON
on finding their groove as partners - in every sense of the word
on putting in the work to bring skin&earth to life
on glow + being part of a primarily female ensemble
12 MEGHANN FAHY
32 ANDREW J. WEST
52 BILLBOARD HOT 100 FEST
on women supporting one another + the importance of the bold type
on putting his own spin on a familiar character
highlights from the annual festival at jones beach
36 VAL CHMERKOVSKIY on passion, storytelling + dancing with the stars
CATHERINE POWELL
publisher, editor, photographer, designer, writer
SAMANTHA BAMBINO
OLIVIA SINGH
writer
writer
SHELBY CHARGIN
IAN HAYS
RILEY STENEHJEM
ELIZABETH FORREST
VANESSA SALLES
LIZ ZAVOYSKIY
writer writer
writer writer
writer writer
froy gutierrez
Words by SAMANTHA BAMBINO Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
It’s the end of an era. After six seasons of wolves, banshees and hellhounds, MTV’s Teen Wolf is going off the air. While cast veterans like Tyler Posey and Dylan O’Brien said a bittersweet goodbye to their favorite sets during the last days of filming, Froy Gutierrez and his character Nolan, who was introduced this season, were just getting familiar with the supernatural world of Beacon Hills. But with every ending comes a new beginning and now armed with a pack of loyal fans, Froy is ready for his next creative adventure. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the 19-year old actor spent much of his childhood in the south as well as Mexico, where a large portion of his family lived. Like any other kid, he tried a few hobbies to see what interested him, but none stuck for very long. After quitting the swim team in middle school, Froy’s mother was determined to get him out of the house and involved in something new. Mostly against his will, Froy was enrolled in a summer acting camp at the Dallas Children’s Theater. After spending some time surrounded by the performing arts, he surprisingly found himself enjoying the experience more than anything he’d previously tried. Once summer was over and 04
class was back in session, he took this new interest a step further and auditioned for the school play. Though he didn’t get a part in that play or the next one, he eventually landed a spot in a production. As luck would have it, an agent spotted him during this first performance and liked what he saw. Froy’s acting career officially took off from there. Before landing the role of Nolan on the final season of Teen Wolf, Froy admits he had never seen an episode. Still, he was familiar with the general plot from friends who were dedicated fans, and distinctly remembers his pre-teen self being fascinated by advertisements of Tyler Posey and his glowing yellow werewolf eyes. “It’s just very full circle for me because I remember seeing those posters and going, oh wow that’s an older kids show, I think I can watch that now,” he reflected. Fast-forward six years, and Froy found himself working alongside Tyler, who has since traded in his yellow eyes for alpha-red ones. As for his character Nolan, the new guy in town is human... at least for now. In early episodes, fans are introduced to him in guidance counselor Tamora Monroe’s office, another new character played by Sibongile Mlambo. At a first glance, it’s clear Nolan has witnessed a bizarre occurrence or
two. “He is a little bit crazy, for lack of a better word,” Froy says. “He’s a sensitive, sweet, paranoid, disturbed little soul.” Despite his initial anxious demeanor, Froy promises fans will see Nolan blossom into his own person as the season progresses. As one of the few non-supernatural creatures, Nolan serves as a representation of how the humans in Beacon Hills view the supernatural. “He’s kind of your vessel to figure out what is the general population’s idea of what’s going on right now,” Froy says. Just like his character was thrown into a strange new town, Froy had to jump head first into the welloiled machine of cast members who worked together for years. With emotions running high over the last season, this was no
easy feat. “I felt like an outsider going to a family’s funeral to an extent,” he says. “They’ve been together for eight years and it’s all over, so there were a lot of ‘lasts’ happening for each person.” When filming began, Froy felt like a shadow, a fly on the wall taking in his new surroundings. While Tyler and other original cast members were getting emotional over filming their last scene in a particular hallway or bedroom, Froy was still trying to figure out where the bathrooms were. But by the time the final scene was shot, he felt like he’d been apart of Teen Wolf from the start. “I was crying a bit more than some of the regulars if I’m honest,” he says. As a grand finale to the series, several fan favorites, including Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Hale, were brought back for the last season. Though Froy had never met any of these returning actors, the buzz around set from colleagues who hadn’t seen them in years was contagious. It was like a big family reunion as old friends reunited and mem-
