All Posts Tagged With: "Interviews"

I’m so excited to share with you my interview with Daymond John founder of FUBU and star of ABC’s The Shark Tank. As a New Yorker myself the name FUBU rings many bells but mostly Mr. Daymond John and FUBU are a success story that inspired me all these years.

Daymond John

A success story, an industry leader, a young entrepreneur, a man who has reached and surpassed new heights of commercial and financial success – just a fraction of classifications used to describe Daymond John. Over the last 18 years, Daymond has evolved into one of the most successful fashion icons in business today. Known as the “Godfather of Urban Fashion,” Daymond is also regarded one of the most sought after branding experts and motivational speakers in the country. Having graduated from waiting tables at Red Lobster to being the CEO of a multi-million dollar enterprise, complete with sky rise offices in the Empire State Building, Daymond John is living “the American Dream.”’

In this interview Daymond John talks to Marta Walsh about his beginnings in fashion. What made FUBU take off. His passion for inspiring others and giving back. His encounter with President Barack Obama. Why did he decide to join ABC’s Shark Tank. Gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Describes his personal style, philosophy about beauty, and talks future plans.

Marta Walsh: When did your fascination with fashion and style begin?
Daymond John: It goes as far back as when I was 5 or 6 years old. I used to watch my mother put patterns of clothes on the floor and I helped her cut them with scissors and sew them all together. My own interest for fashion and style grew when I was 13 and around the time when Hip Hop began to emerge in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and New York. The new music genre also translated into a change in how people used to dress on the street, and that was very inspiring to me.

Bree Turner is an actress who began her journey in Hollywood as a professional dancer. Bree was a background dancer in such hit films as The Big Lebowski (1998), She’s All That (1999) and Mike Myers’ Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). Bree’s love for performing and being on stage makes acting a natural transition. Most recently, Bree Turner can be seen opposite Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth.

I caught up with Bree Turner via telephone from Los Angeles early in the morning few months ago, to talk about her beginnings in Hollywood, her role film The Ugly Truth opposite Katherine Heigl, future career plans and even some beauty secrets!

Actress Bree Turner

Marta Walsh: How did you decide on a career in acting, and what were some of your first breaks as an actress?
Bree Turner: I started out as a dancer which got me on stage. I was pretty shy as a kid so my mom decided to enroll me in a dance class, and I fell in love with being on stage and performing. I danced all through my teens and early 20’s. Dancing brought me down to Los Angeles with a dance scholarship in UCLA. I heard that you can actually make money as dancer, so I got a dance agent and began working in commercials, music videos, and the Grammys. I did that for about 6 years. I then decided to pursue acting. I was so in love with being on set and movie making. I loved movies since I was a baby. It was the only thing that would calm me down. I was very colicky as a child so my mom would take me to watch movies. Grease was the movie that would stop me from crying. Dancing, performing, and being on stage is all I’ve done forever, it’s all I really know.

Designer Rachel Roy has built a following for not only her beautiful designer and diffusion collections (Rachel | Rachel Roy is available in Macy’s stores across the U.S. and on RachelRoy.com) but also her amazing personal style and beauty. Talking Makeup has the scoop on how Rachel expresses her Indian ancestry through her makeup, and as well as her personal tricks to looking bright, fresh and flawless.

BTW- I loved watching Rachel Roy in one of the episodes of MTV’s The City. Are you also a fan?

Q. Have you picked up any great beauty tips or tricks that you can share?
RR: I feel a great mascara can open the eye and instantly make you look as though you’ve have a good night’s sleep, even when that is not the case. I use 2-3 coats of Lancome’s Fatale on the top, bottom, and also on the back of the top lashes.

This November, Bobbi Brown introduces her new Extreme Party Mascara – the first ever all-day layer-able mascara!

“For women who want the dramatic look of false lashes without the hassle.” – Bobbi Brown

Why is it different? Thanks to Bobbi’s new “re-activation” formula, each new coat of Extreme Party Mascara remains as clean and buildable as the first- whether you choose to go bolder right away or ten hours later.

I’m excited to share with you my interview with actress, singer, musician, and artist Persia White.

A little bit about Persia White (via wikipedia.org): she was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, and Miami. At the age of three, she earned a scholarship to the Nassau Civic Ballet Company. At age eight, she joined the Miami Coconut Grove Children’s Theater. As a teen, White studied dance, acting, singing, and painting. Her films roles include: various independent films, including Red Letters (opposite Peter Coyote) and the cult horror Blood Dolls.

Persia White’s TV movies roles includes: Operation Sandman (opposite Ron Perlman), and Suddenly, opposite Kirstie Alley. Her television work includes guest starring roles on Angel, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, Brooklyn South, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as a series regular role on Breaker High with co-star Ryan Gosling. In 2008, White appeared in The Fall of Night, as the character Dawn. She can also be seen in Chrisette Michele’s video, “Be OK”. White recently completed the drama Spoken Word, set for release in 2010. Persia is a vegan and an animal welfare and environmental activist.

I spoke to Persia White on the phone this past summer. I had the most amazing conversation with her about her beginnings as an actress. Her role on the long-running sitcom “Girlfriends”. The award-winning documentary Earthlings which she co-produced and was narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. What does fame really mean to her. What’s in her makeup bag. And future plans. Persia to me came across as absolutely beautiful inside out. I want to thank Persia for taking the time to chat with me!!

Marta Walsh: How did you decide on a career in acting, and what were some of your first breaks as an actress?
Persia White: I loved acting since I was 8 years old. I started to do theatre in Miami on the Coconut Grove Children’s Playhouse. That was my big introduction to acting. Then a talent scout founded me suggested I should find an agent. I was also a dancer and kept dancing but eventually I got into acting, which is a bit easier. Dancing is such a hard career. I still love dancing. I used to be one of these artistic kids and always loved make people laugh. I would do stand-up comedy skits when I was young. I moved to LA when I was a teenager and booked my first TV Series: “Breaker High” with co-star Ryan Gosling. I did several TV guest star appearances like in NYPD Blue and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I then booked a soap opera in New York which so happened to get cancelled. I moved back to LA, which was good because I booked the role of Lynn Ann Searcy in the sitcom “Girlfriends”.