ories were shared. “You’re very much getting an insider’s look into their lives and how they work,” he says. “It’s a real privilege to be one of the people who gets to see it happen.” The young actor also got to learn a few industry pointers while surrounded by the cast of television veterans. His main takeaway was to always put the work first. Though much of the Teen Wolf cast was close both on set and in their personal lives, they still managed to put their work before everything else and serve the character they were there to create. “No matter where you stand with your coworkers, you’re there for a specific reason. You’re there to get your hands dirty everyday,” Froy says. Even though Nolan lacks supernatural powers, Froy made the character captivating in his own unique way, and the Teen Wolf fandom quickly took notice. After the first episode of the season aired, he watched his social media following quickly skyrocket. Though he admits the sudden wave of attention has been a bit overwhelming, Froy enjoys the ability to connect with fans from different countries. “There’s enough love in that fandom to run the whole world,” he says. NKD NKDMAG.COM
05
ALEXANDER JEAN Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
FAHY MEGHANN Words by OLIVIA SINGH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
12
Meghann Fahy is currently one of Freeform’s newest faces, starring on the network’s latest hit drama, The Bold Type. This isn’t where she envisioned herself at the onset of her career, but Meghann loves where she’s at right now and hopes to continue doing what she’s passionate about for as long as she can. The 27-year-old actress grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and always found herself singing. Music was her main passion growing up, and it wasn’t until Meghann started doing local theater productions that she began to realize that she was also interested in acting. During her final year of high school, she participated in her senior class production of The Wizard of Oz, starring as Dorothy. “I always was a singer,” she says. “I never really wanted to be an actor and then the first job that I got was after I graduated high school. It was a Broadway musical called Next to Normal, and so I kind of got into acting by way of this musical.” When Meghann booked a role in Next to Normal in 2008, she moved to New York – and that has remained her home ever since. “I sort of hopped on that train and didn’t really know where it was going, but I figured, ‘Hey, I’m here and let’s see where this goes.’ I’ve had some really awesome opportunities along the way and I’m thrilled to be where I am now.” Television wasn’t always the path Meghann imagined for herself, but it was an organic progression. “It was never really the plan. I was just kind of going with the flow for a while.” Following her time on Broadway, Meghann booked her first official acting role on Gossip Girl. Though her role only required two scenes, she was understandably uneasy being on the set of a TV show, especially one that was incredibly popular.
“I was so nervous I could barely even remember my lines – which were not extensive – but I was just scared out of my mind and I remember my scene was with Ed Westwick and he was so kind,” Meghann recalls. “He knew how nervous I was and he just went out of his way to make me comfortable and I was so grateful for that.” After Gossip Girl, Meghann landed a spot on One Life to Live. While on that show for two years, she learned invaluable skills from the fast-paced environment of a soap opera. “That specific work is really difficult,” Meghann says. “It moves at such a quick pace. It is long hours and I say that I honed my memorization skills on One Life to Live. I am so grateful because you really have to memorize so information so fast and it’s such a machine.” Meghann continued to land more TV roles, and her biggest one yet arrived when she booked a role as Sutton Brady on The Bold Type, one of Freeform’s newest TV shows. The Bold Type focuses on the lives of three young women navigating the media world as employees at a fictional, New York City-based magazine named Scarlet. It’s a show geared toward the millennial audience, tackling serious and relevant topics, from sexism to racism, Internet trolls to sexuality, in a Cosmopolitan-esque manner. When Meghann read the show’s script, she immediately knew that she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to audition. She made a made a self-tape and sent it to Los Angeles, fingers crossed that she’d receive a response. “Every time I make a self-tape, I feel like it’s just something that’s going out into the universe that’s never going to be seen by anybody, but somebody watched it and they liked it, so they asked me to tape again and I did and then they asked if I could come out to
L.A. and test for the show and I did,” she explains. In L.A., Meghann did chemistry reads with who would later become her co-stars, Aisha Dee and Sam Page. After arriving back in New York, her phone was filled with several missed calls to tell her the good news. On The Bold Type, Meghann plays Sutton, an assistant at Scarlet magazine who has aspirations of taking on a more fashion-related role at the publication. During the first few episodes of Season 1, Sutton questions her career choice and wonders whether she should pursue fashion or a more sustainable and profitable position in ad sales. Ad sales might not be her dream job, but it pays her rent and will help to eliminate her student loans. And despite her background as a Business/Economics major in college, her true passion is the fashion side of Scarlet. Her struggle is one that is all too relatable to viewers of The Bold Type, who like Sutton, may also grapple with choosing a suitable career path. “I think it’s really hard to take a chance,” Meghann says. “I think that a lot of people want to set themselves up for success and security, which makes perfect sense, but unfortunately, that translates sometimes into people not being passionate about what they’re doing – so I think it’s really cool to see somebody who’s making a change to become a happier person.” At the same time, Sutton also tries to maintain her secret relationship with Richard Hunter (Sam Page), a member of Scarlet’s executive board. “It’s a genuine relationship,” Meghann says. “They both care so much for each other. They both want what’s best for the other person and the only thing that’s really getting in the way is this idea that if people found out about it, that Sutton would be not taken seriously – and that’s unfortunately a NKDMAG.COM
13
1 B Z D E F G H I Y K L M N O P Q R S T
shannon purser Words by ELIZABETH FORREST Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
1 B Z D E F G H I Y K L M N O P Q R S T
Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
Brian Dales grew up in a suburb just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Music was Brian’s foundation from the get-go. His family wasn’t very religious. So, for him, going into the basement to listen to Bruce Springsteen on vinyl was like attending church. “My parents aren’t necessarily musical, but they are huge music fans. And that was an integral part of my childhood,” he says. After spending his early years in Michigan, the Dales family relocated to Arizona, where Brian and his brothers attended school. Each summer, they would drive back up to Michigan, being sure to take the iconic Route 66. Relief came in the form of listening to hours of music 22
friends to join Student Government with him. Tuesdays after school could now be dedicated to her. Unfortunately, things didn’t really go as planned. His sophomore class was in charge of Battle of the Bands that year. Because he was the only one who showed interest in it, he was tasked with leading it. One minute, coffee-date dreams danced in his head; the next, he was having to worry about putting on an underappreciated production. But, Brian took it seriously. He went for while driving. “I think so much of my musical identity came from be- the music festival formula with essentially no down time. In being in cars and being on the road. tween sets, acoustic music would I think that is what made touring so easy for me, so far,” he says, “It’s be played in lobby. Unfortunately, something I’m used to and want to he was struggling to find performers. “I went to my friend and said, do. I’m just so comfortable being ‘Hey, what if we just make fools of on the road.” ourselves and you play guitar and But for years, music was someI sing?’ So, we learned five cover thing appreciated only from the outside. Brian’s father was a hockey songs and performed those. It was after that it felt like I was struck by player and Brian himself grew up lightning and the entire course of playing sports. According to him, while music was loved, he was in a history changed,” he recalls. By senior year of high school, family of jocks. Brian was at a crossroads. He was Romantic feelings ignited a a state champion tennis player but change of heart. At sixteen, he the thought of playing college tendeveloped a crush on one of his classmates. Wanting to spend more nis was a plague on his mind. He had to make a decision, and music time with her, he convinced some
was the only option. And while his parents were wary, they eventually came on board with his decision. And thus The Summer Set was born. Through his then guitarist, Brian connected with several members of who would become The Summer Set. They were in a band that was gaining traction on MySpace and were looking to start something new. It was a whole new experience for Brian. He was still 17 and while he would attend high school during the week, he would drive out to California on the weekend to play shows. “I mean, I played South by Southwest when I was still in high school. It all happened so fast. I didn’t really know what to expect. By the end of senior year, we were signed to a record deal. From there it was graduate, crawl into a van, tour for twenty people a night. Then, ten years later, its tour for one thousand people a night,” Brian says. Brian had made it. Over ten years, The Summer Set grew a solid fan base and released several albums. Not only was he in a band with some of his best friends, he was in a band with equally as talented musicians. His early adulthood was spent learning the ins and outs of the industry, making sure his dream never left his grasp. “We played a relentless amount of shows. For a while there, our backs were always up against a wall. Eventually we found ourselves a good home and surrounded ourselves with a team that was great for us,” he says. This allowed Brian and his bandmates to not only tour the country, but the world. For a time, the UK felt like a second home to The Summer Set. But touring and
solid management allowed them to nail down that work patter. Between 2009 and 2016 they released four albums. They lived on the road for each one. As time went on, Brian realized he had become complacent with the routine. More so, he felt his songwriting was in a bit of a rut. While objectively he knew the songs were good, self-doubt was peaking around every corner. There was a yearning his process could not satiate. During the making of The Summer Set’s last album, Stories For Monday, these difficulties began to manifest and take hold of Brian while writing the songs. Emotions were running high for Brian. They had finished touring and the album cycle for Legendary, which Brian considers their best record cycle. “We had gotten a taste of something we never had before. We saw these new doors begin to open,” he recalls, “But it was like being invited to a party and not being allowed to stay for very long.” This weighed heavily on Brian. He wasn’t sure of where to go next, what direction the music should head. There was a desperation bleeding out and Brian did not know the first step to take. He knew growth was needed and wanted to grow. He just didn’t know how. The expectations he set on himself obscured his vision. He had set up the impossible task of manufacturing songs that would fit the format needed to let them back in the party. The pressure hindered his writing. And when he could write, doubt splashed on each page and he wasn’t able to see when he did write a good song. “There
were some songs that were really great that I just hated. I think that I maybe set the bar so high that nothing was going to meet it. The whole record process was becoming very apathetic,” he admits, “We were meeting up so infrequently that we decided to take a hiatus in the middle of the record.” This lead to the band doubting their future. An unofficial decision was made that they would take what they had, produce it themselves, and release it as a farewell record. While this was happening, Brian made the decision to take a “soul searching trip to Alaska”. But, before up and leaving, he happened to run into an old friend: Matt Beckley. The chance encounter happened at a breakfast diner in California. Fate made itself known. Matt is accomplished in his own right. He was a guitarist for Katy Perry and 3OH!3. He’s a producer who has worked under Dr. Luke and Rob Cavallo. Maybe Matt could tell something was off with Brian. Later that night, he texted Brian asking if he wanted to swing by his house where he had a new studio built. “The next day, I went to his house. I thought we were going to write a song. I really needed to just write a song. But we ended up just spending hours talking about music; we talked about what I loved about music as a kid in my parents’ basement, what I felt was missing in the state of the music industry today, and where I’d love to see music go. We opened up a bottle of whiskey and just talked,” Brian recalls. This led to a Youube spiral. They found themselves in a vortex of Brian Adams’ work. They NKDMAG.COM
23
LIGHTS Words by VANESSA SALLES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
26
NKDMAG.COM
27
andrew j. west
Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
In the lobby of his hotel in San Diego, Andrew J. West can’t walk ten steps without someone stopping him for a photo – a request he happily obliges every time. It’s quite possible fans recognize him from his starring role on ABC Family’s Greek, or from his guest stint on The Walking Dead, but more likely, these Comic Con attendees are anxious to see him take on the role of Henry Mills on the much-adored fantasy drama, Once Upon a Time. Backtracking, Andrew’s story begins in Indiana, where he grew up and later attended Indiana University, where he majored in philosophy and anthropology. Outside of his required classes, he started taking acting classes and eventually taking part in campus 32
stage productions. Following graduation, he moves out to Los Angeles – which kick started the slow process of getting into audition rooms and eventually booking jobs. When he first got to L.A., Andrew was waiting tables to make rent. When he booked his first co-starring role on The CW’s short-lived series, Privileged, he quit his restaurant job. In hindsight, he realizes his confidence was premature. “I was naïve enough to think that was a wise move,” he laughs. Regardless, that first booking got the ball rolling for Andrew and he continued to book work fairly steadily. “In retrospect, that’s the dumbest thing ever,” Andrew says. Now, nine years later, Andrew is stepping into the En-
chanted Forest to play the adult version of Henry Mills on Once Upon a Time – a role occupied by Jared Gillmore for the last six years. After Andrew’s casting was announced last spring, fans began speculating what his “secret role” could be. “The response has actually been really great, and I was nervous about that,” Andrew admits, “You don’t know what the response is going to be like even when you’re not replacing a beloved character.” Andrew stresses that even though he may be new on the scene, Henry is still Henry, and the creators and writers of the show are making sure despite his growth, he’s still the same character fans have grown to love. Andrew admits that continuing a character’s story
NKDMAG.COM
33
VAL CHMERKOVSKIY Words by SHELBY CHARGIN Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Grooming by EMILY DAWN
46
DREW
Words by LIZ ZAVOYSKIY Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
KYLA
Within her 13 years, Atlanta-born Kyla Drew has already achieved more than most humans have tackled in a lifetime. With a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn, dreams of a major music career and almost 600,000 followers on Instagram, Kyla is well on her way to becoming a Hollywood staple. On the phone Kyla is every part as mature as her online presence would have you imagine. A frequent user of the ‘#smartgirlsrocknrule’, you can tell that Kyla’s persona is not only intrinsic, but one that she wants to project to her audience as a role model. NKD: Tell us a bit about your character on the show and how she has changed over the years. KD: The character I play on the show [Simmons] relates to me in so many ways. She’s a fashionista to start. She’s so smart and energetic and she’s always the mediator between people, similar to myself. Over the past four seasons, my character’s definitely changed. Physically, her style and appearance hasn’t changed that much but her persona has definitely developed. She has a bit more attitude now. She just grew up.
NKD: What was the catalyst or gateway or your entry into the acting world? KD: I always knew I wanted to be a superstar. By the age of three, I told my mom this was going to happen. So at the age of six, my mom put me in acting classes and got me an agent in Atlanta. Once I got my first role in a movie, I knew that acting was my passion. I want to be a triple threat, a singer, actress and a dancer. Three years later, we moved out to California. It was the best decision. I love California. It’s always sunny, all my friends are here. There’s just so much to do. NKD: Do you plan to tackle music one day? KD: I’m taking classes now, but when I turn 16, I want to get more into the music industry. First I want to become a household name in the acting industry and then convert to music. NKD: As a young actress, how do you utilize social media? KD: I just keep in constant contact with my fans. On Instagram, I livestream all the time. I make sure that everyone can see my day to day activities. I post all the time. I do vlogs on my YouTube channel. I love interacting, because I want my fans to know me better. They’re like my friends. I want them to know the real Kyla Drew.
NKD: With a schedule as packed as yours is, how is balancing school, friends, and work possible at 13? KD: Honestly, it’s really difficult. But I know that school comes first. So I get my schoolwork done before I see any of my friends. I also know that I have to be prepared to work nine and a half hours a day, Monday through Friday. So I go to work, do my hours, come home and get my schoolwork done. Hopefully, if by the weekend all my responsibilities are done then I can see my friends. In my downtime, I love to go shopping with my friends. I love cinemas, amusement parks, the pier. I go to the beach every weekend. I’m very active. NKD: Where do you see yourself in five years? KD: In five years, I see myself on screen at the Oscars. If not accepting an award, at least presenting. Winning awards, being a household name. Being at award shows and being on the big screen. NKD: What do you want fans to take away from you, both on the show and off? KD: I know a lot of people that want to be actors, or basketball players, singers, athletes. Anything like that. I just want people to know that dreams can become a reality and that if you try hard you can and will succeed. God has a path for you, you were sent to this earth for a reason. I want my fans to know that dreams do come true and if you put in the work to achieve them, things will happen. NKD
NKDMAG.COM
47
britt baron Words by RILEY STENHEJEM Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
When Britt Baron was auditioning for her first role in a production of Sherlock Holmes, the then-6-year-old insisted that she take the lead, even though it was a boy’s part, and she had never acted before. “I wish that I still had that perspective that I had when I was a kid. Especially as a woman, or as a little girl, because you don’t see your gender as a disadvantage in any sort of way,” she says. “All that matters is how you see yourself, not how the world sees you.” Now, years after her stint as Sherlock Holmes, Britt has had a chance to return to that childhood mentality in her role in the empowering Netflix series GLOW. Britt wanted to start auditioning for roles as a child. “My mom told me ‘no’. She was like, ‘I don’t want you to be an actor [now]. I want you to learn how to ride a bike and be a normal kid, growing up,’” Britt explains. Her love of acting persisted, and she participated in her high school’s theater program, and went 48
on to receive a BFA in Theater and Communications at the University of Michigan. “I think I set myself up [to expect] the worst, so then I would be pleasantly surprised,” she says. “I double majored and I didn’t even know until graduation if I was going to continue acting or get a normal job with health insurance and stuff that real adults have.” Shortly after graduation, she decided to forgo the “normal” route, and moved to Los Angeles to continue pursuing acting. Britt met her agent after a senior showcase that she performed in the weekend of her college graduation. “I did a clowning improv scene, which I was so happy about, because at the end of senior year the last thing I wanted to do was rehearse scenes,” she says. “I did not know that this agent was in the audience, and afterwards she came up to me and we exchanged information, and she started sending me out on self-tapes.” After Britt moved
to L.A., her agent had her going to in-person auditions, and shortly thereafter she was signed to the agency. “I was so fortunate in the fact that I had an agent so quickly, because sometimes I think that is the biggest hurdle for actors moving to a big city, just getting representation,” she remarks. Although Britt moved west to work in film and television, her first acting gig was actually a theater production at The Falcon Theater. The casting director of that play later gave Britt a role in a TV Land pilot called Jennifer Falls. “I think that’s when the momentum started picking up, and I started realizing that I like this,” Britt says. After taking on several other roles, Britt auditioned for the Netflix series GLOW, produced by Orange is the New Black’s Jenji Kohan. The unique show’s first season was released in June. The series follows a group of Hollywood misfits as they leave behind acting and turn
BILLBOARD hot 100 festival Photographed in New York by CATHERINE POWELL
Big Sean
Phoebe Ryan
Jack & Jack
Camila Cabello
Major Lazer
Lil Yachyu
Marshmello
Demi Lovato
Echosmith
DJ Khaled
Hunter Hayes
NKDMAG.COM